It’s a new month, but more importantly a Monday! That means we get to see what special goodies Nintendo has released for us this week. The centerpiece of this week’s release for Virtual Console, WiiWare and DSiWare is, naturally, the series finale of  Tales of Monkey Island. Chapter Five focuses on the Rise of the Pirate God and is sure to please fans of the series thus far. Any poker fans might also like to know that DSiWare also received Downtown Texas Hold ‘Em. I’ve never been a fan of online poker,  but for those of you who want to teach the basics to someone this game might be for you. Check out the press release below to see if there’s anything which piques your interest.

Nintendo DSiWare

True Swing Golf Express
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Pointsâ„¢
Description: Tee off with power, drive with accuracy and putt with precision. True Swing Golf Express is a realistic golf simulation that makes full use of the Nintendo DSi touch screen to offer in-depth control over your actions. Vary shot power, apply topspin or backspin and more, all with a touch of the stylus. Beginners and experts alike can choose from two main modes. Round mode offers play across 3-, 9- or 18-hole courses, each with varying difficulty levels and some in an exciting tournament setting. Challenge mode puts a unique spin on golf with a wide selection of special tasks to complete. Completing these tasks in Challenge mode allows you to improve your character’s skills and unlock new courses in Round mode. The fairway awaits!

Legends of Exidia
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: An army of demons called Morgost has invaded Exidia, defeating Princess Sofia and capturing the Orb of Spell. The Morgost’s dark intentions include the resurrection of the almighty Daraka. Listen only to your courage and help Sofia drive back this threat. As a fearless warrior, you’ll fight the most evil of creatures. With every quest, you’ll get closer to discovering the source of the plague.

DOWNTOWN TEXAS HOLD’EM
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1-5
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Simulated Gambling
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Go all-in with EA’s DOWNTOWN TEXAS HOLD’EM. Sharpen and show off your poker skills in two exciting game modes and take on up to 20 players in authentic showdowns. Put on your best poker face and challenge friends who also have a Nintendo DSi system and a copy of the game to a multiplayer match. Start with a practice game, play a round of classic poker, then jump into turbo tournament to win the grand prize. Buy your way into gambling halls and casinos, each with its own unique background, realistic tables, cards and chips.

Move your Brain Rollway Puzzle
Publisher: Assoria
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Help the ball of Move your Brain Rollway Puzzle to find the way out of each level. To do so, you must solve riddles and use your dexterity to escape enemies without falling. Move your Brain Rollway Puzzle uses the Nintendo DSi system’s built-in camera to detect your movements. While playing, tilt the system to move the ball. Collect gold coins to open certain passages, activate switches to set off mechanisms, use catapults to jump over walls or use bumpers to climb ramps. Time to complete each level is limited, so hurry up!

5 in 1 Solitaire
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Now you can take five of the most popular solitaire games with you on the go. 5 in 1 Solitaire features the always-popular Klondike, Spider and FreeCell games as well as the unique Golf and Gaps versions of solitaire. Each of these versions has a unique style of play that’s easy enough for novice players to enjoy but will also challenge experts. You can also view tutorials for each game, track your scores and view gaming stats to see your progress.

WiiWare

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 5
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Alcohol Reference, Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Pointsâ„¢
Description: Here’s a shocking series finale that’s sure to shiver your timbers. With the Monkey Island world in tatters at the conclusion of the fourth Tales of Monkey Island chapter, we were left to wonder: Who can save the Caribbean?! LeChuck is revealing surprising new characteristics yet again, Guybrush has met a shocking fate and Elaine must confront the ultimate evil with everything at stake. This adventure takes you far beyond the stormy isles as you experience the Rise of the Pirate God.

Tumblebugs 2
Publisher: Gameshastra Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: There’s a battle brewing in the backyard, and only you can save the day. Tumblebugs is the hit action-puzzler in which Black Bugs round up and trap the peaceful underground Tumblebugs. Now the Black Bugs are back – meaner, faster and nastier. They’ve crashed the garden party and are rounding up the colored beetles. Once again it’s Tumble to the rescue, but this time she’s got backup. Call on your friends to help you battle your way through 89 stunning new levels. Thrilling new power-ups can also help you free bugs like never before.

5 in 1 Solitaire
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Now you can play five of the most popular solitaire games on your Wiiâ„¢ console. 5 in 1 Solitaire features the always-popular Klondike, Spider and FreeCell games as well as the unique Golf and Gaps versions of solitaire. Each of these versions has a unique style of play that’s easy enough for novice players to enjoy but will also challenge experts. You can also view tutorials for each game, track your scores and view gaming stats to see your progress.

Virtual Consoleâ„¢

Alex Kidd in Shinobi Worldâ„¢
Original platform: SEGA Master System
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: What do you get when you combine the monumental SEGA classics Alex Kidd in Miracle Worldâ„¢ and Shinobiâ„¢? Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, of course! Though never released in Japan, this game has it all: Alex Kidd, kidnapped princesses and evil Dark Ninjas, all played to a rockin’, remixed Shinobi soundtrack. Run, jump, swim and slash your way through 12 stages teeming with monstrous foes from the world of Shinobi, plus some more lighthearted ones from Alex Kidd. Just don’t let the barracudas turn you into sushi!

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Cardâ„¢ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

This week’s Nintendo Download has released several seemingly lack luster games for our entertainment. The one which seemingly stands out is bittos+, which looks like a trippy puzzle game that anyone can enjoy. For those of you who haven’t seen the trailer we released a few weeks ago, check it out here. For information on the other releases of this week, just read the press release below. While not all the games may seem appealing, there are a fair amount of puzzle games. If you’re looking to challenge your brain a little be sure to read the list carefully.

Nintendo DSiWare

NUMBER BATTLE
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Pointsâ„¢
Description: From Japan comes NUMBER BATTLE, a board game that invokes the ancient art of feng shui while challenging players to clear the playing field. Take turns against human or computer opponents to reach a target score by placing numbered tiles on the board and linking the arms of each tile in various ways. Watch for the Winds of Change to possibly blow over the board during a battle, resulting in special squares that will score bonus points or affect game play in new ways. Items that aid you in your pursuit of points can also be found, but they’ll cost you points and must be placed strategically. Go it alone in the main Story or Puzzle modes, or battle against up to three opponents from around the world via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required). You can even learn from your past with History mode, which shows the moves recorded during previous contests. This unique combination of puzzle and strategy elements results in an exciting battle of wits. Can you guide your Warrior to victory?

AiRace: Tunnel
Publisher: QubicGames
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: AiRace: Tunnel is an invitation to the newly started Project Tunnel. It was created to examine the quickness and attentiveness of aviation rookies. Think you’ve got the skills? Put your reflexes to the test and see how swift, precise and predictive you are. Maneuver your aircraft safely through specially created tunnels that are full of traps. Be careful: Your plane will speed up with every second, making each turn and each barrier harder to navigate. It’s not just a game, it’s a challenge.

Escapee GO!
Publisher: Gevo Entertainment
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) — Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Escapee GO!, players take on the role of Claire, who awakens with no memory of who she is. Save for her name, all information about her has been destroyed. In its place, something within her has changed. Hunted down by an unknown enemy, she must find a way to escape her pursuers using her newfound powers. Will she be able to survive? Using her heightened senses, Claire is able to detect enemies before they come into visual range. During her daring escape, Claire will find mysterious items that can temporarily enhance her abilities, allowing her to level the playing field.

Virtual Console

Ghoul Patrol
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) — Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The main attractions at the library’s Goblin exhibit have come to life! As the Ghoul Patrol, you’ll go back in time and de-spook an encyclopedia of zombified historic dudes. Vaporize garbage-can ghosts and ninja spirits, rescue bug-eyed librarians and wigged-out pirates, dodge flying books and adolescent-eating plants, and ultimately put the beastly spirit back in the history books.

WiiWare

UNO
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-6
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Pointsâ„¢
Description: Get ready to call “UNO” on your Wiiâ„¢ system! The world-famous card game is faithfully reproduced for the Wii console with some exciting new rules. Thanks to a multiplayer mode (additional Wii Remoteâ„¢ controllers required) that’s playable on one Wii console or online via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required), UNO has never been so fun and easy.

bittos+
Publisher: MACHINE
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The next big thing in casual gaming, bittos+ is all about rotating, moving and placing game pieces onto a game board to make squares and, more importantly, squares within squares. Playing bittos+provides hours and hours of entertainment for the whole family, with boatloads of challenge and replay value for even the most avid gamer. With luscious environments, multiple modes to unlock, game styles to suit every mood, multiple real-time reactive control methods, in-game Awards to collect and high-score boards for the entire your household,bittos+ is a new game-play experience that will sweep you away.

“Aha! I Found It!” Hidden Object Game
Publisher: Ateam Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: A hidden-object game for everyone has come to the WiiWare service. Try to find 12 particular items among a crowd of on-screen objects as fast as you can, from big fish to tiny earrings, easy-to-find items to well-hidden ones. Unlike most other hidden-object games, this one lets you play along with friends and family (additional Wii Remote controllers required) and compete to see who’s best at finding the hidden objects in each stage. With 10 stages and more than 277 different items, there’s plenty of searching fun to enjoy. Also, with items changing position each time you play, you can enjoy each stage again and again.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Cardâ„¢ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Nintendo ushered in the new year this morning by adding a slew of new downloadable titles to the Virtual Console, WiiWare and DSiWare digital download destinations (say that three times fast!)

A total of seven new titles made their way to the three download spots including Hell’s Kitchen Vs. for DSiWare, Final Fight 3 from the SNES days on Virtual Console and a quintuplet of games I’m willing to bet you had no idea existed until today.

I could attempt to describe games I know nothing about, but I won’t. So here’s Nintendo’s official description of all seven.

