This dude looks tough

So we're back to normal with our Monday morning Nintendo Download fix here in Europe. We're treated to a host of classics in the 3DS and Wii U Virtual Consoles this week, along with a small batch of new portable offerings and some discounted pinball on both platforms. Let's get to the details, shall we?

Wii U Virtual Console

Pac-Man (Namco Bandai, €4.99 / £3.49) — An iconic arcade title that truly propelled Namco Bandai into the gaming public's consciousness, and an IP that's still immediately recognisable to many today. This NES version provides a solid experience based on the original, which has previously seen the light of day on the Wii and 3DS Virtual Consoles. We'll be tackling it on Wii U for a fresh perspective, but until then you can check out our 3DS Virtual Console Pac-Man review.

Mega Man (Capcom, €4.99 / £3.49) — It wasn't long ago that this was kicking off the latest Virtual Console campaign for the series on 3DS, yet it does arrive on Wii U at a slightly lower price. This one is an important part of Blue Bomber history as the series debut, but has growing pains largely resolved in its well-loved sequel. It's still very much worth a look, as our 3DS Virtual Console Mega Man review explains.

Wii U eShop Temporary Discounts

Zen Pinball 2 (Zen Studios) — The following table packs will be discounted from 2nd May to 9th May.

Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles Pack — €4.99 / £3.99, was €9.99 / £7.99

Marvel Pinball: Original Pack — €4.99 / £3.99, was €9.99 / £7.99

Marvel Pinball: Vengeance & Virtue Pack — €4.99 / £3.99, was €9.99 / £7.99

Fantastic Four Table — €1.49 / £1.19, was €2.99 / £2.39)

Captain America Table — €1.49 / £1.19, was €2.99 / £2.39)

Civil War Table — €1.49 / £1.19, was €2.99 / £2.39)

3DS eShop

Picdun 2: Witch's Curse (INTENSE CO., Ltd, €4.99 / £4.49) — Rather like its DSiWare prequel, this title takes first-person dungeon exploration and adds a puzzle/picture element into play. It also adds a partner battle system, and serves as an accessible, friendly introduction to what can be a daunting genre; it does lack the depth of a typical dungeon crawler, however. You can learn more about it in our Picdun 2: Witch's Curse review.

3DS Virtual Console

All of the new offerings in the 3DS Virtual Console this week — some of which will be familiar to ambassadors — include Download Play, where only one copy of the game is needed for local multiplayer.

Balloon Fight (Nintendo, €3.99 / £3.59) — It seems that wherever we look in recent weeks Balloon Fight is there, just begging to be remembered for its balloon popping shenanigans. Previously available to Ambassadors, it now gets the full VC treatment on 3DS; as you can see in our Wii U eShop Balloon Fight review, we feel this one is starting to show its age more than others.

Ice Climber (Nintendo, €4.99 / £4.49) — Another NES title that can now be played happily on the go, this is a vertical platformer featuring characters probably more famous nowadays for appearing in Super Smash Bros. With an overly simplistic game style and some rather floaty, awkward controls, we don't feel this is worth a recommendation in our 3DS Virtual Console Ice Climber review.

Mario & Yoshi (Nintendo, €4.99 / £4.49) — Simply called Yoshi in North America, this one was rather late to the NES party, at which point most were growing to love Yoshi on the Super NES in his iconic first appearance with Mario. This is a decent puzzle game and little more, as our 3DS Virtual Console Yoshi review makes clear.

Super C (Konami, €4.99 / £4.49) — While we're not sure whether Super C or Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces is the better name, we do know that some run and gun fans will be sold on the fact that it's Contra on the go. The good news is that we think this is a pretty worthy sequel to the iconic NES original, even if it's arguably a little more forgiving this time around; check out our 3DS Virtual Console Super C review for the full lowdown.

3DS eShop Temporary Discount

Marvel Pinball 3D (€3.49 / £2.99 until 9th May, normally €6.99 / £6.29) — Zen Studios is one of the top pinball game developers out there, and probably the best known, and it did a good job of bringing the experience to 3DS. Now available a tasty discount, you can read why we think you should consider this title in our Marvel Pinball 3D review.

3DS Retail Download

My Riding Stables 3D – Jumping for the Team (Treva Entertainment, €39.99 / £34.99) — Simply known as Riding Stables 3D in North America, this sim puts you in charge of caring for and training horses, naturally. It has good intentions, no doubt, but falls short of excelling in any area; if you're not sure, our Riding Stables 3D review rides onto the scene with full details.

DSiWare

Publisher Dream (CIRCLE Entertainment) — After Bookstore Dream did a decent job of recreating a business sim — very similar to smartphone equivalents — Circle returns with a title that puts you in charge of a game development studio. It has a Nintendo slant, with your task being to release games on the "cShop", and will attempt to suck gamers in with a "finish one more game" mentality. We'll get our coding hats on and see whether this game about making games is worth a look.


So there you have it, plenty of downloads though most, admittedly, are Virtual Console titles. Let us know all about your download plans in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (152 votes)

  1. Pac-Man (Wii U Virtual Console)2%
  2. Mega Man (Wii U Virtual Console)10%
  3. Zen Pinball 2 paid content (Wii U eShop discount)14%
  4. Picdun 2: Witch's Curse (3DS eShop)5%
  5. Balloon Fight (3DS Virtual Console)1%
  6. Ice Climber (3DS Virtual Console)1%
  7. Mario & Yoshi (3DS Virtual Console)2%
  8. Super C (3DS Virtual Console)6%
  9. Marvel Pinball 3D (3DS eShop discount)3%
  10. My Riding Stables 3D – Jumping for the Team (3DS retail download)  0%
  11. Publisher Dream (DSiWare)3%
  12. Nothing for me this week53%

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