DSiWare News - Page 4

November2012

  • Nintendo Download 22nd November 2012 (Europe)

    Flying, dressing up, fighting spirits and more

    There was a certain big release over in North America at the weekend, but fear not Europeans! You get to find out what downloads are coming first, so that's one-up right there. We have a 3DS launch title flying in as a retail download, as well as offerings on every platform; you can check out the...

  • Feature Advanced Tactics In Spirit Hunters Inc.

    In this third and final developer guide, Nnooo's Nic Watt explains the finer details behind successful spirit hunting

    In the previous feature Nnooo's Nic Watt took us through some of the more complex aspects of the player abilities in Spirit Hunters Inc., including some of the abilities which are unique to each element. In this third and final piece...

  • Feature Behind The Elemental Abilities Of Spirit Hunters Inc.

    In our second exclusive developer guide, Nic Watt explains the ability system in this spook-catching DSiWare release

    In the previous feature Nnooo's Creative Director Nic Watt detailed some of the basics to Spirit Hunters Inc. In this second feature he will explain some of the more complex aspects of the player abilities, including some of the...

  • Review Jump Trials (DSiWare)

    Trial without style

    Jump Trials, a 200 point DSiWare release from G-Style Games, is a game about running and jumping from left to right. It's a game for players who feel that perhaps platformers have become too ambitious, and that the "right" in "left to right" should refer to the far edge of a single DS-sized screen, rather than the ends of the...

  • Feature Mastering The Basics Of Spirit Hunters Inc.

    A guide to catching spooks, straight from the developer

    In this, the first of three articles, Creative Director at Nnooo Nic Watt will detail some of the components of Spirit Hunters Inc. to illustrate all the different aspects of the game. Spirit Hunters Inc. launches globally on DSiWare next week, so make sure you brush up on these tips to get a...

  • Nintendo Download 15th November 2012 (North America)

    Mickey gets epic, monster shooting, Myst and more

    It's Thursday, which comes before Friday, but also means Nintendo Download day. This week throws up a fair bit of content on 3DS, including four retail downloads with one high-profile release and the return of a PC classic, while DSi owners also have a couple of options to look forward to. Feast your...

  • Review Smart Girl's Playhouse Mini (DSiWare)

    Empty house

    It’s no easy task setting out to create a game that is wholesome and fun while maintaining an educational aspect. Unfortunately for Smart Girl’s Playhouse Mini, fun seems to have jumped ship, and all you’re left with is a too-sweet edutainment title with very little actual gameplay on offer. Touted as a collection of mini-games...

  • Nintendo Download 15th November 2012 (Europe)

    Falling blox, hotshots, ninjas and a magical whip

    It's Monday, but it's also time to turn that frown upside down. The European Nintendo Download update news is here, and it's full of handheld goodies for you to enjoy. Wii misses out, unfortunately, but we do have a highly anticipated sequel on the 3DS eShop, a teeth-grindingly difficult NES...

  • Review Come On! Dragons (DSiWare)

    Blowing smoke

    Come On! Dragons arrives on DSiWare with the promise of delivering a combination of tower defence and arrow firing action, much like its predecessor Come On! Heroes. Like the original title it succeeds to some degree, but its positives are weighed down by some disappointing flaws, meaning that it's not as hot as the title may suggest...

  • News Rytmik World Music Bringing the Beat Back to DSiWare

    Get composing

    Cinemax has confirmed that it's bringing Rytmik World Music to DSiWare, the fifth entry in the music composition series. It's a series that's had consistently strong recommendations in our reviews, with each entry bringing an accomplished and detailed music studio to your DSi; they're perhaps best reserved for enthusiasts and those...

  • Nintendo Download 8th November 2012 (North America)

    Paper Mario, Pokédex, dress up witches and dragons

    It's that time again, when we drop everything we're doing to fire up the 3DS eShop, DSi Shop and maybe, on occasion, the Wii Shop. Yes, it's the Nintendo Download update, and this week has a mixture of retail treats, a demo and some lesser known download titles. Let's get to it. 3DS Download...

  • Nintendo Download 8th November 2012 (Europe)

    Pokédex, 3D surfing, cake slicing and troopers

    Details of this week's European update have arrived, and they're perhaps not the night sky fireworks we'd hope for at this time of year. There's still some variety across all platforms and a long awaited app arrives, though the price may surprise some. 3DS Download Software: Pokédex 3D Pro...

  • News Nintendo Download Shops Offline For Maintenance This Tuesday

    Could a surprise be in store?

    Nintendo has revealed that its online stores will be temporarily offline on Tuesday for scheduled maintenance. The 3DS eShop, DSi Shop and Wii Shop Channel will all be inaccessible from 10:00 PT to "about" 17:00 PT. What's coming? It could be all manner of things. Nintendo could be preparing its online portals for the...

