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NintendoWare Weekly: Samurai Sword Destiny, Zombii Attack
Today on WiiWare, you can experience a pitched battle against zombies, in which you pitch objects with a slingshot. Oh, and it's called Zombii Attack. Because it's on the Wii. And there are zombies. (See?) UFO Interactive's Samurai Sword Destiny, a side-scrolling action game starring a samurai in search of her missing elder brother, is the next original release on the 3DS eShop. Said samurai seems to think he's hiding behind a single-file line of several thousand enemies. Find more releases after the break.%Gallery-142977%
Nintendo plans improved app store for Wii U, looks to serve Apple and Google in dance-off
Unless you go through the '80s-style "becoming super cool" montage, the other app stores won't respect you. Nintendo seems to be in this mindset, as a source has stated that it's creating an app store for its upcoming Wii U controller that goes "far beyond" the online stores the company currently provides for its DSi and Wii consoles. According to The Daily, the new gaming system, which is set to launch in the second half of 2012, will be able to use apps that operate on the controller itself, much like iOS and Android-based tablets. In other news, Nintendo has also vowed to buy each of its employees a cheetah with the Wii U app store profits.
NintendoWare Weekly: VVVVVV, Bionic Commando
Two games hit the eShop today, and they both seem worthwhile! Terry Cavanagh's devious puzzle platformer, VVVVVV, is now playable on the go, courtesy of Nicalis. Bionic Commando is also made portable, courtesy of ... the Game Boy version Capcom made years ago. On DSiWare you can get Cake Ninja, though you'd probably hate yourself for buying such an outright Fruit Ninja clone. Get it only if you're lacking a conscience, much like its developers.
Now you can exchange Club Nintendo Coins for games
If your home is already full to bursting with Mario paraphernalia, you'll be delighted to learn that you can exchange your Club Nintendo Coins for downloadable games. Nintendo is featuring a rotating selection of WiiWare, Virtual Console, DSiWare, and eShop downloads offered on the North American Club Nintendo site. Through January 10, your choices include Super Mario Kart (100 Coins), 3D Classics: Xevious (100 Coins), Fluidity (150 Coins), and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (150 Coins). In a way, this is really cheap as it trades illusory fun money for games -- but in another way, it's outrageously expensive as said fun money is only acquired through the for-real purchase of multiple games. Those of you with more space for swag have new reward options as well: three different, adorable Mario notebooks, and a Zelda poster set.
2011 Buyers Guide: WiiWare, DSiWare, and 3DS eShop
Somehow you've ended up with a prepaid points card for your Wii, DSi, or 3DS. If you're looking to fill up your Wii with the best stuff from this year, you might be surprised to find out that there was stuff this year! The Wii Virtual Console actually looks populated, for example, when you look at the whole year's output at once. And we were surprised to see how well the 3DS Virtual Console has built up since its launch. Join us after the break to find the most entertaining ways to spend your Nintendo points on your platform of choice. You guys probably don't even know about Freakyforms, do you?
NintendoWare Weekly: Pushmo
Nintendo brings another original, downloadable 3DS game to the eShop, inspiring ... not quite cautious optimism, but a cautious lessening of pessimism. Intelligent Systems' Pushmo is a puzzler about pulling stacked 3D blocks into and out of the screen to make climbing paths. It makes sense for a puzzle game on 3DS! On WiiWare, we finally have the opportunity to try out RedLynx's MotoHeroz without paying $15 for the privilege.%Gallery-141347%
NintendoWare Weekly: Adventure Island, Double Bloob
The 3DS's Virtual Console adds an extra layer of abstraction today, with the Game Boy port of the NES version of Adventure Island II (called, confusingly enough, "Adventure Island.") You can enjoy this Game Boy version of an NES game in a little Game Boy-looking window on your 3DS! DSiWare features Double Bloob, a vertical shooter/puzzle game we first covered way back in 2007, years before there even was a DSiWare service. It's gone through a lot of changes since then, not the least of which was a departure of the development team from its former home at the infamous Nibris.%Gallery-140821%
Nintendoware Weekly: Metroid II: Return of Samus
The Metroid series is so littered with prequels and sequels that it's hard to tell where exactly Metroid II: Return of Samus sits in the story. It definitely takes place after the original Metroid, if that helps. The adventure sees the intergalactic bounty hunter head to the Metroid home world, SR388; her only mission to eradicate every last one of those energy-sapping creatures. The GameBoy classic is out today on the 3DS eShop. Also up for grabs on both the eShop and DSiWare is the tower defense(ish) title Come On! Heroes, while WiiWare gets the fishing title Big Bass Arcade.
