Even more ninja action on VC!
WiiWare plays catchup, DSiWare gets more miniature retail titles
Things are a bit disappointing on the download front for Europe this week - only the Virtual Console release can really be recommended. What's most interesting about this update is that we've finally gotten a WiiWare game North America has had for over a year - if only it was any good!
It's taken a while, but the original Shinobi is finally available on Virtual Console. Thankfully, Sega skipped the Master System port and has immediately given us the superior original arcade game. As with all other games in the series, you play as the titular Shinobi, who must traverse a multitude of sidescrolling stages, using his various ninja tricks to stop an evil gang. It's not as good a game as Revenge and Return, but if you'd like to see how Sega's classic ninja series got started, you can now. The game costs 800 Wii Points, and we'll review it soon.
One of this week's WiiWare releases is extremely odd, to say the least. Protöthea was released in North America in June - last year. It's been rated for the longest time, and to be honest we thought it wouldn't see release with all the other upcoming WiiWare games. Needless to say, it's not very good - basically just a generic shoot 'em up with some faux 3D graphics. And with so many fantastic shmups available on VC already, it's hard to recommend, especially at the price of 1000 Wii Points.
The other WiiWare release isn't much better though - PictureBook Games: A Pop-Up Adventure is Nintendo's attempt at creating another good board game after the Mario Party series, in this case one which heavily relies on cards rather than dice. Long story short? They didn't succeed. The game costs 800 Wii Points.
Strangely enough, today's new DSiWare titles were the only ones announced by Nintendo for release. A Little Bit of... Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: Arts Edition features yet more brain exercises from the Brain Training series, this time consisting of a bunch of arty games. Like the previous two titles, it's actually not that bad, so if you're looking for a compact Brain Training fix, for 800 DSi Points, this is a good pick.
Combat of Giants: Dragons - Bronze Edition is a small version of Ubisoft's retail DS title Combat of Giants: Dragons, which was released earlier this month. You can play as a variety of dragons as you fly around and battle other dragons. There's not many reviews for the full game around, but those that exist are generally positive - of course, we can only hope this version is decent as well. It costs 800 DSi Points, and we'll have a review available in a few days.
No good surprises this week! Next week's update is on the day before Halloween, so we think the release of a certain Virtual Console game is quite likely!
1. cheetahman91
22 Oct 2009, 23:31 BST
I want Shinobi.
Lucky Europeans...
2. KeeperBvK
22 Oct 2009, 23:32 BST
Lucky? What makes us lucky about this release except for Shinobi?
3. cheetahman91
22 Oct 2009, 23:34 BST
@KeeperBvK: I just meant Shinobi, not the other games.
4. Djungelurban
22 Oct 2009, 23:34 BST
No big surprises?! I'd call Protöthea a huge surprise. Not perhaps the kind of surprise I looked forward to but as far as it being surprising it's a huge shocker none the less and one that's unlikely to be topped any time soon.
5. Bass X0
22 Oct 2009, 23:43 BST
Yeah. Such an old game in America finally getting released here is quite amusing. But nothing for me this week. Here's hoping Zombies and Castlevania Rebirth get released next week. But if its Ghoul Patrol, I'll pass.
6. KnucklesSonic8
22 Oct 2009, 23:51 BST
Protothea certainly is a huge surprise. Wow...
7. Shiryu
22 Oct 2009, 23:51 BST
I'm actually rather happy to see Protöthea up there, gives me hope of one day play Gyrostarr in Europe...
8. vakama94
22 Oct 2009, 23:52 BST
wow, just the VC is the recommendable...thats sad, well, i hope combat of dragons is good and not as bad as the little bit of/ express titles in the dsiware store( there are a few exceptions to this rule though)
9. romulo
22 Oct 2009, 23:54 BST
Like Golden Axe arcade before it, Shinobi will cost twice more on VC than its XBLA counterpart. Sad...
10. morphballer
22 Oct 2009, 23:54 BST
AAAAAAAWW!!!! Europe got Shinobi first.
