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

Anyone who is a fan of a certain well known Nintendo racing franchise - no not THAT one, don't be silly - should be overjoyed this week plus fans of scrolling beat 'em ups will probably be reasonably happy with these releases. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...    

Mario Kart Super Circuit
Street Gangs


 
Price: GB £6.29, EU €6.99
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Released: 2001
System: GameBoy Advance

For its original time of release this was quite possibly regarded as one of the finest entries in the series taking direct inspiration from the original Super Mario Kart on the SNES thanks to the Mode 7 style visuals plus some smart cues taken from the hugely influential Mario Kart 64 but by today's standards since we've been spoiled by several further iterations in the series it seems that it's not nearly as favourably looked back upon, this has puzzled me somewhat as personally I have always enjoyed the title. It also used to boast the largest amount of content containing no less than forty tracks, (half original and half SNES originals) eight characters plus both GP and Time Trial modes; not bad for a game originally released as one of the first GBA titles.

But perhaps now it's merely seen as quantity over quality as while the gameplay certainly still holds up today it does admittedly seem somewhat dated in the way which the game controls, as a result of this anyone going from playing one of the more recent entries to this may experience a bit of trouble initially though this is something that can be easily overcome. Before you know it you'll be blasting through the various difficulties that are on offer from 50cc to 100cc and of course 150cc which we all know is the choice of veterans as the modes before merely serve as an introduction; personally I'll always remember Super Circuit for having some of the most original tracks including the joyful Ribbon Road plus Sky Garden which required a certain amount of skill to hop across the short-cut in the clouds and how could forget the simple joy of seeing the castle in the background of Peach Circuit, perhaps not on the same level as driving up to it in MK64 but nonetheless a subtle moment of brilliance.

Power ups include the shells that you've come to expect in single/triple varieties not to mention bananas, mushrooms, starman and of course the lightning bolt' the selection is reasonable but obviously has since been bettered by more recent entries. Single player is reasonably satisfying once you get to grips with everything though the computer controlled characters have a tendency to feel rather cheap at times which is a shame, doubly so due to the lack of any multiplayer mode but even despite this you're still sure to have a blast racing along all the tracks and then going back to better your times once all the cups have been collected so there is at least some replay value.



Visually the game is of a decent standard seeing as this was one of the first GBA games released, indeed it was once considered to be a landmark title owing to the Mode 7 style graphics which really suit this outing well as do the rather lovable animations which help add life to the proceedings. The accompanying music is rather decent overall from the fantastic main theme to each piece of music which perfectly suits the track it was made for, even the music on the SNES tracks still sounds decent by today's standards along with some excellent voice samples for each character which you'll learn to love and loathe depending on race standings.

Still representing an important step for the series Mario Kart Super Circuit is undeniably one of the best titles for its time and though it may be dated now it's still perfectly playable if only in single player. Recently we seem to have been somewhat spoiled by the utterly brilliant Mario Kart 8 so playing any other game in the series will undoubtedly feel like a step back but it's undeniable that however dated it may be the most important element is still present which is 'fun' and there's still a decent amount to be had here; so however you choose to play, be it on the big screen or on the gamepad or just posting as many screenshots as is realistically possible to preserve precious game memories for the future, just enjoy it as this is still an excellent addition to anyone's library.

Verdict : Mini sized Mario Kart that still manages to maintain the feeling of fun.



Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Aksys Games
Developer: Technos Japan Corp
Released: 1993
System: NES

Perhaps more famously known as 'River City Ransom' in America this is a case of Europe getting lumped with the slightly inferior but more literal title of Street Gangs, don't be put off by the simplified name though as this is still the same iconic game which has been highly regarded for many years ever since its arcade roots where the 'Kunio-Kun' series gained most of its popularity. You play as Kunio as with all of the original japanese titles but being that this is a more Western-friendly version of the third game you play as Alex or Ryan as you attempt to rescue Cyndi (Ryan's Girlfriend) from one of the gangs who has kidnapped her; to achieve your goal you'll need to beat up many rival gang members so that you can become strong enough to reach the school where Cyndi is being held.

So you run around beating up bad-guys with your basic punch/kick moves, you'll soon notice that enemies drop money which you will promptly pick up as it's very much required to buy what you'll need to succeed which are new moves, these can be purchased at the shopping districts where you can also momentarilly catch your breath; the offensive capabilites include the brilliantly named Acro Circus, Dragon Feet plus Stone Hands... you don't need them all to succeed but it is more fun to play with these abilities. You can also buy comsumable items which will either restore your health or boost your attributes, other objects can be saved for later or even picked up while on the street, for instance a metal bin can make for a very useful improvised weapon.

Essentially you go from left to right for the whole game beating up anyone who stands in your way, you will need to battle many opponents to start out in order to get stronger otherwise you really won't get very far, once the screen moves onto the next area there is a change to the 'turf' meaning that if it's owned by a lowly gang you'll have an easy fight; if it's a particularly tough gang's turf though you may wish to run if you're not that experienced. Of course you can get lucky sometimes as if the 'turf' is unclaimed then you won't have to fight anyone but as you might guess this doesn't happen very often at all, besides that wouldn't be any fun if it did would it? Bring a friend along and tackle the adventure in two-player mode if you want it to be that much more enjoyable.



Visually there is a decent use of colour throughout which always keeps the areas interesting even if they are quite similar, there's still enough variation here meaning you won't tire of it too quickly; the character designs are iconic as they are re-used almost pixel for pixel within the series, this of course adds to the charm. The music is probably best described as being rather quirky, which fits in well with the feel of the game so there really isn't anything to complain about here as you will most likely enjoy it, this isn't a game to be taken seriously at all as is evidenced by various comical touches such as certain defeated enemies shouting 'BARF!' as they are beaten, which I think is genuinely brilliant!

Though simple this is still a side-scrolling brawler that is worth your time playing especially if you're just looking for a quick game that's a lot of fun to blast through, but that doesn't require a huge amount of time, taking advantage of the Wii U's 'Save States' you can progress through this title rather quickly though you will still find a certain amount of challenge along the way. There are better examples within its own series but being that this is the only one available on this service, it's still worth going for especially if you're a fan of the genre as Street Gangs will certainly fill a hole.        

Verdict : Short but sweet side-scrolling street beat-em-up.

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!