DLC

Ready to join your party

Fire Emblem: Awakening arrives in Japan on 19th April, and as expected it will be the first Nintendo published retail title on 3DS to feature DLC (downloadable content). It's a game with plenty of potential for additional add-on content, such as maps and additional characters, and the debut DLC appears to feature both. As...

Digital isn’t always enough

Yesterday we reported that there’s a new SNES title on the way in 2013. That title is Nightmare Busters from developer Super Fighter Team, a run and gun action game with a planned pre-order run of 600 copies. The concept of developing for a console that's now four generations out of date is unconventional but not...

Stealing Theatrhythm's thunder

After Nintendo's announcement last year that DLC would arrive on 3DS, it looked like Theatrhythm Final Fantasy — due for release in Japan on 16th Feburary — would be the first title with paid extra content on the handheld. Not to be upstaged, Nintendo has jumped ahead and released three small download packs for a...

Would you like fries with that?

In recent weeks and months Nintendo has been doing its best to encourage gamers to keep their 3DS on the move, with Wi-Fi hotspots and Nintendo Zone making appearances worldwide. It's in Nintendo's homeland, however, that 3DS connectivity appears to be taking a major step up. It's been reported by Famitsu, and...

Can't stop the rhythm

Way back in November last year we posted the news that Nintendo was promising 3DS DLC in 2012, though there were no further details. According to a report from Official Nintendo Magazine, the starting gun has now been fired for this extra content to go on sale. It's been confirmed that Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, the music title...

Horse armour anybody?

Downloadable content, software updates and microtransactions are not things that owners of Nintendo systems have been hugely exposed to in the past, but things are about to change. With expanded online offering Nintendo Network on the cards for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, third party developers will soon be allowed to sell...

Add-ons a-go-go

It's a common problem in these days of overly crammed release schedules: wait around for a few weeks and you might find that the game you've just spent your precious pennies on is already considered old hat. The community has already moved on to the next title, nobody wants to talk about it any longer and, while it might still be...

No Luigi DLC, shockingly

It's clear that a title is selling in huge numbers when the publisher offers downloadable content (DLC) on the Wii, as Ubisoft did with its Just Dance 3 Mario DLC last year. The trend is set to continue, with owners of the Wii game now having access to two additional DLC packs. The details from the press release are below...

Get more quests

We haven't heard much about Fire Emblem on 3DS for the past few months, but Nikkei (via Andriasang) report the game will kick off the system's add-on DLC service in early 2012. Now called Fire Emblem: Awakening, the game will release in Japan on 19th April, with a new "free map" system letting you explore the world with a...

Wa-ha!

Just Dance 3 is about to get a whole lot more plumber-y, as Nintendo UK has announced a Mario song is on the way next week. From 14th December you'll be able to download The Mario Song for 250 Nintendo Points, a medley of classics beats and tracks from Mario games past. An on-screen Mario jives to the beat, and the dance marks all wear Mario...

"We'll do DLC right"

Downloadable content is a double-edged sword: when used right, it enhances and expands your game experience, but when done wrong you wind up paying more to unlock something that's on the disc or cartridge you bought in the first place. The recent announcement that Nintendo will provide DLC on 3DS next year led some to worry it'd follow the latter path, but Nintendo of America..

Will we see any this year?

The late November 3DS system update will add the ability for developers to release downloadable content for games in the 3DS eShop, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed there'll be no Nintendo DLC until 2012. Speaking to investors after the semi-annual financial report, Iwata said: Nintendo will also offer...

And in the coming weeks, too

If you've been enjoying Solatorobo: Red the Hunter over the past few weeks, you might have had chance to try out its free download content. There's more to come too, as Nintendo outlines the next month's quests available only via download. There's a new quest every week, with today's being the Air GP Pharaoh Cup for all those Grand Prix lovers, with future content..

But no word on what

Extra downloadable content is a fertile field for developers, allowing them to extend the appeal of their game long after it's left the charts. While some Wii games allowed for paid DLC under the system's "Pay and Play" feature, it was never really a big focus for the console, something Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is keen to change with the company's new machines..

100 Points a pop

Just JAM, the music-based WiiWare game from Big John and Zivix Interactive, released earlier this month, and now the first two batches of downloadable content have gone live. You can preview the first selection in the trailer below, which includes Soar by Roster McCabe, Shadow Godz by The Alpha Centauri and Let's Dance To This by Apollo Cobra. The second trailer showcases the next..

If you like difficult levels, it's for you

The game has still not been released in Europe and North America, but details of the upcoming DLC for La-Mulana have now been revealed. Downloading the 300 Nintendo Point package will unlock a boss rush mode, which comes with a timer so you can try to beat your best times on it. But any La-Mulana veterans will know that the next feature's the most..

Fuji Television and Nippon Television providing content

With the launch of the Nintendo eShop earlier this month, the 3DS has picked up momentum after a period of flagging hardware sales, and that momentum is continuing to build as Nintendo is about to launch its television service on its handheld console. As translated by Andriasang, Nintendo's collaboration with Japanese networks Fuji Television..

And how the eShop can fix it

The imminent launch of the eShop on the 3DS is eagerly anticipated, especially as it is arriving over two months after the launch of the device. Nintendo has gone to great effort to emphasise that the delay will be worth it, with assurances of compelling content and a high quality interface. There has been acknowledgement that the eShop’s predecessor, the DSi Shop,..

Extra content off the bench and warming up

EA Canada won't be pulling out all the stops with its upcoming FIFA 12 effort on the 3DS, but gamers will be glad that at least the game can be kept relatively up-to-date via the console's SpotPass feature. Producer Matt Prior has elaborated on how FIFA 12 will utilise selected 3DS features and reiterated how the studio plans to get the fundamentals right..

Find out why Barry is in the game and Leon isn't

When the playable characters in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D were revealed with Barry Burton being the eighth and final member; some were left wondering why other characters were left out, in particular, Resident Evil 2 protagonist Leon Kennedy. Speaking to Euroga

And more scheduled to arrive

Dead or Alive: Dimensions releases today in the UK and Europe, and it's already taking advantage of the SpotPass service with downloadable content available today. Once you pick up your copy, head to a hotspot or your own home Wi-Fi broadband connection to receive a brand new costume for Kasumi. You can also face Kasumi as controlled by a CPU replication of Team Ninja..

Level-5 really is outdoing itself

Fans of the Professor Layton series should by now be familiar with Level-5's commitment to providing post-release content in the form of new puzzles, and the upcoming 3DS instalment isn't about to break that habit. Previous games in the franchise have provided new puzzles which could be downloaded on a weekly basis, lasting for up to dozens of weeks. According to..

Bit.Trip, Phoenix and Ghouls on the Wii, fire-fighting, platforming action and brain busting on the DSi this week in Europa

WiiWareBit.Trip RUNNER (800pts - Aksys Games) -- Europe gets the first try at the latest entry in the minimalist, retro-rhythm game series from Gaijin Games. We loved the time we spent playing the final release version, so if you want to re-up your hype factor re-read our..

We take a look at what was added this time

As of last week, Mega Man 10 is now "complete": all announced DLC has been released, and it doesn't look like we should expect more. This second and last update came with three extra stage to play as Mega Man only – two additional Special Stages and an Endless Stage, which was also downloadable for Mega Man 9. Here's what we think of it all:..