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It's Monday morning, and it's that time again for European download gamers. This week's download goodies are confirmed, including a Super NES title that we think will be popular, a chaotic retail release on 3DS and plenty more besides. Let's get down to the details, shall we?

Wii U Virtual Console

Pilotwings (Nintendo, €7.99 / £5.49) — This flying game was a trailblazer when first released, combining different vehicles and challenges with the goal of flying your way to a surprising and epic final mission. Not exactly a detailed flight sim, but under the right circumstances still laid back, this one certainly has a loyal group of fans that we suspect will eagerly pick it up on Wii U. We'll take a fresh look at the latest re-release, but until then you can check out our Wii Virtual Console Pilotwings review.

Wii U eShop Temporary Discount

Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition (WayForward, €6.66 / £5.99 until 11th July, normally €9.99 / £8.99)

3DS eShop

Dress to Play: Magic Bubbles! (EnjoyUp Games, €3.99 / £3.59) — The Dress to Play series returns, once again combining fairly simplistic avatar dress-up with a basic game, a fusion certainly targeted at children in particular. Its cute aesthetic works well and the basic match-three game is fun enough, with just the limited fashion aspect holding it back. It's still worth consideration, as our Dress to Play: Magic Bubbles! review explains.

3DS Virtual Console

Sonic Drift 2 (SEGA, €3.99 / £3.59) — While Mario is perhaps most commonly known for his karting exploits, Sonic was hitting the tracks on Game Gear, though this one arrived after Super Mario Kart had burst onto the scene. Said to be far better than the original Sonic Drift and the first to arrive outside of Japan back in the day, we'll get into the driving seat to bring you a review, soon.

Vampire: Master of Darkness (SEGA, €4.99 / £4.49) — This is a side-scrolling adventure title, with a bit of exploration thrown in, that some may loosely compare with the early Castlevania games. What we do know is that Dracula is trying to take over England, so we'd better hurry up and start our review.

G-LOC: Air Battle (SEGA, €3.99 / £3.59) — An action flying game, this one was also popular on the SEGA Mega Drive. The Game Gear version arrives on 3DS, with plenty of blasting on the agenda as you try to save the world from the skies. We'll dig out our gear and take-off for our review.

3DS Retail Download

Project X Zone (Namco Bandai, €34.99 / £27.99) — This cross-over RPG combines the worlds of Namco Bandai, SEGA and Capcom, with Monolith Soft on development duty. If that's not enough, it's also rather good, with a zaniness and visual flair all of its own, even if confusion can occasionally be the order of the day. According to Nintendo's press release this will be available on 4th July with the rest of the downloads, which is one day ahead of its EU street date. If you're unsure, you can read the strong recommendation in our Project X Zone review.

3DS eShop Temporary Discount

Mighty Switch Force! (WayForward, €3.99 / £3.59 until 11th July, normally €5.99 / £5.39)

DSiWare

California Super Sports (Cypronia, 500 Nintendo Points) — Tapping into the summer season, this release aims to provide fun mini-games based around Californian sports and games such as rollerblading and target football. Unfortunately, it's a collection that fails to deliver mini-game fun or longevity, as our California Super Sports review makes clear.

99Moves (EnjoyUp Games, 200 Nintendo Points) — The latest DSiWare release in the 99 series, this one sees your number of moves limited as you attempt to navigate your way through ever-trickier courses. It has a certain charm and provides some true retro-style challenge, yet the gameplay hook certainly won't appeal to everyone; check out our 99Moves review for the full lowdown.

Wii Virtual Console

The King of Fighters '99 (D4 Enterprise, 900 Nintendo Points) — The Neo Geo fighting franchise returns to the Wii Virtual Console. This introduced a four-fighter mechanic but, for some, doesn't quite live up to its predecessor. Despite that popular conception, we recommend it as worth a look in our The King of Fighters '99 review.


So there you go, every single active Nintendo system gets some content this week. Let us know what you plan to download in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (168 votes)

  1. Pilotwings (Wii U Virtual Console)15%
  2. Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition (Wii U eShop temporary discount)4%
  3. Dress to Play: Magic Bubbles! (3DS eShop)2%
  4. Sonic Drift 2 (3DS Virtual Console)5%
  5. Vampire: Master of Darkness (3DS Virtual Console)3%
  6. G-LOC: Air Battle (3DS Virtual Console)  0%
  7. Project X Zone (3DS retail download)10%
  8. Mighty Switch Force! (3DS eShop temporary discount)5%
  9. California Super Sports (DSiWare)  0.6%
  10. 99Moves (DSiWare)  0.6%
  11. The King of Fighters '99 (Wii Virtual Console)3%
  12. Nothing for me this week53%

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