Welcome to VC Weekly, N-Europe's guide to the wonderful world of Nintendo's download service. Written by Sam C Gittins.

This edition may feel like something of a retread for some as we have two titles both originally featured on the Wii VC one of which was an ambassador title, it's also worth noting that one review was originally written by my predecessor Jordan Khoviteri-Zadeh which has been included in an edited but expanded form. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Punch-Out!!
• Super Mario Bros

Price: GB �4.50, EU �5
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1987
System: NES

This title is notorious for being an extremely difficult game, I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that many maybe haven't played this cult-classic but to those that have they most likely have a rather intense love/hate relationship with it.. Punch-Out!! Originally released back in the arcades in the early 80's is a simple boxing game and if you've played Wii Sports boxing, it's basically an even simpler version with a small story tacked on, it's an experience that's easy to pick up yet hard to master.

You play as "Little Mac" a boxer so short he has to jump up at his enemies to hit them. Not only is this genius in terms of a narrative, but it means that your character never gets in the way of the action, you can always see what your enemy is doing. Not only is the main character fantastic, but your enemies are completely unique and memorable from the second you see them, from the first fighter Glass Joe "Don't hit me in the chin!" all the way up to Don Flamenco.

The game has a number of "circuits" which you have to play through. You start in Minor and work your way up to the World Circuit and eventually against The Dream Fight. The only difference is, this game doesn't have Mike Tyson. Nintendo no longer own the rights to have him in any game they release: due to this he isn't included in the Virtual Console release and instead you fight "Mr. Dream".

Graphically, this game is amazing. For its time, Punch-Out!! Was very colourful and had an incredible amount of fighters for you to go up against. The musical score is also recognisable by anyone who has played Wario Ware or who saw a certain incredibly politically incorrect internet fad featuring the scene where Doc Louis is riding a bike which was a parody of the game as it's full of pumping midi beats.

Overall this game does have a rather steep learning curve which may turn some people away but that doesn't stop it from being awesome in every way. If you're a boxing fan or even just a fan of quirky games then this is worth picking up even though the new price-tag might seem a little steep to some.

Verdict : A brilliant game if you enjoy a good bout of boxing.

Price: GB �4.50, EU �5
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1987
System: NES

If you need telling what this is about then chances are you're in the wrong place because Super Mario Bros is not only the title that's most synonymous with Nintendo but it's also one of the single most important and influential videogames of all time. It's an epic tale about a pair of Italian plumbers who are tasked with rescuing Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom from the clutches of the evil Bowser; journey through eight worlds as you stomp on the heads of your enemies including slow-moving Goombas, Piranha Plants potted in warp-pipes plus troops of tricky turtles known as Koopa Troopas whose shells can be a weapon used by or inadvertently against you, at the end of each world you'll do battle with the evil Koopa King himself only to find almost every time that 'the Princess is in another castle' welcome to Mario and Luigi's world.

Every level is carefully crafted resulting in something that is such a joy to play every step of the way even though the premise is fairly simple, you start off small but by jumping under special '?' blocks you can obtain a Mushroom which will make you double in size which makes stomping on enemies easier while giving you the added ability to bash regular blocks in; a Fire-Flower can also be gained which grants you a projectile attack at the press of a button which can be especially useful. Holding down on the 'B' buttons also allows you to run which you'll find yourself doing almost constantly especially during some of the trickier jumps so adopting a way of constantly pressing in the run button while intermittently being able to press 'A' to jump is essential to your survival, you will still end up falling down holes as you learn new levels however but this never feels like the fault of the controls as the d-pad always responds how you'd expect it to so if you do end up dying then you can take some small comfort in the fact that it was probably your own fault.

Perhaps most impressive is how the game always encourages you to explore as the first time you try to go down one of the many warp-pipes only to have it actually work is a special moment indeed, it's in doing this that you'll reach bonus areas which contain extra coins which can be collected up two one hundred to form an extra life; you can collect these using other methods too such as chain-killing multiple enemies with a shell or by simply getting your score to a certain point which you'll want to do as lives are much needed throughout especially in some of the later levels when you're faced with such delights as Hammer Bros and Lakitu both of whom take delight in throwing projectiles in your general direction. One particular stand-out moment for me is how in the underground stages the game actually allows you to bash through the blocks at the top of the screen which lets you run across the top within the space usually reserved just for the score, it's something that the game evidently encourages you to do though as by doing this you can reach secret warps which will allow you to skip whole worlds; note that while you're certainly going to be trying this at some point when advancing straight to say... world four you will notice quite a ramp up in the difficulty which seems to serve as lesson learned for 'cheating' the game even though it allows you to.

Visually the game is of course dated after some twenty-five years but they have an undeniable charm to them, the colour palette with its simple contrasting colours which never clash is a truly bold statement of how something so simple can work so well and even retain a great deal of appeal as even today it's a look which remains iconic. On the audio front it's near impossible for me to pick fault because everything is so perfect from the satisfying stomp sound of an enemies demise to the playful jingle of a block being milked for coins; lest I forget the spectacular theme itself which is quite simply unforgettable and will always remain one of the most recognisable tunes ever created which more than serves its purpose as it completely draws you into the game itself, remaining embedded into your memory forever for all the right reasons.

While there have been many games which have attempted to replicate the feeling within this monumental title none have ever quite managed to match it because this is quite simply one of the best platformers ever created which has left a lasting legacy of gold crafted by the gods of gaming. Not only did Nintendo do themselves proud in creating Super Mario Bros but they also inspired generations of gamers across all ages who still regard this game so highly after all these years; there can be no truer testament to a title than this as it has more than stood the test of time and if you happen to be reading this having not played the game yet then please do so because this is as essential as it gets.

Verdict : Super Mario Bros is the single most brilliant game ever made.

That's it for another installment of VC Weekly which will return again soon. So until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!

Sam Gittins
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