Trapped in your CPU

The download information arrived a little later than normal today, and no wonder — there's a lot of content available this week, along with some surprise sales on Wii U. Enough pre-amble, let's get into it.

3DS download software

escapeVektor (Nnooo, $9.99) — The original release on WiiWare was one of the platform's best titles, so this compilation of four "chapters" of content is sure to please fans. You're tasked with escaping a CPU over the course of 150 levels and 27 worlds, all with stereoscopic 3D and online leaderboards thrown in. We've got high hopes for this one, and we'll see whether we can avoid an unfortunate cyber-virus in our upcoming review.

PIX3D (Gamelion Studio, $3.99) — This pixel puzzler promises 1000 puzzles over three game modes with an accompaniment of 8-bit retro music. It sounds downright irresistible, but the final result is a mix of clever, enjoyable puzzling with some difficulty spikes and missed opportunities. Still worth consideration, and you can check out our PIX3D review for more details.

3D Game Collection (Joindots GmbH, $5.99) — The title says it all, really, with 25 different board and card games combined in one package, with three themed worlds to try out. Previous experiences of game "collections" make us wary, but we'll get playing to bring you a review soon.

3DS Virtual Console

Wario Land II (Nintendo, $4.99) — Since this classic Game Boy Color platformer arrived in Europe in the summer, retro enthusiasts in North America have been not-so-patiently awaiting its arrival. It's now available in all of its coin hoarding glory, so stop asking about it and get downloading, or have a read of our Wario Land II review if you're still not sure.

3DS download demo

2 Fast 4 Gnomz (QubicGames, free) — This WiiWare remake arrived at the start of November, a tricky endless runner that made some improvements over the original. You can give our 2 Fast 4 Gnomz review a read if you're curious about what we thought, plus you can just download this demo for nothing; everyone wins.

3DS retail DLC

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo, $2.50 each) — These are the final two Coin Rush packs that will be released for this year's big handheld platformer. The "Impossible" and "Mystery Adventures" speak for themselves, with the former being suitable only for the best players, while Mystery Adventures encourages you to explore and look for those invisible walls.

3DS retail downloads

Mario Tennis Open (Nintendo, $39.99)
Pilotwings Resort (Nintendo, $39.99)
Pokemon Rumble Blast (Nintendo, $34.99)
BIT.TRIP SAGA (Aksys Games, $14.99)
Riding Stables 3D (TREVA Entertainment, $29.99)

Wii U download software sale

Trine 2: Director's Cut (Frozenbyte, $15.99 until 7th January)
Little Inferno (Tomorrow Corporation, $9.99 until 4th January)
Chasing Aurora (Broken Rules, $7.49 until 3rd January)

Wii U retail downloads

Jeopardy! (THQ, $49.99)
Wheel of Fortune (THQ, $49.99)

DSiWare

Castle Conqueror - Heroes 2 (CIRCLE Entertainment, 500 Nintendo Points) — This picks up on events two years after the original Castle Conqueror - Heroes, which arrived on DSiWare almost exactly a year ago. It's turn based strategy over a number of battles, and while we don't think this one quite reaches the same impressive heights as the original, we still strongly recommend it in our Castle Conqueror - Heroes 2 review.

Anonymous Notes Chapter 3 - From The Abyss (Sonic Powered Co, 200 Nintendo Points) — An action RPG that picks up on the preceding two chapters, with the abilities and items gathered from the previous games able to be shared with this new entry. The first two had middling scores in our reviews, so we'll see if this one fares better.

Cake Ninja XMAS (Cypronia, 200 Nintendo Points) — The ninja that specialises in slicing and dicing cakes is making a festive appearance on DSiWare. Neither of the first two entries in the series found favour in our reviews, but we'll head to the dojo — wearing a Santa hat — to test this one out soon.

WiiWare

Vampire Crystals (Shanblue Interactive, 1000 Nintendo Points) — It's a new WiiWare game, which is quite a novelty nowadays. This one takes place in Creepyland, and involves you playing as vampires to fight ruthless zombies. It promises destructible environments as well as co-op multiplayer, but we'll check it out and bring you a review soon.

WiiWare demo

Vampire Crystals (Shanblue Interactive, free) — See description above!

There's certainly plenty of choice this week, let us know what you'll be spending your money on in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (146 votes)

  1. escapeVektor (3DS eShop)16%
  2. PIX3D (3DS eShop)2%
  3. 3D Game Collection (3DS eShop)2%
  4. Wario Land II (3DS VC / GBC)39%
  5. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS DLC)8%
  6. Castle Conqueror - Heroes 2 (DSiWare)2%
  7. Anonymous Notes Chapter 3 - From The Abyss (DSiWare)2%
  8. Cake Ninja XMAS (DSiWare)2%
  9. Vampire Crystals (WiiWare)8%
  10. Nothing for me this week!19%

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