Nintendo DSiWare

Trajectile
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Pointsâ„¢
Description: Trajectile is a puzzle game that’s as much about firepower as it is about brainpower, requiring you to line up your shot and launch a flurry of missiles at enemy targets. Three types of missiles are at your disposal, each one with its own characteristics – but all of them can bounce off walls on their path to smash, blast or drill through enemies and blocks. Along the way, you’ll find item blocks just waiting to be destroyed so that you can obtain special power-ups … and cause even more destruction. Be careful though, as missile type and position are predetermined and you get only a limited number of launches per stage. Complete multiple classes containing numerous individual stages, earning medals when you clear stages in fewer than the given number of turns. Are you ready to take aim at becoming a Trajectile master?

Animal Puzzle Adventure
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Animal Puzzle Adventure is a simple puzzle game where you have to lead various animals to their respective barns placed on the map, while avoiding pitfalls and cliffs and using the objects on the field to your advantage. There are 10 stages per level with a total of five levels, creating 50 stages in all. After clearing a stage, you unlock a piece of a photo. Once you clear all 10 stages in a level, the wallpaper for that level becomes unlocked and you can then view it in the gallery. With so many puzzles to unravel, you’ll find yourself immersed in the puzzle-riffic world of Animal Puzzle Adventure.

Hell’s Kitchen Vs.
Publisher: Ludia
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Hell’s Kitchen Vs. is based on the U.S. TV phenomenon where world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay puts aspiring chefs through rigorous culinary tests. The game recreates the show’s pressure-cooker atmosphere as two players battle head-to-head in an arcade-style kitchen challenge. Try to conquer your opponent in each time-management test, while taking the heat of Gordon Ramsay judging and rating your performance at every stage of the game.

WiiWare

Heron: Steam Machine
Publisher: Triangle Studios
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Pointsâ„¢
Description: Heron: Steam Machine is a game about a factory where rubber duckies are being produced by a large steam engine. On this steam engine, there are four different gauges which you will have to watch carefully. By connecting the pipes, you will earn points and relieve some of the pressure, keeping the machine running just a little bit longer. If one of the gauges reaches its maximum, the machine will eventually blow up, and the game is over. If you were lucky enough to achieve a high score, make sure you enter your name in the list so other players can compete with you. In Multiplayer, you are able to cooperate with friends in maintaining the steam machine. When you play with two, three or four players, the screen is divided into sections with different background colors. Each player is able to solve his or her own part of the puzzle. Players are restricted to their own section of the screen, so you will have to work together to make the pipes fit properly. (Additional accessories are required for multiplayer play and are sold separately.)

Pub Darts
Publisher: Big Blue Bubble Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Alcohol Reference
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Pub Darts is a simple darts simulation which uses the Wii Remoteâ„¢ controller’s unique controls to mimic dart-throwing motion. The game is set in a local pub where the players will settle in to play some of their favorite dart games, including 501, Cricket, Around the Clock, Killers and Baseball. Controls function just like throwing a real dart. Players are able to create their own personal profiles, including selecting their avatar image from a collection of creative characters and the design they would like displayed on the dart flights.

Fast Draw Showdown
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Alcohol Reference, Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: When it comes to fast draw there’re only two types of people: the quick … and the dead! Now you have the chance to find out where you stand, or lie, as the case may be. You’ll go up against the best quick draws in the business, including one of the world’s fastest, Wes Flowers. Unholster your Wii Remote controller and show ‘em who the fastest draw really is, in this live-action shooter. You can even take on a friend in multiplayer modes, and see which of you has the quickest draw. You’ll need some serious speed and awesome accuracy to take on these gunslingers … so get ready for some real fast draw action.

Virtual Console

Final Fight 3
Original platform: Super NESâ„¢
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Animated Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Following the defeat and subsequent disappearance of the Mad Gear Gang, a small group known only as “Skull Cross” is responsible for a new uprising of vandalism, terrorism and death. The government of Metro City is at a complete loss. Metro City’s mayor, Mike Haggar, and Guy are prepared to take on the new gang, but before they can act, the door bursts open, revealing Lucia, Cody’s old friend. “Metro City is under attack!” she shouts, “Skull Cross is loose, and they’ve got something up their sleeves.” But before any of them can move, a mysterious man appears in the doorway. “My name is Dean,” he says. “I know Skull Cross inside-and-out, and I hate them more than anything. I can help you, and you can help me. We must go!” All four fighters vow to bring Skull Cross down. It will be a tough assignment, and may even be their final fight!

11 new titles came to Nintendo’s 3-fold download marketplace today spanning the old, new, and the downright strange.

Every week on Monday, Nintendo adds games to the Virtual Console, WiiWare, and DSiWare, and this week, there’s lots to enjoy.

On the Virtual Console, Earthworm Jim 2, the SEGA Genesis title, and Blaster Master from the NES days are yours to enjoy for 800 and 500 Wii Points respectively.

This  week’s DSiWare offerings, an eclectic assortment of goodies, include Littlest Pet Shop, Miami Nights, Bejeweled Twist, Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam and Master of Illusion Express: Matchmaker.

But if WiiWare titles are your preference, you’ll be happy to learn Stunt Cars, Diatomic, Moki Moki, and Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH, have all been added to the digital destination.

Below are the games’ official descriptions, as written by Nintendo.

Blaster Master^â„¢
Original platform: NES^â„¢
Publisher: Sunsoft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) — Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points^â„¢
Description: The New York sewers were never like this. You’ve fallen down a hidden manhole into a world of creatures so terrifying they’d scare the rats away. You can panic and perish, or blast your way through an endless maze of tunnels in search of secret passages to your escape. Masters of the Caverns lay waiting — prehistoric creatures so powerful and gigantic they literally fill your screen. Load your arsenal and get ready for Blaster Master.

Earthworm Jim 2^â„¢
Original platform: SEGA Genesis
Publisher: Interplay
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) — Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Superhero annelid Jim and his new sidekick, Snott, are back for an off-the-wall sequel in Earthworm Jim 2. Containing more action than your standard platformer from the Genesis era, each stage has a different style and mission, drawing on game play from different genres, including mazes, trivia contests and arcade-style levels. The game also features music composed by Tommy Tallarico. Do you have what it takes to rescue the Princess?

Nintendo DSiWare

LITTLEST PET SHOP
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points^â„¢
Description: Experience your favorite LITTLEST PET SHOP pets in a whole new way on your Nintendo DSi system. Play catch with your pets and their favorite toys, dress them up in adorable new accessories and keep them happy by brushing and feeding them. You can even throw a little dance party for your pets and help them rock out to cool songs.

Miami Nights
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) — Comic Mischief, Mild Suggestive Themes, Tobacco Reference, Use of Alcohol
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You won’t find a more complete life simulation than Miami Nights: Life in the Spotlight. Begin by designing your avatar with an unbelievable level of customizable physical detail. But it’s not your physique that counts. Instead, your life choices and your everyday behavior will influence more than 40 attributes that will make you a unique, progressive individual. The city of Miami is presented to you with no fewer than 30 places to explore. Plus, you’ll be able to customize your entire home and interact with your environment in many ways. The most important part of the game play lies in how you interact with other characters. They will be the ones who’ll help you achieve your goals. You’ll be able to establish and break off different types of relationships with them. It’s up to you to act like a bad guy or sweet girl, make friends or enemies, and choose the best way — honest or otherwise — to make your dreams become a reality.

Bejeweled Twist^â„¢
Publisher: PopCap Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Spin, match, explode — it’s a brilliant new way to play. Spin and match explosive gems for shockwaves of fun in this quick-play version of the award-winning PopCap game. Rotate jewels to set up electrifying combos, outwit obstacles like Locks and Bombs, and create high-voltage Flame and Lightning gems. Play the intensely fun Classic mode or take on a friend in the exclusive Nintendo DS Battle mode. No matter how you play, you’ll find endless ways to win.

Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam
Publisher: Virtual Toys
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) — Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Have you ever asked yourself what it would feel like to be among the stoves of the best restaurants in the world? Do you want to become the best chef there is, preparing scrumptious dishes? Jump right in and enter the world of Yummy Yummy and its mixture of flavors and aromas. In Yummy Yummy, you’ll have to satisfy the hunger of the most diverse, colorful set of diners: vampires, extraterrestrials, mafia thugs, Vikings and more. Prepare hot dogs, hamburgers, pizzas and Mexican burritos as quickly as you can before your customers get tired of waiting and decide to leave the restaurant without giving you a good tip. Roll up your sleeves, don your chef’s hat and have a great time.

Master of Illusion^â„¢ Express: Matchmaker
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Master of Illusion Express titles feature mind-boggling magic tricks that you can perform with your Nintendo DSi system. Learn the illusions, practice up and amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Matchmaker includes two tricks that use your Nintendo DSi system to reveal information about others. Use the Photo Diagnosis trick and stun others by taking two simple photos to pinpoint their exact age. Or have the Matchmaker trick show that another person has favorite dates or favorite foods that are similar to yours. Who knows? You could even land a date or make a new friend.

WiiWare

Stunt Cars^â„¢
Publisher: Icon Games Entertainment
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Stunt Cars takes place on elevated racetracks with very little to stop players from accidentally driving off the side. Turbo can be used to make a car go faster, but it can only be used for a limited amount of time in each race. As you progress through the game’s four championship cups, you’ll unlock special features such as driver achievement awards.

Diatomic
Publisher: Grendel Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) — Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Diatomic is a fast retro-arcade action game that takes place inside a set of petri dishes. The safe confines of your petri dish are about to be invaded by nine different diatomic creatures that seek to destroy you. Armed with your shield, tail, strategic intelligence and good reflexes, you stand a good chance of defeating the overwhelming odds. You must stay alive during 65 hectic stages spread over five chapters. The high score list shows what kind of player you are. Playing defensively and gaining an all-out defensive high score is harder to pull off than gaining an all-out offensive high score.

Moki Moki^â„¢
Publisher: Natsume Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) — Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: It’s a mind-bending, gravity-defying puzzler. The Moki are being devoured by the voracious Gromblins, and it’s up to you to guide the hapless little guys to safety. Bend, twist and rotate the environment to herd the Moki through a series of brain-teasing puzzles. Along the way, you’ll have to contend with deadly pitfalls, spinning blades and shifting gravity. Roll Moki down ramps, grab them with hooks and blast them with jets to guide them safely to the portals. Challenge your skills in 100 unique levels.

Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH
Publisher: Two Tribes
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is a 3-D puzzle game with more than 70 challenging levels. Players need to guide Cubes to color-coded exit points. Using the Wii Remote^â„¢ controller’s intuitive controls, players herd the colored cubes along by using Conveyer Belts, Warps, Stop Signs, Directional Signs and Splits. RUSH also includes the original Rubik’s Cube as a bonus. Players can attempt to solve one of the four different-sized Cubes alone, compete against a second player or learn how to solve the classic Rubik’s Cube.

Whether you like it or not, the Holiday shopping season is upon us. And by us, I mean the millions of gamers searching for video game-themed gifts this winter.

Nintendo today released a host of downloadable content in its now three-fold digital download destinations, only furthering the range of available options for gamers to spend their cash-ola on in the days leading up to Dec. 25.

A whopping total of 11 titles made their way to the Virtual Console, WiiWare, and DSiWare this morning, and unless you’re a green and perturbed Grinch, there’s got to be something here for you.

Notable additions, in my estimation at least, this week are the original Rayman for DSiWare (that one should keep you interested on those long, annoying, car-trips this time of year), as well as Street Fighter: Alpha 2, from the NES days, and Shinobi, the wondrous arcade title from SEGA, on the Virtual Console.

Nintendo DSiWare

Rayman
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points^â„¢
Description: The legendary first Rayman adventure is now available from the Nintendo DSiWare service. Play as Rayman and try to save his amazing world from the evil Mr. Dark. Discover a charming universe with colorful landscapes and meet funny characters who’ll help Rayman through his quest. Experiment with his abilities as you punch, hang or fly in the air and choose between two difficulty levels. Take advantage of new features in the Nintendo DSi version, such as the Nintendo DSi Camera, map selection on the touch screen and the ability to play against time to win bonuses.

Ball Fighter
Publisher: Teyon
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Ball Fighter is a puzzle game in which you take aim and blast groups of dropping spheres to create matches and clear the board. You can make chains to earn additional points or to make the game more difficult for an opponent. When you destroy spheres in a multiplayer mode, they will be added to the opponent’s board, making his or her task more difficult. You can find special bonuses like a Brush, a Rocket Launcher or a Bomb, which can be used to destroy spheres or to paint a line of them with the same color. You’ll find a variety of single-player modes, including Arcade, Survival, Brain Breaker and Player vs CPU, plus the unique multiplayer mode, all playable on one Nintendo DSi system.

Pop Island
Publisher: odenis studio
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) — Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Discover a joyful universe where playing is always a pleasure with Pop Island. Colorful and fun, Pop Island is an action-packed capture-the-flag game. Pick a team to join, then run, jump and spin your way around the island in an attempt to collect the priceless flags hidden throughout it. Become a surfing penguin, a flying fish or a waterskiing crocodile as you go all out for victory, unlocking 12 more joyful animals as you rack up points across eight different planets. You might even end up competing as a skateboarding mammoth. Playing alone is plenty of fun, but the madcap action reaches a new level when your friends get involved. By sharing the demo of the game via DS Download Play, up to seven more people with their own Nintendo DSi systems can use a local wireless connection to join you for some head-to-head or cooperative action. With plenty of power-ups, you’ll need to concentrate on capturing more than just the rival team’s flag to claim victory.

ARMY DEFENDER
Publisher: MINDSCAPE
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) — Cartoon Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Army Defender is an action shooter in which players must defend their base against enemy attacks by controlling a machine gun tower designed to eradicate enemy waves. As the player levels up, the enemy becomes more and more numerous and well-equipped. Attackers include soldiers, tanks, paratroopers, helicopters, jet fighters, bombers and elite commandos. Depending on the enemy type (red or green), players must switch between ammunition colors. The machine gun tower will fire where the player taps the touch screen. Power-ups are made available on a regular basis when a super bomber delivers them onto the base. When a power-up is retrieved, players will be able to upgrade their tower for a limited amount of time. Upgrades include flamethrowers, rocket launchers or concussion grenades that will help contain enemy progression.

myNotebook: Red^â„¢
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off, or even play your favorite pen-and-paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable squared and lined paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make your notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don’t like. With five ink colors, you’ll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.

WiiWare^â„¢

My Dolphin
Publisher: T&S Ltd.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points^â„¢
Description: You are a dolphin trainer. Use the magical stick (Wii Remote^â„¢ and Nunchuk^â„¢ controllers) to perform in lifelike dolphin shows. Teach your dolphin tricks and have fun watching your dolphin swim and play elegantly with different scenes, music and angles. This game lets you train your dolphin, compete in dolphin shows and watch your dolphin swim freely. Using Nintendo^® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play, you can become friends with other dolphins that have different colors and personalities. You can also buy new toys such as rings and balls for your dolphin to play with.

MAGNETIS^â„¢
Publisher: YULLABY
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: MAGNETIS is all about attraction. Connect the magnets to create electric explosions. Solving this frantic puzzle will require quick thinking and foresight. Anticipate connections in order to generate massive chain reactions to win the highest number of points. To get rid of blocks and score points, you must create lines by connecting left and right magnets of the same color by using conductor blocks. The longer the line, the more points you’ll get. Team up with as many as three friends in cooperative mode or play against them in battle mode and compete for the highest score.

Stop Stress: A Day of Fury
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) — Animated Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Jack’s dreams have become a nightmare, and only you can help him to get out. Climb into the skin of the most stressed-out man in the world, grab the baseball bat and prepare to let off more steam than ever before. Destroy everything around you, beat a path through traffic or at the office, and face off against incredible hallucinations. How far will a day of fury take you?

Flowerworks^®
Publisher: Nocturnal Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: While our heroine Follie is traveling to meet her auntie with a cargo of mystical Flowerworks seeds, her ship is pulled off course and crash-lands in a particularly dull area of the planet Elilia. Explore with Follie and help her recover her seeds to transform the world from drab to fab. You’ll encounter strange inhabitants, some of whom will help Follie in her quest. Others, such as naughty garden gnomes, will hinder it. Flowerworks is a single-player adventure which combines blooming flowers, colorful fireworks, exploration and a whole lot of fun. The game will have the whole family immersed in no time, but be warned: Becoming a Flowerworks master is not for the faint of heart. Flowerworks includes Adventure, FreePlay and Tutorial game modes, with three difficulty settings in a 20-hour adventure.

Virtual Console

Street Fighter Alpha 2
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) — Animated Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Street Fighter Alpha 2 explodes with lightning-fast game play and amazing innovations. Quick Move Reversals, Alpha Counters and the incredible Custom Combo System create a new standard for all games to fight by. Push your talents to the limit as you discover new hidden moves and reversals for every character. Neutralize opponents’ attacks with high and low Alpha Counters and execute incredible Custom Combos to create your own rapid-fire assaults. All your favorite warriors are back for more. Previously hidden characters Dan, Akuma and Bison are joined by five new fighters: Rolento, Gen and Sakura, plus classic favorites Dhalsim and Zangief.

Shinobi^â„¢
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) — Mild Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Here’s a bit of helpful advice to all you criminal organizations out there: If you’re going to hatch an elaborate plot that involves kidnapping children, don’t kidnap children who have ninjas for parents. That was the big mistake that a group called Zeed made when it went after the offspring of the Oboro clan. Now Joe Musashi is on the hunt to rescue the young hostages and take out Zeed’s leaders, the Ring of Five. As you scour each stage, leave no children behind — Joe can’t proceed to the next level without freeing them all. With an unlimited supply of shuriken, his sharpened katana and his deadly fists and feet, Joe will show Zeed why you don’t mess with family.

It’s a little late, but we now have the latest info on this week’s Nintendo Download and it’s a doozy! We have several awesome game demos for WiiWare and the release of some interesting new games and a few classics.

This week’s breakdown:

WiiWare: Pokemon Rumble, BIT.TRIP BEAT (Demo), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (My Life As A Darklord Demo), NyxQuest:Kindred Spirits (Demo), World of Goo (Demo)

Virtual Console: Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures and Street Fighter II:Champion Edition

Nintendo DSiWare: Art Style:DIGIDRIVE, Arcade Bowling, Robot Rescue

Fans of puzzle games will love Art Style: DIGIDRIVE and Robot Rescue. Both games focus on shifting puzzles and the application of logic. Art Style: DIGIDRIVE lets the player take on the role of a traffic controller. You move cars in order to create fuel to keep going through the game. Robot Rescue lets you play as a robot who needs to rescue his comrades from 45 different labyrinths. But when you move through the dungeon you move all robots so strategy is key.

Arcade Bowling is a straight forward bowling game for the DSi which will entertain fans of portable bowling.

Indiana Jones’ and Street Fighter II are the classic releases (from SNES and Capcom respectively). Indiana Jone’s Greatest Adventures takes scenes from his best movies (no Crystal Skulls here) and allows the player to play as Indy as he searches for fortune and glory (kid).  Street Fighter II needs no introduction: the fighting game we know and love, on virtual console!

And now onto WiiWare!

Pokemon Rumble allows players to battle against other Pokemon in order to gain access to the Battle Royale and fight multiple Pokemon at once. Sound interesting? While the game is available for purchase, there’s also a free demo, so check it out before you buy it so you know it’s a game you’d like.

The rest of the releases are demos for upcoming Wii games which may or may not interest you. Here’s the breakdown for each game:

BIT.TRIP BEAT: A rhythm game which uses the Wiimote to play out beats in this retro game. Check it out if you were a fan of Bop It! or other rhythm games.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (My Life As A Darklord Demo): We all love Final Fantasy, so this new game was automatically on our list of games to check out. The demo lets you play as the Darklord’s daughter as she explores her castle and installs traps while fighting monsters. The objective is to protect your Dark Crystal from the explorers who want to destroy it.

