Virtual Console Roundup Review

Super Smash Bros.

• Platform: N64
• Price: 1000 Points
• In Real Money: £7 / €10

Let's get the controversial one out of the way first, along with this disclaimer: Super Smash Bros. is a fun game. I like it. In its day, it was even an original game, and something of a breakthrough for Nintendo in the way it used its stable of characters. Today, however, it's more of a curiosity than essential purchase.

Some will rear up in dismay at such sacrilege, and that's understandable. A lot of people have waited a long time for this chunky brawler to arrive on the Virtual Console, and a lot of people would like to be transported back to the halcyon days of 1999 for the price of 1000 Wii Points.

The trouble is that for some Nintendo games, the earliest incarnations are still the best. Mario Kart, for example, never really improved on its perfectly formed SNES debut. Smash Bros., on the other hand, has been rendered redundant by its own sequels. This one is a game still in search of its ideal incarnation, an idea yet to fully bear fruit. On the most basic level, the line-up of 12 characters can't help but seem slim when compared to the boosted rosters of Melee and Brawl, and the absence of auxiliary game modes leaves the single-player experience feeling undernourished.

The simple gameplay is a benefit in the sense that shunting your opponent off the screen is easier to grasp than most fighting games, but in translating the controls from the N64's unique pad to the Wii's alternative a lot of that immediacy has been lost. The graphics also haven't aged well, as the jagged polygons struggle to put such visually distinct characters as Link and Kirby into a convincing common visual framework.

These gripes are of less consequence when you're pummelling a friend such as Donkey Kong, but there's always that nagging suspicion that you'd be having more fun with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. So there's undoubtedly fun to be had here, but how much depends largely on how nostalgic you are.

7/10

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen

• Platform: SNES
• Price: 900 Points
• In Real Money: £6.20 / €9

A Hanabi Festival "import" that's actually worth getting excited about, Ogre Battle is a pioneering title that helped to introduce not only the idea of strategy gaming to consoles, but also the concept of merging contemplation of the battlefield with JRPG trimmings. In doing so, it helped pave the way for games like Disgaea and is therefore very special indeed. It's also a genuinely rare title, with only 25,000 SNES copies released in America, and absolutely no release for us grunting Euro savages.

After determining your starting stats with a quick Tarot card quiz, you're plonked down in a fantasy landscape and left to develop your own revolution against the evil Zeteginan Empire.

There are no restrictions on how you move your units around the map, and encounters are triggered by entering towns and other inhabited areas. Sometimes this will earn you a bounty, other times it triggers combat, which takes place in a familiar JRPG turn-based style.

What sets Ogre Battle apart is its scope. You're not leading a discreet band of wacky characters but amassing a giant army, and the further you delve into the game, recruiting new units and levelling up existing squads, the more your options expand before you. The shift to a commander's perspective is refreshing and addictive. It also gives you multiple ways of approaching your goals, thus breaking free from the rigid stories of its more traditional peers.

The graphics are lovely, if a touch generic, and the menu system is intuitive and easy to grasp. The Hanabi Festival has too often been used as an excuse to overcharge for games of dubious merit, but Ogre Battle is one rarity that justifies the concept.

9/10

Kirby Dream Land 3

• Platform: SNES
• Price: 900 Points
• In Real Money: £6.20 / €9

I always feel sorry for Kirby. Pretty much every other Nintendo mascot has been given a moment in the spotlight since the Wii reversed the company's fortunes, but that poor pink ball is still stuck trying to stand out in the crowded Halls of Handheld Gaming.

Playing Dream Land 3, it's hard to understand why he hasn't been dusted off and reinvented for the motion control generation. As with most Kirby outings, this is an engaging, inventive and charming platform adventure with an identity all of its own. Wikipedia tells me that this game was "panned" by critics on release for not offering the wider array of abilities introduced in Kirby Super Star, but in hindsight that seems like a piddling complaint.

What the game does introduce is Gooey, a derpy bouncing blob that Kirby can - there's no polite way of putting this - excrete into existence, at the cost of some health. Once shat-birthed into the world, Gooey can leap and attack and slurp up enemies just like his horribly unnatural birth-father, and when left under the control of the game's AI, he gets on with things fairly well. He can, however, also be controlled by a second player, and the addition of simultaneous multiplayer alone makes Dream Land 3 worthy of note.

Other than that, the benefits are much the same as other Kirby games. Lovely level and world design, and structure that while not up to Mario standards still leaves you plenty to explore and discover.

7/10

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure

• Platform: Megadrive
• Price: 800 Points
• In Real Money: £5.50 / €8

Solid but never particularly special, this 1994 sequel to Activision's prehistoric platformer finds Pitfall Harry Jr on the trail of his father, star of the original game.

