This week's North American download releases once again cover all three of Nintendo's platforms, though fans anticipating a particular release may feel that the titles on offer don't quite cut it. Read on for details.
3DS eShop
3D Classics: TwinBee (Nintendo, $4.99) — The 3D Classics series continues with another vertical shoot-em-up title from the 1980s. We'll see how well it stands up to modern-day standards in our upcoming review.
DSiWare
Escape Trick: Ninja Castle (INTENSE CO., Ltd, 500pts/$4.99) — The second entry in the Escape Trick series, this title tasks you with helping ninja Raiko Mitarai escape from a castle full of traps and puzzles. The game promises action gameplay with varied controls, our upcoming review will see whether it delivers.
Break Tactics (Agetec, 500pts/$4.99) — This is a tactical war game with strategic deployment of units, upgrades and traversing the terrain all part of the challenge. Our review will determine whether this title wins its battles.
WiiWare
Aya and the Cubes of Light (Object Vision Software, 1000pts) — This creative title makes use of gravity to provide a mix of 2D platforming and puzzle-solving. Check our our Aya and the Cubes of Light review to learn more, and determine whether this is a challenge you want to take on.
WiiWare Demos
3D Pixel Racing (Microforum) — A new demo for you to try out this week.
Nintendo Video on 3DS
Foley Part 2 — A follow up to last week's video that promised an experience 'like air guitar on steroids'. If you liked part 1, then you should be pleased.
So, will you be splashing out on any of these downloads?
Comments 55
Were the wii vc if its coverin it all.... thank god i got my snes n64 an retron 3 now....
No Wii VC for a month now. I guess it really is dead.
Hopefully 3D classics Twinbee will be worth downloading.
Other than that this is a lame update.
@ocarinaoftime - Fair point, I've changed this to say that the titles on offer cover all 3 of Nintendo's platforms. Wii VC hasn't been getting much love recently
The wii vc was my biggest reason for buyin wii... Thomas are u buying skyward sword....
I Think i'll take a chance on Twinbee this week. is is really better then Xevious?
I'd like some Wii VC titles and a GBC title. I think I'll wait for a review for Twinbee. Never played it before, and a lot of the 3D Classics don't interest me and are overpriced in my opinion. Hopefully Nintendo will turn one of their games into 3D Classics (besides Exitebike).
I'd like to see some real innovation with the 3D classics here Ninty. As a simple remaster, they could sell tons if they picked a proper title. I've been waiting and waiting for some solid substance to hit the EShop. C'mon Nintendo!
Depending on the review, I might get TwinBee (I'm a sucker for scrolling shooters).
Same thing fro Escape Trick: Ninja Castle. If it gets a decent review, I'll probably download it.
Oh, and I will give the Demo of 3D Pixel Racing a try. It got a bad review, but looked interesting, so I guess I can see if it really deserved that score.
kind of sad the DSI only gets 2 games per week now..... plan on getting Break Tactics around 4pm est and maybe a preivew up by 8
Still waiting for some more 3DSWare.
Downloaded TwinBee as I've had £5.20 in my account for a while. It's pretty fun. I like it more than Xevious in terms of gameplay and accessibility.
Meh... Nothing for me.
I hope they release Picross E next week.
I want TwinBee and after that maybe Break Tactics if I have enough money left over and read some impressions of it.
Blah blah complain complain wah wah.
/me returns to playing Kirby
yawn
Old reliable Nintendo.
That's 2 more DSiWare and one more 3DSware than Japan got this week. Don't complain.
@Adamant: And yet Japan is still miles ahead in all platforms
The handheld online service update this week was one VC game (Mario's Picross, which you already have). Next week it seems we'll get one DSiWare game (Four Swords) and nothing more.
You'll catch up at this rate.
Highly doubtful. Japan has hundreds more Wii VC titles and 10 more 3DS VC titles than NA & EU
(oops, scratch that, we're getting a super exciting "spot the differences" DSiware game next week, too. Mwahahah, take that!)
(and also 2 3dsware games (Family Tennis and a masyu game) and Metroid 2 on the VC and... ok, we ARE better off than you. Teaches you for not importing )
I will get Twinbee since my 3DS is in need of more shmups and nothing else.
@Waveboy Well the best part of 3D classic Urban champ for me was the 3d effect (best 3D out of the 3 games imo), and I certainly enjoy it from now and then, but this game can get monotonous. Just make sure you know what you're getting from this game.
TWINBEE! HAWLL YEAH
Well I'll be! TwinBee! And the game's an import, too!
I'm not as harsh as some regarding the Wii's VC library because really there are multiple dozens of gems there and enough gameplay to dig in to for a couple years at least [unless you've been buying VC since the launch and actually beating a game every couple weeks]. With that said, would it be so much to ask for Nintendo to communicate a little bit as to the complete evaporation of NA Wii VC titles?? Do we have ANY reason to think more are coming [at least before the Wii U]?
But I don't want the "funky junky" lesser known titles nearly as much as I want the first party well known titles. I don't care if it's predictable, I just want my 3D Zeldas and Marios! It's already gotten predictable for Nintendo to release lackluster titles to the eShop.
Dissapointing to say the least. No 3DSware. No GB, GBC, GBA, GG, or TG-16 games.
Nintendo has to have very little brain function. They are only doing a handful of 3D classics. So why in the HECK did they pack Urban Champion, which is widely considered the worst NES games EVER, and two games that are EXACTLY the same (Xevious and Twinbee)??? Twinbee might be really good, but what's the point of gettin it if you already have Xevious?
