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Paper Mario, Kid Icarus 3D now available as Club Nintendo rewards
Club Nintendo has added a new set of downloadable games to its rotating lineup, allowing members to redeem their collected Coins for copies of Paper Mario, 3D Classics Kid Icarus, and other featured offerings. July's Club Nintendo games include the remade NES platformer 3D Classics Kid Icarus and vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up Metal Torrent for the Nintendo 3DS, along with NES-ported arcade conversion Donkey Kong Jr. and classic Nintendo 64 RPG Paper Mario for the Wii U. Kid Icarus, Metal Torrent, and Donkey Kong Jr. are available for 200 Coins each, while Paper Mario will set you back 250 Coins. All featured games are available through August 3. [Image: Nintendo]
Pokemon Trading Card Game chooses Europe's eShop this week
The Game Boy Color's Pokemon Trading Card Game shows its hand in the 3DS eShop this week in Europe, but there's no word on it coming to North America. The Virtual Console offering is priced £4.49/5 euros and is due for release on Thursday, July 10. To recap, the Pokemon Trading Card Game is based on the physical trading card game which is based on the video games which aren't based on the anime series but vice versa. We've reached out to Nintendo and The Pokemon Company to see if it's also headed to North America, but we suspect if it's not this week, it can't be too far off. After all, the news arrives just ahead of the new XY - Furious Fists expansion for the physical TCG, which will add 110 cards to the mix when it hits on August 13.
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.
Visualize your twist on music in September with Korg DSN-12
It's tough to predict when inspiration will strike, but if you're into composing music using analog synthesizers and own a 3DS, at least harnessing your creative streaks is about to get more convenient: Synthesizer manufacturer Korg has announced Korg DSN-12, an eShop download that will reach the Americas and Europe in September. Korg DSN-12 will offer 12 monophonic synthesizers, which creators can apply three effects each to from the delay, chorus, compressor, kick, reverb and flanger. Sequences can have up to 64 steps and sequences themselves can be placed in up to 64 patterns. Speaking of patterns, a Pattern Program mode will allow for a maximum of 99 scenes, with muting options available for each track. 3D effects for both Wave and Lissajous visual representations will be offered by Korg DSN-12, and tinkerers can share song and sound data locally with other synthesizer enthusiasts. A price is still to be determined, but anything that can save one of your genius loops is bound to carry some value. Besides, it'll probably be cheaper than the retail-released Korg DS-10 for the original DS. [Image: Korg]
Shovel Knight launch trailer dreams of excavation
Even when things are at their darkest, the brave and noble Shovel Knight doesn't throw in the trowel. Yacht Club Games' nostalgic 2D platformer gets shovelin' into Steam, Wii U and 3DS on Thursday, June 26, priced at $15. [Image: Yacht Club Games]
New Nintendo eShop releases: Pushmo World, Another World, some other worlds
Loads of new eShop games this week, though it's fair to say there are standouts. Top of the pile in more ways than one is Pushmo World on Wii U, with 250 block-pushing puzzles to solve this time around. Meanwhile, Iconic 1991 cinematic adventure Another World is doing the rounds again, and that includes Wii U and 3DS. It didn't take as long as Another World, but How to Survive hits Wii U finally this week too. If you prefer something a bit more sedate, Farming Simulator '14 has a few jobs for you on 3DS. As ever, we've got all the new releases below the break. That just leaves sales to talk ab-oh man, there are a few of those too. When the eShop updates, Toki Tori 2+ and Fractured Soul will both be discounted to $6 until July 3, while Shin Megami Tensei 4 is $25 until June 23. You can find more on the new eShop sales here.
Brain Age now training European Wii U owners too
Brain Age, the first DS game on Wii U Virtual Console, traveled to the eShop in Europe over the weekend. As per Japan the brain-teaser is a free download, with the European promo ending on July 10. There's no word yet, but it's now likely North America will eventually also get reacquainted with the detached cranium of Dr Kawashima. Last month saw Nintendo re-release the 2005 game in Japan, following through on plans to add the DS to the Wii U Virtual Console. The brain-trainer is one of the handheld's all-time best sellers, shifting an impressive total of 19 million units worldwide. Nintendo's yet to discuss any other DS games on Wii U, so we'll just have to unravel this rather long wish list. Let's see here... The World Ends with You, Elite Beat Agents, Rhythm Heaven, all the Professor Layton games, Trauma Center: Under the Knife, Advance W-okay this could take some time. So, what DS games do you want to see on the Virtual Console?
