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New Nintendo eShop releases: Half-price Punch-Out!!
You can grab a Little Mac takeaway right now, because Punch-Out!! is on the Wii U eShop with a $10 price tag. Like last week's Wii re-releases, the 2009 boxer is available at 50 percent off in its first week, but be warned: After 9AM PT/12PM ET on January 29 it goes up to $20. That offer is part of Nintendo's Throwback Sale, which you can check out here along with the last week of the current Super Indie Collection Sale. Otherwise, you'll find the complete list of this week's new eShop releases by ducking and weaving below the break.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Get ready, it's 3D After Burner 2
Rrrrrrrr... Vroooooooooooom! Whooooooooom! Fire! Boom! Fire! Boom! Whooooooooooom! Thwoooooooosh! Fire! Boom! Beep beep beep! Be careful! Wooooooooooooooosh! BOOM! Fine... we'll put down our arm-wings and stop running around the room, but only to tell you 3D After Burner 2 is out on the eShop today. The latest in Sega's 3D-enhanced Classics range includes 23 stages, new difficulty settings, visual additions like smoke transparency, and multiple arcade cabinet styles. Also, there's a new "special mode" that's unlocked after you beat the game. In it, shooting down planes builds up a meter that, when full, lets you slow down time to avoid attacks and take down foes with ease. So it's a bit like the Climax Gauge in After Burner Climax, or Neo in The Matrix. Whichever you prefer. Alright, that's too much time not playing Human After Burner. Don't worry, we've included the full list of new eShop releases below the break and you'll find all the new eSales here. Get ready! Whoooooooooooooooooosh!
New Nintendo eShop releases: Chariot, Mega Man Battle Network 2
Considering we're knee-deep in new year lull, there's enough to dig into in this week's eShop update. If you're after something new, you've got the couch-bound co-op of puzzle-platformer Chariot - check out our review on PS4. If you're after something older, you can't go far wrong with Mega Man Battle Network 2. The Game Boy Advance RPG joins the first MMBN on Wii U Virtual Console, and there are four more Battle Networks to go. It may be a new year, but we're keeping it old-school in our eShop posts. As always, the full list of new releases is below the break, while all the sales stuff is just a chariot's ride away.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Mega Man Zero, Meme Run
Mega Man X's often-dead pal Zero joins Nintendo's Virtual Console service today with the launch of Mega Man Zero, a 2002 Game Boy Advance spinoff known for its exemplary platforming and punishing difficulty. Power up Zero with new upgrades and abilities as you keep the peace between humans and Reploids in the century following the events of the Mega Man X series. If you're in the mood for more Mega Man, Capcom is currently hosting a themed eShop sale, dropping the prices of many of the Blue Bomber's games for the NES, SNES, and Game Boy. SNES brawler Natsume Championship Wrestling also joins the Virtual Console catalog this week, accompanying Wii U eShop releases like EnjoyUp's minimalist arcade-style puzzler 99Moves, multiplayer eat-'em-up Plenty of Fishies, and Internet meme-infused infinite runner (yes, really) Meme Run. 3DS owners can expect to see a digital version of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D this week, along with Asterix The Mansions of the Gods, Minecraft-like Cube Creator 3D, and Skipmore's action-RPG puzzler Fairune. If you have any French children hanging around, you'll also want to check out Mes Comptines, which might be the 3DS's first-ever French nursery rhyme compilation. Hit the break below, s'il vous plait, to see this week's full release lineup.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Bob Loblaw Law Blog Edition