Dammit! Oh well, its nice to see it get released outside Japan...
11. maka
22 Oct 2009, 23:56 BST
Shinobi is interesting. I may get it. On the Wiiware front, I wish they'd play catch up with Rock'n'Roll Climber... c'mon!!
12. thewiirocks
23 Oct 2009, 00:00 BST
@Shiryu - You're really not missing much. Gyrostarr is easily one of the most boring games I've ever played.
13. Clinker
23 Oct 2009, 00:01 BST
I think Europe will getting all of Sega's arcade games before America.
14. Ezekiel
23 Oct 2009, 00:03 BST
Whats the certain vc game europe is getting next week?
15. Bass X0
23 Oct 2009, 00:06 BST
zombies ate my neighbors. likely but not confirmed.
16. Jolted85
23 Oct 2009, 00:09 BST
already have shinobi arcade on XBLA so i'll skip it when it comes out here, we'll probably get the SMS port
17. Ristar42
23 Oct 2009, 00:15 BST
Shinobi, just played though the first few levels and remembered why I think video games are great!
18. Dazza
23 Oct 2009, 00:16 BST
Yay Shinobi VCA finally! Watch out for Dazza's review coming up this weekend
19. taffy
23 Oct 2009, 00:32 BST
why didn't they release LIT instead? Oh well, i'll save my points for something else
20. JayArr
23 Oct 2009, 00:41 BST
Dang Dazz, you snatchin' up all the VC reviews.
21. Tony
23 Oct 2009, 01:07 BST
Oh I look forward to Dazza' review of Shinobi, I know you will give it much respect and I'm glad the VCA is out as opposed to the Master System version.
"I wonder if modern games will ever hold such specific memories for todays young 'uns. I've downloaded of of SEGAs VC arcade output instantly, was a big fan back in the day."
Probably not
22. Mario Party Fan 999
23 Oct 2009, 01:13 BST
You made a typo on the Combats of Giants game! It says it costs 800 Wii Points when it should say 800 DSi Points! (Yes I know it doesn't make much difference but I like being picky!
)
23. Yosher
23 Oct 2009, 01:16 BST
Nothing for me, unfortunately, even Shinobo isn't my thing. Oh well, better luck next time.
24. Ezekiel
23 Oct 2009, 01:25 BST
@taffy "why didn't they release LIT instead? Oh well, i'll save my points for something else" Read this and please stop mentioning Lit.
http://wiiware.nintendolife.com/news/2009/10/lit_arrives_in_europe_on_october_30th
25. taffy
23 Oct 2009, 01:49 BST
@Ezekiel:
Chillax will you, my point was in why didn't they release something more worthwile, next time i'll be more specific
26. vakama94
23 Oct 2009, 02:14 BST
@thewiirocks: really? boring?, wow i find it quite enjoyable and its a blast in multiplayer
27. Angelic Lapras King
23 Oct 2009, 02:22 BST
Its only a matter of time before Sega waste a week with the SMS Shinobi.
Still, Yay! We ve reached our 10th VCA title, and it only took 7 months! XD
28. vakama94
23 Oct 2009, 02:28 BST
also, wasn´t bomberman blitz supossed to come out on this update?
29. thewiirocks
23 Oct 2009, 02:48 BST
@vakama94 - Absolutely, incredibly, shockingly, mind-numbing. Quite the boring game.
30. romulo
23 Oct 2009, 02:54 BST
I have a lot of good memories of SMS Shinobi. I would like to see it on VC too, for nostalgic reasons.
31. Warioware
23 Oct 2009, 03:23 BST
Pretty poor update except for Shinobi. I'm guessing the release list Nintendo put out is more or less abandonned now.....? And shouldn't we be due another Hanabi Festival soon!?
32. Djungelurban
23 Oct 2009, 04:07 BST
@vakama94
However, do remember that wiiloveit likes B-Plus' games too... So I don't know, his judgment might be kinda questionable... Not saying Gyrostarr is good cause I don't know. It's just that... Well, you should get a second opinion.
