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

After deciding to release absolutely nothing last Friday (hence no VC Weekly) Nintendo have decided to "make up" for it by releasing five games in one go, seemingly forgetting about a small word known as "consistency" but I digress. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Alex Kidd in Miracle World
• Fatal Fury 2
• Last Ninja 2
• Nebulus
• Ninja Combat

Points: 500
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Released: 1986
System: Master System

The first game in Sega's flagship early answer to Mario platformer series and arguably the best, Alex Kidd was such a great success at the time due to it's brilliant simplicity. Forgetting most of the absurd plot which is brilliant in it's own way, all you need to know is that you play as the titular Alex who must save the city of Radactian from a certain evil persona known as Janken, along the way he must rescue his brother Egle and generally save the day.

From the start the visuals are pretty basic though possessing their own charm and the music is damned catchy and most certainly something you can hum along to; as for the way it plays though you will find yourself journeying through eleven varied locations which scroll across the screen in a myriad of directions.

It's your task to jump, punch and shoot your way through; ending enemies and popping power-ups along the way which will augment your basic abilities as well as earning coins which you can use to buy vehicles including a helicopter, motorbike and speedboat to help you get around with relative ease.

Most will remember this game fondly for it's infamous "Janken" boss battles; the word itself is in actual fact the Japanese word which is known over here as the game of "Rock,Paper,Scissors" and so you after traversing each treacherous terrain you are faced with a game of chance in which it's all or nothing. Losing these matches can lead to frustration as there is no save or battery back up meaning that if you die a certain amount of times, thats it... mercifully you can purchase an "orb" which lets you predict which of the three forces the boss will pick but you still have to react quick enough to be able to triumph.

For all it's quirks though for better or for worse this is the original and best game in the series; it's a fun platform title which while on the surface is merely a clone of a game you've played before, once you start playing you will find yourself strangely drawn into the action with no explanation as to why but no reason to question it either. If you have yet to experience an Alex Kidd game yet then go with this one as it's undeniably superior to it's gimmick ridden, charmless sequels that followed.

Verdict : Alex's first and finest outing, no Kidding.

Points: 900
Publisher: SNK
Developer: SNK
Released: 1992
System: Neo Geo

While SNK managed to create a perfectly playable contender to the throne of Street Fighter II with this series' first outing, this second installment not only manages to equal Capcom's seminal scrapper but some would argue that in many ways it surpasses it; a feat that so many strive to achieve but so few have actually succeeded and none got as close to maintaining that magical sense of equilibrium as this first-rate fighter.

One of the first things you will notice straight off is that this is a much more visually vivid, fantastically fluid and aurally astounding experience throughout; every aesthetic of the game is so fine tuned that it puts SFII to shame. A drastically improved roster allows you to choose from the playable trio from the original (Terry, Andy and Joe) as well as a whole host of other characters including now firm fan favourites Mai and Kim.

As for the actual gameplay, to start with this is the first fighter of it's kind to employ the now widely used double-tap dash move which makes for faster combat and adds to the high level of exhilaration that such fast-paced battles so often provide. Plain-switching is present and correct now enabling you to jump from foreground to background at your own leisure making for altogether greater tactical play.

You could argue that the many small elements to this fighter make it superior to the mighty SFII however it is purely down to preference as the title (as fantastic as it is) still has it's issues; namely the fact that it's not as responsive or balanced as SFII due to the fact that you can easily win if you pick one of the "original" characters, to some it may be a small criticism but in a game like this it is something of a deal-breaker for many.

Undeniably this is still a fantastic alternative to Street Fighter II and while it may for many fall into the category of "next best thing" it's still a fantastic achievement in almost every aspect and for all it's admirable aspiration this still easily lives up to many peoples high expectations.

Verdict : The next-best fantastic fighting fest.

Points: 500
Publisher: System 3
Developer: System 3
Released: 1988
System: C64

Largely similar to the absolute classic which was the first installment, this sequel offers more of the same and then some and while in certain cases familiarity may breed contempt this isn't true here.