When you take a moment to really think about it, isn't it odd that Arrested Development came up with the name "Bob Loblaw" before the wordplay-stuffed Phoenix Wright did? When you start replaying the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy this week, try to imagine Scott Baio at Phoenix Wright's desk, repeatedly closing a book from different angles - doesn't it just fit? Capcom's updated trilogy is this week's headline debutante on the eShop, even if Bob Loblaw is this week's headline. That said, it sure ain't the only new release. As ever, you'll find the full list of newbies below the break, and if you're after eShop sales then drop that law bomb here.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Captain Toad - The First Adventure
This is your Captain speaking. There are other eShop games this week, like Virtual Console cats Lode Runner and Fire Emblem on Wii U, and Ultimate NES Remix on 3DS. For your own safety, I think it's high time you buckled up and got my game, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. I'm behind the wheel and that means you can be sure of a smooth landing, ohhhh yeahhh. Before I clear you for take off, just a few last things. For extra comfort, check out the full list of eShop releases below the break and the full list of discounted games here. Finally, if you'd like to see our in-flight range of scarves, be sure to request the new Wii U demo of Sonic Boom. This is your Captain and resident fun guy signing off, ready for adventure.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Mario Kart 8 DLC, Sonic Boom
Mario Kart 8's first major content pack is available now, and for $8 and 1GB of Wii U space you can fill your racing roster with the likes of Link, the Master Cycle, and a circuit based on F-Zero's Mute City. Or, to summarize for numerophiles, three characters, four karts and eight tracks. Don't forget, you can also get the DLC as part of the $12 package that bundles in a pre-order for the second pack, due in March 2015. The eShop's not just about Mario Kart 8 this week... 'cos Mario Kart: Super Circuit brings GBA racing to the Wii U Virtual Console. We josh, kartophobes, there's plenty of other stuff to download. There are the console and handheld editions of Sonic Boom, the Wii U port of pop-up beauty Tengami (check out our impressions of it on iOS), and the belated stateside arrival of Pokemon Trading Card Game on 3DS Virtual Console. Since it's November and another one of those content-packed weeks, our digestible list of new releases should prove handy. You'll find that below the break. and if you're after sales and permanent discounts, point your clicker here.
New Nintendo eShop releases: It's raining nintendogs + cats
Among all the big games Nintendo chucks at the Q4 window is the weekly eShop cluster grenade, ready to spread just about everything across your Wii U and 3DS. This week there's plenty of stuff to pick and mix, from platform-puzzler The Swapper where you can create clones of yourself and swap (ah!) between them, to the GBA Super Mario Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 which also features a Mario Bros. remake. Or you could garden-gander at Shigeru Miyamoto's Pikmin Short Movies animations on 3DS and Wii U, and then try out the new Pikmin 3 demo. If you'd prefer something spikier and scarf-ier, there are Sonic Boom demos for both 3DS and Wii U ahead of next week's retail releases. Keeping the animal theme but travelling back in time, out of nowhere there are eShop versions of the three-year-old nintendogs + cats 3DS games, complete with a free theme when you buy one of them. A bit out of the blue, yes. On the other hand... d'awwww. It's one of those weeks where it might be easier to digest a full list of new releases, so it's handy you'll find one of those below the break. Bargain hunters, we refer you to Nintendo's press release for a list of this week's sales and permanent price reductions.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Bayonetta 2 demo (you want more?)