33. Chibi Link
23 Oct 2009, 04:09 BST
Oh Nintendo, why do you mislead us? There is only 1 release day left in October (30th), but there are still 5 DSiWare titles and 13 WiiWare titles scheduled for October. Oh, and 3 DSiWare and 3 WiiWare titles that are overdue and have still not been rescheduled.
Will Nintendo release 13 WiiWare titles and 5 DSiWare titles next week? Somehow I doubt it.
34. Ezekiel
23 Oct 2009, 04:12 BST
@taffy "my point was in why didn't they release something more worthwile" because the garbage has to be released sometime anyway.
35. Djungelurban
23 Oct 2009, 04:23 BST
Really, Nintendo should just stop trying to regulate the release schedule and just let the developers decide this for themselves. Sure, it might get a bit chaotic and some weeks we might end up batting zero but that is to be preferred to how things are now. And if they are that desperate to not have any holes in the schedule, how about they filling in those holes with their own titles if that's what they are concerned about...
36. Mickeymac
23 Oct 2009, 04:46 BST
Woohoo! Shinobi!
Here's to hoping for a quick NA release.
37. tapirtoon
23 Oct 2009, 04:51 BST
Sninobi is cool. Though, not quite sure which one is my favorite in the series.
38. Objection_Blaster
23 Oct 2009, 05:20 BST
Ouch, a catchup week...thats not even a good one. Sorry guys (and gals.)
39. Sean Aaron
23 Oct 2009, 07:10 BST
Shame it wasn't Gyrostarr instead of Protothea. It's one of four NA-only WiiWare releases I have on my new "Brazilian" Wii and I quite enjoy it.
40. KDR_11k
23 Oct 2009, 07:10 BST
Oh great, another system update... At least there's nothing important out now.
41. Omega
23 Oct 2009, 09:33 BST
Oh, Protöthea is really a surprise. Not a good one, though. The german Nintendo website still says that the release date for Cave Story is october 2009. So, next week then? Along with LIT? Or will they "surprise" us again and release Big Kahuna Party and Boingz instead?
42. opeter
23 Oct 2009, 09:42 BST
Protöthea!!! Finally, OMG!
43. Metang
23 Oct 2009, 13:15 BST
Without the fail WiiWare releases, this is a pretty good update.
VC: Awesome
WiiWare: Fail
DSiWare: Decent
44. niggyt2004
23 Oct 2009, 17:13 BST
at last we finally get shinobi ive been waiting for ever, best game ever
45. LEGEND MARIOID
23 Oct 2009, 19:16 BST
I have BT Arts on my insta-download list so fair dues.
I discounted Gyrostarr before? Is it really that good? I'm undecided from the revw on this site. I'm not interested in Protothea.
I played a downloadable demo of combat of the giants: dragons from the Nintendo channel. I wasn't impressed at all. The stylus controls were imprecise. I wonder if the actual dsiware game is an improvement? We shall see eh.
46. thewiirocks
24 Oct 2009, 03:10 BST
@Djungelurban - I don't think I am who you think I am...
47. DarkEdi
24 Oct 2009, 04:44 BST
Shinobi looks very good, i hope in America cost 600 instead 800 pts. I think its the recommendable.
48. jorenmartijn
24 Oct 2009, 07:26 BST
Darnit, still nothing I can buy with the 200 DSi Points I earned from filling surveys.
Oh well, it's not like the points will go anywhere soon.
49. Kelvin
24 Oct 2009, 13:36 BST
Thankfully, Sega skipped the Master System port
I think you'll find that the MS port is one of the best of the home versions, although quite different from the arcade incarnation. It's the NES port which stinks more than a truck full of horse poop. The anti-MS bias here is starting to get really old...
50. Mickeymac
25 Oct 2009, 00:14 BST
Yeah...I always heard good things about the Master System port. Hold, I think I have it, actually.
Edit: no, I had the Game Gear version(which is a completely different game), and it sucked badly.
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