I too really enjoyed this game. Although visually it's a bit of a mess, it's very enjoyable. It's obviously Sega's attempt to beat Mario, but fortunately it's not just a clone of Mario and does offer quite a bit of variety over the levels, including the fun of riding a motorbike. Playing scissors, paper, stone with the bosses was another quirk of the game.
I think I will download it as it is an enjoyable little platformer. It'll be nice to play it on a decent control pad, instead of the awful Master System control pad. Though I expect to have the in-game music stuck in my head again for years as a result of playing it.
I quite liked Splatter House 2 back in the day on my best mate's Megadrive. Some of the enemies and levels were quite imaginative. On the downside I do remember being hugely annoyed with how slowly the main character moved, to the point where it could really hinder the game.
This is definately one to consider downloading, rather than long for.
At last! If you've never played it, this is a truly incredible game!. The video doesn't do any justice at all to the game. The graphics are quite simple (this is a one-programmer job from 1985 remember), but they are stylised and hugely effective. Don't forget many early NES games were very primitive visually too, Legend of Zelda for instance. Poor visuals don't hinder the enjoyment you can have playing Zelda, nor do the simple graphics of Paradroid ruin this fantastic slice of British retro-gaming.
On screen the sprites don't clash with the scenery, so there's no worries in that regard. The Braybrook bas-relief graphics help create a futuristic feel to the game too. The sound effects are very good for the time in my opinion, Paradroid wouldn't have worked with a Rob Hubbard epic soundtrack. The effects build a subtle atmosphere of tension and relay lots of information (i.e. level of risk, condition of influence device).
The 3D/2D world also adds so much tension to the game. The fact you can't see what's behind a door is brilliant! It builds fantastic tension. The fact that amount of time you can control an enemy droid diminishes the higher their class is also fantastic, meaning that you need to learn a compromise.
Now all I can say is fingers crossed for Wizball...
Oh wow! The first non D64-TV game and it's one of the best games ever released on the C64. I can't wait to fire it up again after all these years. Yes, the controls take a bit of getting used to and it's quite difficult but I can't think of many more atmospheric arcade-adventure games out there than this. Beautiful graphics and a truly fantastic soundtrack show just what the C64 was capable of.
One of my all time favourite multi-event sports games, featuring events from around the world of varying levels of insanity and joystick waggling. The graphics and sound are quite simplistic, but it's still great fun.
I consider Uridium to be one of the gems of the C64 back catalogue. It is a truly innovative take on the shoot 'em up genre, with speed and obstacles being an equal threat to your well being as the on-screen enemies. Some people have taken a dislike to the artistic theme of the game, but I quite like the bas-relief style of mid 80s Andrew Braybrook games and the graphics really fly - it's like being on an 8-bit white knuckle ride at times!
I think it's well worth 500 points as I've still not cleared it and I've been trying on the C64 since 1990!
I have to be honest, it's great to play International Karate again. Admittedly it's a million miles away from the 2D beat-em ups of today, but what would you expect for a game of it's age? .
It's simple no-nonse moves and combat system are still entertaining enough, the graphics aren't as bad as certain people claim (bear in mind this game was released in 1985) and the music is absolutely awesome. Compared with Yie-Ar Kung Fu (the big 2D fighter in the arcades at the time), this game is positively space age in terms of presentation. And the animation isn't that bad for sprites as big as the ones used here by the way - I'd like to see a NES game with sprites as big running so smoothly.
500 Wii Points might seem steep, but it's no less complicated than many of the NES games retailing for that price, and it's certainly more entertaining than the lion's share of them.
Fingers crossed for IK+, a game which expands and improves upon every aspect of this game. Though I am a little worried that the only games out so far were ones from the D64 TV thing.
I have to be honest, this game isn't half as good as I remember it being. Compared with the original Turrican games released on the home computer formats of the era, this game suffers from bland level designs, more linear gameplay and less catchy music. The difficulty curve is also far steeper and the weapons aren't as good either.
Still, all said and done, it's a great contra-style scrolling shoot 'em up, it just suffers from being a sequel to two of the greatest games of the early 1990s.
Not a bad conversion, but a little rough at the edges. In terms of 8-bit conversions I'd say the C64 version edges it over the NES one, but it's still great fun!
When I saw Super Turrican 2 being released, I was a little disappointed as I'd much prefer either the 'non-super versions' found on the C64 or the Amiga. Sadly the rumour of C64 games on the Wii doesn't seem to have materialised, so this will have to do. Still, it's not a bad game - just not as good as it's original incarnations if you ask me.