Lufia: The Legend Returns, Harvest Moon 2 to reach 3DS VC
E3 2014 wasn't just great for new games – Capcom showed Virtual Console users a little love with their upcoming release schedule, and now Natsume Inc. has done the same by announcing two new 3DS VC titles: Both Lufia: The Legend Returns and Harvest Moon 2 GBC are "coming soon" to the digital storefront. While Game Boy Color cartridges of either game are still reasonably priced, we're hoping this will lead to a debut of the SNES' pricier Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals on the Wii U VC, which typically sells for $50 or higher. Hoping for the same scenario with Harvest Moon 64 might be futile, though – when a fan asked about the possibility of the N64's farm-and-relationship simulator arriving at a later date, the Natsume page responded: "Sadly, HM64 won't be appearing." [Image: Natsume]
Seen@E3: Making Marios
Mario Maker is as super simple to use as it looks. Paint objects into the level, drag pipes to stretch them, tweak things like changing the direction of moving platforms, and then press play to, well, play. The only hard bit is trying to get through the absurd level you just made. Even in the E3 demo, which Nintendo plans to add to, there was an appreciable level of customization. There are little things like giving wings to the goombas and koopa troopas or putting piranha plants into pipes, but also the major mechanic of being able to switch your level from old-school Mario to the New Super look in just one click. The issue I had was the amount of available space, which seemed a bit short; negotiable without obstacles in seconds rather than minutes. Again, maybe that's just the limitations of the E3 demo. We'll all get to meet our Mario Maker when it comes to Wii U next year.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 finally journeys to Europe in Q3 2014
After being lost and presumed KIA, Shin Megami Tensei 4 finally has a targeted European window of Q3 2014. In 2013 Atlus confirmed a European arrival for the 3DS JRPG, but the game only hit Japan and North America last year. This week, Atlus said it's self-publishing Shin Megami Tensei 4 as an eShop-only game, and it'll be English-language only. The news follow's Zen United returning Persona 4 Arena's digital rights in Europe to Atlus, suggesting the Japanese publisher may be starting to self-publish its games in European territories. On the other hand, there remains no word on European release details for the four recently announced Persona games, including Persona 5. [Image: Atlus]
Mario vs. Donkey Kong building a path to Wii U eShop
That mini Mario factory just doesn't let up – Mario vs. Donkey Kong is coming to the Wii U eShop, as revealed by a debut trailer on Nintendo's YouTube channel. In the trailer, the player uses the stylus to guide wind-up heroes over spikes, steep drops and other obstacles that are generally hazardous to miniature toys, but levels can also be created and shared over Miiverse. A star-based currency can be spent to unlock new level-building components or figurines like Luigi. If you're feeling particularly generous, you can leave star-based tips for the creators of stages played on Miiverse. Comments can also be left on pages displaying stages for download, in case players get stumped on a solution or just want to tell others whether a level is worth playing.
Here's the scoop: Shovel Knight arrives later this month
Ace of spades Shovel Knight is coming to Wii U, 3DS, Windows PC, Mac and Linux on June 26, and for realsies this time. The game was originally due on March 31 but dev Yacht Club delayed it close to release so the team could apply some extra polish. The new date is international for Steam, but on eShop it's only for North America. Yacht Club says it's working through region-specific processes on the Nintendo systems, but it hopes to have "good news" to offer Europe soon. There's no word yet on final prices, but PC pre-orders are currently available for $15. Shovel Knight takes its cues from NES classics like Mega Man, Castlevania and DuckTales, but Yacht Club is amping the nostalgic vibe beyond the actual game. The Californian studio is sending out real retail boxes to qualifying Kickstarter backers - check out the excellent box art below the break - along with a printed version of an old-school manual. All that's missing is blowing into the cartridge for 10 hours, and we don't really miss it - that much.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Tomodachi, 1001 Spikes, Minish Cap
Tomodachi Life, Nintendo's answer to what happens when Sims hit their head, is the next headline game on 3DS. It not out until tomorrow, but in the interim there's tough-as-spikes platformer 1001 Spikes and GBA mini-adventure The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. Head past the break and you'll find the full list of this week's new releases for the eShop. If it's savings you want, Conception 2 is on sale for $30 while the Just Dance series is grooving to a half-price beat, with Just Dance 4 down to $25. Both those offers end on June 9.
