To celebrate the North American Virtual Console’s 100th game (re-)release, The Tanooki’s Yay or Nay? makes its triumphant return to cover the week’s quartet of games. On the platter this week are Milon’s Secret Castle, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, Dead Moon, and the VC-celebrated Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Which ones are worth your Wii Points? Click on to find out!

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Milon’s Secret Castle

Milon’s Secret Castle is a decent platformer from the early days of the NES. It suffers from the dated graphics and sound capabilities of the NES, but if you’re here looking to determine which Virtual Console games to download, this really isn’t as issue for you.

As Milon, you set out to enter a giant castle and scale the inside of the castle until you reach the top in order to save the queen. Goodness knows we can’t have stairways in giant castles, so you jump around from ledge to ledge, fending off enemies with your magic bubbles as you go. There are several goodies to help you along the way, such as item blocks and invisible secrets, as you go through the immense castle looking for hidden rooms and challenging puzzles.

It’s not a bad game by any means (though some would argue that the repetitive music will drive you to insanity). However, it does little to differentiate itself from other, better platformers and puzzle games at the time. Unless you’re the kind who buys and plays every half-decent game on the Virtual Console (nothing wrong with that), then I’d stick with some of the better options this week.

Final Opinion: Nay

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ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron

ToeJam & Earl head back home after their first adventure, only to find out that several Earthlings have followed along. In order to stop the Earthlings and bring peace to Funkotron, it’s up to you (and possibly a friend) to help bottle up the Earthlings in jars and send them back.

Anyone who’s played both this game and its predecessor will tell you that ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron doesn’t quite match up to the original in several ways, and even goes to far as to change many of the aspects that made the first game so great. Nevertheless, if you wanted the first game, you wouldn’t be looking this one up, would you? ToeJam & Earl is simply “different” but enjoyable in its own right. It’s a solid platformer that offers enough level and enemy variety to keep you busy, provides a pleasingly creative art style, blasts some awesome music, and it highly addictive and fun. In fact, if you have a buddy, I suggest you play through co-op - you’ll both have a good laugh.

Final Opinion: Yay

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Dead Moon

Hudson’s VC offering this week comes in the form of Natsume, Inc.’s Dead Moon. Many years in the future, astronomers discover a new comet lurking around Pluto. When they send probes to the outer reaches of the solar system, however, these probes are inexplicably destroyed, and the comet is suddenly found on a collision course with Earth. In an effort to protect the planet, missiles are launched to deflect the comet, which ends up crashing on the moon. Further probes are sent to evaluate the damage, but instead they reveal an alien mothership hosting a clan of angry monsters.

Unfortunately, the back-story is the best thing about this game. Dead Moon is your typical side-scrolling rail shooter. The screen pushes you along 6 short levels (called “scenes”) in total as you make your way from the Earth to the Moon shooting at UFOs and giant skeletal chickens as you go. Oddly enough, that path to the moon includes flying through caves, underwater, and even lunar lightning storms. The enemies themselves have repitive attack patterns which are easy enough to avoid or shoot, your supplies can constantly be replenished by destroying enemy supply ships, and by simply collecting four upgrade items, your weapons simply demolish anything in their path.

The game is very short, incredibly easy, and not worth your six dollars. It’s about as exciting as its title.

Final Opinion: Nay

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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

I shouldn’t really need to explain to you that this game is worth it. Matt, who was unable to devote time to this week’s Yay or Nay due to his work on the Nintendo video project, has been repeatedly closing the last few Yay or Nay posts over the last four months by begging Nintendo to release this game. After all, it IS a Zelda game.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is often referred to as the “black sheep” entry of the Zelda series. That’s understandable - it’s different. Beyond being the only Zelda game to not bear “The Legend of Zelda” in its title, Zelda II introduced several elements into the gameplay that had not been in the original game and many of which have not appeared since. Aside from when traveling on the overworld map, Link would go through towns, dungeons, and fight all his battles from a side-scrolling perspective. The combat system replaced the simple hack and slash system with a little bit of strategy, enabling players to strike while standing or crouching. Arguably the biggest change was the introduction of RPG elements such as experience points and the need to level up.

Despite all these changes, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a more than worthy entry into the Zelda series, which you’ll realize if you can get past the differences. This is the Zelda game that introduced the use of magic, significant NPC roles, as well as the actual “Legend of Zelda” into the series. At 500 Wii Points, it’s a steal.

Final Opinion: YAY!

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And with that, we close out the first 100 Virtual Console games here in North America, as well as my first fill-in for our Yay or Nay? feature. I hope you all found the recommendations helpful, though we know you were probably going to download the latest Zelda VC title sooner or later. With four of the expected five in the bag, we now await our next visit to Termina.

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