Bayonetta 2 doesn't hit Western shelves for another couple of weeks - check out the launch trailer below the break - but the demo is available right now on both the North American and European eShops. There's a brief tutorial introducing the basic hack-and-slash moves, but fans of the first game won't be surprised to see the demo drop you straight into the madness after that. In the 15 minutes or so it lasts you do battle with all manner of beasties, regular-sized and generally massive, all while riding on top of a jet plane, being chased down on a moving train, and winging your way around a huge dragon thing that's made its way up a tower, King Kong-style. Expect similar insanity when the Wii U game launches on October 24. While we know the Bayo demo is big news - by the by, it's just over two years since Nintendo wowed us by announcing Bayonetta 2 as a Wii U exclusive - there are other games, full games, out on the eShop this week. WiiWare favorite Art of Balance comes to Wii U in a new, bigger iteration, tasking players with 200 levels to stack up oddly shaped objects in while keeping things steady. For even more nostalgic types, Game Boy Advance entry Castlevania: Circle of the Moon whips up a Virtual Console debut this week too, again on Wii U. So, you know the drill: You'll find the list of new releases below the break, with prices, details and dates of availability (PS: as ever, if there's no date that means it's out today or is already out). As for sales, check Nintendo's press release for the complete list of offers - our pick this week is loco Latin-styled platformer Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition, which is roughly a third off at $9.75 until October 16.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Curtain Call, Smash 3DS Demo
Sure, there are a few new releases on Wii U, but this week the eShop's really all about the 3DS. For starters, if you've yet to grab a code for the Super Smash Bros. demo, the good news is it'll be available for all starting 9AM PT/midday ET tomorrow, September 19. The demo includes Mario, Link, Pikachu, the Villager and Mega Man (where's my Wii Fit Trainer dangit!) and a single stage, namely Battlefield. Other things to note: The demo supports local multiplayer but not online, its save data isn't compatible with the full game, and like other eShop demos you can only open it 30 times. If you'd rather wait it out, the game proper hits stores on October 3. If you're more a lover than a fighter, there are plenty of other activities to explore on the go. Musical types can take on Theatrhyhtm Final Fantasy Curtain Call, which Danny Cowan said "easily surpasses its predecessor" in our review, and there are fishing RPG (yup) and culinary larks in Legend of the River King 2 and Cooking Mama 5. River King dev Natsume has another Virtual Console game this week in arcade-style western shooter Wild Guns, available on Wii U. As ever and ever, the full list of new releases is below the break. Also, the pre-Smash sale is still ongoing - check out this weeks offering - and you can find all the other offers here.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Adventure Island, Teslagrad
Oh, the NES... simpler times. Blowing into cartridges, power gloves, cheat codes, Minus World, R.O.B. and The Wizard. It was a time when people could make Adventure Island, a game in which a rotund man clad only in tiny green shorts and a white cap went running, jumping and skateboarding around the forests and caves of the South Pacific. And, with the help of a fairy called Honey Girl, he saved a princess from a witch doctor. Time-travelers, take yourselves to the Wii U this week and go skate some clouds. If you want something a bit fresher on Wii U, Teslagrad offers Metroid-like platforming with a dollop of electromagnetism, steampunk and Eastern European art. There's also the kung-fu rhythm of Kickbeat, and on 3DS you've got first-person, old-school dungeon crawler The Keep. Apart from that, Nintendo's pre-Super Smash Bros. sale is also worth a look. Running through until the release of Smash on 3DS, the big N's discounting games starring the fighter's roster. Check out the Smash sale here and all the other discounts, and jump past the break for the full list of new releases.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Theatrhythm Curtain Call demo, weird Street Fighter
It's an interesting week on the Nintendo eShop, though perhaps not a terribly thrilling one. The big highlight is a Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call demo. The demo will let you sample two songs from the rhythm game, and players can transfer their save data to the full game, which launches September 16. Also on the Wii U this week are two strategy games, Cubemen 2 and the Virtual Console release of Nobunaga's Ambition. On the 3DS side of things, the Virtual Console picks up Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight, a futuristic NES action platformer that Capcom claims has something to do with Street Fighter's Ken. It's weird.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Mega Man 6, Blazblue Clone Phantasma
