Fenimore's back in town
Westerners on WiiWare; Samurai on VC; Exotic Farms, Mahjong and Acoustic Guitars on DSiWare
Today might be a national holiday in United States but that doesn't mean the Nintendo Download is taking a day off, with five releases including the return of Virtual Console in the form of Samurai Shodown III.
WiiWare
Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner (Revistronic, 1000pts) – Take the role of cowboy Fenimore Fillmore in this adaptation of a long-running series of PC point and click adventures. The press release makes it sound less of an action-packed Western romp and more of a diplomatic mission to reunite farmers and cattle ranchers, but we'll get to the bottom of it all in our upcoming review.
Virtual Console
Samurai Shodown III (Neo Geo, 900pts) – SNK's revered feudal fighter returns. Haohmaru, Amakusa and more classic characters appear, with the alternate Bust and Slash versions of characters making their first appearance. Have a read of our Samurai Shodown III review to see why this slasher is a cut above.
DSiWare
Simply Mahjong (Engine Software, 200pts) – Another week, another take on the matching tiles game hits DSiWare. This one is from the developers of Simply Solitaire and Simply Sudoku, so if you've played either title you'll have a fair idea of what to expect. You'll have an even clearer idea by reading our Simply Mahjong review, of course.
My Exotic Farm (BiP Media, 200pts) – Hot on the hooves of My Farm comes My Exotic Farm, which takes the established agricultural template and squeezes in parrots, rhinos and lions. We'll have a full review soon, but in the meantime have a look through our My Farm review to see what we thought of its predecessor.
Music On: Acoustic Guitar (Abylight, 200pts) – The latest in Abylight's Music On series, this simulates an acoustic guitar with a dictionary of over 900 chords for six-string fans to reference. Our delightfully melodic review will be online in the coming days.
It's press release time!
NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: SPEND LABOR DAY WITH PECULIAR COWBOYS, DEADLY SAMURAI AND FEATHERED FRIENDS
Sept. 6, 2010
You've earned a day off. No matter what kind of labor keeps you busy on most Mondays, today is the perfect day to just relax and enjoy yourself. To help put you in the leisurely spirit, this week's new downloadable games for Wii™ and Nintendo DSi™ systems offer welcome diversions for everyone under the sun. Mosey into an atypical Old-West adventure with Fenimore Fillmore "The Westerner" for the WiiWare™ service. Live out your secret samurai fantasies with the NEOGEO classic SAMURAI SHOWDOWN III, now available on the Virtual Console™ service. For some fun on the go, the Nintendo DSiWare™ service now lets you test your tile-matching skills with Simply Mahjong, interact with rare birds in My Exotic Farm, or get your six-string kicks with Music on: Acoustic Guitar.
WiiWare
Fenimore Fillmore "The Westerner"
Publisher: Revistronic
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Welcome to the West! Come and see the fastest cowboy in action. Visit a typical Western town with a grand saloon, a sheriff's office and a bank. Meet the classic doctor, the powerful "master of the land," an industrious pioneer and men and women who raised a great nation with their blood, sweat and tears. But there are things that cannot be helped, and one of them - very typical in the West - is the continuous fighting between farmers and cattle ranchers. While farmers used to win the sympathy of most people, cattle ranchers had more money, more men and more power. Only a cowboy as peculiar as Fenimore Fillmore could side with the farmers when the rest of the cowboys are paid by the merciless and sinister cattle rancher.Virtual Console
SAMURAI SHODOWN III
Original platform: NEOGEO
Publisher: D4 Enterprise
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Blood, Use of Tobacco, Violence
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: This is a fighting game released in 1995 as a sequel to the previous year's release of SAMURAI SHOWDOWN II. Though this is the third installment in the series, the story takes place between the first and second installments. Players can choose from 12 samurai seeking to defeat Zankuro Minazuki. Along with minor upgrades from the last version - such as the ability to press buttons to fill your rage gauge and the ability to defend in midair - you can also select from slash and bust personality types for each character. Each type has its own set of special moves you can take advantage of, effectively doubling the amount of characters you can play.Nintendo DSiWare