There are obvious comparisions between Metroid and Turrican but I have to take a different stance to the previous poster. I know it's not fashionable to say this, but for once European game design trounces over their Japanese counterparts. C64 Turrican 2 is one of the best 8 bit games ever! Anyone who says Metroid is better is either an idiot, has never actually played Metroid on the NES, or enjoys games where you just wonder around aimlessly through repetitive environments. So what if features are borrowed from one game into another, where would Mario and Metroid be without Miner 2049'er and Pitfall on the Atari VCS?
And (don't shoot me down, fan boys), I actually prefer Turrican 2 to Super Metroid! There I've said it!
There seems to be an awful lot of sideways scrolling shooters coming out for the VC on the various platforms, so add Armalyte to my list too! It's easily as good as R-Type.
I'd just play it in bits and bats. Every VC game I've played will let you carry on exactly where you left off - even if it's in the middle of a level if you go back to the Wii menu before turning off, so hopefully this will be no exception. Otherwise, like you say, it'll be a big ask to clear it!
I'll be very interested if this game comes out as I'd like to play the original NES incarnation of the game, rather than the All Stars remake. I know from the All Stars conversion that this is incredibly hard, to the point of absurdity, but that's part of the time. I feel as if we were robbed in the West when Nintendo decided against giving us the game the first time around.
Another classic game from the early days of the SNES. F-Zero was the game that made the SNES really stand out as it looked absolutely stunning. Nobody had seen anything move as fast as the 'Mode 7' graphics used around the tracks. It made all other arcade-style racing games of the time look about as exciting as a Lada going up a steep hill.
How does it compare 15 years later? Well, the highly stylised visuals still look very nice now (especially the backdrops). The action is still fast, even by today's standards. Wipeout may have pushed the boundaries for futuristic racing games, but it's not bad and it's certainly impressive for a 16-bit game. The soundtrack is also really good too!
The gameplay isn't bad. As many people have pointed out it's quite simple. You have a choice of 4 cars, each with strengths and weaknesses. Your basic aim is to win each of the races you compete in. Not an easy task. The controls are different from many racers and make use of the L and R buttons, as well as the D-Pad, to control your 'glide' through the corners. It's a black art to learn how to corner properly but when you get it right, you'll love it.
It's not the best SNES racer as Super Mario Kart is a country mile better, but it's well worth downloading.
The 'God Game' to end them all. Sim City was an absolute phenomenon when it was released back in the late 1980s. Spreading out from it's origin on the Mac and PCs of the era, the game soon became available on every format under the sun - including many of the consoles.
Some questioned why this was one of the first SNES games on VC, but it's a really good game. The basic premise is that you're a Major/town planner of a city and you've got to build it and run it to a profit. You choose how the budget is spent and also how the city is designed and grows. Choose badly and you'll either go bankrupt or design a city that is beseiged with problems such as crime, pollution and traffic congestion. Building the perfect city is not an easy job! And it it wasn't just that, there's always the risk of a natural disaster scuppering your plans. All in all it's very addictive!
The presentation looks like it was lifted straight from the VGA version of the game on the PC and has a style that is very reminiscent of PC games of the era, i.e. very formal and questionable use of colour.
It's worth downloading as it's still got a simple charm compared to the complexity and overblown nature of the latest additions to the series. It's release might also encourage Westwood to release the Megadrive port of Dune 2 to Virtual Console - now that would be worth shouting about.
Nintendo turn on the style again, as Link and Zelda make their 16-bit debut. After a somewhat 'experimental' re-envisioning of the series in Zelda 2 on the NES, Miyamoto and his team decided to go back to the format of the original game. The result is a hugely rewarding game!
The primitive graphics of the original NES game have been replaced with a lavish game world and a splendid array of enemies. There are also far more objects to collect than in the original.
It is fair to argue that Zelda is not a true RPG as you don't rely or interact with NPCs half as much as in say an Enix game of the era. I'd argue that Zelda is more of an arcade adventure, either way it's absolutely brilliant! Fantastic dungeons, top secrets and as I mentioned, lots more items to collect. The map system is also a hundred times better than in the original NES game and actually makes sense now!