  • Review Cake Ninja 2 (DSiWare)

    Unjust desserts

    Almost one year ago, the DSiWare service was graced with the appearance of Cake Ninja, an unrepentant clone of mobile craze Fruit Ninja. However, its lifeless approach to the formula, lack of addictiveness and total dearth of variety doomed it to receive a mere 2/10 in our review. Now we have Cake Ninja 2, which seeks to atone for...

  • Review Spot It! Mean Machines (DSiWare)

    I spy a decent game

    At a glance, Spot It! Mean Machines is simply a collection of grainy photographs of piles of junk. If you continue to explore this title, you'll find that your initial assessment was astute, but you will also find that it’s amazing how much fun can be had while staring at these still images. If you’re a fan of classic Spot...

  • Nintendo Download 1st November 2012 (North America)

    Freakiness, fast gnomz, hidden objects and cake slicing

    While some Nintendo Download updates, particularly in recent weeks, are full of juicy and exciting options, we're not sure that this is one of those occasions. Both DSi and 3DS are covered with a mixture of titles, but Wii is left out entirely; no, there isn't even a Neo Geo fighter to keep the...

October2012

  • Podcast NLFM Episode 23: Revenge of the Halloween Hootenanny

    Best served as cold as a corpse

    Grab your bluntest instruments and aim for the head because NLFM has risen from its grave for the third annual Halloween Hootenanny! More spooky, more sinister and more deathly, this episode is best listened to in a dark castle dungeon while eating raw pumpkins. Failing that, anywhere else will do. 1. Masanao...

  • News Jump Trials Hops Onto North American DSiWare Soon

    Run and jump!

    When it comes to running and jumping, Nintendo systems seem to be the most appropriate place to go. If you enjoyed budget DSiWare title GO Series: 10 Second Run, meanwhile, then you may be interested in Jump Trials from Japanese publisher G-Style. On the way to North American DSiWare soon, Jump Trials is a localisation of Shunkan Jump...

  • Nintendo Download 25th October 2012 (North America)

    Liberation, a NightSky, puzzles, free extras and plenty of monsters

    The Nintendo Download update has had some good weeks in recent times, and following today's Nintendo Direct we finally have the information on today's offerings; it looks like this is another one that'll have something for everyone. With DLC, a demo, a retail release and a number of...

  • Review Puzzler World XL (DSiWare)

    My God, it's full of puzzles

    Based on a popular brand of pencil-and-paper puzzle collections, Puzzler World XL is the latest release from developer Ideas Pad. It doesn't stray far from its digital cousins or its analogue ancestors, but fans of classic puzzles will find an excellent companion in this expansive, well-rounded package. First and...

  • Review 18th Gate (DSiWare)

    Dungeon crawler

    18th Gate is not a game for the easily bored. It's a fairly basic strategy RPG that has you edging through – yes – 18 dungeons to the magical portal gates at the end, with the caveat that you only have a limited number of turns to escape from each maze. Each turn can be an attack, a spell or a single step to an adjacent hexagonal...

  • News Cake Ninja 2 Confirmed for DSiWare

    More deserts in line for the chop

    DSiWare has had its share of titles that have incurred the wrath of low review scores here on Nintendo Life, with Cake Ninja being one to enjoy the dubious honour. Essentially a DSiWare version of smartphone smash-hit Fruit Ninja, its pricing and painful lack of features and game modes meant that it took a bit of a...

  • News Pro-Putt Domo Is The Latest Downloadable Treat On Club Nintendo

    Domo arigato

    North American Club Nintendo members have another new title on which to spend their hard-earned coins. This time around it's Pro-Putt Domo, a charming DSiWare title that has you golfing with Japan's favourite mascot. This one will cost you 100 coins and it'll be available until 4th November, with club members surely unable to complain...

  • Nintendo Download 18th October 2012 (North America)

    Time to get stylish, pose for the camera, go fishing, fly a spaceship and more

    North America has enjoyed some busy Nintendo Download updates of late, with plenty of variety to choose from. This week is no exception with something for everyone, and the odd surprise, so let's get on with it. 3DS Download: Sparkle Snapshots 3D (Nintendo, $5.99) —...

  • Nintendo Download 18th October 2012 (Europe)

    Mega Man goes portable, Mad Dogs, free Mutant Mudds DLC and more

    While last week brought Pokémon dreaming and long-awaited samurai action to Europe, this week's update aims for the surprise factor. The upcoming 25th Anniversary of a certain Blue Bomber is celebrated, sort of, a retro light-gun game get's a second chance on the 3DS eShop, while the...

  • Hands On Spirit Hunters Inc.

    Die hard the hunter

    It's hard to believe that it's been almost three years since we first saw Spirit Hunters Inc. in its earliest incarnation. But rest assured, that development time has gone into turning the idea into a rather diverse and playable augmented reality experience. When you first begin playing Spirit Hunters Inc., the game seems fairly...

