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

More previously unreleased in Europe games plus a most welcome classic are added to the ever expanding library of Virtual Console titles. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Break In
• Cho Aniki
• Metal Slug
• Puyo Puyo 2

Points: 900
Publisher: Naxat Soft
Developer: Naxat Soft
Released: 1989
System: Turbografx

No this isn't a game revolving around burglary as the title may suggest, it is in fact a Pool game by the same people that brought us the sublime "Crush" Pinball games; you might assume that by reputation this simulation will also be brilliant and while that isn't exactly the case it's certainly not terrible by any means as an example of it's genre.

What you get in the way of games modes is reasonable; 8 Ball, 9 Ball, Bowlard, Cutgame, Rotation and Yotsudama variants feature here and while they are all essentially the same game at least this provides a wide range of different rules to play by which should satisfy most.

There is a separate mode for practicing trick shots which is enjoyable whereas the main mode lets you play against a friend or take on various challenges in a mode which even throws in a bit of unnecessary story into the mix where you take on the role of a stowaway on a cruise ship who has to beat opponents to win cash to pay for their travel... yeah pretty needless but it's there nonetheless.

Gameplay is intuitive, visuals are solid, music is complementary... it covers all the bases really; there aren't any major flaws though the ball can stop a little before you'd expect it to sometimes. Other than that it's a reasonable Pool game that you'll most likely play every now and then, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible, just an acceptable game.

Verdict : A perfectly playable Pool game.

Points: 900
Publisher: Masaya
Developer: Masaya
Released: 1992
System: Turbografx

Japan certainly has a penchant for producing profoundly strange scrolling shooters as amicably demonstrated by such games as Parodius; this however the first in the Cho Aniki series takes a leaf from that book by delivering a shooting experience that is as deranged as it is delightful.

Assuming the role of either a male or female stereotypical anime character (named Idaten and Benthen) you blast through a variety of levels accompanied by assisting characters such as laser shooting bodybuilders and flying babies. The enemies are from a similarly deranged range which includes giant bodybuilders, flying heads and various man-made machine amalgamations.

Your main beam weapon can be altered through acquiring various power-ups throughout the game, charged shots are possible along with smart bombs to boot. It's not the largest arsenal in a shooter but it's a nice selection thats certainly most satisfactory and in keeping with the games offbeat style.

The environments while varied kind of take a back seat to everything else in the game, sure you will notice the changes from stage to stage but it's the variety of obscure omnipotent on-screen enemies and bosses which are the main feature here and while it's not a truly testing game it's certainly not the easiest but with that said it's more of an experience where you simply enjoy the ride.

What this game may slightly lack in substance it more than makes up for in it's unique style and the sheer amount of fun that it is to play. It may not be for everyone due to the abundance of musclebound men which features somewhat heavily in amongst everything else but if you can appreciate all that it has to offer then it's a game you may well enjoy.

Verdict : Musclebound madcap scrolling shooter.

Points: 900
Publisher: SNK
Developer: Nazka Corp
Released: 1996
System: Neo Geo

An undisputed classic of it's time, this is where the now legendary Metal Slug series began; taking control of Marco Rossi you set about battling across enemy terrain running and gunning down a warship-load of weird enemies across a varied range of battle-strewn backdrops with an astounding arsenal of weaponry featuring flamethrowers, guns, grenades and more besides.

It might be questionable releasing this on the VC when you consider that the entire collection can be obtained by purchasing Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii for a mere twenty pounds in certain places. However due to some quite frankly odd control decisions made for the collection which supports the remote on it's own with standard control but a "flick" necessary to throw grenades, GC pad with only analogue movement and a remote nunchuk combo with the problems of both, it suddenly becomes apparent why a VC release is necessary.

Featuring full classic controller support (omitted from the Wii collection for the cynical purpose of releasing all the games as standalone entities for the VC) is present in this version and is indeed the preferred and most established method of control. Other than that though this is exactly the same fantastic game that was part of the recent anthology but without the waggle and with superior controls.

The difficulty is as punishing as it ever was featuring the "one hit and your dead" system that was also employed by Konami's Contra, this is certainly not one for those who become easily frustrated but definitely for those who welcome a challenge. As well as the gunfights there are some nicely implemented vehicle sections where you get to jump into the turret of a tank, mowing down enemies and rescuing prisoners for points if you choose to do so.

Visually everything on screen moves with flawless fluidity thanks to the truly fantastic sprite-work which is easily one of the most exceptional examples of what can be truly be done in a 2D game and how to do it right. Levels of detail employed here are never short of jaw dropping from backdrops to baddies to even behemoth bosses, it all oozes charm and clarity and never looks sloppy for a second.

Audio is decent too, suiting each environment and situation very well and always in keeping with the frantic pace of the on-screen action. If you have never played this game then now is the perfect opportunity to do so; It's one of the finest examples of it's genre and is easily one of the best two dimensional titles money can buy,with more character than most 3D counterparts from the same genre put together, this is well worth it's points.

Verdict : The most masterful example of the run n' gun genre.

Points: 900
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Compile
Released: 1994
System: Megadrive

Chances are you've already played the original Puyo Puyo either in it's first form or as the alternatively themed Dr Robonik's Mean Bean Machine; the game in which you must match up multicoloured beans in clusters of four or more to score. It's nature is fast, frantic and frankly addictive often featuring crazy character avatars, silly sound bites and often unintentionally amusing dialog in the story mode, welcome to the world of Puyo Pop.

Basic game rules have remained unchanged for this eastern developed sequel, the Puyo's fall, you match them up, create combos and send "garbage" to your opponents screen as well as receiving it. Everything has been tweaked somewhat for the better this time though as things such as the garbage reduction system whereby if you manage to send garbage to your opponent just before they send some your way, it will be reduced by the amount you sent back which makes things more bearable.

This basically works both ways too so the garbage you are trading is done more in real time rather than the recipient getting lumbered with a number thats conveniently "rounded up" and makes the game better overall. The system has been used in every subsequent game which is testament to how well it works; other notable additions include the All Clear bonus, Chain Limits and the Garbage Disposal block which basically does what it says on the proverbial tin.

Other than that the single player is mostly the same, the only major changes come in to play however when another player gets involved as you can customise your battles this time around making it the superior version by far. Since this game Puyo Puyo has been released across multiple formats over the years but they all essentially owe everything to this version as it's arguably the best and made Puyo Pop the successful game that it's been since.

Verdict : The most perfectly presented Puyo Pop your ever likely to play.

I would like to dedicate this edition of VC Weekly to my grandmother who passed away on 10/05/08. She wasn't much of a gamer (though she used to play Sonic 2's VS mode) but she was a peaceful and caring woman who lived a long life and always did what she could to help her family and those who knew her well; Rest in peace Betty.

Thats 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
[email protected]

Looking for reviews on other Virtual Console games? Or a full list of games available on the system? Then Check out our Virtual Console Index Page.