Welcome to VC Weekly, N-Europe’s guide to the wonderful world of Nintendo’s download service. Written by Sam C Gittins

Fans of a certain 'blue bomber' should be rejoicing at this latest release, especially considering how much fans - including myself - cried out for the previous entry. Anyway enough from me and on with the game!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Mega Man X2

Price: GB £5.49, EU €7.99
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Released: 1995
System: SNES

The original Mega Man X was hailed as a breath of fresh air because after many numbered sequels this title came around shaking things up somewhat as it took everything that was great about the original games but added so much more detail and precision without diluting that all important overall feel that Mega Man has become famed for over the years. Predictably the plot set around a few months after the first 'X' title revolves around Mega Man taking on eight new Robot Mavericks in order to restore peace to the land once again, all in a days work naturally.

Keeping true to its roots you can tackle eight different stages from the outset each of which will end in a confrontation with one of the Robot Mavericks, upon beating each boss you'll inherit a new power which you can then use against the others... of course the trick is to find out which powers are most effective against certain bosses and therein lies half of the fun. The other half of course is found in playing the stages which seem to be just as finely crafted as those in the previous game but with a more heavy emphasis on platforming whereas things seemed more balanced before including a more balanced ratio of jumping to shooting, it's a small criticism though as overall the experience is still just as satisfying.

Controls are still spectacularly slick even featuring a few additions which include Dashing, Wall-Jumping plus for those who remember the hidden Hadouken move there is now a Shoryuken which should please many Capcom fans no end. Three of the main stages contain secret rooms where you'll fight against special bosses which interestingly effects the ending of the game which is worth considering if you're something of a completionist; other notable additions include hover-bike stages which are interesting plus an array of  extra abilities you can obtain including a useful mid-air dash alongside other collectables  which include armour and life-bar enhancements which are well worth picking up.       

Naturally the visuals are on par with the previous entry though this time the backgrounds don't seem quite as delicately detailed but the levels are still bold just as the sprites are as beautiful as they always have been. There are still many marvellous of melody despite the music not quite being of the highest standard that we're perhaps used to it's still an admirable achievement that the audio department with the usual sound effects being just as you'd expect
them to be.

Still a stunning outing for our robot blaster master in it's own right even if it doesn't have the same kind of impact that was so prominent with the release of Mega Man X this is still a very much enjoyable entry in the series even if it is a fairly safe sequel. Of course there was nothing really wrong with the previous title so Capcom wisely didn't try to change too much meaning that the majority of the quality is still retained meaning that this is most definitely a must own title, even despite its slight shortcomings you still won't want to miss this classic platformer.  

Verdict : A much-loved Mega Man sequel that safely manages to be marvellous.

That's it for another installment of VC Weekly which will return again soon. So until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!