Most of the familiar tropes of the series are included, from the expanding and contracting quicksand to lots and lots of ropes for swinging. The graphics are chunky and cartoonish, and control is thankfully crisp. It's no surprise to learn that this belated revival coincided with the development of Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures for the SNES, but even with that craven opportunism in mind, The Mayan Adventure is a decent runny-jump offering, albeit not one that demands your immediate attention.

7/10

Pulseman

• Platform: Megadrive
• Price: 900 Points
• In Real Money: £6.20 / €9

A fairly obvious compilation of ideas swiped from both MegaMan and Sonic, this colourful platformer nevertheless proves its worth through some nice sprite work and winning level design.

Originally only available in Japan through the shortlived SEGA Channel, you play the electro-powered hero of the title. Built by a scientist to infiltrate computer systems, he has to battle his creator when he suddenly turns evil. Not only does his origin recall Capcom's blue-armoured mascot, but the game's structure is also suspiciously Megamannish, allowing you to choose which order to tackle the seven sizable stages.

The Sonic influence, meanwhile, comes from Pulseman's curious attack system. He can only fire his projectiles by charging them up, and he does this by keeping on the move. Let him stand around and he's reduced to using a feeble kick move and a less than impressive leap.

Connoisseurs of the genre won't find much that's new here, but that doesn't mean Pulseman is without merit. Yet another one of those games that would be more appealing at a less outrageous price point, but anyone who decides to splash their cash is unlikely to be too disappointed.

7/10

Galaxy Force 2

• Platform: Megadrive
• Price: 800 Points
• In Real Money: £5.50 / €8

Another into-the-screen shooter, based on chunky scaling sprites and seriously showing its age, Galaxy Force 2 doesn't have much to recommend it. You lock on to enemies and then release rockets to shoot them down. Sometimes enemies come from behind and you have to dodge their attacks before getting them in your sights. You do this over a series of planets including, yes, the obligatory lava world. It's all very flat and lifeless, and doesn't even have the same range of movement as Space Harrier.

It's hard to see who this would appeal to, and so it seems to have been uploaded simply as a trap for unwary impulse purchasers roaming the Virtual Console with more Nintendo Points than sense.

3/10

SimEarth: The Living Planet

• Platform: TurboGrafx 16
• Price: 800 Points
• In Real Money: £5.50 / €8

This attempt to translate Will Wright's deity-fetish to consoles is admirable and well-intentioned, but ultimately a fairly Quixotic exercise. Saddling you with the not inconsiderable task of creating an entire planet capable of sustaining intelligent life, it's a simulation game that likes to take its time. Progress is purposefully slow, which only makes the clunky presentation harder to decipher. Loading times are equally sticky, while control is imprecise.

It's a game of boundless ambition, and one that is clearly bursting with potential, but if porting it to consoles was a bad idea in 1992, it's even less easy to forgive the inherent clumsiness 17 years later.

3/10

M.U.S.H.A

• Platform: Megadrive
• Price: 900 Points
• In Real Money: £6.20 / €9

Standing for Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor, this vertical shoot-'em-up won't bowl you over with unique features but it doesn't punish you with bullet hell, and the generous health allowance means that averagely skilled players will be able to enjoy it just as much as the hardcore.

P-chip power-ups extend your arsenal in predictable ways, with multiple charge levels depending on how many identical power-ups you collect, and you can also pick up remote pods to either widen your attack range or attach to your belly for more powerful focused assaults.

The graphics are muscular and distinctive, the controls are as precise as you'd hope and it's simply a very engaging shooter that anyone can enjoy.

7/10

Bomberman '94

• Platform: TurboGrafx 16
• Price: 700 Points
• In Real Money: £4.80 / €7

A rather cheeky addition to the Hanabi line-up, since this game was released internationally on the Megadrive under a different title - though that's not the main reason to be wary of spending your points here.

Fact is, every sane person loves Bomberman. It's a pure, compelling, balanced gaming concept. It's also well represented on the Virtual Console with Bomberman '93, and if you fancy a more updated take on the series then there's also Bomberman Blast on WiiWare. While I'd never turn Bomberman away if he turned up on my doorstep asking for a sandwich and a cuddle, there's a limit to how many times you need to pay for his company. A lovely game, then, but an inessential download.

7/10

Detana!! Twinbee

• Platform: TurboGrafx 16
• Price: 700 Points
• In Real Money: £4.80 / €7

Not as cute as Fantasy Zone, but still sweeter than the average genre entry, this is an appealingly designed vertical blaster from the days when normal people were still allowed to enjoy shoot-'em-ups.

The game, which takes its title from the Latin for "Twinbee Teeth!!", has a pace that is surprisingly forgiving, frequent power-ups and progress is always possible, if not inevitable. It's mostly reminiscent of Xevious and, while never quite as good as M.U.S.H.A, if you've been waiting for a decent shooter that doesn't require ninja reflexes and bleeding thumbs then this is worth a look, even at the trumped up price.

