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

If you're looking for some Run 'n Gun fun then you've come to the right places as we have one of the finer examples available for its thrid VC outing. Anyway enough from me and on with the game!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Super C


 
Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Released: 1992
System: NES
 
If you're a fan of the traditional 'Run 'n Gun' genre, then chances are you will have heard of Contra which is something of a staple series when it comes to this kind of game; Super C - otherwise known as Probotector II - is the original US version of the popular NES title where you pick a character, grab some weapons and start blasting invading alien scum like there's no tomorrow. When it was first released the original game earned itself a cult following, so naturally Konami decided to follow up with this the inevitable sequel which may not change much but then it doesn't exactly need to.

Mechanically everything is very similar, you control the original protagonists who resemble Arnie from Commando and Stallone from Rambo who then basically go on a riotous rampage through several scrolling sections, engaging enemies and fleeing from fire. Obtainable offensives include mega machine guns, spread-fire shotguns and rock-ard rocket launchers for passing out pain; getting into a routine of run, gun, jump, is essentially the key to success here as you progress through the limited linear levels.

Boss battles are brutal and are a somewhat testing trial by fire as you run around, shoot, cover, run, shoot and then find the bosses weak point, attacking it for massive damage. While it's all quite trying overall it's somewhat easier than the first and features more of the essentially easier overhead sections throughout.

Visually there's a reasonable amount of detail here, though in its conversion from arcade to home console there was defintiely something lost in translation, with that said though for a NES title there's still a lot to love here as the characters still have a decent amount of charm to them, while the areas are still relatively recognisable. The soundtrack is of a decent standard as well, providing the player with some much needed up-tempo 8-bit music which you'll find yourself quite happily blasting along to; the sound effects have a reasonable amount of impact to them as well which further helps with the level of immersion.  

Overall it's a solid effort which plays well, looks nice, sounds great and does what it says on the tin. Providing both an accomplished arcade action experience with a dulled down difficulty level this is a suitable starting point for newcomers to the series and a satisfying shooter for veterans as well.  

Verdict : An easier yet more engaging experience than the first.

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!