The game world is big and varied. It is also revealed to you in steps as you can only access certain parts when you've collected a specific object or performed a certain task. There is also a "Metroid Prime 2-style" 'light' and 'dark' world aspect to the game as well, which for the time was very innovative and also adds a whole new dimension to the game (literally) as to do certain things you need to be in a certain world. But that's much later in the game. All in all, I absolutely love this game and it's addictive qualities probably cost me some decent GCSE grades!
It's also worth mentioning the soundtrack is one of Nintendo's finest. The music consists of some fantastic new scores and tremedous, epic orchestrated renditions of classic NES Zelda tunes. Brilliant!
Is it worth downloading? It certainly is! Even if you have the GBA conversion it's worth getting as you can see the beautiful graphics in all their glory. Another jewel in the SNES's outstanding catalogue of games.
I have to be honest, I think the stiff controls are more to do with the Classic Controller, rather than the game as I seem to die more playing it on the Wii than on the SNES with my 10+ years old (well broken in) SNES pad. Hopefully the Classic Controller will soften up with age as I know what you mean, especially on those swinging rope bits on world 3!
Nintendo's first platform game (Atari's Miner 2049-er was the first ever) and Mario's debut harks back originally to a 1981 coin-op. This NES conversion is totally arcade perfect, which isn't really hard considering how simple the aesthetics and gameplay are.
There's no denying that it's a classic game and played a huge part in the evolution of platform games, but is it worth download? I'm not sure. There are only a handful of levels and once you've completed a level you'll get past it without any trouble on subsequent plays. I don't think it's worth 500 credits.
Anyone out there with Animal Crossing on the GC desperate to play this game should try and get hold of this game off Tom Nook or one of the other villagers as it's supposed to be one of the NES games you can get hold of!
I'll give the special attacks credit, they totally ridiculous, especially on the elevator level (stage 6/7?). I just meant the actual weapons you can pick-up are a bit of a disappointment as they all work the same (aside from the tear gas) and there are no real strengths/weaknesses to any of them. You can only use them one way too, which is a missed opportunity.
Nintendo continued their fantastic 16-bit re-visioning of their classic NES franchises with Super Metroid. As with Super Mario World and Zelda 3, everything that made the original games great is there and much, much more.
The power-up functions of the original game has been expanded greatly, the different areas also vary much more than the original and make great use of the SNES hardware. The game also features some hugely memorable bosses and a fantastic, hugely atmospheric sound track.
The difficultly curve is pitched more or less right, meaning that most of the time you make a satisfactory amount of progress for the hours you put in. On the downside, there are a couple of areas where you will get stuck for absolutely ages and be banging your head against a wall, but which Metroid game doesn't have that? It's whether you have the patience to find the solution that determines whether or not you'll become a Metroid fan or not.
Whether it's as good as Metroid Prime in terms of actual gameplay. Prime added all the 'scanning' and the slowly revealed back story elements that this game lacks, but as a 16-bit game you can't really argue. Well worth a play and certainly worth downloading.
You can indeed store games on the SD slot. The good news as well is that if your SD card breaks, or you delete the game from your Wii, you can download the game again from Nintendo for free I believe, as they store your console's ID on their systems.
You can't save as such, but if you get bored of playing any VC game and go back to the Wii Menu, it'll just start where you left off before next time you get to it. I'd be suprised if this game is any exception.
I have to be honest, I'm in two minds about this game. It's ambitious for the time, features an interesting combat system, but ultimately I'm really not sure about it. It kind of reminds me of Simon's Quest (Castlevania 2) in the sense that it tried to expand the ideas of the first game, but somehow I didn't enjoy anywhere near as much.
In Zelda 2, for the uninitiated, Nintendo tried to bridge the gap between the true, old-school top-down RPG gaming of the first installment, with the hugely popular sideways scrolling beat-em ups that were popular at the time. This meant you explored the environment via a top-down view of a map and then when you came across a town/castle, the action switched to sideways viewed action. This was brushed under the carpet for all subsequent 2D Zelda games, which speaks volumes of how successful this idea was!
I'm not sure it's worth downloading to be honest. I tracked down the original cartridge for the NES a few years ago and I didn't play it half as much as the original Zelda.
Comments 74
Re: Alex Kidd in Miracle World
I too really enjoyed this game. Although visually it's a bit of a mess, it's very enjoyable. It's obviously Sega's attempt to beat Mario, but fortunately it's not just a clone of Mario and does offer quite a bit of variety over the levels, including the fun of riding a motorbike. Playing scissors, paper, stone with the bosses was another quirk of the game.