NyxQuest:Kindred Spirits: Nyx, a winged girl, comes down heaven to look for her missing friend, Icarus. With the help of the other gods, she looks for him while flying above Ancient Greece.

World of Goo: a physics based construction game in which construct things. Out of Goo. The Goo Balls who inhabit the game don’t know they’re in a game. Or how delicious they are with crackers.

Any of these games sound interesting to you? Check them out and let us know how you like them.

Nintendo’s released another batch of games via WiiWare, Virtual Console and DSiWare. Now let’s see what’s in this week’s package!

- Nintendo DSiWare: Sparkle Snapshots, Viking Invasion, and Battle of Giants: Dragons – Bronze Edition

- WiiWare: Carnival King, “Aha! I Got It!” Escape Game, Family Card Games

- Virtual Console: Fighting Street, R-TYPE

Sparkle Snapshots – Take photos and edit them to your hearts content. You can choose frames, backgrounds, stamps and funny outfits to decorate your photos or paint them to maniuplate them in detail. A must have for DSi owners

Viking Invasion – Defend yourself from the attack of the Vikings. Fortify your defenses and take back your freedom from Olaf from raiding your land and taking your treasur back to his fierce wife Olga.

Battle of Giants: Dragons – As the last of the Bronze Dragons, you must defeat the SALMU dragons and reclaim the 15 stolen gems. With customization, this game is something special and definitely worth checking out

Carnival King – Play classic carnival games on your Wii. Play through three different amusement parks for a set of 12 games.

“Aha! I Got It!” Escape Game – You’re trapped in a room full of puzzles and can only escape if you slove them all. This is a good game for fans of puzzles and brain teasers!

Family Card Games – Play card games with friends online in this family fun game which includes three card games!

Fighting Street: A port of the arcade version of Street Fighter! You can take control of Ryu or Ken and beat your opponents to win the game. This classic game is a gem, so you should definitely check it out.

R-TYPE: a side-scrolling arcade shoot-’em-up that was developed in 1987. It’s the 22nd Century and you need to save humanity from the evil Bydo Empire. Your ship comes with a gun and you use your reflexes to try and win the game. The game get’s an updated secret level never before released!

Each of these games are a great addition to a gamer’s collection. Check them out if any sound interesting!

This week’s Wii Ware releases are geared toward saving civilizations from Evil. A cool‚ theme, so here’s the break down.

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias, the sequel to LostWinds is now available on WiiWare! As an evil adversary binds the fate of Toku’s mother and the ancient Melodia civilization, it’s up to Toku and Enril to fight off their enemies, make new alliances and save the world as they know it!

Shootanto: Evolutionary Maybe is another game where you fight for the future of the world and upgrade as you go through each level. Co-op Two player will make this game memorable, so check it out!

How would I summon this week’s DSiWare release? One word: Domo.

Five interestingly interrelated games have been released: Crash-Course Domo, Hard-Hat Domo, Pro-Putt Domo, Rock-n-Roll Domo, and White-Water Domo.

Follow Domo as he goes around on mischievous adventures!

Each game has a different objective:

Crash-Course: Help Domo win six bicycle races to get the gold!

Hard-Hat: Help Domo get to the top of a building by matching ladders to floors. Sounds boring, but has promise!

Pro-Putt: Domo plays golf too! Guide him through the nine-hole Small Classic or the 18-hole Big Open tournament.

Rock-n-Roll: Help Domo become a rock star! Following the Guitar Hero/Rock Band crazy, here’s an alternative!

White-Water: Domo is kayaking the river rapids, so steer him to the finish line asap!

Hopefully the Domo games will be interesting enough to inspire some people to check them out!

Virtual Console only has one release this week: RYGAR

The Beast Lord has returned and the world is danger. To save the human race, Rygar has been brought back to life. Guide him in this arcade side-scroller

Check out the full press release below.

WiiWare

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias

Publisher: FRONTIER

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence

Price: 1,000 Wii Points¢â€ž¢

Description: LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is a sequel to the award-winning WiiWare launch title LostWinds. Enril the Wind Spirit returns to protect and guide young Toku by powering his jumps, aiding his glides and smashing his enemies. An evil adversary binds the fate of Toku’s mother, Magdi, and the ancient Melodia civilization. To save Magdi, Toku and Enril must face new foes, enlist friends old and new, and wield incredible new powers – including the ability to switch the very seasons themselves – as they explore the diverse, richly interactive Chilling Peaks and Melodia City areas of the magical land of Mistralis. This enchanting, exhilarating, explorative game play experience is bursting with new ideas that make exceptional use of the Wii Remote¢â€ž¢ controller. The awesome power of the Wind is back in the palm of your hand.

Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem

Publisher: Hudson Entertainment

Players: 1-2

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Crude Humor, Mild Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes

Price: 500 Wii Points

Description: Battle for the future in a world governed by the law of the jungle. As you move through the stages, your character evolves and your weapons and shooting abilities change. First, throw weapons by hand, then proceed to use tools and different types of projectiles. A cooperative two-player mode is also available. The controls are simple: Move the character with the control stick, adjust the crosshairs with the Wii Remote controller and shoot down targets while dodging enemy attacks. Getting hit by an enemy bullet or touching an enemy close to you will count as a miss. With each miss, you’ll lose one heart; losing all hearts will end the game.

Nintendo DSiWare

Crash-Course Domo¢â€ž¢

Publisher: Nintendo

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief

Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points¢â€ž¢

Description: In Crash-Course Domo, you’ll guide Domo across the finish line in six increasingly difficult bicycle races. Steer Domo around other racers and patches of rough terrain, pedaling as fast as his stubby legs will allow.

Hard-Hat Domo¢â€ž¢

Publisher: Nintendo

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: In Hard-Hat Domo, Domo is a construction worker trying to get to the top of a building. Match ladder colors to floor colors – using cans of paint, if necessary – to earn points and continue climbing higher. Reach the top floor to clear each of the four levels of difficulty.

Pro-Putt Domo¢â€ž¢

Publisher: Nintendo

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: In Pro-Putt Domo, Domo hits the green in an effort to win the world putt-putt golf championship. Domo competes to finish with the lowest number of strokes in either the nine-hole Small Classic or the 18-hole Big Open tournament. Along the way, he’ll collect coins and earn bowls of meat-and-potato stew while avoiding bunkers and water hazards.

Rock-n-Roll Domo¢â€ž¢

Publisher: Nintendo

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: In Rock-n-Roll Domo, you’ll control Domo as he takes the stage in search of fortune and fame. Hit the right notes in rhythm (using the touch screen, if desired) to rock the house. If your timing needs work, use the mixer to practice songs. Complete five different songs at a series of increasingly larger venues to help Domo become a superstar.

White-Water Domo¢â€ž¢

Publisher: Nintendo

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: Take control of Domo as he hops into his kayak and races the river rapids in White-Water Domo. Jump and paddle as you steer Domo through the treacherous rapids in an effort to cross the finish line as quickly as possible. Finish with one of the top three times to proceed to the next stage.

Virtual Console

RYGAR¢â€ž¢

Publisher: Tecmo

Players: 1-2

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence

Price: 600 Wii Points

Description: The year is 19XX A.D. and the human race has been brought to its knees by the resurrected ancient Beast Lord. The people have brought legendary warrior Rygar back to life in order to save the human race. Armed with Diskarmor, a weapon that extends, you’ll also make full use of your jumping abilities to venture through and clear all 27 stages. Appearing at arcades in 1986 as a side-scrolling action game, RYGAR received high acclaim for its beautifully rendered graphics, including waterfalls and a setting sun. As extra features, players can collect the five Powers of Indra to obtain special bonuses or gain 1,000,000 bonus points for finding hidden items. Also, the number of lives and the level of difficulty can be altered.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii¢â€ž¢ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays.

Hey all,

It’s Monday, so that means another Nintendo Download! This week’s selection is relatively short (only 3 new titles), but I’m sure you’ll love what’s been released. This week’s titles include Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon, Gravitronix, and Final Fight 2. Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon is pinball with a plot. You fight your way through a quest of mythic proportions, interacting with gods and goddesses in order to fulfill your quest to become a pinball champion. Gravitronix is a strategy game where you go head to head with your opponents throwing and dodging projectile attacks in order to best them and become the king of the Gravitronix arena. The gem in the release is SNES’s Final Fight 2 on the Virtual Console. Return to Metro City as Haggar in order to take on the Mad Gear Gang and rescue their hostages. One of those classic must play games, finally available on the Virtual Console. For more details, just check out the press release below!
Nintendo DSiWare

Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon¢â€ž¢
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) “" Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points¢â€ž¢
Description: Pinball takes on mythological proportions in this Nintendo DSiWare exclusive. Choose from two modes of play (Regular Game or Daily Game) and begin your journey to becoming a pinball champion. Conquer mythic quests, collect gifts from the 12 Olympians, and push your skills to the limit by facing Medusa, the Sirens and more. Your portable pinball table will give you a quick adrenaline rush as you watch the steel ball fly through ramps and carom off bumpers all over the playing field. Rack up combo points, open specific game modes and enlist the Oracle for some help. Will you accept Zeus’s challenge?

Virtual Console

Final Fight¢â€ž¢ 2
Original platform: Super NES¢â€ž¢
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) “" Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points¢â€ž¢
Description: It’s been several years since peace settled in Metro City. With Cody and Jessica on vacation and Guy resuming his training out of town, everything seems to be in order. But Haggar is feeling uneasy after learning that Mad Gear was not completely destroyed. Once again, the Mad Gear Gang has emerged, and this time they want revenge. They’ve kidnapped Guy’s master, Genryusai, and Genryusai’s daughter, Rena. Now Haggar must travel the globe in search of Genryusai and Rena. Hopefully, with the help of Maki and Carlos, the reign of the Mad Gear Gang will be destroyed.

