While we wait for news on seemingly any Virtual Console releases after it being over a full month since the last title came out, it's time to catch up with a couple of classic titles which were given re-releases on the Wii U VC before the Switch came out taking with it the future of the service which is still uncertain at this point.

One of them just happens to be what is still my favourite game in the Bomberman series even taking the recently released Super Bomberman R on the Switch which we should have a review of for you all soon - it has been a busy couple of months - along with another classic involving some seminal shooting action with lasers. 

So without further ado, on with the reviews!  
  
Available for download this week we have...   

Bomberman has been around for over two and a half decades now spanning many incarnations across multiple platforms but it wasn't until the introduction of multiplayer that the series really started to gain true commercial success and critical acclaim. Originally there was just the solitary Adventure Mode in which you would blast through blocks with bombs while blowing up the occasional enemy along the way which was all well and good back then but when the 16-bit era came along tastes and trends had changed and it was no longer solely about the single player but more about the multiple.

Of course there is a single player adventure mode in this version and it's both perfectly playable and well paced; it basically has you repairing the world which has been split into five separate parts and will see you travelling to each place which includes Forest, Factory Mine, Snow and Underwater areas. Your task revolves around obtaining pieces of a tablet - one per stage - and to get these you need to blow up forcefield units; of course there are plenty of enemies and blocks that will get in your way as you attempt to do this but thankfully there are the obligatory power-ups that bestow more bombs etc upon you not to mention interactive objects such as the carts on the mine stage.

After you've completed the set of stages within each themed part of the world you then get to face off against a boss; these battles often take place in a relatively large arena and are both challenging and enjoyable featuring such delights as a remote controlled Banana, Ice Queen, Vampire Bat and an epic final battle. But however good the single player is it's the multiplayer that'll keep you coming back for more as you pick your favourite Bomberman – of which there are various shapes and sizes – select an arena and bomb away to your hearts content!

The sedate yet stylish starting area of the single-player adventure, still feels fresh.

Many an enjoyable multiplayer session has been had by myself and my brothers on Mega Bomberman in the past – the Megadrive port – so I can personally vouch for the quality of the experience that is to be had from this part of the game. A multitude of power-ups are included ranging from the obligatory additional bombs, increased firepower and speed-ups to the skulls which will bestow a random effect on the player such as slower speed, auto bomb or no bombs so these are best either avoided or blown up where possible; perhaps one of the greatest additions though are the Louie's which are Kangaroo-like creatures and each different coloured variant has its own special power, everyone has a favourite - mine being the green - and curse words are often uttered if your opponent manages to snag the one that you wanted, all in the name of fun of course. 

There really isn't anything else quite like it out there and on top of all this the game is both graphically gorgeous featuring the sleeker more modern looking Bomberman and an awesome accompanying soundtrack which contains plenty of tunes to hum along too and of course some excellent explosions. Overall this is Bomberman at his finest and if you missed out on the Pal version of the Megadrive port years ago then don't miss the chance to own this re-release of the original TG-16 version complete with five player multiplayer support, it really doesn't get better than this.

In the arcades Gradius was hailed as something of a revolution for the side-scrolling shoot 'em up genre thanks largely to its stunningly simple yet spectacularly good level design coupled with a particularly poignant power-up system which was really unlike anything that had come before it so naturally when it was ported to the TG-16 there was much rejoicing from gamers at the time as since then it has become a very significant series over the last few decades spreading its influence far and wide. 

By today's standards the original is considered fairly 'bare bones' which actually works to its credit still as what you get is a delightfully simple yet enjoyable experience which is of a decent length featuring some rather large levels that are sure to be a test even the most seasoned of schmup players. While you only start out with a basic laser cannon as you start blasting apart enemies you'll be able to pick up many power capsules which are used to up the level of your power meter which in turn will bestow various augmentations upon your ship starting off with a wider laser and faster ship movement eventually culminating in some seriously destructive fire-power; naturally is it possible to beat some of the earlier levels with minimum power-ups but you'll want to pick more up towards the end of the game as the later levels are particularly testing.

The controls are simple yet concise which is perfect for such a game as you'll soon discover that your ship moves rather slowly at first but this only further reinforces the importance of the power-up system which is constantly in play; there's not a huge amount of variation as you'll have your finger on the trigger most of the time but sometimes you'll be using the other action button in order to unleash any of the more powerful additions to your arsenal which you may have acquired, these additional weapons are particularly useful for getting out of difficult situations or avoiding those crucial near-death moments.

Is it an Asteroid? Nope... just another boss!

While there might not be much to look at here in comparison to today's visually polished, HD enhanced shooters but you can't help but appreciate the simple beauty of the pixels that make up all of the weird yet wonderful enemy ships including some rather spectacular bosses along with simple backgrounds that set the scene nicely. Naturally the audio features some very nice sounds which suit the game well and are in many ways classics as they are very catchy indeed plus there are some rather decent sound samples in there as well keeping you further immersed in the moment.

It's very hard for me not to recommend Gradius for it is such a classic game which yes is showing its age by today's standards yet it still remains very playable so really the only reason you'd not have for wanting to play it is if you've owned the game many times before. For anyone who has yet to play this gem though I would suggest that you pick this up as it's a great version and of course has the advantage of having off-TV play so you can blast alien scum to your hearts content, perhaps making use of the save states when times get tough... it's well worth owning no matter which way you look at it.

That's it for another edition of VC Weekly which will hopefully return again soon. So until then, enjoy whatever titles you might be playing and Game On!