I think I will download it as it is an enjoyable little platformer. It'll be nice to play it on a decent control pad, instead of the awful Master System control pad. Though I expect to have the in-game music stuck in my head again for years as a result of playing it.
Re: Splatterhouse 2
I quite liked Splatter House 2 back in the day on my best mate's Megadrive. Some of the enemies and levels were quite imaginative. On the downside I do remember being hugely annoyed with how slowly the main character moved, to the point where it could really hinder the game.
This is definately one to consider downloading, rather than long for.
Re: Paradroid
At last! If you've never played it, this is a truly incredible game!. The video doesn't do any justice at all to the game. The graphics are quite simple (this is a one-programmer job from 1985 remember), but they are stylised and hugely effective. Don't forget many early NES games were very primitive visually too, Legend of Zelda for instance. Poor visuals don't hinder the enjoyment you can have playing Zelda, nor do the simple graphics of Paradroid ruin this fantastic slice of British retro-gaming.
On screen the sprites don't clash with the scenery, so there's no worries in that regard. The Braybrook bas-relief graphics help create a futuristic feel to the game too. The sound effects are very good for the time in my opinion, Paradroid wouldn't have worked with a Rob Hubbard epic soundtrack. The effects build a subtle atmosphere of tension and relay lots of information (i.e. level of risk, condition of influence device).
The 3D/2D world also adds so much tension to the game. The fact you can't see what's behind a door is brilliant! It builds fantastic tension. The fact that amount of time you can control an enemy droid diminishes the higher their class is also fantastic, meaning that you need to learn a compromise.
Now all I can say is fingers crossed for Wizball...
Re: The Last Ninja
Oh wow! The first non D64-TV game and it's one of the best games ever released on the C64. I can't wait to fire it up again after all these years. Yes, the controls take a bit of getting used to and it's quite difficult but I can't think of many more atmospheric arcade-adventure games out there than this. Beautiful graphics and a truly fantastic soundtrack show just what the C64 was capable of.
Re: Double Dragon
Absolute classic! Fingers crossed for DD2 on the NES too, that was my favourite of the lot.
Re: World Games
One of my all time favourite multi-event sports games, featuring events from around the world of varying levels of insanity and joystick waggling. The graphics and sound are quite simplistic, but it's still great fun.
Re: Uridium
I consider Uridium to be one of the gems of the C64 back catalogue. It is a truly innovative take on the shoot 'em up genre, with speed and obstacles being an equal threat to your well being as the on-screen enemies. Some people have taken a dislike to the artistic theme of the game, but I quite like the bas-relief style of mid 80s Andrew Braybrook games and the graphics really fly - it's like being on an 8-bit white knuckle ride at times!
I think it's well worth 500 points as I've still not cleared it and I've been trying on the C64 since 1990!
Re: International Karate
I have to be honest, it's great to play International Karate again. Admittedly it's a million miles away from the 2D beat-em ups of today, but what would you expect for a game of it's age? .
It's simple no-nonse moves and combat system are still entertaining enough, the graphics aren't as bad as certain people claim (bear in mind this game was released in 1985) and the music is absolutely awesome. Compared with Yie-Ar Kung Fu (the big 2D fighter in the arcades at the time), this game is positively space age in terms of presentation. And the animation isn't that bad for sprites as big as the ones used here by the way - I'd like to see a NES game with sprites as big running so smoothly.
500 Wii Points might seem steep, but it's no less complicated than many of the NES games retailing for that price, and it's certainly more entertaining than the lion's share of them.
Fingers crossed for IK+, a game which expands and improves upon every aspect of this game. Though I am a little worried that the only games out so far were ones from the D64 TV thing.
Re: Super Turrican
I have to be honest, this game isn't half as good as I remember it being. Compared with the original Turrican games released on the home computer formats of the era, this game suffers from bland level designs, more linear gameplay and less catchy music. The difficulty curve is also far steeper and the weapons aren't as good either.
Still, all said and done, it's a great contra-style scrolling shoot 'em up, it just suffers from being a sequel to two of the greatest games of the early 1990s.
Re: Bubble Bobble
Not a bad conversion, but a little rough at the edges. In terms of 8-bit conversions I'd say the C64 version edges it over the NES one, but it's still great fun!
Re: Super Turrican 2
When I saw Super Turrican 2 being released, I was a little disappointed as I'd much prefer either the 'non-super versions' found on the C64 or the Amiga. Sadly the rumour of C64 games on the Wii doesn't seem to have materialised, so this will have to do. Still, it's not a bad game - just not as good as it's original incarnations if you ask me.