Simply Mahjong
Publisher: Engine Software
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Simply Mahjong gives you exactly what you want: pure mahjong on your Nintendo DSi system. Mahjong is a Chinese tile-matching game. The tiles are arranged in a special pattern with their faces upward. A tile is said to be open if it can be moved either left or right without disturbing other tiles. The goal is to match pairs of identical tiles. The game is finished when all pairs of tiles have been removed from the board or there are no exposed pairs remaining. The simple game design and easy, intuitive controls make it a game that the whole family can enjoy. The game features 50 puzzles in each level to provide hours of fun.My Exotic Farm
Publisher: BiP Media
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: My Exotic Farm is an exotic farm simulation game. In the beginning, all you own is an empty field, a few pennies and a single parrot. If you feed and take care of it, the parrot will make feathers that can be sold. With this money, you can buy new animals at the Farmers' Market and purchase equipment from the shopkeeper. Little by little, as your farm builds up, you will unlock bonuses including a well, a great green macaw, a guard dog and a 4x4. You can also exchange animals with your friends who play My Farm or My Exotic Farm.Music on: Acoustic Guitar
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: It's like having an acoustic guitar in your pocket! Play your favorite songs easily with the predefined chord option and enjoy the high sound quality. Hear the fingers on the frets and the nails while strumming. A directory of more than 900 chords shows you how to place your fingers on a real guitar and lets you listen to them when selected. Five different styles will accompany you to set the mood: Pop Rock, Soft Rock, Country, Ballad and Blues. Other features include a palm mute function, a metronome and the ability to save up to 10 sessions.
User Comments
1. GhostPeachy
06 Sep 2010, 13:30 BST
Wow VC!
I'm not interested in it though...
2. Bass_X0
06 Sep 2010, 13:30 BST
Whats the betting that people will complain that a good VC game has been released solely because its already in a collection? I'm still waiting for my copy of the collection to arrive.
3. YoshiSage
06 Sep 2010, 13:43 BST
I can only hear the retro purists complaining about VC now solely because the game is on a collection... even if they got a game on the service this week. Stupid retro purists. Can they EVER be happy with what they've got?
4. Kevin
06 Sep 2010, 13:48 BST
Nice to see they're not completly giving up on the VC as of this moment.
5. KnucklesSonic8
06 Sep 2010, 13:49 BST
Disappointing for me once again, despite being intrigued by today's only WiiWare game.
6. Link79
06 Sep 2010, 13:52 BST
Hey guys I'll be the first to say something positive for a change about the VC release for today. I loved the first two Samurai Shodown games and I'll likely be getting the third at some point. I don't really need the compilation.
I'll take what I can get if it means supporting VC.
7. BlindWolf8
06 Sep 2010, 14:02 BST
One VC game a week is better than none at all I guess....
8. Tsuchinoko
06 Sep 2010, 14:06 BST
Is there an actual Mah-jong game on the Wiiware/DSiware at all?
9. Splat
06 Sep 2010, 14:37 BST
Blah.
10. Angaran
06 Sep 2010, 14:39 BST
The Westerner looks fun
11. Egg_miester
06 Sep 2010, 14:49 BST
i would Samurai Showdown III its a awesome series but i plan on getting the anthology some point
12. Birdman13
06 Sep 2010, 15:17 BST
Still nothing. Still fine by me.
13. MrDanger88
06 Sep 2010, 15:21 BST
Crapday (as usual)
14. Bass_X0
06 Sep 2010, 15:24 BST
Yes, an 8/10 game is surely crap, right?
15. Natie31
06 Sep 2010, 15:28 BST
Today we all have the day off vc or not there's nottin here as always!
16. Clinker
06 Sep 2010, 15:28 BST
At least we got VC, maybe the summer drought is over
17. TheBaconator
06 Sep 2010, 15:37 BST
Yawn...Not a huge fan of the Samurai Showdown games (Mainly because I'm bad at them)
18. manleycartoonist
06 Sep 2010, 15:41 BST
No Worms? Boooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Hopefully, now that Labor Day marks the end of summer, we can expect the flood gates to open and we'll have a VC and GOOD WiiWare game each and every MONDAY!
