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It's that time again, North America, when fresh downloads appear on your Nintendo systems vying for your hard-earned funds. This week brings a mixture of the old, the new and the discounted on Wii U and 3DS, along with one or two relative unknowns. Let's get right to the details.

Wii U Virtual Console

Pilotwings (Nintendo, $7.99) — 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,$6.67 until 11th July, normally $9.99)

3DS eShop

Deer Hunting King (Arc System Works, $4.99) — One genre that's surprisingly well represented on the 3DS eShop is gallery shooting, where you aim and gun down safari animals, cartoon chickens or, in this case, a variety of beasts native to North America. You'll shoot down deer, bears and raptors — OK, maybe not all native — using either the Circle Pad of motion controls, while those that want to hunt in the real world can apparently do so with AR cards. We'll find a silly hat and hunt down a review, soon.

Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey (Cypronia, $4.99) — This is a hidden object spin-off from the Fishdom PC game by Playrix. A common genre on DSiWare now gradually appearing more on 3DS, this entry promises three themed aquariums in stereoscopic 3D, over 1000 items to find and various accessories to collect. We'll get lost in this for our upcoming review.

3DS Virtual Console

Sonic Drift 2 (SEGA, $3.99) — 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) — 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) — 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 eShop Temporary Discount

Mighty Switch Force! (WayForward, $3.99 until 11th July, normally $5.99)

Order Up!! (Ignition Entertainment, $4.99 from 8th July to 22nd July, normally $9.99)

Planet Crashers (UTV Ignition, $4.99 from 8th July to 22nd July, normally $9.99)

3DS eShop Demo

Crazy Construction (G-STYLE, free) — This title has actually been out for a while, but now there's a free sample for those unsure whether to take the plunge. We gave this rather wacky title a solid recommendation in our Crazy Construction review, and now you can check it out for yourself.


That's everything for this week, so let us know what you're planning to download in the poll and comments section below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (287 votes)

  1. Pilotwings (Wii U Virtual Console)13%
  2. Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition (Wii U eShop temporary discount)4%
  3. Deer Hunting King (3DS eShop)  0%
  4. Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey (3DS eShop)2%
  5. Sonic Drift 2 (3DS Virtual Console)7%
  6. Vampire: Master of Darkness (3DS Virtual Console)2%
  7. G-LOC: Air Battle (3DS Virtual Console)  0.4%
  8. Mighty Switch Force! (3DS eShop temporary discount)4%
  9. Order Up!! (3DS eShop temporary discount)2%
  10. Planet Crashers (3DS eShop temporary discount)  0.4%
  11. Just the Crazy Construction demo for me7%
  12. Nothing for me this week59%

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