There are obvious comparisions between Metroid and Turrican but I have to take a different stance to the previous poster. I know it's not fashionable to say this, but for once European game design trounces over their Japanese counterparts. C64 Turrican 2 is one of the best 8 bit games ever! Anyone who says Metroid is better is either an idiot, has never actually played Metroid on the NES, or enjoys games where you just wonder around aimlessly through repetitive environments. So what if features are borrowed from one game into another, where would Mario and Metroid be without Miner 2049'er and Pitfall on the Atari VCS?
And (don't shoot me down, fan boys), I actually prefer Turrican 2 to Super Metroid! There I've said it!
Re: Commodore 64 games on the Virtual Console
There seems to be an awful lot of sideways scrolling shooters coming out for the VC on the various platforms, so add Armalyte to my list too! It's easily as good as R-Type.
Re: Super Mario Bros. 3
I'd just play it in bits and bats. Every VC game I've played will let you carry on exactly where you left off - even if it's in the middle of a level if you go back to the Wii menu before turning off, so hopefully this will be no exception. Otherwise, like you say, it'll be a big ask to clear it!
Re: Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
I'll be very interested if this game comes out as I'd like to play the original NES incarnation of the game, rather than the All Stars remake. I know from the All Stars conversion that this is incredibly hard, to the point of absurdity, but that's part of the time. I feel as if we were robbed in the West when Nintendo decided against giving us the game the first time around.
Re: F-Zero
Another classic game from the early days of the SNES. F-Zero was the game that made the SNES really stand out as it looked absolutely stunning. Nobody had seen anything move as fast as the 'Mode 7' graphics used around the tracks. It made all other arcade-style racing games of the time look about as exciting as a Lada going up a steep hill.
How does it compare 15 years later? Well, the highly stylised visuals still look very nice now (especially the backdrops). The action is still fast, even by today's standards. Wipeout may have pushed the boundaries for futuristic racing games, but it's not bad and it's certainly impressive for a 16-bit game. The soundtrack is also really good too!
The gameplay isn't bad. As many people have pointed out it's quite simple. You have a choice of 4 cars, each with strengths and weaknesses. Your basic aim is to win each of the races you compete in. Not an easy task. The controls are different from many racers and make use of the L and R buttons, as well as the D-Pad, to control your 'glide' through the corners. It's a black art to learn how to corner properly but when you get it right, you'll love it.
It's not the best SNES racer as Super Mario Kart is a country mile better, but it's well worth downloading.
Re: SimCity
The 'God Game' to end them all. Sim City was an absolute phenomenon when it was released back in the late 1980s. Spreading out from it's origin on the Mac and PCs of the era, the game soon became available on every format under the sun - including many of the consoles.
Some questioned why this was one of the first SNES games on VC, but it's a really good game. The basic premise is that you're a Major/town planner of a city and you've got to build it and run it to a profit. You choose how the budget is spent and also how the city is designed and grows. Choose badly and you'll either go bankrupt or design a city that is beseiged with problems such as crime, pollution and traffic congestion. Building the perfect city is not an easy job! And it it wasn't just that, there's always the risk of a natural disaster scuppering your plans. All in all it's very addictive!
The presentation looks like it was lifted straight from the VGA version of the game on the PC and has a style that is very reminiscent of PC games of the era, i.e. very formal and questionable use of colour.
It's worth downloading as it's still got a simple charm compared to the complexity and overblown nature of the latest additions to the series. It's release might also encourage Westwood to release the Megadrive port of Dune 2 to Virtual Console - now that would be worth shouting about.
Re: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Nintendo turn on the style again, as Link and Zelda make their 16-bit debut. After a somewhat 'experimental' re-envisioning of the series in Zelda 2 on the NES, Miyamoto and his team decided to go back to the format of the original game. The result is a hugely rewarding game!
The primitive graphics of the original NES game have been replaced with a lavish game world and a splendid array of enemies. There are also far more objects to collect than in the original.
It is fair to argue that Zelda is not a true RPG as you don't rely or interact with NPCs half as much as in say an Enix game of the era. I'd argue that Zelda is more of an arcade adventure, either way it's absolutely brilliant! Fantastic dungeons, top secrets and as I mentioned, lots more items to collect. The map system is also a hundred times better than in the original NES game and actually makes sense now!