6/10

Space Harrier

• Platform: Arcade
• Price: 800 Points
• In Real Money: £5.50 / €8

Important in the evolution of 3D gaming, though less than stellar when viewed through modern eyes, Space Harrier is one of those games that has paid the price for its ambition over the intervening years. This arcade port improves on the Master System and Megadrive versions already available on the VC, purely because the obstacles and enemies move more smoothly towards you, but it's still an impressive-looking shooter let down by twitchy control and a main sprite whose arse frequently obscures your view.

Salute its role in the development of this great hobby of ours, by all means, but don't feel obliged to relive the experience again.

4/10

Altered Beast

• Platform: Arcade
• Price: 900 Points
• In Real Money: £6.20 / €9

Dear Santa, for Christmas I would like you to make Altered Beast go away forever. Thanks. Sluggish, simplistic and with all the pacing of a snail race, Altered Beast is the arcade "classic" that simply refuses to lay down and die like a good dinosaur. It's recent appearance on Xbox Live Arcade was a fairly grim effort, but at least that had online leaderboards, Achievements, rejigged graphics (ugly as they are) and a price-tag around half the cost of this lazy, greedy shovel job.

2/10

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars

• Platform: Master System
• Price: 500 Points
• In Real Money: £3.45 / €5

Acid-bright and twee to the extreme, this saccharine platformer would have been ideal for those with young children if it weren't for the innate frustrations of the game engine.

Control is precise enough, but you're forced to skip and scamper across toytown landscapes against the clock, and with constantly eroding health the game just doesn't offer enough distractions to make such a grind worthwhile.

5/10

Secret Command

• Platform: Master System
• Price: 500 Points
• In Real Money: £3.45 / €5

This is one of those games with a bizarre and convoluted history. A translation of the Japanese run-and-gun game Ashura, it was released in the US as the official videogame tie-in for Rambo: First Blood Part 2. Over here in Euroland it didn't have the movie licence and so was simply known as Secret Command. Of course, that doesn't mean it won't be familiar to old timers, since Ocean's home computer Rambo game did bear an uncanny resemblance to this very title.

Sadly, the game itself doesn't really do much to live up to its sprawling origins. A top-down shooter so close to Capcom's Commando it could be called a cover version, you guide your slow-moving soldier up the screen, shooting an endless stream of spawning enemies with bullets that vanish after a few feet. It's amusing enough, in a sub-Ikari kind of way, but its appeal is limited.

5/10

Startropics 2: Zoda's Revenge

• Platform: NES
• Price: 600 Points
• In Real Money: £4.10 / €6

Released just as the NES was about to give one last painful lung-scraping rasp and drop down dead, this RPG sequel didn't do much to halt the console's decline and ended up vanishing as a result. The sad thing is, it's a vast improvement over its predecessor, which is playable enough but pales when offered alongside the likes of Zelda.

The string of tropical islands is ditched in favour of a time-hopping adventure that takes in the Wild West, Ancient Egypt and Victorian London among its nine chapters. You'll meet characters like Cleopatra, King Arthur and explore Transylvanian castles while wielding Leonardo Da Vinci's katana. It's like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure squeezed into an 8-bit RPG framework, and that's a good thing.

Also good are the controls, which have been fixed from the rather stiff original. Diagonal movement is now possible - crazy! - and this makes combat less of a clunky chore.

Startropics is never going to be regarded as a leading light of its genre, but there's plenty here if you're in the mood.

7/10

Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa

• Platform: Master System
• Price: 500 Points
• In Real Money: £3.45 / €5

This barmy and adorable side-scrolling shooter is certainly fun but it's virtually identical to the first game, also available on the VC. There's really no compelling reason to download it, therefore, unless you were so enthralled by the original that you've been chomping at the bit to play more of the same.

For what it's worth, you shuttle left and right in a Defendery way, shooting down the enemy-spawning bases while dodging and blasting their tiny offspring. Defeated enemies drop cash that can be used to beef up your weaponry, and warp gates let you zip around the levels with greater ease. It's a nice shooter, it's accessible and it's worth the asking price. If you didn't download the first, give it a try.

7/10

Smash Table Tennis

• Platform: NES
• Price: 600 Points
• In Real Money: £4.10 / €6

What better way to celebrate the inclusion of table tennis in Wii Sports Resort than by downloading a rudimentary ping pong game that manages to build up a diverting rally rhythm without ever becoming particularly engaging? Two-player matches are more fun, but there are dozens of better tennis games - both table and court - that you could play instead.

You control an eerie floating hand which can only move left or right. You can hold either of the buttons down to switch between forehand and backhand strokes, and this is the only real depth the game has. Pick the wrong one for the return and you'll send the ball plink-plink-plonking off the table. It's basic but fundamentally workable, so while it's hard to see why anyone would choose to download it, those who do will find it does exactly what they expect.

4/10