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New Nintendo eShop releases: GBA arrives on Wii U Virtual Console
This week sees the first wave of Game Boy Advance games make their way onto the Wii U Virtual Console, starting with Metroid: Fusion, Advance Wars, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. If that doesn't satiate your retro hunger, there's still the likes of Golden Sun and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 to come later this month - check out April's full list of GBA re-releases here. On the more fresh-faced front, the Wii U port of 3DS and Vita 2.5D platformer Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is out now in North America, complete with enhanced visuals and an improved map system. Sorry Europe, you'll have to wait a couple of weeks longer. Things then take a turn for the surreal with Rusty's Real Deal Baseball. The free download pits you against wheeler dealer Rusty Slugger as you haggle over the genuine, real-life eShop prices of baseball minigames - when Nintendo goes weird, it goes properly weird. Finally, sales news for plumbers masquerading as doctors: If you own or buy the recent re-release of Dr. Mario on the Wii U Virtual Console, you can get $5 off Dr. Luigi if you grab it before 9AM PT/midday ET on April 10. [Image: Nintendo]
Interview: Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove's Adrian Woods on the game's use of live-action FMV
Last month, developer Big Fish Games released the latest game in its hidden-object, casual mystery series Mystery Case Files. Dire Grove features something rather unexpected for a game released in 2009: full-motion video. As a selling point! The game sets you into the investigation of four graduate students who disappear in the spooky town of Dire Grove one night. Along the way, video sequences will help illuminate the events. Fascinated by the bold decision to bring in live actors for the latest iteration of a usually all hand-drawn series (and a game that will retail for seven dollars when the Standard Edition launches this month -- the Collector's Edition is available now for $20), we spoke to game designer Adrian Woods about the game and the somewhat anachronistic use of FMV.