Mega Mega Mega Man, he's up on the eff- okay, yes, that's the Mega Man 2 theme a la Brentalfloss, but he's not done one for Mega Man 6, the NES platformer out on Wii U Virtual Console this week. Of course, in the musical maestro's opinion Mega Man 6 is "okay." How's that for a recommendation? At least it's better than 7, we almost hear him sing. Oh, also on Wii U Virtual Console this week is Gradius spin-off Life Force, if you're looking for something retro in a more co-op flavor. Meanwhile, with Disney Infinity 2.0 still out of reach, Nintendo's getting things simmering by bringing OG Disney Infinity to the eShop for the first time, for free. You'll still need a physical figure and base to play it, though. As for the 3DS, we reckon top dog this week is Blazblue Clone Phantasma. Nope, not Blazblue Chrono Phantasma, but a 3D action game spinoff of the fighter series. The cast of characters are still there but hyper-deformed and cute, even if they're still beating the bejeezus out of each other. As always, you'll find the full list of new releases past the break. Sales-wise there are nine new discounts starting this week, which we'd say qualifies as plenty. We refer you to The Big N's press release for the full list, but we like the look of a third off Aeternoblade at $10 and Chasing Aurora half-price at $4.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Mega Man BC Challenge, Double Dragon 2
Capcom continues its quest to roll out a new Mega Man game in the eShop every week in August with Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge, a GBA-exclusive spinoff in the Battle Network subseries. Battle Chip Challenge joins the Wii U's eShop catalog this week alongside recently released series entries Mega Man 5 and Mega Man Battle Network. Retrogaming fans can also get their hands on the NES version of Double Dragon 2 via the Wii U's Virtual Console service this week. Double Dragon 2 arrives with its two-player option intact, but please be considerate if you have friendly fire enabled -- your partner probably won't be too happy if an errant whirlwind kick ends them flying off a cliff. Nintendo has more NES classics in store for the Wii U eShop by the end of the month, including Konami's Gradius follow-up Life Force and Donkey Kong Jr. Math, an early 8-bit release that commands a surprisingly high price on eBay despite its formulaic gameplay. Other Wii U eShop highlights this week include Ubiquitous Entertainment's vertically scrolling shoot'em-up Gaiabreaker and PhobosLab's twin-stick shooter XType Plus. while 3DS owners can look forward to Collavier's action-puzzler Amida's Path and a demo version of the upcoming Cooking Mama 5: Bon Appétit! A full list of this week's featured games is after the break below.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Mega Man Battle Network, Steel Empire
The Nintendo eShop brings us multiple blasts from the past this week, as the Nintendo 3DS hosts a remade 16-bit shoot-'em-up while the Wii U nabs a classic Mega Man game. Capcom's Mega Man Battle Network joins the Wii U's Virtual Console lineup today, introducing the 2001 Game Boy Advance RPG spinoff to a new generation of players. Other Wii U eShop games premiering this week include the arcade-style shooter XType Plus, logic puzzler IQ Test, and Frederic: Resurrection of Music, a story-heavy rhythm game starring a reanimated Frederic Chopin. 3DS owners can expect to see the kid-friendly action game Lego Ninjago: Nindroids, slicing puzzler Tangram Attack, and Steel Empire, a remake of a steampunk-themed shoot-'em-up originally released for the Sega Genesis. Looking for 3DS deals? Starting today, you can pick up Sweet Memories: Blackjack for 30 percent off ($2.79), WAKEDAS for 34 percent off ($1.99), and Darts Up 3D for 67 percent off (99 cents) through August 20. A full list of this week's releases is available after the break.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Siesta Fiesta, Wooden Sen'Sey, Master Reboot
As we're still stuck in the July drought of major new releases, now's as good a time as any to check out some of the smaller games hitting systems. The Wii U has a few such games this week, including some that have made the journey from other platforms. If you like the sound of sci-fi first-person horror, Master Reboot's exploration of uploading consciousness may be for you. If you'd prefer something lighter, Wooden Sen'Sey promises action-platforming with "Japan Steam Rock" humor - y'know, like all those Japanese Steam Rock sitcoms. Both games are also available on PC, and PS3 too for Master Reboot. The game that catches our eye this week, though, is on 3DS, and it's Siesta Fiesta. It looks like Breakout combined with the colorful, over-cheery craziness of games like Rayman and LocoRoco, and it's definitely the season for something like that. As ever, faithful readers of this weekly post, you'll find the full list of new releases below the break. That just leaves new sales to talk about: Trine 2 is 60 percent off - that's down from $20 to $8 - until August 12, while Atlus games Devil Survivor Overclocked ($15), Shin Megami Tensei: Soul Hackers ($15), Shin Megami Tensei 4 ($24) and Code of Princess ($15) are all on sale until August 4.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Strike Force Foxx, Mr. Driller 2
It's one of those weeks on the eShop where the headline covers two-thirds of the new releases. The missing part of the triforce? Collavier Corporation's Comic Workshop, a game that doesn't, sadly, teach you how to become the next Kevin Hart. There's not much to say about the other two games, really. Mr. Driller 2 keeps the Game Boy Advance train advancing along with its diggable puzzling, while Strike Force Foxx harkens back to 1982 classic Choplifter, albeit with a villain wearing underwear on his head.
