VC Monday: Champions, Heroes, and more

Ah, another week, another Virtual Console update. This week brings us classics from Sega, Hudson, and Compile. First we have Eternal Champions, Sega's answer to both Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter for the Genesis. While not really the best fighter on the Genesis, it boasted many unique elements, as well as being much more story-driven than most fighting games of it's time. In fact, the story was one of the best parts of the game. Next up, The Dynastic Hero for the Turbografx CD. Basically an upgraded port of Wonder Boy in Monster World, The Dynastic Hero is still a fun, colorful platformer. It has a neat animated intro, too. Finally, there's Zanac, for the NES. Developed by Compile, who later went on to give us wonderful games like Puyo Puyo, Blazing Lazers, and the "Crush" series of pinball games for the TG-16, Zanac is a vertical shmup originally released in 1986. Perhaps the coolest part of Zanac is it's dynamic AI, that would adjust itself depending on the player's performance. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of old school shmups or just want to check out some of Compile's early work.

All in all, not the best Virtual Console Monday, but not terrible, either. Zanac at the very least is worth checking out. Now that the holidays are coming up, though, let's all hope that the Christmas Eve VC update brings with it some of the VC games that fans have been clamoring for!