Prime Trilogy

Nintendo of America was particularly late with its Download Update details today, so as a result we initially produced a provisional list; thankfully the official details have now been issued. As expected there's a much anticipated Wii download on the Wii U eShop, a top-notch indie sequel and a retail demo on the 3DS, with much more besides. Let's get to it.

Missed the European Nintendo Download details earlier in the week? Don't fret, the details are right here.


Wii U eShop

Metroid Prime Trilogy (Nintendo, $9.99 until 5th February, then $19.99) - The trilogy of games that established Retro Studios as one of Nintendo's finest developers and defied the odds in re-imagining the Metroid franchise as a first-person adventure. All three entries - two for GameCube, one for Wii - come in this one download, with Wii Remote pointer controls providing precision aiming. An outstanding trilogy at a terrific price, you can read our glowing Metroid Prime Trilogy review if you're still on the fence.

Frenchy Bird (Carbon Fire Studio, $1.99) - Another title inspired by the Flappy Bird craze of mid-2014, this is set in Paris with a semi-3D isometric perspective, while also throwing in leaderboards and Miiverse stamps. We'll see whether this soars or not in our review.

Rock 'N Racing Off Road (EnjoyUp Games, $5.99) - Potentially tapping into the current popularity for real-life toy racing cars, this game offers up top-down racing that brings to mind the classic Super Off-Road. It includes local multiplayer for up to five racers and online leaderboards, and we'll drift around some bends to bring you a review.

Wii U Virtual Console

Shadow of the Ninja (Natsume, $4.99) - This came rather late in the NES life-cycle; its sidescrolling ninja-action certainly brings to mind other iconic titles such as those in the Ninja Gaiden franchise. We had some praise for this in our most recent Shadow of the Ninja review.

Wii U eShop Temporary Discounts

Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones (Curve Studios, discounted until 12th February)

Thomas Was Alone (Curve Studios, discounted until 12th February)

BLOK DROP U (RCMADIAX, $1.99 until 25th March, normally $2.99)

BLOK DROP X TWISTED FUSION (RCMADIAX, $1.99 until 25th March, normally $2.99)

TOSS N GO (RCMADIAX, $0.99 until 25th March, normally $1.49)

SPIKEY WALLS (RCMADIAX, $0.99 until 25th March, normally $1.49)

SHUT THE BOX (RCMADIAX, $0.99 until 25th March, normally $1.49)

POKER DICE SOLITAIRE FUTURE(RCMADIAX, $0.99 until 25th March, normally $1.49)

3DS eShop

Gunman Clive 2 (Hörberg Productions, $2.99) - A sequel to the surprise hit of late 2012, this recreates the excellent action platforming of its predecessor but with additions of stylised colour, more set-pieces, bigger bosses and increasingly dynamic stages. We're big fans of this game, giving it a strong recommendation in our Gunman Clive 2 review.

Sumico (Engine Software, $2.99) — Previously a smartphone game, this is a smart puzzler in which you combine tiles to complete sums, providing its own spin on the genre. With plenty of stages and an endless mode this is ideal for keeping the brain busy; we gave it a hearty recommendation and described it as "a gem of a puzzler" in our Sumico review.

Drop Zone: Under Fire (Selectsoft, $4.99) - Originally a late arrival on WiiWare, this now makes the transition to 3DS to add stereoscopic 3D to its free-falling shooting gameplay. In this title you sky-dive through over 100 levels while blasting away foes; we enjoyed the WiiWare version and will jump into this 3DS version for a review.

Jewel Quest: The Sapphire Dragon (Tulip Games, $5.99) - Released in Europe as a budget retail game in May 2014, this comes to North America as a download-only title, seemingly serving up the series' standard fare of match-three gem puzzling with a background story to try and keep things interesting. We'll let you know what we think in a review.

3DS Virtual Console

Shadow of the Ninja (Natsume, $4.99) - As per the Wii U release, but on the go.

3DS eShop Temporary Discounts

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Activision, $14.99 until 5th February, normally $29.99)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze (Activision, $14.99 until 5th February, normally $29.99)

3DS Demo

Code Name S.T.E.A.M. (Nintendo, free)

3DS HOME Themes

Mario's Mighty Moustache (Nintendo, $1.99)

Luigi's Mighty Moustache (Nintendo, $1.99)


In addition the third edition of Nintendo's Throwback Sale has been confirmed; you can see which six games have been discounted in that promotion right here.

That's the North American line-up for this week. Let us know what you'll be downloading in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (366 votes)

  1. Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii U eShop)58%
  2. Frenchy Bird (Wii U eShop)1%
  3. Rock N' Racing Off Road (Wii U eShop)1%
  4. Shadow of the Ninja (Wii U Virtual Console)  0%
  5. One of the Wii U eShop discounts  0%
  6. One of the Throwback Sale discounts  0%
  7. Gunman Clive 2 (3DS eShop)12%
  8. Sumico (3DS eShop)1%
  9. Drop Zone: Under Fire (3DS eShop)  0%
  10. Jewel Quest: The Sapphire Dragon (3DS eShop)  0%
  11. Shadow of the Ninja (3DS Virtual Console)  0%
  12. One of the 3DS eShop temporary discounts  0%
  13. Mario's Mighty Moustache (3DS HOME Theme)  0%
  14. Luigi's Mighty Moustache (3DS HOME Theme)  0%
  15. Code Name S.T.E.A.M. (3DS demo)22%
  16. Nothing for me this week5%

Please login to vote in this poll.