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Another week begins, and as always there are the European Nintendo Download Update details to tease us about goodies on the way. This week has some potential beauties, it must be said, across both Wii U and 3DS. Download-only games, retail downloads and DLC all feature, and naturally some discounts are also thrown in. Let's get to it.

Wii U eShop

SteamWorld Heist (Image & Form, €14.99 / £10.99 at launch, or $13.39 / €13.39 / £9.99 for those that own SteamWorld Dig on Wii U or 3DS, normally €19.99 / £14.99) - The follow-up to breakthrough title SteamWorld Dig, this adopts a turn-based 2D strategy approach for the highly stylised steambot IP. A lengthy campaign is delivered along with plenty of weapons and hats, because robots wearing hats are surely irresistible; we loved this in our SteamWorld Heist review for the 3DS eShop, and will take another look at this HD iteration. Available from 30th September.

Soul Axiom (Wales Interactive, €14.99 / £11.99 or €12.74 / £10.19 until 15th October for those that have the Nindies@Home demo) - Similar in stylistic approach to Master Reboot, this nevertheless has its own story and twists on puzzle-based stages. With a relatively surreal style and the ability to phase objects in and out of existence, this certainly has plenty of potential. We'll explore its mysteries for our upcoming review.

Quest of Dungeons (Upfall Studios, €8.99 / £7.99 or free if you own the 3DS version on the same Nintendo Network ID) - A turn-based dungeon-crawling roguelike, this one has the choice of four character classes, with the key challenge being to tackle randomly generated dungeons, accumulate loot and then boost your abilities. Throw in boss encounters, permadeath and multiple difficulty levels and this is full of promise. We'll have a review with you soon.

SDK Spriter (HullBreach Studios, €12.50 / £10.50 or €10.00 / £8.40 if you own SDK Paint on the same Nintendo Network ID) - An app that may be tempting for creative retro enthusiasts, this aims to be a tool for "creating retro video game assets, including character sprite sheets, tile sets, maps, and full levels", which can be shared on Miiverse or the app's official site.

Wii U DLC

FAST Racing NEO: NEO Future Pack (Shin'en Multimedia,€4.99 / £4.20) - This will include eight new tracks, ten new vehicles and 18 new music tracks; we'll check this out and share some impressions. Available from 30th September.

SteamWorld Heist: The Outsider (Image & Form, €4.99 / £4.49) - Available from 30th September.

SteamWorld Heist - Hatbox: Hatful Eight + 2 (Image & Form, €1.99 / £1.79) - Available from 1st October.

SteamWorld Heist - Hatbox: Three 4 Free (Image & Form, free) - Available from 2nd October.

Wii U eShop Temporary Discounts

BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (Gaijin Games, €5.99 / £4.99 until 3rd October, normally €11.99 / £9.99)

Gravity Badgers (Wales Interactive, €2.49 / £2.49 until 29th October, normally €4.99 / £4.99)

Bit Dungeon+ (Dolores Entertainment, €4.00 / £3.60 until 6th October, normally €4.99 / £4.99)

Dual Core (Gray Fin Studios, €6.99 / £5.99 until 13th October, normally €9.99 / £8.99)

Midnight 2 (Petite Games, €1.59 / £1.43 until 20th October, normally €1.99 / £1.79)

99Seconds (EnjoyUp Games, €1.49 / £1.34 until 27th October, normally €2.49 / £2.29)

Darts Up (EnjoyUp Games, €1.49 / £1.34 until 27th October, normally €2.49 / £2.29)

Rock 'N Racing Off Road (EnjoyUp Games, €2.99 / £2.69 until 27th October, normally €5.99 / £5.39)

Run Run and Die (EnjoyUp Games, €1.99 / £1.79 until 27th October, normally €3.99 / £3.59)

Hot Rod Racer (ZeNfA Productions, €1.49 / £1.34 until 27th October, normally €2.99 / £2.69)

ZaciSa: Defense of the Crayon Dimensions! (ZeNfA Productions, €1.49 / £1.14 until 27th October, normally €2.99 / £2.29)

Epic Dumpster Bear (Log Games, €3.89 / £2.99 until 27th October, normally €6.49 / £4.99)

Nintendo Selects eShop Permanent Discounts (from 30th September)

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo, €24.99 / £19.99, previously €39.99 / £34.99)