WiiWare

Gravitronix
Publisher: Medaverse Studios
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: It’s time to claim your rightful place as the champion of the Gravitronix arena, but get ready to deal with up to seven other players who are all shooting for the same title. Vanquish your opponents with four different projectiles and the powerful beams of your gravity platform. Intercept attacks and take careful aim at exposed vulnerabilities. Deflect incoming projectiles or capture and charge them with energy for devastating explosive attacks. Team up with a friend and battle through campaign mode, or recruit up to eight players on a single Wii¢â€ž¢ system in versus mode for an all-out battle. Customize your matches with a variety of different options, such as flooding the arena with projectiles or making the game insanely fast. No matter how you like to play, grab your friends and have a blast.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi¢â€ž¢ Shop and the Wii¢â€ž¢ Shop Channel at 9 a.m.

Nintendo, in their usual weekly pattern, released new games onto their three-fold digital download service today, but really, all the attention is on one of them.

Final Fantasy, the original NES title from Square Enix, hit the Virtual Console this morning. Priced at 500 Wii Points and an undefinable nostalgic value, this one will likely fly off the digital shelves of the Wii Shop.

Falling in the shadows of Final Fantasy are‚  Thorium Wars (1,000 DSi Points) on DSiWare. This first and third-person shooter for the portable comes from developer Big John Games and pits you against waves of attacking Thorians.

Additionally, Word Searcher (500 Wii Points) on WiiWare comes from game-maker Digital Leisures, and is pretty much what it sounds like. A word search game with 100 themed puzzles for your continued enjoyment. Personally, I’ve always despised word searches. We had timed contests in elementary school and I like to take my time. Needless to say, it didn’t go well.

Have a look at the official game descriptions below, courtesy of Nintendo.

FINAL FANTASY
Original platform: NES
Publisher: SQUARE ENIX
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points¢â€ž¢
Description: The world lies shrouded in darkness. The winds die. The sea rages. The earth decays. But the people believe in a prophecy, patiently awaiting its fulfillment. “When darkness veils the earth, four Warriors of Light shall come….” After a long journey, four young travelers did at last appear, and in the hand of each was clutched a crystal.

Nintendo DSiWare

Thorium Wars
Publisher: Big John Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Thorium Wars, you must stop the Thorions, a super species of Thorium-based machines, from destroying mankind. Blast through waves of Thorions by controlling an arsenal of tanks, skyfighters, hovercrafts, gunboats and starfighters with either the standard or touch-screen controls. In 12 exciting missions, navigate through a variety of combat environments while viewing 360 degrees of the battlefield, fully rendered in 3-D. Toggle between first- and third-person views to destroy the terrifying army of Thorium beasts, from swarms of Redeye Drones to the bone-crushing Manticore Walker. This man-versus-machine battle proves to be the ultimate test for the survival of the fittest.

WiiWare

Word Searcher
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: You’ll need a sharp eye and a quick mind to complete 100 themed word-search puzzles. Word Searcher contains fun words from multiple categories including anatomy, world cities and U.S. presidents. With a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there’s sure to be a puzzle for everyone to enjoy. Help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with these engaging puzzles. Track and try to beat your own play-through times again and again-words are scrambled every time you play.

When you think of Dragon Quest, you think turn-based battles and a very traditional but polished JRPG experience. The last few years has seen the franchise branch out a bit more, both in its native Japan and overseas, with Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker and Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime for the Nintendo DS, as well as Dragon Quest Swords on the Wii. It’s becoming a Nintendo staple, much like brand new, main series Final Fantasy titles are to Sony and Microsoft, so it’s no surprise that we’ve got another new genre featuring Dragon Quest properties, this time on an exclusive for the Nintendo DSi via its DSiWare service.

Dragon Quest Wars is half tactical RPG, half board game. Think of your characters as pieces with their own distinctive moves, weaknesses and strengths, much like chess pieces. You’re on a grid, and you get four characters to choose out of the six available. In a nutshell, you have attacks, offensive and defensive boosts, and healing spells.You set your team’s moves, one member at a time, and then select their attack, spell or boost, or choose to do nothing. It’s entirely stylus-based, and though you may hit a snag early learning just how the game wants you to place characters and cancel attacks you’ve entered–you don’t ever have to cancel, just select the character again and choose again–overall the controls work well. A little more information on the how-to portion of things would have been nice, but you can figure it out easy enough.

Each character has their own set of these, and you have to mix and match them from the character select screen in order to create the time that’s perfect for your play style.

The Slime is a balanced character, with a basic attack and a spell, along with two hearts worth of health (health ranges from one to three hearts, depending on the character). A solid unit, but there’s nothing particularly special about them, except that they can get through defenses meant to impede physical attacks with their spells.

The Dracky has only one heart, but their attack is capable of knocking enemies backward. They can also use magic, but just to attack enemies on their diagonal sides. They’re faster characters since they are airborne and small, but again, low health means you need to be careful with them–you will want them though, because they can also increase the damage of your other characters, making them a great support piece.

The Golem is your tank, with his three hearts. He can do two hearts worth of damage per hit–enough to defeat everyone except for another Golem–but loses a heart by doing so. Hammerhoods can counter attacks and avoid damage, and can also swing at three enemies in a line. They have two hearts of health, and can use an spell to heal themselves before the beginning of the next round.

Chimera’s can cast their magic from a distance and attack two enemies at once, and have two hearts. This will prove more useful than you know until you get your hands on the game. Last, we have the Heal Slimes; you can probably figure out what their main feature is, but they can also setup magic and attack barriers to prevent casting or damage to an area or character. They have no attack of their own though.

Assembling the right team is important, because you are either going to be going up against another person, or you’ll be outnumbered by computer units. Besides the 10 level tutorial, which teaches you the basics and a few tricks to get you started, the game is essentially all multiplayer. You can play matches single player, choosing from six different maps of different grid sizes, but the meat of the experience is going to come from battling friends and strangers using the DSi’s wireless features and the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. You can play against one other person or computer, or go all out in a four-on-four match for ultimate Dragon Quest Wars supremacy.

You can win by defeating all of the enemies or entering your opponent’s safe zone before they can invade yours. When more than two players are involved, scores matter a bit more, as they are used to rank you. You get points for defeating enemies, so don’t by shy in the corner in a four-way deathmatch. You’ll also be happy to know that you have a 60-second time limit to plan your moves online, which will keep matches from taking forever. The best part may be that online play is worldwide though–even if everyone else in North America is snoozing, you can rely on those DQ loving folks on the other side of the Pacific to match up with you.

Blast Factor: It may seem odd to get a tactical RPG from Intelligent Systems and Square Enix–two companies known for making strategy games–and end up with something that’s more like a board game, but that’s just what happened, and the result is a surprisingly deep and engaging experience. For $5, you can forgive the lack of a true single-player mode, and embrace the fact you can play online against anyone else in the world anytime you would like.

Dragon Quest Wars is available exclusively on the Nintendo DSi through its DSiWare service, and is priced at 500 Nintendo Points.

Nintendo added 5 new digital titles to their download hot-spots today ranging from an updated version of Araknoid to the grid-based strategy game “Dragon Quest Wars.”

DSiWare-

Art Academy: Second Semester (800 DSi Points, 1 player)- is the sequel to the original, however this time around it brings a larger set of tools and more in-depth lessons for you aspiring artists.

Dragon Quest Wars (500 DSi Points, 1-4 players)- this Square Enix developed grid-based strategy game features loads of Dragon Quest monsters you’ve grown to know and love as well as DSi Wireless and Wi-Fi play to put your skills to the test.

WiiWare-

Araknoid Plus (1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)- a sequel to the blockbuster arcade original, Plus features a plethora of new modes and settings including the “Arcade,” “VS,” and “Time Modes,” all of which will undoubtedly add to the replay value of the title.

DRiift Mania (1-8 players, 800 Wii Points)- a unique top-down racing title that amazingly, allows for up to 8 players to take part in the driving mayhem. The press release was extremely vague. But when we learn more, we’ll pass the information along.

Virtual Console

Altered Beast (1,000 Wii Points, 1-2 players)- The priciest addition of the week, this is the same beat ‘em up sidecscrolling adventure game you remember from those long lost SEGA Genesis days in which you control a centurion tasked with rescuing Zeu’s daughter Athena. You remember, right?

Remember, if you recently purchased a DSi, you have until October 5 at midnight to log onto the DSi Store and claim your 1,000 free DSi Points.

Look for our review of Dragon Quest Wars soon. It’ll show up. We promise.

Nintendo, you’ve done it again, following through on your promise of variance in offerings, but I’m still waiting for Super Smash Bros. Pretty please?

Maybe you thought Shantae, the half-genie heroine was dead. After lackluster sales from the GameBoy Color project of 2002, developer Wayforward is bringing the purple-haired cutie back to life in “Shantae: Risky’s Revenge” for DSiWare later this year.

Following poor sales of Shantae for GameBoy Color, Matt Bozon, Creative Director at Wayforward stated that he’s dabbled with the idea of releasing a Shantae project on GameBoy Advance, GameCube, DS, Wii, PSP, and even mobile platforms. However, none of those concepts materialized.

Until today.

Revealed in Nintendo Power, Matt Bozon, Creative Director at Wayforward, and overseer of Shantae’s new game, let loose information regarding the project and how it’ll be released.

Debuting‚  in three episode based packs for DSiWare, Shantae will begin her journey in “Shantae: Risky’s Revenge,” and Bozon couldn’t be happier.

“Getting to make such a long awaited sequel says a lot on many levels.‚  First, that something in the game biz changed for the better…Second, we can finally deliver this game which so many Wayforward staffers past and present have been working towards since 2002.”

Look for “Risky’s Revenge” on DSiWare later this year.

Nintendo Power Reveals new DSiWare Shantae

Via Kotaku’s Brian Ashcraft, it looks like Nintendo is going to publish a shoot-em-up (or shmup, if you’re into that) to DsiWare over in Japan. Aa Mujyou Setsuna is the title, and it looks like Arika, a company made up of former Capcom employees–including one of the creators of Street Fighter II–who you may know as the‚  developers of Endless Ocean on the Wii has their hand in it as well.