'Splosion Man coming to Retro City Rampage
Not even the metaphorical constraints of intellectual property are enough to contain Twisted Pixel's 'Splosion Man, apparently, as indie developer VBlank Entertainment has revealed that both Mr. And Ms. 'Splosion Man will join the cast of its upcoming pixel-art chiptune meta-homage Retro City Rampage. VBlank told MineCon 2011 attendees that 'Splosion Man is "the first of Retro City Rampage's official indie (or previously indie) crossovers," a statement that indicates future crossover announcements while simultaneously poking at Twisted Pixel's recent change in corporate structure. Check out the trailer above for a glimpse at RCR's isometric take on 'splode-based platforming.%Gallery-139924%
NintendoWare Weekly: Kirby's Adventure
Nintendo delivers another kind of remastered classic, with 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure. It's much less "remastered" looking than earlier 3D Classics -- it's windowed, and has all the UI on the top screen with the gameplay. On the other hand: Kirby's Adventure! This week, WiiWare offers Pinocchio-themed jigsaw puzzles, and DSiWare offers a Chinese language learning game and a thrilling, chilling game about being stuck in a convenience store. Do you dare enter the convenience store of mystery?%Gallery-139731%
NintendoWare Weekly: Freakyforms
Nintendo made it really, really easy this week for us to notice the release of its original 3DS download game, Freakyforms. Unfortunately, it did this by releasing nothing else on eShop (save some Zelda music on Nintendo Video), and very little on DSiWare (a tower defense game about monkeys popping balloons, and a generic strategy title). Meanwhile, on WiiWare ... step aerobics. So yeah, Freakyforms! It looks really cute!%Gallery-139045%
Partial Retro City Rampage soundtrack available online, for free
Waiting for a game is probably the worst thing in the world. But if you're waiting for Retro City Rampage, you can at least ease that burden a bit by checking out select tracks from the game's soundtrack right now, free of charge. This Soundcloud page has a few of the game's tracks for streaming or download, as well as some remixes that were the product of a recent contest. We're not sure how long it'll be available, but said page says to look for the full soundtrack in January or February 2012. We've contacted Brian Provinciano, the game's creator, who told us that these tracks will be available indefinitely. The full soundtrack is being printed right now, but you'll have to (obviously) pay money for it.
NintendoWare Weekly: Balloon Kid, 1950s Lawn Mower Kids
It's a "kid" oriented week for Nintendo downloadables. If you've been waiting for more Balloon Fight since downloading the NES game -- and of course you have -- Balloon Kid for Game Boy brings you an adventure expanded from that NES game, with new abilities and obstacles. You'll be delighted as long as you don't realize that Japan got the Game Boy Color version ... whoops! While you have the 3DS open, you can also enjoy a "Main Theme Medley" from the recent Zelda concert on Nintendo Video. On DSiWare, 1950s Lawn Mower Kids is a game about guiding three of the title characters to perform their gardening duties among UFOs, dogs, and other obstacles.
NintendoWare Weekly: BurgerTime Deluxe, Anima: Ark of Sinners
If you want to remember the classic, seasoned BurgerTime gameplay before BurgerTime World Tour hits next week, you can check out BurgerTime Deluxe for Game Boy, out on 3DS Virtual Console today in North America at a cost of $2.99. If you want something new, the puzzle game Pyramids is that rarest of games: an original downloadable 3DS release. Players control a treasure hunter attempting to escape from pyramids by creating and destroying blocks. Finally, WiiWare now features the $10 Anima: Ark of Sinners, a distinctly Castlevania-style game based on a pen-and-paper RPG.