The game world is big and varied. It is also revealed to you in steps as you can only access certain parts when you've collected a specific object or performed a certain task. There is also a "Metroid Prime 2-style" 'light' and 'dark' world aspect to the game as well, which for the time was very innovative and also adds a whole new dimension to the game (literally) as to do certain things you need to be in a certain world. But that's much later in the game. All in all, I absolutely love this game and it's addictive qualities probably cost me some decent GCSE grades!
It's also worth mentioning the soundtrack is one of Nintendo's finest. The music consists of some fantastic new scores and tremedous, epic orchestrated renditions of classic NES Zelda tunes. Brilliant!
Is it worth downloading? It certainly is! Even if you have the GBA conversion it's worth getting as you can see the beautiful graphics in all their glory. Another jewel in the SNES's outstanding catalogue of games.
Re: Super Castlevania IV
I have to be honest, I think the stiff controls are more to do with the Classic Controller, rather than the game as I seem to die more playing it on the Wii than on the SNES with my 10+ years old (well broken in) SNES pad. Hopefully the Classic Controller will soften up with age as I know what you mean, especially on those swinging rope bits on world 3!
Re: Donkey Kong
Nintendo's first platform game (Atari's Miner 2049-er was the first ever) and Mario's debut harks back originally to a 1981 coin-op. This NES conversion is totally arcade perfect, which isn't really hard considering how simple the aesthetics and gameplay are.
There's no denying that it's a classic game and played a huge part in the evolution of platform games, but is it worth download? I'm not sure. There are only a handful of levels and once you've completed a level you'll get past it without any trouble on subsequent plays. I don't think it's worth 500 credits.
Anyone out there with Animal Crossing on the GC desperate to play this game should try and get hold of this game off Tom Nook or one of the other villagers as it's supposed to be one of the NES games you can get hold of!
Re: Streets of Rage
I'll give the special attacks credit, they totally ridiculous, especially on the elevator level (stage 6/7?). I just meant the actual weapons you can pick-up are a bit of a disappointment as they all work the same (aside from the tear gas) and there are no real strengths/weaknesses to any of them. You can only use them one way too, which is a missed opportunity.
Re: Super Metroid
Nintendo continued their fantastic 16-bit re-visioning of their classic NES franchises with Super Metroid. As with Super Mario World and Zelda 3, everything that made the original games great is there and much, much more.
The power-up functions of the original game has been expanded greatly, the different areas also vary much more than the original and make great use of the SNES hardware. The game also features some hugely memorable bosses and a fantastic, hugely atmospheric sound track.
The difficultly curve is pitched more or less right, meaning that most of the time you make a satisfactory amount of progress for the hours you put in. On the downside, there are a couple of areas where you will get stuck for absolutely ages and be banging your head against a wall, but which Metroid game doesn't have that? It's whether you have the patience to find the solution that determines whether or not you'll become a Metroid fan or not.
Whether it's as good as Metroid Prime in terms of actual gameplay. Prime added all the 'scanning' and the slowly revealed back story elements that this game lacks, but as a 16-bit game you can't really argue. Well worth a play and certainly worth downloading.
Re: Sonic the Hedgehog
You can indeed store games on the SD slot. The good news as well is that if your SD card breaks, or you delete the game from your Wii, you can download the game again from Nintendo for free I believe, as they store your console's ID on their systems.
Re: Super Mario Bros. 3
You can't save as such, but if you get bored of playing any VC game and go back to the Wii Menu, it'll just start where you left off before next time you get to it. I'd be suprised if this game is any exception.
Re: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
I have to be honest, I'm in two minds about this game. It's ambitious for the time, features an interesting combat system, but ultimately I'm really not sure about it. It kind of reminds me of Simon's Quest (Castlevania 2) in the sense that it tried to expand the ideas of the first game, but somehow I didn't enjoy anywhere near as much.
In Zelda 2, for the uninitiated, Nintendo tried to bridge the gap between the true, old-school top-down RPG gaming of the first installment, with the hugely popular sideways scrolling beat-em ups that were popular at the time. This meant you explored the environment via a top-down view of a map and then when you came across a town/castle, the action switched to sideways viewed action. This was brushed under the carpet for all subsequent 2D Zelda games, which speaks volumes of how successful this idea was!
I'm not sure it's worth downloading to be honest. I tracked down the original cartridge for the NES a few years ago and I didn't play it half as much as the original Zelda.