You play as Armakuni the protagonist from the first who finds himself in New York with the sole goal of confronting the evil Shogun Kunitoki once again. Everything has taken a notable step up too as the visuals now reflect a great deal more detail while still retaining their charm and the accompanying score is well accomplished.

Controls take a little getting used to but feel like second nature after a short amount of playtime, the emphasis is still on using your ninja "skills" in order to triumph over both your environment as well as the enemy. Some of it feels like trial and error as it's not without it's moments of mild frustration but persevere with it and you'll soon be on the path to greatness.

Only having to defeat enemies that are actually on screen and choosing which battles you wish to fight or flee from is a great returning mechanic which can make or break the game depending on your actions. Combat still feels as well honed as it's predecessor with the usual Ninja weapons being made available to you such as katanas and a limited supply of valuable shurikens.

Everything feels just that little bit more tight and responsive and due to this you'll find yourself speeding through the games six well proportioned levels providing you are proficient in the way that you proceed. You will also get the odd puzzle thrown at you from time to time, the puzzles aren't amazingly taxing but they help to break up the action rather nicely.

It's a pretty solid package overall and if you liked the original then you will most probably enjoy this one too and if you haven't played either yet then you may be well advised to go for this one as it's clearly superior but by all means start with the original if you favour plot continuity over gameplay improvements. Either way this is an excellent Ninja title thats well worth it's more than reasonable asking price.

Verdict : Nicely presented nostalgic ninja based sequel.

Points: 500
Publisher: Hewson
Developer: Triffix
Released: 1987
System: C64

Newly added platform titles are always welcome on the VC, this is even more true for C64 releases as it needs all the decent examples of various genres making a name for themselves as it can get; enter Nebulus, a quirky platform type game in which you assume control of a frog, hopping your way up eight towers in order to blow them up to stop their evil presence from poisoning the waters of relatively uncharted planets.

So yes it has an original if completely nonsensical storyline, what else has it got? Well it does have a quite interesting graphical gimmick that was dubbed as being revolutionary for it's time, basically it employs a technique where your character remains in the centre of the screen and the castle moves in a manner which looks like your progressing up a spiraling staircase, basically pseudo 3D.

It's not just all moving in one direction though, the layouts of the towers get progressively more complex the further into them you manage to get, while it's initially an appealing concept with a nicely realised main sprite, the experience is dulled somewhat by the generic appearance of the enemies that you must thwart along the way, once you've seen a handful of them then you've seen them all basically, the same goes for the towers as there is little to distinguish between them.

Audio is pretty bland too, sure it does the job but it's easy to grow tired of and while the challenge offered by timing your jumps just right and taking the correct paths in your ambitious ascent to the top is welcomed, the trial and error mindset in which you effectively have to fail many times before you actually beat the level may irritate quite a few players.

It's not a bad game, it's just one that relies on it's most impressive asset (or gimmick) and doesn't put in nearly as much effort elsewhere; It may have been groundbreaking for it's time and reasonably highly regarded thereafter but now it's nothing more than an amusing curiosity and while it's worth the points, don't expect it to last you too long even if it is fun for a while.

Verdict : Frantic frog based fun, enjoyable while it lasts.

Points: 900
Publisher: ADK
Developer: D4 Enterprises
Released: 1990
System: Neo Geo

Why oh why? What is it this time? A terrible game so I choose to review it in rhyme, Streets of Rage it tries to emulate but like Burning Fight it suffers a similar fate. This time around punches and kicks are eschewed in favour of stars that are thrown in a manner thats crude; by charging you unleash a special move, your health will deplete and a point you will prove.

Jumping and rolling is the order of the day but no more moves are included much to the players dismay, it's only a matter of time after entering the fray that this game breaks down into repetitive play.

The visuals are drab, it sounds even worse, please someone take this game away in a hearse, bury or cremate it, I really care not, for it's appeal is lackluster and so is it's plot. Animation is skating on ice that is thin as your character walks like they have committed a bodily sin.

If your a fan of this type of game then you might enjoy this even though it is lame, one playthrough for me has amounted to criticism to play it again would be masochism. So unless you are starved of a side-scrolling fighter you'll want to steer clear of this little blighter.

Verdict : Another attempt to emulate the best, it miserably fails just like the rest.

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.