Really no point in checking the 3DS update weekly. It would be FAR less dissapointing if you check it monthly.
I guess I still got to wait 10 years until nintendo runs out of "classic" games and brings the actually decent ones.
Not everything non-first party is lackluster.
Disappointing. I was hoping for some new VC games.
With Hudson now dissolved I think we can stop expecting TG-16 games .
I was REALLY hoping for Dungeon Explorer II, which is a great game, and sells for $$$ on the second hand market.
Actually, I'm somewhat disappointed in the VC. Some headliners like Strider (Genesis), Rygar (NES), and Contra (NES) never made it. I can understand some games not coming, but some of the biggest games on their platforms? The lack of Contra is baffling, it was one of the games that 'made' the original NES what it was.
I guess we can hope for WiiU, but these games were made for SD TVs, and look better on them than they do on HD TVs.
Twinbee's cheaper than Xevious. That's good to hear because $5 is about right for that game. Hopefully Konami will release more Twinbee games soon.
twinbee is tempting. if my memory is right, i loved it much more than xevious.
xevious was fun...but a little too costly what what it offers. i dont play it already.you get to the point fast enough.
I will wait for a review for twin bee, but we really need some wii vc. I want more Neo Geo games.
I'll be avoiding the new Escape Trick game if the review of the first one is anything to go by.
@WaveBoy: Just played Decap Attack for the 1st time on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection or whatever it's called... pretty wacky fun. If you have a 360 the collection is absurd value, selling at 20 bucks now for 40+ 16-games.
As for the update.... gimme TwinBee. Never played it, and as odd as the choices are, I'm loving the 3D Classics so far. Like some strange parallel universe of gaming. Even Urban Champion has gotten 2 hours of play... five bucks for 2 hours? That's a cheap movie ticket, people. I'll take it.
I wish contra for wii vc wave.... I pay 1000 wiivpoints for that game....
I remember when Nintendo used to put Virtual console games on the Wii. Yup those were the good old days
Wow nothing that I want this week. I thought we were getting Four Swords sometime this week.
VC Nazi: NO VEE CEE FOR YOU!!! COME BACK, ONE WEEK!!!
Well, obviously the whole "let Wii rot" approach from Nintendo is extending to Wii VC now. Oh, Nintendo, don't worry about the fact that there are millions of Wii owners being next to flat out ignored when your next system may be a year away. Don't let it bother you! God, I hope VC picks up when Wii U is released.
May pick up TwinBee. Other than that, this update should've been about 20% cooler. And would've at least approached that with one VC release.
One positive here: A KONAMI game (even if it's published by Big N) on one of the download services again. Can't remember the last time we saw new Konami content on Wii Shop. Never on 3DS. I you're finally back in the game now, Konami, we need Castlevania: Bloodlines and Contra Hard Corps. And how about undoing the travesty of Contra NES not being on Wii VC yet? MAKE IT HAPPEN!
@Tasuki
Sadly we wont get that till next week and theres nothing here I realy would want to look into.
Why don't they put some of the DSi and 3DS downloadable games on WiiWare too?! It shouldn't be that difficult!
I want Twinbee but I'm spending my money on a membership card this week. Good update but upsetting that we didn't get Cut The Rope.
@waveboy Urban Champion isn't necessarily that bad. I still play it sometimes. If you get a friend to buy it you can play 2 player locally. It's not a bad game, but if there are other games that you'd rather have for $5 maybe saving your money is a good idea. The visuals do look cool.
@Adamant (#19) - Japan had a double update pretty much last week for eshop with four (4) DSiWare, three (3) 3DS Download and one (1) VC.
Japan only got Mario Picross this week for 3DS eshop, because there was one 3DS VC last week.
Not a bad update, but I'm pretty disappointed we didn't get Cut the Rope.
The 3DS VC games are the best I've downloaded from the eshop so far, sad to see none came this week. Oh well, free multiplayer Zelda (or single player since I have no DSi or 3DS weilding friends) is just a week away.
Still no Picross-E? Guess my 3DS is going to stay in it's charging cradle for yet another week..
Wow, I never would have expected to see a good third-party game get a 3D classics update this soon! I expected them to make us wait until they had released 3D Classics: Hogan's Alley and 3D Classics: Clu Clu Land before even considering an import title. We should celebrate this kind of event, if you ask me.
For the TwinBee review, please don't compare it to the standards of todays games. Games from the '80's were designed completely differently and can't possibly be compared to the games of today.
When you review TwinBee, just let it stand on it's own merits. As long as the game is fun and enjoyable, then it's a good game. Games back then didn't need stories, or voice acting, or cinematic cutscenes. Gameplay is what has always been important.
No VC again. Lame. Nintendo don´t want my money. Weird.
@tendoboy That's how Nintendolife always reviews their games. You don't need to tell them that.
@tendoboy - What @TeeJay said. While a game may have been good back when it was new, it could age like crap with things like control schemes that have become outdated, that genre-redefining game that came after it, etc. That's why sites review VC games compared to modern games, as what was good and fun 10+ years ago may not be as fun or good now.
Back to today, I'll have to check out what people think of TwinBee, as that looks like all I may be getting this week.
I'll be sure to get the Pixel Racing demo.
Aya has just horrible character art.
For the TwinBee review, please don't compare it to the standards of todays games. Games from the '80's were designed completely differently and can't possibly be compared to the games of today.
I disagree entirely.
It's easily better than many of the games of today.
@WaveBoy
iv been wondering about the same games too...
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