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NintendoWare Weekly: An actual Virtual Console game
After two weeks of absolutely nothing in new Wii downloads, Nintendo dropped a new Virtual Console game on us. And not just any new Virtual Console game, Super Street Fighter II ... with online play. Even after being released in Japan last November, and being announced locally by Capcom the same month, it's still surprising to see extra functionality. It's still surprising to see a Wii Virtual Console game.
NintendoWare Weekly: 3D Classics: Kid Icarus
For the second week in a row, there's nothing new to download on Wii. No WiiWare, no Virtual Console, not even a demo. Troubling!Meanwhile, on 3DS, the highlighted game is something that's actually been available at GameStop for almost a month, and elsewhere as a pre-order bonus: 3D Classics Kid Icarus. If you didn't think the 3DS game was bizarre enough, you should check out this nicely updated version of the NES original to see how weird Nintendo can get.Nintendo would also like you to know that a new season of Dinosaur Office will premiere on Nintendo Video tomorrow.
NintendoWare Weekly: Ketzal's Corridors, Anne's Doll Studio: Tokyo Collection
This week's content dump from Nintendo features a pair of titles for handheld fans. Ketzal's Corridors is the big release, similar to WiiWare's ThruSpace. It's a sort of on-rails Tetris experience – if you've ever seen Brain Wall, then it's kinda like that. It's joined by Anne's Doll Studio: Tokyo Collection, a game about dressing up dolls.On the video side, there's a new 3D video for Death Cab for Cutie's "Underneath the Sycamore."
NintendoWare Weekly: Colors! 3D
Colors! 3D is the heartwarming story of how an unofficial, homebrew DS app "graduated" into a for-real downloadable 3DS eShop game. It's also an app that allows you to draw and paint on your 3DS, and share your drawings online with the Colors! 3D gallery.Other new content on 3DS this week includes a video interview with Warren Spector about the two new Epic Mickey games, and "The Rifle's Spiral" by The Shins (available tomorrow).
Amoebattle on App Store today, DSiWare version coming soon
It's not often we hear about near-concurrent DSiWare/iPhone releases, so any such game automatically gets an element of novelty. Intrinsic Games, creator of DSiWare's Divergent Shift, is doing just that.Amoebattle is a simple RTS in which you control a group of amoebas in a microscopic campaign. Originally designed as a DS game, the iPhone version made it to market first -- it's available from the App Store today for $5. The DSiWare version has been approved by Nintendo and will be released soon, though there's no specific date yet.Intrinsic seems to be developing "iOS/DSiWare" into a full-on business model; a previous App Store release, Penguin Patrol, is due for release on DSiWare tomorrow. All are published by Grab Games, who recently acquired Intrinsic.
Club Nintendo offers You, Me, the Cubes, Excitebike, and Metal Torrent
If you've got a bunch of Club Nintendo Coins burning a hole in your virtual pocket, you could do worse than spend them on this month's selection of downloadable games. For April, Nintendo is offering Kenji Eno's WiiWare puzzle game You, Me, and the Cubes; the WiiWare bike retread Excitebike World Rally, and a 3DS-only download of DSiWare shmup Metal Torrent (all right, they can't all be winners).As always, these games are also available through your console's online store for regular money, but you have the extra option of trading your fake Club Nintendo currency this month.[Thanks, Adam!]
NintendoWare Weekly: Mutant Mudds demo
The most noteworthy digital release this week on Nintendo systems is a demo of a game that came out in February. Yes, that means it's a really slow week, but to be fair Mutant Mudds is very worth trying.DSiWare's sole release is '90s Pool, which, as far as we can tell, is "'90s" only because the words "'90s Pool" are on the top screen at all times. Where's Luke Perry? Where's the Ace of Base cover music?
NintendoWare Weekly: Zombie Slayer Diox
Another original release comes to 3DS eShop this week, in the form of UFO Interactive's (other) rock vs. zombie game, Zombie Slayer Diox.If actual games don't interest you today, free entertainment abounds, with music videos on Nintendo Video and a Swapnote "inspired by" Uggie the dog going out to everyone using that delightful free program. Why, yes, we are checking our Swapnotes while writing this.
NintendoWare Weekly: Game Gear, Samurai Shodown IV
It's the Virtual Consoliest day of 2012! Between the Wii and 3DS, there are four new Virtual Console games you can buy today. On 3DS, of course, that means Game Gear support has arrived. On Wii, it means Samurai Shodown IV, originally for Neo Geo.There's also some free entertainment to be found on the 3DS Nintendo Video service, where a 3D Kid Icarus anime is probably being delivered to you over SpotPass right this second.
NintendoWare Weekly: Punch-Out!!, King of Fighters '97
We have a coveted double Virtual Console event today, in which emulated retro games appear on both 3DS and Wii. On 3DS, you can experience the thrill of being beaten severely by enormous people in Punch-Out!! And on Wii ... pretty much the same thing (beatings, enormous humans) from a different perspective in King of Fighters '97.DSiWare now features Zuma's Revenge, just the latest in PopCap's widespread assault on every platform ever.
NintendoWare Weekly: Crush3D demo, Metroid
Nintendo's actually doing a pretty good job with these 3DS demos! Today on the eShop, you'll be able to get a sample of the upcoming puzzle adventure Crush3D. You know, in case our preview wasn't quite vividly descriptive enough to paint an accurate picture in your brain.If you missed the Ambassador Program, you can now buy the NES classic Metroid on 3DS as well.
