Japanese box art, but you get the picture

The headline story this week: intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran returns to Nintendo 3DS, battling Metroids — but definitely not Space Pirates — in a portable adventure that paves the way for Super Metroid.

In other news, DSiWare continues to swell with puzzle games and there's definitely something fishy going on in WiiWare.

3DS Virtual Console

Metroid II: Return of Samus (Game Boy, Nintendo, $3.99) — Samus Aran's second appearance on 3DS after the Ambassador version of Metroid, this sees the bounty hunter destroying Metroids left, right and centre. It's a good little game, as our upcoming review will explain.

DSiWare

Battle of the Elements (EnjoyUp Games, 500pts) — Combining two of DSiWare's biggest features — animals and matching coloured objects — Battle of the Elements has a story mode, 40 missions and local multiplayer too. We'll see if it's worth grabbing or should be left to the elements in our upcoming review.

Come On! Heroes (CIRCLE Entertainment, 200pts) — CIRCLE has been on a roll lately with its Castle Conqueror line, and now it's trying its hand at action with the pleasingly encouraging Come On! Heroes. We'll have a full review soon.

WiiWare

Big Bass Arcade (Big John Games, 500pts) — Get bass in this big-screen conversion of Big Bass Arcade on DSiWare, with all the Remote-and-Nunchuk japery you'd expect. We'll land a verdict in our upcoming review.