I think Solar Striker is the lone shoot-em-up Nintendo has ever developed back on the Game Boy in 1990. I could be wrong about this, but [checks Wikipedia] no, looks like it’s the only scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Nintendo. Check out the video below to see what you think; I’m hoping this comes over to North America, but I’m also a shmup addict (especially for $5).

Furry Legends, the soon to be released game for WiiWare, will also be making the jump to DSiWare.

The game for DSiWare will be called Furry Legends: Beginnings and will serve as a prequel to Furry Legends. It will show players what the world was like prior to the squarie invasion. The game will have new enemies, at least three different environments, new puzzles and more cheesy humor than Furry Legends. The games will feature beautiful 100% hand drawn graphics, physics, puzzle, action and more! For more information visit the Furry Legends blog.

Excited? Comment below with your thoughts.

Hopefully you’ve been saving your Nintendo points, because this week’s Nintendo download has a few games which are worth dishing out a few bucks for. The highlight of the release is Nintendo’s release of “The Revenge of Shinobi”, the sequel to the classic Sega Genesis game. Musashi the ninja returns to put an end to Neo Zeed and his criminal empire before they take control of the world. Easily one of the most difficult and entertaining games I’ve played in a while. “The Revenge of Shinobi” is available via the Virtual Console.

Brain Age Express: Sudoku is now available for everyone who loves to play Sudoku in their free time. With three difficulty levels, and the low price of 500 Nintendo points, it’s too good an offer to pass up.

Guitar Rock Tour is sure to be the portable solution for Rock Band or Guitar Hero addicts. Using the touch screen, play as a guitarist or drummer to your favorite classic songs. Easy entertainment for long car rides for all DSi owners.

Nintendo has also released two family titles as WiiWare: Picture book Games: Pop-Up Pursuit and Family Slot Car Racing. Pop-Up Pursuit is a board game set in a picture book, which will keep young children occupied for hours. Family Slot Car Racing is a basic racing game for the family, with three circuit levels and loads of unlockable content.

For more details, check out the press release after the jump.

We’re busy rushing around as we prepare for our trip to San Diego to cover Comic-Con, but there’s always time to bring you the weekly Nintendo Download. There’s no Virtual Console love this week, but two series I love see new entries, which I’ll take as an apology.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord is a tower-defense style game that is also meant to continue the story begun in FFCC: My Life as a King, one of the debut WiiWare games. I love tower-defense, and I love Crystal Chronicles, so this one has my interest. Battle Poker is basically poker, but you fight to grab the cards first, meaning the best hands are made by those with the quickest hands. Last, we have 5 Spots Party, which sounds like one of those books you have as a child that lets you pick up on what’s wrong with a picture. This one seems suited towards the younger crowd, though I guess it would depend on what kind of things they are hiding in there.

DSiWare only gets one title, but it’s an Art Style game. You should know the drill by now, honestly. Chances are very good that the game is great and you’re missing out if you still have just a DS, etc. The full release for all four titles is after the jump, and we have screens for Art Style: ZENGAGE and FFCC: MLAAD (I’m not even sure that is shorter than the actual title) as well.

It’s certainly a varied week for the Nintendo Download. On WiiWare, you’ve got three games to choose from, and then two more from the Virtual Console service. DSiWare has a bit of a quiet week, with Gameloft releasing Brain Challenge and nothing else coming for the system.

For WiiWare, the titles are listed in order of exclamation points. Bit Boy!! makes his North American debut; if you want some more info on the title, we interviewed the developers after its European release. Incoming! is a cartoony tank fighter, with support for either one or two players. Last, we have the lone release without an exclamation point in Ant Nation, though that may be because the description of the game reads like a guide to torturing ants in order to toughen them up. If you’re the kind of person who put ants under a magnifying glass in order to set them aflame, then this game is for you. Apparently, you were toughening them up for their street brawls against the local spider thugs. You’re a hero!

On Virtual Console, you have one game for each Sega platform. I used to play Secret Command at an arcade that had home consoles behind glass, rigged to joysticks. That’s how I was introduced to Battletoads on the NES, as well. Next there is a Sega Channel release for the Genesis, which I have never played before. Pulseman was published by Game Freak though, the company that works on Pokemon, so maybe I’ll take a look all these years alter.

The full press release can be found after the jump. Picking anything up this week?

For those of you that have checked out either Bit.Trip BEAT or any of the Art Style games, this week’s Nintendo Download has to looking good. First, we have the second in a six-game series with Bit.Trip CORE on WiiWare (here’s our interview with the developers, if you missed it), along with Bust-A-Move Plus! and Heracles Chariot Racing. While the initial 135 stages in Bust-A-Move Plus! cost 600 points, there are another two packs that equal 270more‚  puzzles, awaiting your download as add-ons. That’s a whole lot of Bust-A-Move, for those so inclined.

There’s one title on the Virtual Console side, with California Games from the Commodore 64 library. The sports available are the kinds of things you would expect from an 80s game based on California, dude.

Last, on DsiWare, we’ve got another Art Style, with Art Style: Base 10. It sounds like some kind of Sudoku take-off with a different style of gameplay, so I’m willing to give it a shot. I’m used to Art Style games hurting my brain in a good way, so why not one more? If you would rather race, Gameloft, who supports the WiiWare service almost as much as Nintendo, has Asphalt 4: Elite Racing for you on the DSi.

Official press releases after the jump. Picking anything up this week? We’ll have reviews for Bit.Trip CORE and Art Style: Base 10 for you soon.

This week’s digital download gives us three new WiiWare titles and one game a piece for Virtual Console and DSiWare. First we have Water Warfare, Hudson’s second first-person shooter on the WiiWare service, though this time rather than alien worlds you are hanging out at the playground and beach. The concept is intriguing, and the game includes quite a few modes (single player, split-screen, and CPU match) for 800 points. Natsume releases Reel Fishing Challenge for 500 points, so for those of you that want to virtually fish but don’t want to shell out for a retail release, you have found your solution. Last on WiiWare is Silver Star Reversi, which is also called Othello by some, and is often found in board game form.

Next up is the Master System sequel to Fantasy Zone, Fantasy Zone II. There are a ton of shoot-em-ups to choose from on Virtual Console, but if you prefer yours to be sugary sweet and as colorful as the rainbow, then Fantasy Zone is where you want to be.

DSiWare gets Sudoku this week for 500 points, with 150 puzzles for both experts and beginners. It certainly qualifies as the perfect pocket time waster, especially at that price. Check the next page for the official release and more info on each title. Downloading anything this week? Or waiting for WiiWare title #100?

Three WiiWare games and a DSiWare title hit the service this week, plus a Virtual Console title that many of us may have forgotten about. Drill Sergeant Mindstrong and Family Mini Golf are family party games, with the former giving us the most family-friendly bootcamp I can imagine. Something tells me R. Lee Ermey is not in this game. There’s always room in the sequel though.

NEVES Plus hooked me with its description just by saying it was a hit puzzle in Japan. Plus, there are 500 puzzles for $6, which is pretty good value for you puzzle lovers out there. DSiWare gives us another Art Style entry with Boxlife, and though I have no idea what this game wants me to do from the description besides cut paper, I know that I need to play it to see what other neat concept Skip has fleshed out in their wonderful series.

Last, we have SimEarth for TurboGrafx. I used to play this on the SNES, but I had no idea what I was doing, which is a bad thing pre-Internet and sans instructions. I just know I made a whole lot of bacteria happy in a really big ocean. Maybe I’ll have better luck now that I’m older, but chances are good I’ll still accidentally end all life on the planet.

The actual press descriptions are after the jump. Looking to download something this week? Let us know, as we may just have a review or two for you in the coming week.

This week the Nintendo Download, Nintendo’s hot spot for digital downloads adds six new titles for gamers to download and enjoy.

Offerings this week are varied to say the least as a Samurai toaster named Eduardo, rainbow islands, a clock and calculator and a few more hit WiiWare, The Virtual Console and DSiWare today. No need to fret however, as we’ll explain each title with a tad more detail below.

DSiWare-

Mario Calculator (200 DSi Points) is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. A calculator for your DSi.‚  But why do you need one? Maybe tallying high scores? With its built in memory function, 13 digit display, a unit converter, and the familiar Mario coin pileup noise we’ve grown to love, sure, it could be useful.

Mario Clock (200 DSi Points) is a fully functional digital and analog, alarm programmable, and sound-recordable buffed application that also has, what sounds like, a very light coin collection mini mini mini game that has Mario and Luigi doing what they do best, collecting those gold pieces!

WiiWare-

Eduardo the Samurai Toaster (800 Wii Points, 1-4 players) is the most crazy awesome sounding game maybe I’ve ever heard. In this side-scrolling action-game you’ll play as Eduardo alongside fellow appliance brothers and you’ll shoot various pastries at enemy food products. Yes, you heard that right, but there’s more. You’ll hop onto laser mounted scooters and take the excitement to an even zanier level.‚  Stay tuned for our review.

Rainbow Island: Towering Adventure (800 Wii Points, 1-2 players) has players scaling colorful bows of rain (rainbows) to reach the heavens while defeating colorful enemies. The three gameplay modes are Story, Challenge, and Time Attack, all of which offering a different take on the game.

Let’s Catch (1,000 Wii Points, 1-4 players) is the next in the “Let’s X” series and will serve you well if your dad never threw the ball around with you when you were young. Use your Mii and toss the ball around in six unique single and multiplayer modes including Speed Catch and Bomb Catch. I cannot wait to play the latter as it’s basically hot potato, but you die.

And finally on the Virtual Console-

Space Harrier (800 Wii Points, 1 player) is the same SEGA game you remember from back in the day (which according to Dane Cook, was a Wednesday) and has all the fantasy, guns, and narrator statement of “you’re doing great” you’ll remember as you play as the Space Harrier throughout the 3D world blasting enemies to bits.

Every title will hit their respective download location beginning at 12 noon.

