He's baaaack!
A little bit of madness and some exciting Arcade Classic surprises coming to the Japanese Wii next week, whilst the Japanese DSiWare service comes out of a dry spell.
On the WiiWare front we have four titles coming out next Tuesday:
Muscle March from Namco Bandai for 800 points features body builders and a...polar bear...trying to catch the people who stole their protein powder by matching various poses so they can walk through walls after them!
Arkanoid Plus! from Taito, also for 800 points seems to be a remix of the Arkanoid and Revenge of DOH arcade block-breaking games. There's a WiFi PNP icon, so expect extra levels to buy for this like every other retro Taito game on WiiWare. Hopefully they've made good use of pointer or motion for paddle control because I'm definitely ready to break some blocks! Also includes a 2-player battle mode a la Arkanoid Returns.
Nice Muscle!
Hamekomi Lucky Puzzle Wii from Try First for only 500 points is a puzzle game using triangles and various trapezoidal pieces to completely fill in various shapes -- basically it's like a Wii version of Tanagrams (anyone else have those as kids?).
3°C from Kemco is 700 points and looks very much like Samegame or something else in that vein with little coloured blocks that seemingly need to be removed from a 2-D playfield to score points. Guess even Japan gets it's share of "me-too!" puzzle games.
On the VC front we have a couple of golden oldies:
Final Fantasy for the Famicom for 500 points -- note the absence of any numbers, yep, it's the one that started it all!
Splatterhouse for the VC Arcade for 800 points -- much preferred over any of the console ports available.
DSiWare has six new releases lined up for the following day (27th):
Chotto Magic Taisen Nensha Camera for 200 points -- looks like another in a series of Chotto Magic Taisen titles for the DSi from Nintendo.
Puzzle Magazine Crossword House for 500 points -- a crossword title from Nintendo (with vols. 2 & 3 coming in June and July apparently).
Mr. Brain for 500 points -- a collection of logic puzzles from Square-Enix.
Rizumu de Kitaeru Atarashii Eigo Duke Yasashii Kaiwa Hen for 800 points -- appears to be a title for learning conversational English from Nintendo.
Pocket Rurubu Tookyoo and Pocket Rurubu Kyooto for 800 points each -- these are both from Nintendo and are DSi versions of the Rurubu travel guides for Tokyo and Kyoto, respectively.
1. Dazza
22 May 2009, 16:40 BST
Blimey, what an update!
I would have to invest in the arcade version of Splatterhouse. What a game.
Also Muscle March looks so bonkers that I would have to download that too!
2. Sean Aaron
22 May 2009, 16:42 BST
Yes, I'm very glad I bought 3000 points this week since I'm getting Muscle March, Arkanoid Plus! and Splatterhouse. The tangrams title looks like it could be decent, but that kind of logic game really doesn't hold my interest on a tv screen, so I'll pass.
3. Angelic Lapras King
22 May 2009, 16:49 BST
How about more of that arcade magic over HERE Nintendo?
4. thewiirocks
22 May 2009, 16:50 BST
Dang. I need to get DOH out the door before Nintendo eats my lunch!
(Still very cool to see Arkanoid show up, though.
)
5. Objection_Blaster
22 May 2009, 16:55 BST
Japan got 11 games...why does this not surprise me?
6. pixelman
22 May 2009, 16:56 BST
Who wants to bet we're getting Final Fantasy next Monday?
7. Terranigma
22 May 2009, 16:57 BST
Man, that's a lot of games. Good to see more retro revivals from Taito, although it's admittedly not too surprising that they chose Arkanoid as the latest one. I wonder when they'll release the WiiWare Puzzle Bobble in the west. I'm hoping now for a Darius revival from them. Let them be the latest to bring an old shooter series to WiiWare.
