Aeternoblade

Monday morning means Download news time in Europe, and this week Nintendo has delivered a fairly lengthy list of options on the way. There are new titles on Wii U and 3DS as well as some retro VC options, while a variety of temporary and permanent discounts also arrive to tempt you into parting with your funds. Let's get to it.

Wii U eShop

Evofish (Moving Player, €3.99 / £3.59) — Originally a title on Android and iOS, it arrives on the Wii U with bright, colourful visuals and new multiplayer modes. Moving Player is keen to emphasize that — beyond single player — the asynchronous multiplayer options will make this a fun party game on the system. We'll get together and see whether we agree with that school of thought in our upcoming review.

Wii U Virtual Console

Wario's Woods (Nintendo, €4.99 / £3.49) — This NES title lands on the Wii U Virtual Console, adding to the contingent of 8-bit puzzle titles available to download. It has action elements that holds up pretty well, and we gave it a recommendation in our Wario's Woods review.

Wii U eShop Temporary Discounts

Darksiders II (Nordic Games, €39.99 / £31.99 until 13th March, normally €49.99 / £39.99)

Knytt Underground (Ripstone, €4.49 / £3.99 until 6th March, normally €8.99 / £7.99)

Wii U eShop Permanent Discounts

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist (Ubisoft, €29.99 / £19.99, was €44.99 / £36.99)

Just Dance 4 (Ubisoft, €19.99 / £14.99, was €39.99 / £29.99)

3DS eShop

AeternoBlade (CORECELL, €14.99 / £13.50) — After a fairly protracted process to gain localisation funding, this brawler finally completes its journey into Europe. With RPG and 'Metroidvania' elements this is appealing on paper, but we feel it is a bland and occasionally frustrating experience; we awarded 5/10 in our AeternoBlade review.

The Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths (Ynnis Interactive, €14.99 / £13.49) — This adventure arrived on the Wii U eShop last year, and finally makes its promised transition to the 3DS eShop. Based on the increasingly popular TV show, with future content to follow events from its namesake, this places you in the shoes of three children that must be guided through puzzles and tricky scenarios. We'll try this out on 3DS, but until then you can see what we thought in our Wii U eShop Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths review.

3DS Virtual Console

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (Nintendo, €4.99 / £4.49) — Recently provided as a free download to all 3DS owners in Europe with a registered Nintendo Network ID, the end of that promotion sees this arrive as a standard download. A Game Boy Color re-release of the classic NES title, it has a zoomed-in view due to pixel limitations, but also has extra challenges and visual embellishments. The limitations of the original hardware perhaps restricts its effectiveness, as we suggested in our preview of the Japanese version; we'll work on a review to see how well the NES title and its tweaks stand up in this version.

3DS Retail Download

Senran Kagura Burst (Marvelous AQL, €34.55 / £29.99) — This title has perhaps attracted attention for its character designs and the fact it made it West at all, but once the game starts it delivers fast, combo-intensive fighting gameplay that is hugely enjoyable. You can check out our recommendation in the Senran Kagura Burst review.

Jewel Quest Mysteries 3 - The Seventh Gate (MSL, €11.99 / £10.79)

Bibi & Tina - Das Spiel zum Kinofilm (€39.99)

3DS eShop Temporary Discount

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate (Konami, €22.49 / £19.99 until 6th March, normally €44.99 / £39.99)


Plenty to choose from, European gamers. Let us know if you're planning to pick any of these up in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (189 votes)

  1. Evofish (Wii U eShop)4%
  2. Wario's Woods (Wii U Virtual Console)1%
  3. Darksiders II (Wii U eShop temporary discount)4%
  4. Knytt Underground (Wii U eShop temporary discount)15%
  5. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist (Wii U eShop permanent discount)2%
  6. Just Dance 4 (Wii U eShop permanent discount)2%
  7. AeternoBlade (3DS eShop)2%
  8. The Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths (3DS eShop)2%
  9. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (3DS eShop)3%
  10. Senran Kagura Burst (3DS retail download)13%
  11. Jewel Quest Mysteries 3 - The Seventh Gate (3DS retail download)  0%
  12. Bibi & Tina - Das Spiel zum Kinofilm (3DS retail download)1%
  13. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate (3DS eShop temporary discount)6%
  14. Nothing for me this week46%

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