NintendoWare Weekly: Nintendogs + Cats demo, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz
If we were to design a Nintendogs + Cats demo, it would go something like this: you walk into a virtual pet store to meet a new puppy, wearing an adorable bow. The proprietor lets the pup out of its cage to play with you, and the dog can't hide its excitement to run and play with all the toys in the room. It barks happily and licks the screen to simulate licking your face.Its barks sound just enough like your name, but just different enough, that you question what you heard.Then, after you choose to exit the demo, the virtual puppy goes back into its cage, whimpering. The last thing you see before you close the 3DS lid is your puppy's paw up against the screen. Occasionally you'll receive a note via SpotPass telling you that the little scamp still looks out the window whenever a car the same model as yours drives by.We didn't design the real demo.
NintendoWare Weekly: Metal Gear Solid 3D demo, Strider
The Metal Gear Solid 3D demo arrives today, accompanied by relatively big news on the Virtual Console! The first NES Ambassador game for 3DS is now available for purchase by non-Ambassadors! Super Mario Bros. is on the eShop now for five bucks. And if you already have it through the Ambassador Program, you can get a free update to add multiplayer and save states!There's also news for the Wii's Virtual Console: the Genesis version of Strider can be purchased today. We hadn't heard about a Genesis VC game in a while, so we looked into it. As far as we can tell, this is the first Genesis game on Wii in North America since Sonic & Knuckles, on February 15, 2010. It's been two years and a day since the last Genesis VC release.In fact, this appears to be the first Wii Virtual Console release of any kind since The Ignition Factor six months ago. Enjoy it! This doesn't happen very often.
NintendoWare Weekly: BurgerTime World Tour, Maru's Mission
The XBLA/PSN reimagining of BurgerTime needed a little more time on the grill before hitting WiiWare, but now MonkeyPaw Games is ready to serve BurgerTime World Tour to a hungry audience on a plastic tray all right these food metaphors are falling apart. We'll have to warn you about this week's 3DS eShop game, lest you get unreasonably excited. Maru's Mission is not about Maru the cat. It is a cute-looking ninja action game, though. But not about Maru. Sorry!%Gallery-146918%
Club Nintendo swaps downloadable games, adds Mario Party 2, Art Academy
With a new month comes a new selection of downloadable games for which you can exchange your Club Nintendo Coins. The new lineup is half as varied as those of previous months, offering only one DSiWare download and one Wii Virtual Console game.For 150 Coins each, you can choose Art Academy: First Semester for DSiWare (but only available on 3DS through this offer) or Mario Party 2 for Wii. If you get that one, use the money you saved by buying it with Club Nintendo money to buy some extra controllers, either for friends or to replace the ones ruined by Mario Party.For fans of physical, tangible goods, there's also this new 3DS card case. It holds 18 games and includes four "double-sided card covers." And it looks really nice.
NintendoWare Weekly: Mutant Mudds, Mario & Sonic, Flush the Goldfish
As promised, another 3DS demo is available on the eShop, this time for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It may not have zombies, but then, it may have Waluigi. Renegade Kid's Mutant Mudds, its first self-published project, is also up on the eShop this week, offering challenging platforming and shooting and some dramatic 3D effects.DSiWare features a sequel to the indie game Flipper; though if you played it, you still won't recognize Flipper 2: Flush the Goldfish. The original was an isometric puzzle game about reshaping environments ... and the sequel is a side-scrolling action game that uses one contextual button!%Gallery-145712%
NintendoWare Weekly: Resident Evil Revelations demo, Stonekeep
3DS demos have finally arrived in North America! Or, at least, they will in a couple of hours when the eShop updates. You'll have the opportunity to check out Capcom's classic-style Resident Evil Revelations at no risk -- other than the usual risk of terror-soaked pants, we suppose. In WiiWare news, remember when Interplay was going to revive Stonekeep for WiiWare? Well, that's happened. You can see the results above.
Cave Story DSiWare still headed to Europe, but delayed
Cave Story hitting DSiWare in North America over a year ago, but Europe is still waiting for an official release. It looks like the region will go without the delightful title a little longer, as it has failed certification with Nintendo of Europe. Responding to a question on Twitter, developer Nicalis noted that Cave Story was submitted to NOE in December but failed because of "some really minor crap with the manual." Nicalis hopes to submit the game yet again sometime this month. Keep the faith, European Cave Story fans! Or you could always pick up the 3DS version.
NintendoWare Weekly: Zen Pinball 3D, 101 Pinball World
Well, this is awkward. Zen Pinball 3D launches on the 3DS eShop today ... and so does the DSiWare game 101 Pinball World. If you really love handheld virtual pinball, this is like the best day ever! Elsewhere, The Learning Company and Gamelion bring the third installment of the surprisingly episodic WiiWare Carmen Sandiego series. And if you care to check Nintendo Video on your 3DS this Saturday, you can get a 3D Kirby cartoon.
Nintendo tells developers not to share digital sales numbers
Richard Hill-Whittall is the owner and director of Icon Games Entertainment, and his company has released several games in the last year for various platforms, including WiiWare. He recently shared some sales numbers over on Gamasutra, but was asked by Nintendo to take the numbers for its platforms down. According to Hill-Whittall, Nintendo doesn't allow developers to share digital sales numbers for self-published WiiWare and downloadable DS titles. That's an interesting tack to take, and Hill-Whittall argues that it hurts smaller developers who might need to make those sales numbers known in order to secure financing or plan out their business. He doesn't see it as surprising, however, because Nintendo doesn't allow developers to change their prices or offer demos or promotions either, which are all tactics that Microsoft, Sony, and other digital publishers have used to pick up lots of digital sales before. Obviously, not everyone will want to share sales data, and Nintendo itself must see this data as valuable information to be protected. A restriction on sharing the data, says Hill-Whittall, could be fatal for a smaller developer like his, especially if they rely on Nintendo's platform alone.