Nice to see that Final Fantasy and Splatterhouse are available up there now. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for us soon. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be much of interest. I expect we may see the Nintendo crossword game and I'm guessing that Mr Brain is part of the deal for 6 DSiWare games with Intelligent Systems and Square-Enix
8. KeeperBvK
22 May 2009, 17:00 BST
"3C (you'll have to imagine a degree symbol separating those characters) "
Don't have a degree symbol on a Japanese keyboard? At least in word or some similar software you should be able to find the symbol. Or just copy and paste mine into teh news if you wish... °
9. Dazza
22 May 2009, 17:06 BST
@KeeperBvK - Good catch! Now we no longer need to imagine lol
10. WarioFan63
22 May 2009, 17:08 BST
Mr. Brain isn't part of the 6 DSi games deal. Not from what I can see. Also I just noticed the Tanagrams puzzle is really NEVES Plus.
11. Sean Aaron
22 May 2009, 17:16 BST
Unless NoJ have a series of errors on their website Mr. Brain is indeed coming next week: both the DSiWare index and the Mr. Brain page state 27/05 is the release date. And, whilst it may be getting called Neves Plus outside of Japan, that's not what it's called over there (and to me it will always be tanagrams!).
And KeeperBVK, I don't know if there's a degree symbol on a Japanese keyboard because I use a British one myself
.
12. Damo
22 May 2009, 17:16 BST
Splatterhouse arcade? Damn those lucky Japanese.
Oh, and damn Sean while we're at it.
13. JTCPingas09
22 May 2009, 17:17 BST
Come ON Nintendo. We need some arcade titles too. At least it only costs $5 over here.
14. Hyper Luigi
22 May 2009, 17:20 BST
Good grief! The Japanese should not recieve anymore games for a year because they have TOO dang much! I think NOJ hates us Americans and Europeans,and they are prejudice!
15. Hardy83
22 May 2009, 17:38 BST
Jesus Christ! lol 11 games!? SIX DSi games in one week!
What the hell is wrong with NOA!? I'd be amazed if we get 5 games across ALL their systems....
16. Shiryu
22 May 2009, 17:44 BST
Wow, the proper, real uncensored "Splaterhouse" for the VC Arcade! Really good week for Japan, I would say.
17. JTCPingas09
22 May 2009, 17:55 BST
Just throwing it out there. WHY do arcade titles cost 800 points over in Japan? That's extremely steep!
18. KeeperBvK
22 May 2009, 18:12 BST
@ Sean: Well, then, don't British keyboards have a ° on them? ^^
19. Stuffgamer1
22 May 2009, 18:19 BST
@JTCPingas09: Maybe it's because arcades have historically been more popular in Japan than in other territories (for the most part), meaning they would still see 800 points as a bargain because they've spent more money on arcade machines than we generally would have. Just a wild theory.
Anyway, I note that there are several games releasing in Japan that should not release in other territories: Muscle March (gross!) and those English-learning and map-type DSiWare titles. Also, how does a crossword puzzle work in Japanese? Or do they just use English for those?
Anyway, @pixelman: If I was a betting man, I'd bet we WON'T get Final Fantasy next week, because Nintendo just LOVES to delay much-anticipated releases. But I'm not, so I won't. Actually, I do believe there's a small chance we'll get it, though I'll still be surprised if we do.
20. Ratengo
22 May 2009, 18:19 BST
Splatterhouse and Arkanoid Plus! already on Tuesday...? HOORAY! These games are immediate downloads on my Wii. Hamekomi Lucky Puzzle Wii also looks interesting. Yay! I'm looking forward to next week.
21. accc
22 May 2009, 18:51 BST
Looking forward to hearing impressions for Muscle March!
22. WarioFan63
22 May 2009, 19:24 BST
Unless NoJ have a series of errors on their website Mr. Brain is indeed coming next week: both the DSiWare index and the Mr. Brain page state 27/05 is the release date.
I didn't realize what I said could be taken TWO ways. I meant the 6 DSi game deal Square and Intelligent Systems had.
