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

Not in a long time have so many titles well worthy of your time and money been released at the same time, the time to download is definitely now. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Sin & Punishment
StarTropics
Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II

What does the word “Treasure” mean to you? For some it may conjure up images of gold and jewel encrusted goblets, for others it may simply stand for that which they hold dear to them but the chances are that reading this article the word Treasure first and foremost reminds you of quite probably the finest developer of all forms of games in the shoot-em-up genre. Among its list of high profile titles is this, the quite simply sublime Sin and Punishment should easily rank in the all time zenith of the companies illustrious history. Originally only ever seeing the light of day in the land of the rising sun; this on-rails three dimensional shooting experience set in the near future on a vastly overpopulated planet Earth sees you take on the role of two teenagers named Saki and Airan in their ever ongoing battle against the might of the ruffians.

It's a standout example of its genre for many reasons, yes it's beautifully rendered and the compositions are an aural delight but it is the painstakingly perfect presentation which truly sets it apart from anything else. Stunning set pieces are laid out throughout this on-rails adventure from each epic encounter with the many well constructed bosses to supremely satisfying sections where you erase entire enemy fleets with both skill and style.

Originally designed around the three pronged N64 pad, a trio of control variants ensures it's playability on a Wavebird or Classic Controller though regardless of which scheme you choose I would recommend the former controller as it is just simply more comfortable and better suited to Nintendo 64 games, sadly this Wii U version only supports controllers limited to the system which is a shame considering the existence of the GC controller adapter. Moves are easy enough to execute but the key to success in S&P comes from knowing exactly when to use what maneuver; essentially it plays like a Starfox game except on-foot, like Gunstar Heroes but 3D except it has an original quality of it's own that you really just have to play to appreciate. Now that this is on the Wii U though at least you can take advantage of button mapping which really makes a difference in this instance making for a more enjoyable experience than ever before, plus the bonus of off-tv play of course so long as you don't mind the image possibly looking a little darker.

Make no mistake, Treasure are the masters of the domain of shooters for a reason; Sin and Punishment is yet another stunning example of how games should be made, with patience, pride and painstaking attention to detail. All of this is evident here as everything is brought together in an awe inspiring amalgamation of imagination, style and most importantly soul; an exceptional games in both the standalone sense as well as a fitting tribute to the console that made this and many other undisputed classics possible.

Slightly overused narrative cliché' aside - the plot does have it's redeeming moments later on - the basic mechanics revolve around tirelessly traversing C Island's overworld talking to various villagers and other inhabitants in order to gain information and inventory items to aid him along the way. Once you reach the games first dungeon its differences from Zelda become apparent as for a start the dungeons have a nicer colour scheme and you have the ability to jump over small gaps; Mike's melee weapon of choice is his faithful yo-yo which can be later upgraded to allow for a greater range.

Other weapons which have a limited usage counter are available in each dungeon which include baseball bats, balls, ray guns, slingshots and torches to name but a few; they are a welcome addition and become more useful in the increasingly difficult later dungeons. Apart from that though it's a refreshingly familiar experience which has you slaying mobs of monsters, hitting switches etc in fact the only main difference which you get used to is the four-way control as opposed to diagonal meaning the control is more akin to Pokemon but with more flexibility.

It's a challenging experience completing the games eight chapters in which you are guaranteed at least one dungeon and subsequent boss battle; visually everything is nice and well... tropical with some nice cutscenes and well composed accompanying music. This is one of those lost Nintendo gems that deserves to be experienced and thanks to it's availability on the VC it may now reach a greater audience, this is most certainly worth the price of entry just for the experience alone. Discover what many consider to be one of Genyo Takeda's greatest achievements since joining Nintendo in addition to it being the start of a game series which would certainly be ripe for revival with a new entry being on many fans most-wanted list for a long time indeed.

Verdict : A terrific tropical take on Zelda with the twist being that it's refreshingly original.

Yes the plot may be all over the place but it fits in with the nature of the game and keeps things moving along nicely not to mention it means you get to travel to places such as C Island from the first game, Egypt, the Ice Ages and even London in the Nineteenth century. The core mechanics are largely the same, you start out exploring the overworld searching out items and eventually you'll make it to a dungeon which are largely two per chapter now and this is where the first improvement comes in as you can now move diagonally inside the dungeons as opposed to the stricter four directions imposed upon you in the original.

Now you can also jump at any given moment and there are plenty of places inside the dungeons where you can take advantage of this, weapons are now stackable and instead of them degrading over time you have a secondary ranged attack which is stronger or weaker depending on your health once you obtain the upgrade. Overall the dungeons seem more challenging than the ones in the first but they also can be infuriating too, especially when you fall down the many invisible pitfalls full of enemies.

Visually the game isn't that amazing but it's detailed enough for a NES title, the music is excellent when inside the dungeons but somewhat dull when traveling across the overworld. Indeed it's a shame that Nintendo chose to release this so late on in the NES' life-cycle as the SNES was already out in the US and could have made use of the more powerful hardware if they had only shifted development; as things are though we're very lucky to receive a virtual version of this game for a second time, though I often dream of a SNES style sequel to this title which I have hopes for being made a reality one day.

Generally the original is still the best out of the two and despite this sequel improving upon the formula in many ways it also introduces new problems - namely the pitfalls - not to mention not being able to live up to the high expectations of its fans. Rest assured though if you loved the original then this will still keep you entertained to the end and we should be grateful to be finally being able to play this long lost sequel, it's just a shame that it could have been that little bit better. In retrospect though this is still a very charming title indeed which Wii U owners should be very happy about its availability.

Verdict : Fantastic follow-up which can be forgiven its few flaws in light of how fun it is.

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!