This Week in Defunct Games - June 15, 2012

What Is It? Maybe it's because Capcom recently canceled Mega Man Legends 3 and it's been a couple years since his last installment, but recently I've been having a real craving for the Blue Bomber. Apparently Nintendo heard my cries, because this week they uploaded Capcom's Mega Man X2 to the Virtual Console.

This is the sequel to Mega Man X, the first 16-bit Mega Man game (released all the way back in April 2011 on the Virtual Console). Despite one of the most dynamic starts in Mega Man history, X2 is largely more of the same. The good news is that the "X" series adds more than enough new to make Mega Man feel fresh again, even if you're largely doing the same things you've always done. This time around Capcom added a grappling hook, large mech suits, wall jumping and even a Street Fighter II-inspired fireball.

Much like the first Mega Man X, this features a series of animal-inspired robots. You fight against a crab, ostrich, gator, snail, centipede and moth, not exactly the most ferocious group of baddies. In true Mega Man style, each boss has a weakness to one specific weapon, making it advantageous to tackle the levels in a specific order. Speaking of levels, the futuristic landscapes are full of color and detail, offering some original platforming challenges that are far beyond what the 8-bit character could pull off.

Does It Still Hold Up? The gameplay is quick and responsive, full of new abilities and fresh ideas. The level designs are also sharp, with a lot of creative platforming and cool new enemies. Better still; the game is full of hidden items and shortcuts, giving players incentive to toy around with the new abilities. The graphics still look stunning and the action is fact, making this one of the very best Mega Man games.

Is It Worth The Money? While you may balk at bad guys based on moths and centipedes, I assure you that Mega Man X2 is no laughing matter. This is a series action game from beginning to end; easily one of the best Super NES titles available on the Virtual Console. Even if you're somebody who is sick and tired of the Mega Man formula, Capcom added enough to make even the biggest cynic eat their words. Let's hope it doesn't take Nintendo another year before we see Mega Man X3 on the Virtual Console.

What Is It? A port of the 1982 hit of the same name, Donkey Kong Jr. is the fourth Nintendo Entertainment System on the Nintendo 3DS and the third Ambassador Program title (following Super Mario Bros. and Metroid). This time around you take control of the son of Kong, the great ape that is best known for terrorizing Jumpman. Here Junior is forced to climb vines, collect fruit and jump over enemies in order to grab the key and free his dad.

Donkey Kong Jr. was one of Nintendo's earliest home console games. Believe it or not, this NES game was originally released in 1983 in Japan, and the early design is apparent from the moment you start the game right up until you turn it off. The game offers only two modes, both of which are virtually identical. The game consists of only a few maps, all of which get repeated ad nauseum. On the other hand, this port does an excellent job of capturing Mario at his most evil.

Does It Still Hold Up? The gameplay is stiff, which is to say this version of Donkey Kong Jr. feels a lot like the arcade original. The graphics are also nearly identical. Still, there isn't much here to do or see. The levels are short and the whole exercise becomes repetitive too quickly. Donkey Kong Jr. may be a classic, but there are elements of this game that don't hold up thirty years later.

Is It Worth The Money? Sometimes I worry that people get the wrong message from my simple traffic light rating system. Donkey Kong Jr. is a fun game that everybody should play at one point or another. And if they ever make a movie called The King of Kong Jr., I'll be the first to be excited about playing this sequel again. But it's not a good buy on the Virtual Console. It's a whopping five dollars. That's a dollar more than Donkey Kong '94, a game absolutely packed with content. In fact, at five dollars, this paper thin version of Donkey Kong Jr. is more expensive than pretty much every must-own game on the 3DS Virtual Console. It's not worth it, even if the game is a genuine classic.