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

Featuring a revamped Jordan Khoviteri-Zadeh review of a classic title, plus a retread of a not so great title. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Donkey Kong 3
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

 
Price: GB £4.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo R&D1
Released: 1983
System: NES

After the huge ape-sized success that was the original Donkey Kong and it's original but lesser sequel Donkey Kong Jr it seems that for the third installment Nintendo really were scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel. The premise of Donkey Kong 3 is somewhat random, Donkey Kong has taken up residence inside Stanley the bug man's Greenhouse and understandably Stan the man isn't too happy about that and goes in armed with his bug spray gun to combat the ape and the barrage of bugs which he hurls downwards towards the crops below.

It isn't the most enthralling of plots and sadly it doesn't set the scene very well for any enthralling gameplay by any stretch of the imagination, there is no platforming involved this time around as you merely stand on the ground and spray DK in the crotch until he retreats to win the level. Of course it isn't that simple as at the start of the level the big ape  has a go at the bee hives at the start of the level causing bees and bugs of varying appearance to descend upon you like a mini plague; so between trying to shoo the ape away you need to either dodge or shoot the insects all the while being aware of how far DK is down the vines as believe me, you don't want him to reach the bottom.

Unfortunately that's basically it for the rest of the game, backdrops will change a bit, trees from green to red, bees from living to dead, DK moving more frantically above your head... but essentially it's the same game mechanics with little variation to break things up so it gets somewhat old very quickly. Speaking of quickly if you wish to speed up the process you can get a super bug sprayer that appears at certain points, it's repellent when sprayed will ascend to the ape much quicker.

There is little else to say about the third installment of what was once a groundbreaking arcade game, visually it's not very inspiring and the sound is rather basic even by Nintendo's standards. So even though it's a mere three and a half pounds it really isn't worth even that as there are by far better NES games already available which are well worth it but this just isn't one of them and only goes further to prove that in this instance, the original truly is the best.

Verdict : Substandard simian sequel.

Price: GB £5.49, EU €7.99
Publisher: Nintendo EAD
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1992
System: SNES

If you're a Zelda fan you're bound to be familiar with this fantastic game, after Zelda II - the 'black sheep' of the series - was released, Nintendo set to work on its sequel which would end up playing much more like the original NES game. The game obviously became, The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, which has since become a title which has gone down in the history of videogames as one of the all-time greats; and rightly so as it's still nothing short of spectacular even today.

This Zelda game was the one that started all the conventions. Every Zelda title that has come out after A Link To The Past has used something from it, be it the music, the graphics style, the storyline or even the items. The game opens as our hero, Link, is called by Zelda in his dreams during a ferocious storm. As the game progresses, you save Zelda and all of Hyrule. The game differed from previous games however, as it had two different maps. The dark and the light worlds, you even start off a bunny for a while in the dark world! The worlds are however, identical and the only difference is the colours, enemies and other accessible areas. It was used more for puzzle solving and storytelling than anything else.

Most long-term gamers will have played this game, it is after all a classic and a masterpiece, some even prefer it to the allmighty Ocarina of Time which has taken the top spot in all-time greatest videogames in more than a few instances, this is a game that has a unique charm which was only later realised by The Wind Waker and most recently in A Link Between Worlds which wouldn't exist if it wasn't for this title. It may be rather simplistic in explanation, but it's incredibly complex in execution, plus it has a substantial length; the story was epic at the time it was released. It still very much stands the test of time, the graphical touches here and there are smart, sprites are all rich in detail and there are so many varied backdrops, the soundtrack also stands out as one of the greatest ever composed, thanks to Koji Kondo, in addition to this the sound effects are just spot on.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past really is still an incredible title, if you've never played it before or if you haven't played it since the SNES days, buy it. The only reason not to would be if you explored everywhere, everything, got every item, got every heart piece; but even now you still might want to purchase this just to have the ability of off-tv play which is a positive addition for this classic title. In essence, A Link To The Past sums up everything that was astounding about the SNES era, an astounding technical and artistic achievement that will forever stand the test of time.

Verdict: The strongest link in the Zelda chain, this game holds the series together and must forever be treasured.

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!