Battling baddies past and future in Chronos Twins DX

Well, it looks like the release schedule in North America is starting out as slow as everywhere else, although three WiiWare releases and a Virtual Console add is pretty impressive even if it is smaller than the release weeks in December. The DSi offerings are a bit on the light side with a couple of games that were released in Japan quite some time ago and all of them digital versions of real-world past times.

WiiWare

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (1000pts - Capcom) — The DS courtroom sensation brought to the Wii at last. This WiiWare release comprises four of the five chapters of the original DS cartridge release with the fifth chapter coming as a downloadable extra for another few hundred points. Our very own Tommy Bowskill thought the DS version of the game was quite good, and you can expect a verdict from us on the WiiWare version soon.

Chronos Twins DX (1000pts - EnjoyUp Games) — This appears to be a sequel to the DS title Chronos Twins. It uses temporal mechanics (time shifting) for some novel gameplay using a split-screen interface, with the game world being depicted in two time periods at once. Whether this game is worth your time is something our own researchers will have to investigate and report back on.

Klondike on DSi, but now in English

ShadowPlay (800pts - Deep Fried Entertainment) — This release is something of a surprise, mainly because it's the first WiiWare game to boast support for Nintendo's MotionPlus peripheral (though surprisingly this fact isn't mentioned in the press release below). Our resident shadow puppeteers will have a go at this shortly and let you know whether it should remain in the shadows or not.

Virtual Console

Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye (800pts - Sega) — The sole Virtual Console release is a game that will no doubt have a WiiWare version or two released in good time. Certainly our review wasn't too favourable, largely because the dated visuals and — most critically — clunky controls just don't work with this kind of game. You're really better off waiting for something like Mahjong Zodiac to grace the system instead.

DSiWare

Touch Solitaire (200pts - Nintendo) — This was released almost a year ago in Japan as "Solitaire DSi" and a few months ago in Europe as "2-in-1 Solitaire" — is that clear enough? Included are two solitaire games: Spider and Klondike. Prosody, resident patience-gamer extraordinaire thought it was okay, but nothing special, so if you like a bit of solo card playing it might be worth a punt.

Jazzy Billiards (500pts - Aksys Games) — Another Japanese catch-up title, this one courtesy of Aksys Games. Arc System Works self-published this 9-ball simulator in Japan last August; If we can manage to avoid getting cleaned out by hustlers we'll give you our thoughts on it.

Word Searcher (500pts - Digital Leisure) — A rare DSiWare version of a prior WiiWare release centred around the age old puzzle mag staple, the word search. Word game magazine fanatic Spencer McIlvaine wasn't terribly impressed with Word Searcher on WiiWare, but that doesn't mean it won't make a quality title for Nintendo's dual screen handheld; we'll fill you in.

As usual you can review the Nintendo press release in all its glory:

WiiWare™
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Publisher: Capcom
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Meet Phoenix Wright, the rookie defense lawyer new to the scene with the wildest cross-examination skills in town. Take on four intriguing cases to reveal dramatic, stunning and even comical court proceedings. Use the Wii Remote controller to investigate the crime scenes, question witnesses and present shocking evidence.

Chronos Twins DX
Publisher: EnjoyUp Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Enter into the original world of Chronos Twins DX to live a fantastic adventure full of innovative ideas. Thanks to its Dual Gameplay game system, you'll be able to control Nec in two temporal scenarios at the same time. Chronos Twins DX mixes action, platforms, adventure and puzzles to challenge your intelligence and ability.

ShadowPlay
Publisher: Deep Fried Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Alcohol Reference
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to ShadowPlay. Let your imagination run wild when light meets everyday objects to create fascinating shadows. Play and experiment, make a monster out of a pineapple, a dolphin out of a banana - the only limit is your imagination. ShadowPlay challenges players by transforming shadows into more than 100 exciting, unique puzzles. As more challenging puzzles are unlocked, players will have to find more creative ways to solve problems. You will never look at a slice of pizza the same way again! Winning a round will allow players to advance to the next level as well as score another item to use in the Free Play Mode, where you can unleash your imagination and create your own shadow art. Family and friends can also jump in to help tackle a puzzle at any time using Local Co-op Mode. ShadowPlay will provide tons of brain-racking fun for players of all ages. How do you ShadowPlay?

Nintendo DSiWare™
Touch Solitaire
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Touch Solitaire features two of the most popular versions of the world-famous card game - Spider and Klondike - with simple touch-screen controls and an easy-to-understand interface. In Spider, the aim is to arrange cards in piles of a single suit from King down to Ace, thereby removing the pile from play. When all cards are removed, you win the game. The goal of Klondike is to arrange cards from Ace to King in piles, one for each suit, on the four foundations. You win when all cards have been moved to the foundations. Various difficulty levels are available for Spider and Klondike, allowing beginners or experts to enjoy the game at their own pace.

Jazzy Billiards
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Challenge intelligent computers or even your friends to a traditional game of 9-ball while enjoying mind-soothing music with Jazzy Billiards. Take advantage of the intuitive stylus mechanic to aim and hit the cue ball with varying strength to sink the other balls. Defeat your opponents by being the first to sink the 9-ball. Jazzy Billiards' Stage Mode features nine different stages, each with an opponent of ascending difficulty. Find out how many computers you can defeat in a row with Challenge Mode, or challenge your friends to a game of 9-ball in Versus Mode.

Word Searcher
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You'll need a sharp eye and a quick mind to complete these 100 themed word search puzzles. Word Searcher contains fun words from multiple categories including anatomy, world cities and U.S. presidents. Packed with a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there's sure to be a puzzle anyone will enjoy. Help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with these challenging puzzles. Keep track of, and try to beat, your own play-through times again and again as words are scrambled every time you play. Get your thinking cap on and conquer all 100 today.

Virtual Console™
Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye
Original platform: Genesis
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The ancient pastime of mahjong solitaire is reinvented as an interactive video game where each tile you remove may be your last. Discover enchanting music, fun animation and exciting obstacles that are built in to this intriguing board game that will keep you engaged for hours. This classic title challenges you to clear the board by removing matching pairs of tiles. Play the traditional Shanghai® II or take the game to a new dimension with Dragon's Eye. Don't let the simple rules deceive you - the depth and intricacy of this challenge will become your new obsession very soon.

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 Card™ 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.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.