19. LuWiiGi
06 Sep 2010, 15:47 BST
For once, America is catching up with Europe! All the UK's DSiWare these days is crappy games like Jazzy Billiards that NA got a few months back. Oh look, I'm complaining about Europe's download services when this article is about NA's services. Sorry, everyone. On a less selfish note I feel sorry for America's dying WiiWare services and its continuation of overpriced apps for DSiWare.
20. Sneaker13
06 Sep 2010, 15:58 BST
Me want Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner. Hopefully Europe don't have to wait too long.
21. Aenaida
06 Sep 2010, 16:02 BST
Nothing for me, which suits me just fine.
22. JusticeColde
06 Sep 2010, 16:10 BST
I can't help but feel that Fatal Fury 3 is coming next
23. Slapshot
06 Sep 2010, 16:21 BST
Ummmm sucks
24. Stuffgamer1
06 Sep 2010, 16:22 BST
What SuperPeach said.
Seriously, I'm at this point (sadly) impressed that we got a game other than the expected Aero the Acrobat 2, and relatively soon after Ufouria to boot, but it just doesn't interest me personally. Nothing else on this week's release does either. Oh, well, not like I have money to burn right now anyway. I've got planned purchases to deal with, starting with KH: Birth by Sleep tomorrow!
25. fishman100
06 Sep 2010, 16:26 BST
I'm looking forward to dwnldng Mahjong ASAP.
26. ErrorSupply
06 Sep 2010, 16:54 BST
That guitar DSiWare actually looks pretty cool. If I was more musically inclined I might get it, then again if that was the case I'd probably have a real guitar and thus no use for such an app. Guess I'll put it in the "maybe" list.
27. brooks83
06 Sep 2010, 16:56 BST
Back to Fire Emblem for me.
28. GundamMac
06 Sep 2010, 17:28 BST
Glad we got SamSho3. I might get it when I go home for Thanksgiving break.
29. Objection
06 Sep 2010, 17:32 BST
Not a bad week, but nowhere near great either. I'll always appreciate when we get a VC though, all things considered.
30. SwerdMurd
06 Sep 2010, 18:12 BST
Sweet we finally got our port of Red Dead Redemption. Too bad they removed the sandbox elements and phenomenal presentation...and combat.....and any chance at being a fun game.....and changed the title.
31. Chicken_Brutus
06 Sep 2010, 18:39 BST
@Swerd_Murd:
I love you, in a way.
32. sdcazares1980
06 Sep 2010, 19:11 BST
@YoshiSage: I'm not a retro purist and I'm not happy about the fact that Samurai Showdown III is already out for the Anthology. Get me Yoshi's Island and/or Double Dragon II, and then we'll start talking about being satisfied.
33. TheLonelyGamer
06 Sep 2010, 19:31 BST
Nothing for me here.
34. WolfRamHeart
06 Sep 2010, 19:41 BST
Seeing Samurai Shodown III reminds me that I need to pick up the anthology. Sorry but I'm not paying $9 for just one game when I can get this game and five others on the anthology for less than $20 on Amazon.
35. wanderlustwarrior
06 Sep 2010, 19:49 BST
You know, complaining about other people complaining be fore they even do is worse, cause it's a complaint and an assumption.
36. odd69
06 Sep 2010, 20:29 BST
meh, just got monster hunter tri. gonna pass this week
37. Vinsanity
06 Sep 2010, 20:36 BST
I'd much rather see Aero 2 than SamSho3. I got one Neo Geo game via the VC, and that's it. I decided to get the Metal Slug and SNK Arcade Classics games instead - $35 bucks for the two games, and already have pretty much all the Neo Geo I could ever want. You'd be a fool to pay 9 bucks for ONE title. Its not like they're putting Garou: Mark of the Wolves on the service.
