Every week Cyril Lachel comes down from his giant castle in the hills to provide the final word on all of the classic downloadable games and retro compilations. This is the Retro Round-Up, your official guide to the best (and worst) in classic gaming for the Nintendo Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Join us as we shed some light on what games are worth your five or ten dollars, and what games you should avoid at all costs. For more information about these games (and retro gaming in general) we invite you to check out Defunct Games! This week we have the return of Samus Aran, a TurboGrafx-16 mash-up, one of the best RPGs on the Virtual Console, and Ecco the Dolphin. Find out which of those is the for the Virtual Console and which is for the Xbox Live Arcade when you read the newest episode of Retro Round-Up ...

Cratermaze (Virtual Console)
What Is It?
Cratermaze plays like a best-of mash-up between Hudson`s most popular TurboGrafx-16 titles. At first glance the game looks an awful lot like Bomberman, only without the wanton death and destruction. But upon closer inspection the game actually plays more like Lode Runner, where it`s your job to dig holes to trap the enemies. Beyond combining the camera perspective of Bomberman and the gameplay of Lode Runner, you also have the crazy task of collecting enough treasure chests to open up a key and unlock the exit door. Despite being a hodgepodge of different concepts, Cratermaze is actually an addictive little game that is easy to pick up and play for short spurts. With sixty levels and a number of different power-ups, Cratermaze has quite a bit of gameplay waiting for those people adventurous enough to tackle this bizarre game.

Does It Still Hold Up?
While the concepts hold up well, some gamers will no doubt grow tired of doing the same thing over sixty different levels. Thankfully there is some variety, but not nearly enough to keep you hooked for long stretches of time. To its credit there aren`t a lot of games like this on the Virtual Console, and if you`re one of those people that loved Bomberman but thought that it needed more Lode Runner influence then this is a perfect game for you.

Is It Worth The Money?
At $6 it`s hard to feel too bad about trying out new games, especially if you`re a fan of either Lode Runner or Bomberman. The problem with this game is that it`s just too simple; the concept gets old after only a few levels. If you`re the type of gamer who is looking for something to pick up and play for only a few minutes at a time then you might want to consider this forgotten classic, but everybody else may just want to see what else is on the Virtual Console this week.




Metroid (Virtual Console)
What Is It?
Ever since the launch of the Wii back in mid-November almost everybody has been clamoring for a Virtual Console release of Metroid and its stellar sequel, Super Metroid. Well, your prayers have finally been answered, because Metroid has finally been release (with Super Metroid dropping early next week). Culturally important for being the first Nintendo made game to sport "realistic" graphics (as opposed to their standard cartoony look found in Mario, Ice Climbers, etc.), Metroid is still regarded as one of the greatest games ever made. Metroid was different from all those other NES-based games of the mid- to late-1980s; it featured a fully realized world where you didn`t have to worry about beating levels. Instead you ran around thi...