NintendoWare Weekly: Nintendo Videos for sale, Double Dragon
Do you like the short clips available on Nintendo Video, but wish they wouldn't randomly disappear from your system when new ones come along? Starting today, Nintendo is offering a selection of previous Nintendo Video shows from DreamWorks, downloadable from the eShop for $2 each. It's sort of like buying an episode of your favorite TV show on iTunes, we suppose, if that episode was five minutes long and only viewable on a 3DS. Kind of weird, but at least it's an additional option. In other news, Double Dragon! The ... Game Boy version!%Gallery-137124%
NintendoWare Weekly: Catrap, 101-in-1
Deceptively big numbers abound (as big numbers tend to do) on Nintendo's download services this week. 101-in-1 Explosive Megamix collects entirely too many games in a single pack on WiiWare, and 1001 Blockbusters provides a similarly excessive number of block-breaking levels on DSiWare. On 3DS, there's an obscure, but interesting Game Boy puzzle called Catrap, which is actually about puzzles that you can accidentally trap yourself in -- and not rapping cats. If you're looking for something more passive to do with your 3DS, there's a new "Night of the Living Carrots" short starring characters from Monsters vs. Aliens on the Nintendo Video service.%Gallery-136465%
NintendoWare Weekly: Horizon Riders, Side Pocket, Simply Minesweeper
The Game Boy collection on the 3DS continues to grow ever so gradually with the addition of Data East's Side Pocket, a pool game. That's "pool" as in the game about hitting numbered balls with a cue, not swimming. Nintendo also informs us that Pokedex 3D has been updated -- but not how it's been updated -- so if you're still working to fill your virtual compendium, check for that addition. On DSiWare, there's another House MD episode and Simply Minesweeper, a version of the classic timewaster. And on WiiWare: Horizon Riders, a new rail shooter that gives you the option of controlling movement with the Balance Board.%Gallery-135947%
NintendoWare Weekly: Super Mario Land 2, escapeVektor
You might have missed it yesterday, since it wasn't during the normal Nintendo downloadable game release day, but The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition is free to download right now on DSiWare (which is, of course, also accessible with the 3DS). If you've got friends to play with, it's a fun, bite-sized Zelda experience; if you don't, it's basically a really weird Zelda game where you don't get to keep your items. Another Nintendo classic is available on 3DS today: Super Mario Land 2, which introduces Wario for the first time -- long before he starts his software company. And on WiiWare, escapeVektor: Chapter 1 combines Qix-style outline completion with a storyline about being trapped in a computer. Nintendo also notes that new 3D trailers for Super Mario 3D Land, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart 7, Luigi's Mansion 2, Animal Crossing, Paper Mario, and Mario Tennis will be available on 3DS "soon," so watch all those Blue Man Group videos now to make sure you have time for these.
NintendoWare Weekly: 3D Classics: Twinbee, Aya and the Cubes of Light
Another "3D Classic" is added to the 3DS lineup today -- and, thus, another entry in the small group of 3DS-exclusive downloadable games. 3D Classics: Twinbee is an update of Konami's vintage vertical-scrolling shooter. Expect bright colors and cute music, but not, for some reason, a widescreen presentation. Conversely, WiiWare has a very 3D-oriented game displayed in 2D. It's a neat-looking platformer, Aya and the Cubes of Light, in which you explore all six sides of free-floating, cubic levels.%Gallery-134637%
RedLynx on MotoHeroz's ancestry, league play, and prospects
Trials HD developer RedLynx released MotoHeroz on WiiWare in North America last week. As a multiplayer, party-focused iteration on the exacting Trials gameplay -- and as a major WiiWare release in 2011 -- it's an odd game. In the interest of understanding it a bit better, I spoke to lead designer Antti Ilvessuo in an email interview. MotoHeroz is actually the second game in a "Heroz" series. RedLynx released an even weirder game, the foot-racer 1000 Heroz for iOS, this year, and the new WiiWare game ties into it. "Both MotoHeroz and our iOS game 1000 Heroz take place in the same shared universe, the world of Gema," Ilvessuo said. "In this world, differences are settled not with battles but with games, and politicians must get to the top of their Leaderboards to get elected." The characters are purportedly unworthy of the designation "heroes," thus the near-miss appellation "Heroz." You can even collect "Ancestor Spirits" in MotoHeroz who hail from the prehistoric cast of the iPhone game.