It’s amazing how much progress digitally distributed games have made as of late. This generation saw the rise of Xbox Live Arcade, the Playstation Network, and the WiiWare service as ways to release a lot of indie projects and smaller titles that may not have worked in the retail space. Recently, Nintendo began the DSiWare service for those who upgraded to the new model of the Nintendo DS, and Sony is going to do the same with the PSP Go, which does not use the UMD format for games, and instead uses digital distribution and houses much more memory.

The reason I bring this up now is because I’m amazed at the quality of the games released on these platforms lately. Just take a look at the front page of Blast Games, and you will see reviews for Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, Mighty Flip Champs!, and Swords & Soldiers. In each review, we talk about the value that the game gives you, at $8, $8 and $10 respectively. Cutting out the production cycle of the physical game–and in the case of the DSiWare titles, cutting out the more-expensive-than-discs cartridge format–means that the consumer can pay less and the publishers can spend less; it’s win-win all around. If Minis March Again is an indication of the level of polish and depth that Nintendo expects out of DSiWare releases from both itself and third-parties in the future, I think you will start to see DSi sales go up as people realize full retail offerings are coming at a reduced digital price. That is a game that could have appeared at retail, but may prove more successful to Nintendo in its digital-only format. Time will tell, but it’s a good sign for consumers that they are willing to try it.

You can’t beat low-cost innovation, and even though you don’t have a physical copy of the game with art work and a case, you will end up saving a lot of money purchasing games this way. While I’m not sure I want all game releases to end up this way, these early experiments with digital distribution in gaming are proving to be fruitful, and my wallet certainly says thank you.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again is a sequel to the 2006 DS game Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, and it isn’t just a quick follow-up to its predecessor. Instead, Nintendo went all out, giving you a full-blown sequel that could have released at retail for just 800 Nintendo Points; there’s some excellent value here, but just how good is the core gameplay?

Here are the basics for Mario vs. DK: You don’t control Mario, but you do control his Mini windup toys. These toys are placed in a room that is essentially a puzzle; you need to guide them to the exit, picking up coins, extra lives and cards that unlock special levels along the way, all the while avoiding enemies, spikes, fireballs, and other traps. Here’s the kicker though: you can’t control the Minis once you start them moving, so you need to make sure that you have (A) set them on the proper path and (B) make sure that you adjust their path for the environment as they walk around. There are very few levels where you can just set up blocks for them to walk on and then stop paying attention, as much of the work needs to be done while they are moving.

The first few levels are introductory, and each of the four worlds introduces you to a different type of puzzle piece. At first it’s the pink blocks that you use to get the Minis around over spikes, over enemies, or to use as steps. Later on you get magnetic pathways, enemies that turn into blocks when you hit switches, switches that open gates…there’s a lot going on in each puzzle by the time you hit the last standard world, and it keeps things fresh and challenging. Each of the four worlds consist of eight levels and a boss fight against Donkey Kong–the boss fights actually come from this game’s predecessor, but as far as I can tell are the only bits of rehashed content–and one special level that is exponentially more difficult than the levels you needed to complete to unlock it.

40 levels for $8 is a good deal, but that’s not all the game has. It turns out that Minis March Again actually has 100 levels, as more difficult rooms appear when you have completed the initial game. These rooms are not only more challenging for their design, but also due to the way the levels begin. In the first 40 levels, you were given time to survey the room and make changes to blocks in order to set your Minis on the right path. In these more difficult puzzles though, the Minis start to move after three seconds.

So now we’re talking 100 levels for $8, which given the quality and complexity of the title, is a steal. Nintendo didn’t stop there though: the level editor from March of the Minis has been included in its sequel, but now you can upload the levels you create using the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection and share them with friends and strangers. You have 140 slots for levels that either you create and keep or to download from others, giving you, at any one time, 240 levels of Minis March Again. You can search by the newest levels or the highest ranked, and it shows 50 at a time in each section. Nintendo is also planning on releasing new levels for the game periodically, meaning between the creativity of devoted level builders and Nintendo’s professionals, this game is going to have some serious replay value. I built a level myself to check out the editor, and it’s very simple and effective. You can build off of a template, or just erase everything in the template and start from scratch, but you have to score a gold star on your own level before it can be submitted. It was also a good feeling to check up on the level to see that it had been downloaded by someone else already the next day.

Graphically, this game is appealing, as it takes aspects of the Mario universe and puts a cel-shaded style on them. It’s no better looking than March of the Minis, but it retains that colorful, fun presentation that worked so well over two years ago. The sound is also fun, with some neat sound effects for the Minis as they bounce around the level bumping into stuff and falling.

There is enough going on in the level editor that the entire game could have been based around just that, with all of the content being user created or submitted by Nintendo at a later date. Instead, we get 100 pack-in levels with a promise of future content, and a constant drip of newly created levels from the game’s users. A game that you will play for months that works in both long stretches and in shorter, pocket gaming scenarios for all of $8 is simply fantastic. While it isn’t the best puzzle game on the service, it is the deepest and has the most replay value, and that counts for something.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! is available exclusively for the Nintendo DSi via the DSiWare store, and costs 800 Nintendo Points.

You have played puzzle games before. You have played platform puzzlers before, too. That does not mean you have played anything like Wayforward’s latest, Mighty Flip Champs. The developers of LIT have take a simple concept, mixed it with a standard video game genre, and given us a completely different take on it thanks to some splendid puzzle design and the dual-screen nature of the Nintendo DS.

In Mighty Flip Champs!, you play as Alta, the holder of a magical warp wand that allows her to “flip” through dimensions. She uses this power to retrieve her animal friends and to escape each trap-riddled dungeon. You can only move left and right on the D-pad as Alta, though you can also climb the mesh ladders found in many levels. If you press any of the face buttons on the DS, you will “flip” to the next dimension, which is first shown as the bottom screen in a reflected form. Essentially, you walk around on the top screen in the direction you need to go in order to be safe on the bottom screen, and then you flip. You will see when you are about to send Alta into a bed of spikes or in the middle of a solid wall–both are great ways to kill off Alta, but horrible for progressing through the level–and can adjust accordingly. You also get a helping hand from the stylus, as it allows you to mark a square on the bottom screen that also shows up (and remains) on the top screen, even after flipping. It’s a good way to remind yourself of where you need to end up while the world uproots itself around you.

The level and puzzle design starts out simple enough, with the game letting you get a feel for the flip mechanic in simple ways like walls that block your progress in screen one that are wide open paths in screen two. Then they start to add more screens to the mix, add spikes, long drops, extra walls to make travel between areas on a single screen more difficult, special blocks that break when Alta flips into them, and areas where it is necessary to flip multiple times before you hit the ground in order to avoid walls and spikes along the way. The last level in each area also takes control of the wand out of Alta’s hands, and puts it on a timer. This means you need to move fast and think fast in order to get out of the level without getting Alta smooshed in a wall or stabbed with spikes.

There are over 40 levels in Mighty Flip Champs!, which, given the difficulty of the title as you progress, is a lot of time you are going to spend on the title attempting to beat it. Throw in the fact that each level is graded based on the amount of time it took you to complete it and the number of flips you used, and you have 40+ reasons to replay the game. The puzzles are challenging, but they are not impossible; the feeling you get from completing one–and completing it well–is very satisfying, and well worth the effort you will put into it. You can’t ask for much more than that out of a puzzler, or any game for that matter.

Graphically, Mighty Flip Champs! is simple, but polished. The characters in-game are small, but they have a number of animations they go through as they move or just sit there in place. The art shown in between levels is well done, with the characters taking on an anime style that’s pretty pleasing–the cat has a jetpack, which is all you needed to sell me on it.There’s a neat effect on the reflected bottom screen, as it looks like it’s shimmering–a nice touch, considering it’s supposed to be another dimension at that time.

The sound in the game is also excellent, with a catchy tune for each world of rooms. The music sounds very old-school, and is the kind of catchy stuff that sticks in your head even when you aren’t playing–the song for the first world is stuck in my head as I write this section. It certainly adds to the game experience (you have to love a quality soundtrack in a puzzle game) and is still fun to listen to, even after you failed to pass a level for the Nth time because you can’t remember to flip on time.

For a game with this much replay value and polish, I would have no problem paying standard DS retail prices. Thankfully, we do not have to, as this is a DSiWare exclusive release that costs all of $8, or 800 Nintendo Points. This is a great value for $8, as it is a game you will spend a lot of time trying to complete and master–since the stages can be short as well, it’s also a great title for quick pocket gaming, as you can pull out the DSi and give it a whirl for a few minutes before you need to stop.

Wayforward took a traditional genre in puzzle platformers and added an innovative mechanic to it with the dual-screen flipping, and ended up coming out with Mighty Flip Champs!, a special game that all DSi owners should try their hand at. The title is challenging, lengthy, well polished, and a total blast to play, even when it starts to fry your brain. Highly recommended.

Mighty Flip Champs! is available exclusively for the Nintendo DSi through the DSiWare store. It is priced at 800 Nintendo Points.

Still high off of the fumes of E3 2009, Nintendo, in their dedicated fashion, released new titles today for the now threefold download services “" WiiWare, DSiWare, and the Virtual Console.

On tap this week on DSiWare is the continuation of a battle for evermore pitting Italian man vs. ape in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (1 player, 800 DSi Points).

That’s it for hand-held love so what do we get on the console side of things?

How about two unique titles, Swords and Soldiers (1-2 players, 1000 Wii Points) and Fish ‘Em All (1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) on WiiWare? Sound good? Great, because both are alive, breathing, and ready for your purchase right now.

And on the Virtual Console Nintendo unleashed Ghengis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf (1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) and is everything you remembered, or forgot, from those long lost SNES days. All the strategy and all the Ghengis are right where you left them. So have at it!

via Joystiq

Today is the first day of June, who knew?‚  Nintendo knows, that’s who, and unveiled their weekly plans for their now three-fold download services today adding Mighty Flip Champs! To DSiWare, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and Texas Hold’em Tournament to WiiWare, and revisiting the Commodore 64 days with Boulder Dash on the Virtual Console.

