Blast from the past

Banishing the memory of last week's poor showings on the Nintendo Download, this week offers up a bumper crop of games, with Virtual Console, DSiWare and WiiWare all receiving fresh new games to play.

Virtual Console

Super Bonk (Super NES, 800pts) — A platformer so classic it's practically prehistoric, Super Bonk takes the bone-headed hero through another adventure full of dinosaurs, headbutts and tanks outside the Eiffel Tower. If this sounds like your cup of tea, our Super Bonk review will fill you in on the rest.

WiiWare

Planet Fish (Ludia, 500pts) — If the My Aquarium games were just too sedate for you, you might want to take a look at Planet Fish, a game in which you search the world's oceans to catch all the fish you like. We'll dive into this one and let you know if it's worth taking the plunge with a review this week, probably with better puns.

DSiWare

Absolute Baseball (Tasuke, 500pts) — Having seemingly exhausted its supply of simple games to translate into 200 Point titles, Tasuke takes on the big leagues with the 500 Point Absolute Baseball. You step into the shoes of a baseball manager, aiming to take your team of young hopefuls all the way to the top, without ever swinging a bat yourself. We'll see if this one strikes out with a review in the coming days.

Anonymous Notes Chapter 1 — From the Abyss (Sonic Powered Co., 200pts) — A roleplaying game on DSiWare? These are strange days indeed, with this effort from Sonic Powered Co. promising infinitely rearranging dungeons, magic, monsters and more. We'll cast Journalistic Appraisal level 3 and see what happens.

A Fairy Tale (Lemon Team, 500pts) — Oh hey, a puzzle game: DSiWare is back in familiar territory now, matching things that are the same colour over 100 levels of "stunning graphics and magical music". Our resident fairy expert will sprinkle magic reviewers' dust everywhere and magic up a review.

WiiWare Demo

A Monsteca Corral: Monsters vs. Robots (Onteca) — A strange merge of Pikmin-like gameplay and intergalactic space maggots, this is a decent title to pick up for 500 Points, especially now you can try before you buy. Our A Monsteca Corral: Monsters vs. Robots review has all the answers.

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: NEW DOWNLOADABLE LINEUP FEATURES SUPER BONK AND FRESH BASEBALL ACTION

April 4, 2011

Showers or no showers, the onset of April brings another round of new downloadable games for Nintendo systems. The Super NES™ favorite Super Bonk is now available on the Virtual Console™ service, giving Wii™ owners a fun new way to enjoy the hard-headed fun of the classic series. And as real-world baseball comes back to life in ballparks across the nation, the Nintendo DSiWare™ service offers the hand-held excitement of Absolute Baseball, challenging players to guide their own customized teams to big-league victory. Dark dungeons, fairytale adventures and exotic fish add even greater variety to this week's lineup.

Nintendo DSiWare

Anonymous Notes Chapter 1 - From The Abyss -
Publisher: Sonic Powered Co.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Discover an exhilarating RPG set inside an infinitely extending dungeon. Sweep away the monsters wriggling in many places and defeat the strong boss monster lurking in the deepest part of the dungeon. Even after the boss monster is defeated, the dungeon automatically re-creates itself, so players can try new games over and over. Using the skill called Soul Capture, the male character can take magic and other skills away from the monsters, as well as weapons and shields to power up.

A Fairy Tale
Publisher: Lemon Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: When a giant menace threatens the village, young faeries Delfbert, Wilf and Angelica set out on a fantastic journey to save their home. Join them on their whimsical quest through 100 puzzling levels, marked by stunning graphics and magical music that will fill you with wonder. Featuring an exciting new type of puzzle game play and a humorous, lighthearted storyline, A Fairy Tale is an unforgettable journey of enchantment.

Absolute Baseball
Publisher: Tasuke
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Become the manager of a baseball team and lead it to the championship. Make all the decisions for your team, from selecting the starting lineup and switching pitchers and runners to giving your players pitching, fielding and batting orders. Earn points as you play games throughout the season, and use them to increase your players' abilities. Build them into the team that will respond to your strategy and make it to the top. In addition to regular league games, there are interleague games, playoffs and the championship series.

Virtual Console

Super Bonk
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: Dive headlong into the action in the first installment of the Bonk series on the Super NES. This time, Bonk has been caught in King Drool's trap and hurled into darkness. To find his way back to prehistoric times, he must embark on an adventure through streets, caves and eventually outer space. Control Bonk as you progress through the stages, but watch out for enemies blocking your path. Eat meat to transform Bonk and perform even more powerful attacks. Many challenges lie in Bonk's path. In addition to his spin and climb moves, you can use items such as candy, which changes Bonk's size, to overcome these obstacles.

WiiWare™

Planet Fish™
Publisher: Ludia
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Ready, aim...fire suction bubbles from your underwater craft to trap fish to display in your personal aquarium. Catch and collect exotic fish in colorful deep-sea environments such as the Gulf of Mexico, the Ryukyu Islands and the spectacular Great Barrier Reef. Try to avoid obstacles and dangerous species lurking in the depths. Grow your aquatic collection with beautiful marine life from around the world. Navigate through 30 unique levels of play, each with its own challenges and obstacles. Watch out for jagged surfaces, dangerous jellyfish and paralyzing algae. Win bonus collectible fish as you advance in the game. Unlock animated Trophies with each region that you successfully complete.

A Monsteca Corral: Monsters vs. Robots (demo version)
Publisher: Onteca
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 500 Wii Points
Description: The planet Monsteca is no longer the harmonious world it once was. It's been overrun by a robotic army set on ruling and conquering. Monsteca natives, known as the Stompies, have no choice but to run or be captured. Unable to defend themselves against such heavy machinery, they must rely on the strength of their herd to work together and defeat the meddling robots. Take control of the cute, not-so-bright Stompies, and help them avoid being captured by invading robots. It's your duty to guide them successfully through each level. This fun strategy game offers 20 levels for many hours of game play.