Mario Party 10 (Nintendo, €24.99 / £19.99, previously €39.99 / £34.99)

Pikmin 3 (Nintendo, €24.99 / £19.99, previously €49.99 / £39.99 )

Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo, €24.99 / £19.99, previously €59.99 / £49.99 )

3DS eShop

River City: Tokyo Rumble (Natsume, €29.99 / £24.99) - A title that originally seemed to be destined as a Japan-only release, credit is due to Natsume for bringing this to the West, albeit it's download-only in Europe. This side-scrolling brawler is the latest in a diverse series that's been known as Renegade, River City Ransom, Street Gangs, Crash 'n The Boys, and Double Dragon depending on region, and this modern day iteration continues some of the traditions seen in games like those; it also has two minigames, a free-for-all arena brawler and a dodgeball game. We'll check it out in a review, but until then you can learn more about it in our first impressions article from E3.

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 (Inti Creates, €11.69 / £9.99 until 5th October, normally €12.99 / £11.10) - A much-anticipated sequel to a critically acclaimed eShop release, this looks set to include more of the same enjoyable gameplay with a few extra twists, including Copen as a playable character. We'll let you know what we think soon.

Ninja Usagimaru - The Mysterious Karakuri Castle (Aksys Games, €5.99 / £5.00) - We rather enjoyed this one's predecessor, which blends a lovely Japanese aesthetic with tricky and clever puzzles. 60+ levels are promised in this new entry, and it'll be interesting to see whether it matches the quality of the original.

Quest of Dungeons (Upfall Studios, €8.99 / £7.99 or free if you own the Wii U version on the same Nintendo Network ID) - The same game but on the go, albeit with StreetPass included; the idea is that if you pass others you may come across the ghost of one of their failed attempts, which you can try to kill and loot.

Noah's Cradle (CIRCLE Entertainment, €4.99 / £3.99) - An action flying game that brings the Ace Combat series to mind. It promises six levels and has a heck of a backstory, so could be promising.

3DS Retail Downloads

Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (SEGA, €39.99 / £34.99) - The Sonic Boom brand is tainted in some eyes by its disastrous Wii U game, but an initial 3DS release and the TV series are reasonable (and in the latter case popular) efforts. This 3DS sequel gives Sonic and friends the ability to switch between fire and ice elements, and features some solid (and occasionally pacey) gameplay. We'll have a review with you before release, but in the meantime you can learn more about this one in our Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice preview. Available from 30th September.

3DS DLC

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice: Special Episode (Capcom, €5.99 / £5.39)

3DS eShop Temporary Discounts

Art of Balance TOUCH! (Shin'en Multimedia, €5.20 / £4.70 until 20th October, normally €6.99 / £6.29)

Epic Word Search Collection (Lightwood Games, €5.99 / £4.49 until 6th October, normally €7.99 / £5.99)

Epic Word Search Collection 2 (Lightwood Games, €5.99 / £4.49 until 6th October, normally €7.99 / £5.99)

Demon King Box (CIRCLE Entertainment, €2.99 / £2.39 until 20th October, normally €3.99 / £3.19)

Parking Star 3D (CIRCLE Entertainment, €1.99 / £1.69 until 20th October, normally €2.99 / £2.49)

Quell Reflect (CIRCLE Entertainment, €2.99 / £2.39 until 20th October, normally €3.99 / £3.19)

Football Up Online (EnjoyUp Games, €1.99 / £1.79 until 27th October, normally €3.99 / £3.59)

Crazy Construction (Joindots, €5.59 / £3.99 until 6th October, normally €6.99 / £4.99)

Alien on the Run (Joindots, €3.99 / £3.35 until 6th October, normally €4.99 / £4.19)

3DS HOME Themes

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Herbert Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Icke Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Klinsy Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Kuito Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Litty Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Mari Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Rudy Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Sola Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Urken Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

The Legend of Dark Witch 2 - Zizou Theme (CIRCLE Entertainment, €0.99 / £0.99)

Encave II Theme (Bergsala, €1.99 / £1.79)

Encave III (Bergsala, €1.99 / £1.79)

Shantae Beach (Bozon, €1.99 / £1.79)


That's everything for the European Nintendo Download Update this week - let us know what you're planning to download in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading this week?

(You can select up to 17 answers)