23. Terranigma
22 May 2009, 19:32 BST
I'm also looking forward to hearing impressions for Muscle March. That and Arkanoid but mainly Muscle March because it's that much more interesting and unique, where as Taito have released 3 different versions of Arkanoid (That I'm Aware of, DS, Live and Plus) in 2 years.
What would be cool for Arkanoid Plus if the DS Phat or DS Lite could link up to the game, so you could use the DS Paddle Controller, even though the accessory wasn't released in Europe or the US (I think it works on European and US versions of the DS, correct me If I'm wrong). It would make things more interesting for certain. Shame this is just wishful thinking from me and that we have nothing to go on for something like this.
I can't help but wish that, while the retro revivals are great, that Taito do something more original and different than the original games, only to make them that little bit more interesting, like when they developed SIGE, only maybe not so drastic unless it would genuinely work for the franchise, like how Get Even worked.
-
@WarioFan63
That's what i was thinking when he said that
24. Cheezy
22 May 2009, 19:39 BST
Wow, look at all that.
25. Relevant Latty
22 May 2009, 19:50 BST
Why haven't we had any Arcade games yet to add in our collection?
26. Tony
22 May 2009, 20:27 BST
You mean Nintendo added a service where arcade games are brought to the Virtual Console? Are you serious or is that a joke?
27. Bass X0
22 May 2009, 20:28 BST
companies need to make their own emulators for each of the arcade boards their games run on?
28. Twilight Crow
22 May 2009, 23:05 BST
I'm so envious, japan always gets so many games and aps to choose from every week, What about NA?
My guess: Nintendo won't release any good stuff here until after the E3.
29. Pikamander2
22 May 2009, 23:40 BST
Does anyone else wish they lived in Japan right now?
30. xDlmaoxD
23 May 2009, 00:04 BST
japan ownz, wish I could move there if I spoke the language.
31. Kobayashi
23 May 2009, 01:17 BST
Arkanoid is sweet !
32. Sean Aaron
23 May 2009, 01:39 BST
@JTCPingas09: Originally I wondered the same thing, but actually the 800 point cost for VCA titles makes sense when you consider that the often inferior console ports for most of these games are 500-600 (for Famicom, Megadrive and PC Engine games). So you have a choice of getting a port for less money or the premium price for the emulated original.
I'm actually expecting that future VCA releases outside of Japan for games which already have ports out will also cost more; after all why would you pay 600 points for the TG-16 Splatterhouse when you can get the arcade version for 500?
33. Ratengo
23 May 2009, 03:31 BST
Sean is right. Inferior versions/ports are always cheaper on Japanese Virtual Console...!
Here are some price differences outside arcade games:
Gradius – NES 500 points; TG-16 600 points
Gradius II – NES 500 points; TG-CD 800 points
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball Bu – NES 500 points; TG-16 600 points
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball Bu: Soccer Hen – NES 500 points; TG-CD 800 points
R-Type – SMS 500 points; TG-16 1200 points (2 parts for 600 points each)
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition – MD 600 points; SNES 800 points
(The MD version costs 800 points in North America and Europe - an unnecessary release?)
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair – MD 600 points; TG-CD 800 points
(I can simply not understand why Sega decided to release the MD version in North America for 900 points...!)
Two or more versions of a game are less common on North American and European VC than in Japan. It seems that you often get the best version or the only version earlier released in your territory instead.
34. LEGEND MARIOID
23 May 2009, 08:24 BST
Crossword, Tana, Mr Brain and Arky Plus are exactly my kind of thang.
35. MrLopez
23 May 2009, 14:55 BST
Awesome update!! I knew Splatterhouse Arcade would come one day!
(Sorry I don't care about Final Fantasy XD)
36. LinktotheFuture
23 May 2009, 16:09 BST
Hooray Final Fantasy, hopefully that comes out here soon!
37. Ferret75
23 May 2009, 16:24 BST
Yay Final Fantasy.
And Arkanoid Plus looks great. My favorite WiiWare games are ones that are remakes/deluxe versions of older games. =D
38. Kevin
23 May 2009, 18:54 BST
Arkanoid Plus sounds interesting. Can't wait for Final Fantasy.
