Virtual Console Roundup Review

Sonic 3

• Platform: Megadrive
• Wii Points: 800
• In Real Money: £5.60 (8 Euros)

Taking the already sterling groundwork laid by Sonic 2, this third instalment (which introduced Knuckles, the pink dreadlocked echidna) is a thoroughly welcome addition to the Virtual Console.

At first glance it's much the same as previous Sonic efforts, but there's a heap of subtly wonderful evolution under the furry blue exterior. Zones now flow into one another, a nice touch which doesn't really change the gameplay dramatically, but does allow the game to flow much more smoothly. Levels are enormous sprawling monsters, requiring the combined talents of both Sonic and Tails to fully explore, and while racing at full pelt to the end of the level is still a viable way of playing, rummaging around for secrets proves more fruitful than ever. Sonic also benefits from new elemental shield types, guarding him against fire, water and electricity hazards.

The bonus stages are improved, with a gumball machine power-up lottery for accruing 50 rings before each checkpoint, while multiple Emerald stages are hidden throughout each area and accessible regardless of your ring total. The 3D grid-based mini-game that ensues, in which you must turn blue spheres into deadly red spheres while in constant motion, is a lot of fun.

It's not all roses though. The puzzles are still poorly implemented (see: the infamous barrel puzzle in Carnival Night Zone) and it feels like a missed opportunity not to release this with its companion piece, Sonic & Knuckles, at the same time. You know, seeing as they were originally two halves of the same game.

Still, it's Sonic 3, one of the absolute highpoints of the hedgehog franchise, and of 16-bit gaming in general. Snap it up.

9/10

Ghouls N' Ghosts

• Platform: Megadrive
• Wii Points: 800
• In Real Money: £5.60 (8 Euros)

Yes, quiver in fear, yellow-bellied gamers. The game that pretty much defined "ohmygodthatsimpossible" gaming for an entire generation is back, back, back. For what it's worth, Ghouls N' Ghosts is generally considered the easiest in the franchise, but that's a fairly relative distinction. This remains the sort of challenge that'll see you embedding your fingernails in the controller.

The reason for this vaguely softer reputation is the inclusion of several new abilities which help to keep Arthur alive (and fully clothed) for a bit longer. New armour types power you up, while a comedy magician occasionally appears to transform you into an old man or duck. Just because. Unlike the arcade original, this Megadrive version (rewritten by Sonic Team legend Yuji Naka) offers a practice mode, infinite credits across all difficulty levels and other concessions.

Despite this, the core gameplay is still stacked against you - and often in ways that feel desperately unfair. Enemies can walk through, over and around obstacles that Arthur can't, and even though you can now shoot upwards, your ability to fight back is still compromised compared to the hordes ranged against you. And, yes, when you finish the game you still discover that you have to do it all again in order to actually finish the game. Unless you like your gaming with a strong hint of masochism, this beautifully designed game remains a frustrating experience.

This is a strange selection for the VC, given that the beefed up SNES port, Super Ghouls N' Ghosts, is already available so there's not even that much incentive for Capcom die hards to download this effort.

6/10

Crack Down

• Platform: Megadrive
• Wii Points: 800
• In Real Money: £5.60 (8 Euros)

"Impressive ascent, agent!" No, no that one. While the muffled speech at the start apparently identifies it as "Quackduff", this Crack Down (note the space twixt the words) is a top-down action game, a sort of stealth cyberpunk Gauntlet with some curious design quirks.

Notably, the action is compressed into a tiny window in the corner of the screen, while an equal amount of space is given over to a box listing the enemies you'll be fighting. Plastered across the top of the screen are boxes containing a map, plus scores and ammo counts.

So you scurry around the little maze environments, finding bombs to deactivate. Enemies approach when they see you, and can either be punched or shot. Either method proves hit or miss, as this is one of those games where you can stand right next to an enemy, and still miss because your attacks go one pixel over their head. You can press yourself against the wall to avoid bullets while smart bombs clear the screen. The bad guys constantly respawn at a ludicrous rate though, and as the whole thing is played against the clock there's a limit to how much time you can waste running around trying not to die.

There's the kernel of a good idea in here, and the focus on sneaking probably seemed fairly clever and groundbreaking at the time (assuming you hadn't played the Metal Gear games) but today it feels too clunky and fiddly and the meagre gameplay amusement on offer isn't enough to compensate. As always, the option for two player co-op offers some giggles, but its still way overpriced for what it is.

6/10

Shining in the Darkness

• Platform: Megadrive
• Wii Points: 800
• In Real Money: £5.60 (8 Euros)

This week's RPG platter comes in the shape of this charming but basic dungeon crawler, which created the long-running Shining series but is otherwise forgettable.

There's a magic kingdom, missing princess, bearded shopkeepers selling bronze daggers - everything you expect. The first-person pseudo-3D exploration makes it look more interesting than it actually is, while the turn-based combat is rudimentary. It's not a bad game, exactly, just probably only of interest to JRPG fanatics.

Outside of historical curiosity there's no real reason to spend 800 points on this. Double Dungeons, the TurboGrafx oddity, is already available for less money - if you absolutely must have a basic dungeon game, I'd go for that one. It looks even more prehistoric, but has bags more charm.

5/10

ESWAT Cyber Police: City Under Siege

• Platform: Megadrive
• Wii Points: 800
• In Real Money: £5.60 (8 Euros)

That's a whole lot of title for a pretty uninspired game, a port in name only of the 1989 arcade cabinet, itself in no way inspired by Robocop. No, sir.

Much like Rolling Thunder, Green Beret and oodles more scrolling shooty-platform games, you roam left, right, up and down dispensing bullets at right angles as you battle to save the city from Naughty People. As you progress you start to collect elements of the cyber-armour which so tantalisingly graces the menu screen, but there's rather too much plodding action to be trudged through before you get to play with that, admittedly fun, toy.

In its defence, ESWAT is smooth and playable in that bland sort of way that generic 80s games often are. It's also quite easy, with five hits before you die and enemies that blindly shoot at nothing in the hope that you'll stray into their path. Undemanding retro fans will probably find enough to amuse them (though whether its 800 points worth of amusement is debatable) but you're not missing much if you don't download it.

5/10