DSiWare-

Mighty Flip Champs! (1 player, 800 DSi Points) is a tricky puzzle/platforming title that will test not only your wits, but also your mind by way of traversing a series of “action-packed” mazes. Confused? So am I.‚  Try this developer video on for size.

WiiWare-

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (1 player, 800 Wii Points) is the sequel to the hit original Final Fantasy IV.‚  Square Enix fans and Final Fantasy fans have been salivating over this title for quite some time, and the same dramatic RPG elements from the original return in this sequel as “Now, monsters are reappearing in a world that had finally attained peace. The second moon has returned anew. What tidings does this ominous harbinger bring?”‚  Fire up your Wii and find out!!

Texas Hold’em Tournament (1-6 players, 500 Wii Points) is just the type of game you’re likely imagining, where you’ll start on the small side of things at local Nevada gaming halls and eventually make your way to the championships in Las Vegas where your keen mind and gutsy reactions will determine your eventual fate. ‚ Also, take yourself and your Mii to the expanses of the internet to take on the world by competing in global tournaments.

Virtual Console-

Boulder Dash (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) is just as you remember it from those long, lost Commodore 64 days of 1984.‚  You still play as the brave prospector Rockford and must battle all sorts of dangerous creatures and the predictable falling rocks.‚  Think the days of Boulder Dash are gone?‚  Think again, as now you can relive those moments of gaming elation, and, if you live in Connecticut, can jump on the thrill ride bearing the same name at Lake Compounce.

All games go live on their respective download locations today at 12PM EST.

Memorial Day, today, marks the unofficial beginning of the warm summer months, and if this week’s boxed retail offerings don’t float your boat and you have a Wii or DSi, Nintendo has some “hot” downloadable goodies for you.

DSiWare-

American Popstar: Road to Celebrity (800 DSi Points) is just what it sounds like, and on the road to stardom you’ll first audition at your high school, but oh no, your crush and rival are also trying out!‚  Your character is fully customizable and the game utilize both the DSi’s camera and sound alteration functionality.

Photo Clock (200 DSi Points) looks to be actually a very useful application as it allows for photos taken to be displayed, either statically or in a slideshow form, on the top screen while a clock, either in analog or digital fashion shines on the bottom.‚  Up to three programmable alarms, with the snooze capability are also at your fingertips ensuring that you’ll never be late.‚  Maybe.

WiiWare-

Bubble Bobble Plus! (600 Wii Points) is a 1-4 player simple action game where you control the bubble-blowing dragons Bub and Bob, trapping enemies in bubbles and then popping them.‚  In the ranked online mode, you can take the competition to the world and show what you’ve got (or don’t) and interestingly a whopping 100 additional rounds contained in “Expert Mode 1 + 2″ will be available for purchase as DLC.

Adventure Island: The Beginning (800 Wii Points) has players exploring “Adventure Island” while searching for Golden Melons (shhh) via progressing through stages and via the obvious mini-game component. ‚ ‚ Mini-games, on the Wii? No, that can’t be.‚  Oh wait.

Virtual Console-

Clay Fighter (800 Wii Points) is exactly the 2-4 player SEGA Genesis title as you remember from all those years ago.‚  The same zany interstellar clay slams into earth turning the circus employees into bizarrely super powered versions of themselves.‚  Man, somehow I skipped over this title years ago, but that description is enough to force me to spend my Wii Points that have been searing a hole in my jeans for quite some time.

Anyone picking anything up this week from the three-fold Nintendo download service?

Nintendo released the award winning, and altogether amazing “Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” this morning on the Virtual Console, marking the 300^th available classic title on the service.

Every single Monday for the last 2.5 years, Nintendo has diligently released one or more classic titles to the ever-growing Virtual Console, and with “Ocarina of Time” already in the ranks, fans have patiently (or not) awaited this day.

It is near impossible to shine in a week with anything Zelda in the headline, but not to be overlooked, three additional titles found their way onto DSiWare and WiiWare this Monday morning.

Art Style: PiCTOBiTS (500 DSi Points) released on the handheld download service today but what is it?‚  The basic gist of the simple title is that you’ll move colored blocks around the bottom half of the screen while more blocks rain down from above.‚  You guessed it, you’ve got to match the colors to win.

Crystal Defenders R2 (800 Wii Points) was announced back in March at GDC as part of an onslaught of Square Enix titles coming to the DSi, and this iteration is just what it sounds like.‚  You’ve got a crystal, and you must defend it. ‚ Sensible huh?

Rounding out the download possibilities is Silver Star Chess (500 Wii Points) also available on WiiWare and also very self explanatory.‚  Play chess either against the computer or a human opponent, review previous played games, alter background music, or ultimately become the next Bobby Fischer.‚  Maybe.

In case the headline didn’t blow your mind away, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (1,000 Wii Points) hit the Virtual Console this morning, needs no introduction, and is undoubtedly being downloaded a gazillion times, lagging the servers as we speak.

Have you started your savings fund for the release of the Nintendo DSi yet? Well, you better get moving on it, because it now has a release date (April 5) and a price ($169.99). The DSi, which will be on sale while the Nintendo DS Lite remains on shelves and in production, is a successor of sorts, in that it has new features, more horsepower thanks to more powerful innards, and will have improved and enhanced online capabilities, including but not limited to the introduction of a WiiWare like service that allows for the downloading of games made specifically for the new system.

That last part is the most important for me, as I’m a sucker for downloading inexpensive things to entertain me with their newness. Given the success and high-quality of the WiiWare games that Nintendo has developed or published so far, I have faith in the DSi’s version also being a hit, especially if we get a hold of some of those Art Style games that the Japanese market has already begun to enjoy. DSiWare is easily the selling point for me, and will be the main push for me to upgrade from my DS Lite come April 5.

If that’s not enough for you though, know that there are other features, like an even brighter backlight option, two cameras, music and picture editors, and the aforementioned improved wireless capabilities. While the cameras don’t excite me as far as taking pictures go, I’m interesting in seeing how Nintendo and other developers utilize the camera, much like they employed the microphone capabilities of the DS and DS Lite before it. Nintendo is promising more details as the release date nears, so we’ll keep you posted as information rolls in.

Also included in the press release was a date for the release of Rhythm Heaven, which means that April 5 is going to be a great day to be a Nintendo fan (or stockholder).

From Nintendo:

NINTENDO DSI LAUNCHES APRIL 5 IN THE UNITED STATES

New Portable System Offers Customized Gaming Experiences

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 18, 2009 – Nintendo pioneered hand-held entertainment in the ’80s and made it fully mobile with the Game Boy^TM video game system. Now, Nintendo is transforming the way people access, experience, create and share content with the new Nintendo DSi^TM system, the third iteration of the world’s best-selling portable video game system. Nintendo DSi launches in the United States on April 5, 2009, at an MSRP of $169.99. The colors available at launch will be Blue and Black.

“Ever since the arrival of the first Game Boy, consumers worldwide have turned to Nintendo for their portable gaming,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo DSi builds on Nintendo’s commitment to bringing fun and creative entertainment to everyone, and will allow consumers to personalize and share their very own experiences.”

Some features that will be built into the system and ready to enjoy upon purchase include the Nintendo DSi Camera, Nintendo DSi Sound and Nintendo DSi Shop. The most noticeable feature of the slim Nintendo DSi system is its two cameras – one camera is on the external body, and the second one points at the user when the device is flipped open. As the first truly interactive digital camera in a video game system with 10 different interactive “lenses” that can manipulate your photos, the Nintendo DSi Camera offers an easy way to take and share your photos with family and friends. The cameras also present people with unprecedented ways to interact with their games while giving developers a new tool to devise creative games and experiences. If the touch screen gave Nintendo DS a sense of feel and the microphone allowed it to hear, the two cameras give Nintendo DSi the sense of sight.

Another enhanced feature is the Nintendo DSi Sound application, which serves as both an interactive voice recorder and music player that allows users to play with their music while they listen to it. Users can access different audio filters or control the pitch and speed of recorded voice or music files to alter voices or change the tempo of a song. The mic is located between the two screens when the device is flipped open, and there is also a stereo headphone output that lets users listen to music saved on an SD card, even with the screen shut.

In the world of software, Nintendo DSi will be the platform for the most relevant and fun on-the-go games and applications. The Nintendo DSiWare^TM application will populate Nintendo DSi with software that can be downloaded using Nintendo DSi Points directly to the portable system, just as WiiWare^TM has with Nintendo’s Wii^TM console. Developers big and small are invited to create software that makes use of the properties and functions of the hardware. Nintendo DSiWare games and applications will be available at a range of values, starting at 200 points.

In addition to downloadable games, Nintendo DSi is able to play games made specifically for the system and sold at retail. The system can also play most Nintendo DS^TM games, and will have access to a library of more than 850 titles originally made for that system.

Also on April 5, a new Nintendo DS game, Rhythm Heaven^TM, will join this roster of games available for both Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DS owners in the United States. Having sold more than 1.6 million copies since its July 2008 launch in Japan and still increasing sales today, this infectious game challenges players to tap and slide the stylus on the touch screen in time to original music created by legendary Japanese pop-star producer TSUNKU¢â„¢â€š. Simple gestures with the stylus combined with fun music and quirky visuals make Rhythm Heaven a completely unique musical experience for players of all ages.

Additional features and news of Nintendo DSi will be revealed as April 5 approaches.

For more information about Nintendo DSi, visit www.nintendodsi.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii^TM and Nintendo DS^TM systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System^TM, Nintendo has sold more than 2.8 billion video games and more than 485 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii and Nintendo DS, as well as the Game Boy^TM, Game Boy Advance, Super NES^TM, Nintendo 64^TM and Nintendo GameCube^TM. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario^TM, Donkey Kong^TM, Metroid^TM, Zelda^TM and Pokƒ©mon^TM. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.