39. Sean Aaron
23 May 2009, 23:24 BST
It is interesting that Namco is going for the emulated arcade games whereas Konami and Taito are doing homages in new packaging. I'm not sure which I prefer, but I expect Namco's way involves less work.
40. MickEiA
23 May 2009, 23:42 BST
Arkanoid Plus has Wi-Fi
41. Sean Aaron
24 May 2009, 15:58 BST
It's WiFi PnP (red logo rather than blue one); just means there's pay-to-play downloadable/unlockable levels I expect.
42. opeter
24 May 2009, 16:55 BST
I would also like, that Arkanoid Plus and Super Bubble Plus gets to Europe ...
43. Ratengo
24 May 2009, 19:16 BST
Super Bubble Plus...?
44. BrazCanaMan
24 May 2009, 23:57 BST
I wish we could get an update like this.
45. derickw69
25 May 2009, 00:15 BST
Tony United States 22 May 2009, 20:27 GMT
You mean Nintendo added a service where arcade games are brought to the Virtual Console? Are you serious or is that a joke?
Yes Nintendo did start an actual Virtual Console Arcade section sometime late last year way before the SD card storage update that we just recently got.
46. opeter
26 May 2009, 08:25 BST
@43. Ratengo: eh, I did want to write Bubble Bobble Plus. But now I see, that this one is already out in EU... silly me.
47. Ratengo
26 May 2009, 09:47 BST
@Opeter: Ah, then I understand.
@Sean: Nintendo released a new Channel in Japan today...! The Demae Channel offers food ordering for home delivery in co-operation with Yume No Machi Souzou Iinkai Co., Ltd. Here is the instruction page. The channel is the fifth Japan-exclusive in a row (after TV Friend, Digicam Print, Fortune Telling and Wii no Ma). Those lucky people...!
48. Sean Aaron
26 May 2009, 12:56 BST
Yeah, I saw what looked like a new channel there in the updates. Somehow I don't think it'll work for me in the UK sadly...
I downloaded Arkanoid Plus!, Muscle March and Splatterhouse before breakfast and read the manuals of the first two.
Arkanoid Plus! sadly doesn't seem to use any kind of analogue input at all. Support is wiimote on it's side using d-pad to move your Vaus or the Classic Controller doing the same. Very disappointing; hopefully they've adapted the control well to the d-pad, but after Block Breaker Deluxe and Geometry Wars showed us how well the pointer could work for analogue input and Bit.Trip BEAT demonstrated the same for twisting, it's sad to see that Taito didn't follow suit. Unlockable content consists of Zone 2 for 200 points. Looks like all the power-ups from Arkanoid and Revenge of DoH are present; two player battle mode has some additional ones specific to that mode.
Muscle March uses four different motions; has more than a half-dozen selectable characters and three stages: city, country and space.
I'm keen to get my hands on them tonight!
49. Ratengo
26 May 2009, 14:15 BST
Can Muscle March be played with a Wiimote on it's side too?
In Arkanoid Plus!, you will face Crystal Skull as final boss in Zone 1 (I chose 31L, don't know yet if it does matter or not) and Doh in Zone 2 (31R). I've also downloaded Splatterhouse and HameKomi Lucky Puzzle Wii, a pretty cheap and fun game with 300 tangram puzzles for 500 points.
50. Sean Aaron
26 May 2009, 15:36 BST
No, Muscle March is clearly a "nunchuck required" game.
Motions are both controllers up, both controllers down, one up one down for a total of four combinations. Hopefully they got the sensitivity right!
51. colmtheperson
26 May 2009, 23:12 BST
This is absolutely outrageous. NOE and NOA are gonna have to start pulling their socks up!
52. TheEmulationZones
31 May 2009, 15:03 BST
Jeesh , How Many Games In Dsi Ware Does Japan Got Anyway ? Omg Can't Wait Till We Get The Moving Memo Pad! What A Rip Off
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