Wii Sports Club boxed copies join Team USA in July
North American retailers join the Wii Sports Club on July 25, when boxed copies containing all five sports arrive on store shelves. Nintendo of Europe already announced the HD-make boxes over there on June 25. The motion-controlled sportsaganza hit the eShop in November, first bringing tennis and bowling before driving forward with golf. The Wii U-packaged game adds baseball and boxing to the mix, and both sports become available online on June 26, a month ahead of the retail release. Presumably they'll follow the same pricing model for the other sports, which are currently available through $2 day passes for all sports or with a $10 permanent unlock per sport. The boxed copy has the best value with a suggested retail price of $40, ten bucks cheaper than getting the five sports online. [Image: Nintendo]
New Nintendo eShop releases: Mario Kart 8, Ittle Dew
Let's face it, if you're a Wii U owner you're well aware Mario Kart 8 is out tomorrow. It's the series' first HD entry, when you register it online you get a code for a free game, and you know this. But, maybe for some foul reason you're less Mario Kart 8 and more Mario Kart Hate. Luckily for you, you fiend, there are other games out on Nintendo systems this week. First off there's Ittle Dew, a familiarly heroic adventure that's making a far too appropriate jump to Wii U. The influx of GBA games for Wii U continues with Klonoa: Empire of Dreams, and retro fans can also grab Mega Man Xtreme 2 on 3DS. Sales-wise, a 33-percent cut pushes 3DS games Pushmo and Crashmo down to $4.69 and $6 respectively. That offer ends on June 13, a week before Pushmo World drops on Wii U.
Pushmo follow-up coming to Wii U in June
Nintendo announced that a sequel to its hit 3DS puzzler Pushmo will make its debut in North America and Europe next month with an all-new collection of puzzles and expanded level-sharing options. Pushmo is a puzzle game in which players push and pull oddly-shaped blocks in order to form a staircase to each level's goal. The Wii U sequel, titled Pushmo World in North America and Pullblox World in Europe, features more than 250 puzzles, and will launch in both regions on June 19. Starting today, the 3DS version of Pushmo and its sequel Crashmo are on sale for 33 percent off from the Nintendo eShop. Players in Europe who own either game will also get a 30 percent discount off of Pushmo World at launch. [Image: Nintendo]
Zelda: The Minish Cap coming to Wii U eShop in Europe next week
Nintendo announced that a Virtual Console version of its 2004 Game Boy Advance game The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is due to hit the Wii U eShop in Europe next week. Developed by Capcom, The Minish Cap teams Link up with a talking hat that can shrink its wearer to the size of tiny Minish tribesmen. Gameplay pairs the Zelda series' traditional item-based progression with Link's newfound ability to grow and shrink in size, giving puzzles a unique flair. The Minish Cap resurfaces as part of Capcom's recently announced plans to port its Game Boy Advance back catalog to Nintendo's Wii U console, and was previously a featured game in Nintendo's 3DS Ambassador program. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap will make its eShop debut in Europe on May 29. A North American release has not been announced. [Image: Nintendo]
New Nintendo eShop releases: Swords & Soldiers HD, Squids Odyssey
This week's eShop games are brought to you by the letter "S." We have Swords & Soldiers HD, Squids Odyssey, Street Fighter Alpha 2 and, er, Sega San S... Alright, it's Mega Man V for Game Boy. You're no fun. As ever, we've got the full list of new releases below the break, but don't forget about the sales. Aeternoblade will drop by 33 percent to $10 between May 23 and 26, while starting today and ending June 4, Blok Drop U is a quarter off at $1.49.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Scram Kitty, Moon Chronicles
It's a steady week on the eShop ahead of this month's big kahuna - that's Mario Kart 8, by the way - but there are games that may pique your interest. Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails is an unusual shoot-em-up in that you move by scrolling along magnetic rails on the walls - oh, and you're shooting mechanized rats while trying to save all the world's cats. It's out for the Wii U this week, while Wii Party U gets a belated eShop release too. Over on the handheld, there's the debut of Renegade Kid's enhanced episodic remake of Moon Chronicles (the first episode's priced $9 while the upcoming three chapters are $2 each). Also, Capcom's Mega May continues with Game Boy platformer Mega Man 4. Don't forget Atlus is discounting the two Etrian Odyssey games on 3DS at $20 each, and that sale ends on Monday, May 19. On the same day, a new one starts for Code of Princess and Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor Overclocked, down to $15 each until June 5. [Image: Dakko Dakko]
Swords and Soldiers carving up Wii U on May 22
Swords and Soldiers HD, Two Tribes' hi-res port of Awesomenauts developer Ronimo Games' first game, will launch on the Wii U eShop next Thursday, May 22. The game will arrive simultaneously in North America and Europe, and will cost $2.99 (2.99 euros). Two Tribes announced the HD port in March, years after the game's first arrival on Wii in North America in June 2009. Swords and Soldiers HD will retain the original game's levels while featuring both Wii Remote and Game Pad touch-screen controls, a multiplayer mode and higher-resolution visuals. The tower defense game has found a home on many platforms, including Steam in December 2010 and PSN in September 2010. [Image: Two Tribes]