Still, thanks for supporting the VC SNK
Can you just put stuff up there that's....better? You know, games that aren't already available via retail disk for a MUCH MORE reasonable price? Like, Shock Troopers 2 or something?
38. PunnyGuy
06 Sep 2010, 21:51 BST
Hurray for a VC game! Sadly, the WiiWare game doesn't look all that good to me, but then again I'm judging this book by its cover.
39. luke17
06 Sep 2010, 22:10 BST
collecting strippers for my farm? sounds great
40. SwerdMurd
06 Sep 2010, 22:13 BST
@BigPhillyStyle - If I didn't love you back in a way, would I have turned your name into a Will Smith reference?
@Vin - ditto. Shoot em ups and Shock Troopers 2...and maybe some of those weird 3d fighters that were around during the late 90s/early 2000s...
@Wolfram - I think it's worth noting that the Collection doesn't allow for use of Gamecube controllers...I may be an incredibly small demographic (well, I'm pretty tall...), but I have an arcade controller that hooks up through GC ports, so all fighters/arcade games without this feature sadly get an autopass....as such, I'm actually tempted to pick up this release, even though it goes against my bargain gland.
Capcom--Rival Schools maybe? Some of that stuff? I'd buy.
41. ErrorSupply
06 Sep 2010, 22:31 BST
Well, I picked up that guitar app. Never really owned a guitar, so just twiddling around on the strings kept me entertained for 20 minutes or so. The strings vibrate and react to the force you strum them with pretty accurately (as far as I can tell). You can even hear fingers sliding up and down the string ridges as you change frets. I have to imagine the amount of songs you can actually play with this thing are pretty minute given the 8 chord limit, but I still had fun programming the 4 chords from the "Smoke on the Water" riff and jamming away.
7/10
42. MasterGraveheart
07 Sep 2010, 00:04 BST
Wow. This week is just BAD. It doesn't even get a "Where's my Shantae" gripe. Not worth my breath. Pathetic.
At least Virtual Console got something.
43. Cheezy
07 Sep 2010, 01:12 BST
Now see, the fact I didn't even check today's update till just now shows how weak the service is become and shows just how much I care. It used to be the first thing I would do everyday, but today it was almost the last...
44. NeoShinobi
07 Sep 2010, 04:50 BST
Samurai Showdown makes this a fairly decent update. Everything else looks terrible though...
45. Kobayashi
07 Sep 2010, 04:58 BST
VC lives ! Cool.
46. BulbasaurusRex
07 Sep 2010, 05:07 BST
Today, I went ahead and got a new copy of the Samurai Shodown Anthology for $16 ($30 price - $14 store credit).
47. Ponygame
07 Sep 2010, 10:54 BST
It looks like a lot of fun.I cannot wait to get it here in Europe!
48. outrun2sp
07 Sep 2010, 17:25 BST
Some good Neo geo games are coming out. They have moved into the 94+ generation of games where SNK's fighters were competing with Capcoms best. Real bout / Samurai Showdown 4 are getting closer.
49. MeloMan
07 Sep 2010, 18:06 BST
I like point and clicks, but I'll need that review to make my final decision as I'm not diggin' the art direction of Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner, and I didn't play it for PC. Good to see the VC still around... be nice if the game released wasn't already a fighter or shmup, we've got MORE than enough of those. Is it really that hard to get ahold of the Acclaim rights of Double Dragon II and III, as well as Tradewest rights for Super Double Dragon? Seriously, wth man...
50. Omega
07 Sep 2010, 18:38 BST
The Westerner looks like fun. I want that in europe with german subtitles please.
51. Bass_X0
08 Sep 2010, 13:46 BST
Is it really that hard to get ahold of the Acclaim rights of Double Dragon II and III, as well as Tradewest rights for Super Double Dragon? Seriously, wth man...
Who would want to though? They'll have their own games to release before taking on the games of defunct companies.
52. akacesfan
09 Sep 2010, 00:19 BST
Thats not even a cowboy name, Fenimore Fil... aww forget it!
53. eltomo
10 Sep 2010, 07:22 BST
Ooo, I thought it said Erotic farm.