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

Another game for each format this time around as the Wii gets an arcade classic while the 3DS gets a whole gallery of games in one neat package. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Super Hang-On
• Game & Watch Gallery 2

Points: 900
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Released: 1987
System: Arcade

Most gamers will undoubtedly be familiar with Outrun which is quite possibly one of the best racing games Sega have made to date but if you asked the same players to name another racer made by the company from the same era then it's likely that Super Hang-On would be their next fondly remembered entry in the genre. You might be wondering why it took the company so long to re-release this classic on the Virtual Console and quite honestly so am I but rest assured that it's definitely been worth the wait as we don't just get the standard MegaDrive title but the far superior feeling arcade version complete with added – but purely optional – motion control.

Anyone who has ever played the arcade original should feel instantly at ease reliving this classic as minus the actual bike from the arcades it's the closest thing to playing in the arcade without actually being there, the game runs at a silky smooth 60Hz too so there are no worries about the feeling of speed being compromised at all. So after picking from your choice of four continents with Africa being a good starting point due to the short length of track while Europe proves to be a challenge for even the most hardened endurance racer; naturally you can tweak the options to make things as easy or hard as you like but don't expect to rip through the game easily as even on default settings it's suitably challenging if you're either not used to the game or indeed if its been a while since you last played in the arcade.

Pleasingly there are a few notable additions including the ability to add artificial scan lines, choose your desired screen size plus the motion control of course which does actually provide a decent alternative by getting the turning circle just right adding a new way to play which doesn't feel at all gimmicky. Of course if you prefer the feel of a 'real' controller in your hands then you can always opt for either the classic controller or even plug in a GameCube pad if you should feel the need, rest assured all bases are covered here so it's not the controls you'll be worried about but more the constant battle of getting to each check-point before the time runs out as is the games main driving force unlike in Outrun where you actually got to choose your path this is all about the racing which may seem a little shallow in comparison but it's all part of the appeal.

Pseudo three-dimensional graphics are the order of the day here as the game does a pretty convincing job of creating the illusion utilising tricks such as having two-tone tarmac along with environments that tie-in with this placing an odd few copy-pasted trees here and there, it's all surprisingly effective when you're driving a high-speeds. You get a choice of music before each race much like in Outrun so it should come of no surprise that the selection is similar which is definitely a good thing, the accompanying sound effects are also of particularly high quality when you consider the age of the title which all adds up to that important extra layer of immersion.

If you've never played Super Hang-On then you surely owe it to yourself to do so now if you have any kind of love for Sega arcade games as while it may not be in the same league as Outrun it's still a very respectable racer in it's own right. For those who have already lost countless hours to this classic in the arcades the new motion control option is surely enough to lure you back onto your 'bike' one more time.

Verdict : The best version of this brilliant blast from the past.

Price: GB £3.60, EU €4
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1998
System: GameBoy Color

Just about every self-respecting Nintendo fan has heard of the Game & Watch which was perhaps one of the company's greatest inventions before the GameBoy came along as these pocket-sized LCD units which housed one self-contained game were amazing for their time but naturally as technology moves on we constantly expect more from our portable games so naturally when the GameBoy did eventually come along it should come as no surprise that a Game & Watch collection was released. Naturally it did very well as it contained five of the simple games in both remade and original forms but when the second title came out the GameBoy Color was released so of course a splash of colour has now been added to some of your favourite titles bringing them to life in entirely new ways.

There are six games included despite only five being advertised because being that these are all based on getting a high-score you need to play well enough in the five main games to accumulate enough stars to unlock the sixth, it's a clever mechanics which encourages the player to try each game and hopefully strive to improve each time. Included in the initial five are Chef, Donkey Kong, Helmet, Parachute and Vermin each of which offers a distinctly different challenge for the player whether they play in classic mode which faithfully recreates the colourless originals or in remade mode which features many Mario characters taking on the roles of the originally quite neutral Game & Watch silhouettes which have since become somewhat iconic in their own right.

Chef sees you flipping food in a hot pan while trying not to drop it on the floor, Donkey Kong has you make your way through a small stage avoiding obstacles while removing a part from DK's platform when you reach the top resulting in him eventually falling, Helmet merely asks you to enter a door when prompted while avoiding falling garbage, in Parachute it's your task to catch people in a boat after they've jumped out of a plane ensuring they don't fall into the deadly waters and Vermin simply requires you to whack moles as they pop out of holes.

An excellent level of presentation has been applied throughout as the menus are easy to navigate, animation on both the classic and modern games is top-notch with some fantastic use of colour alongside some rather clever backgrounds within the other sections of the game. Music is naturally of a high-standard so you get a remix of the classic Game & Watch Gallery theme with a tune for each of the Modern versions which really help to enhance the overall themes, of course if you prefer the constant 'bleeps' of the original games then these are still present as they haven't been altered at all; there's also a rather fantastic Music Room where you can listen to all of the games tunes as D.J Mario while watching Luigi, Peach and Toad rock out on their respective instruments.

For those that fondly remember either the standalone LCD games or this from its first outing then you'll almost certainly want to invest in this again as the suspend save feature is easily worth the asking price but even if you're unfamiliar with Game & Watches then I'd still recommend picking this up as it's both a fascinating insight into Nintendo's history and an excellent well-rounded package of pure high-score beating fun.

Verdict : If high-score's your draw then this is a great compilation of games.

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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