New Nintendo eShop releases: One Piece Unlimited World Red, Bases Loaded
Just five new releases on the eShop in North America this week, and ... nope, not one of them is Pokemon Trading Card Game. Sorry, Poke-trainers, the 3DS Virtual Console port of the Game Boy Color classic is staying in Europe for now, it seems. So, what's on the menu? Well, One Piece Unlimited World Red is out on Wii U and 3DS this week, as well as PS3 and Vita. If you're planning on getting it on Wii U, don't bother heading to the mall because that version is only on the eShop. If you'd prefer something with less anime, more baseball, and altogether fewer pixels, why sir or madam you're in luck! That's because NES baseball sim Bases Loaded is also on its way to both Nintendo systems. For the full list of new releases (all five of them), head on below the break. Finally, if you're after sales, new ones are start today for Jett Rocket 2 ($9 to $5), Swords & Soldiers 3D (half-price at $4) and Witch & Hero (30 percent off $4).
New Nintendo eShop releases: Guacamelee, Armillo
To coin Sony's term, Squids Odyssey is the first 3DS and Wii U "cross-buy" game, but it's only supported by Nintendo of Europe. Over in Europe, customers who buy the underwater RPG on 3DS can download the previously released Wii U version for free, as long as their Nintendo Network ID is linked across the two systems. However, Siliconera confirmed the promotion isn't coming to North America. We wonder if there's an element of testing the waters going on, but we'll have to wait and see. That's all very interesting, as is 3D rolling platformer Armillo (pictured above, check out its trailer below the break) and the excellent Guacamelee, both of which are now on Wii U. Yet our eyes are inexorably drawn to Bombing Bastards. Not because of the game, which has an undeniably familiar whiff about it, but the name itself, which Nintendo is apparently cool with. Remember when Stealth Bastard Deluxe became Stealth Inc on Sony platforms? Looks like Nintendo doesn't care so much, which is not the way round we pictured that. As ever, you'll find all the new eShop releases below the break. Sales-wise, Kung Fu Rabbit is half-price at $2.49 until July 10, while Just Dance 2014 is permanently down to $40. Also, you can visit the weird and wacky world of 3DS sim Tomodachi Life through a new demo.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Shovel Knight, Castlevania 3
The gardening tool-wielding Shovel Knight makes his debut on Nintendo platforms this week, joining Konami's NES classic Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Virtual Console. Who would win in a fight, you think -- Shovel Knight or Trevor Belmont? I'm guessing that a shovel would do a lot more damage to a leather-clad vampire hunter than a bullwhip would do to a suit of armor, so we'll give this round to Shovel Knight. Other Wii U highlights this week include the 3D Arkanoid-like Brick Breaker 3D and the intriguingly-named Monkey Pirates. 3DS owners get a broader selection of choices with games like Skypeace, Toy Stunt Bike, and Mysterious Stars: The Samurai. This week's update also gives eShop users the chance to save some cash with price drops for Code of Princess, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, Urban Trial Freestyle, Darksiders 2, and a collection of Ubisoft-published games. You can read more about this week's eShop releases here.