  • Review Robot Rescue 2 (DSiWare)

    Robot Parade

    The sequel to Teyon's first DSiWare release from back in 2009, Robot Rescue 2 charges players with leading a flock of oddly organic looking robots to safety across gridded stages. Rescuing these robots is made more complicated, and much more interesting, by the fact that their movement is synchronized. Press any direction on the D-pad...

  • News Ikachan Confirmed For Both DSiWare And 3DS eShop

    Two platforms, same game

    Yesterday, we teased a picture that showed Ikachan running on a 3DS. For those who don't know, Ikachan is a 2D retro style platformer from Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya, the man behind Cave Story. While developer Nicalis was originally intending to release Ikachan as a DSiWare title, they decided to produce two versions of the...

  • News Want to Know How to Play Spirit Hunters?

    Developer videos explain forthcoming DSiWare AR title

    Each week up until the release of Spirit Hunters on DSiWare on November 22nd, developer Nnooo will be releasing videos which give a little more detail on the inner workings of this interesting augmented reality title. Using your 3DS or DSi's camera, Spirit Hunters lets you do battle with ghosts...

  • Nintendo Download 11th October 2012 (North America)

    Mario gets on the course, robots are rescued, the one true demo arrives and more

    Last week was a bit of a bumper week for the Nintendo Download update in North America, and we have another packed list for you. Every platform is covered in some form, and there's a demo and some videos to fill your time too; let's get right into it. 3DS Downloads:...

  • News EnjoyUp's Zombie Skape Shuffling To DSiWare Soon

    Skateboards and Zombies galore

    EnjoyUp Games, the publisher behind La Mulana and Chrono Twins, has announced Zombie Skape today for DSiWare and the 3DS eShop. It's described as an arcade game with a 'terrifying' atmosphere. Oo-er. Protagonist Ethan dreams to become number one number one at skateboarding and outdo his idol Johnny Eagle. Unlucky for...

  • Nintendo Download 11th October 2012 (Europe)

    Pokémon dreaming, samurai sword slashing and rescuing robots

    So, it's finally time for this week's Nintendo Download update for Europe. We have a crack team currently investigating what happened to the official press release, but we'll go ahead and let you know what download delights are on the way based on what was revealed during last week's...

  • Review Academy: Chess Puzzles (DSiWare)

    Chess, minus chess

    Sometimes a game is so simple in concept that it’s difficult to find the right words to describe it. It’s also worth keeping in mind that simplicity is not always a bad thing, and it can often work in a game’s favor. With that being said, Academy: Chess Puzzles is the definitive simple pleasure. The first thing that needs...

  • News Spirit Hunters Ghosting Onto DSiWare on 22nd November

    Light and Shadow versions both available

    While Australian development studio Nnooo is fairly well known to Nintendo download gamers for Pop and escapeVektor: Chapter 1 on WiiWare — a new version of the latter is also on the way to the 3DS eShop — the developer has been quietly working on its ambitious DSiWare title, Spirit Hunters Inc, for quite...

  • Nintendo Download 4th October 2012 (North America)

    Cave Story, art classes, cross words and NSMB2 DLC

    You might want to pull up a chair for this one, because it's something of a monster. Are you sitting comfortably? Do you have a hot drink at the ready? Then let's begin... 3DS Retail Downloads: Crosswords Plus (Nintendo, $29.99) — Crosswords Plus offers more than 1,000 professionally designed...

  • Review Kart Krashers (DSiWare)

    A party worth krashing?

    Kart Krashers has a plan to shake up the kart racing genre: keep the karts, erase the race. Sure, it sounds rather pointless, but stick with us. The basic idea is to drive your kart around arena-like courses, shooting for a high score by collecting stars and rings and taking out baddies. The "Krashers" in the name implies a...

September2012

  • News Come On! Dragons Stomping onto DSiWare Soon

    A dance with dragons

    CIRCLE Entertainment is combining oversized lizards with tower defence in its latest DSiWare title, Come On! Dragons. You'd better start building those defences now! Using several types of archery attacks and special skills, you've got to defend the kingdom against the fearsome beasts and the invaders that accompany them...

  • Nintendo Download 27th September 2012 (North America)

    Denpa men, a Game Boy classic and some Real Bout Newcomers

    After the confirmation of Europe's somewhat disappointing selection of Nintendo Download titles, you might be forgiven for expecting the North American update to be similarly lackluster. However, Nintendo has pulled out all the stops to deliver a varied selection of titles - the details of...

  • Nintendo Download 27th September 2012 (Europe)

    Balloons, mad chickens and another English lesson with Freddy

    Due to unforeseen circumstances, Nintendo of Europe wasn't able to issue the Euro Nintendo Download news yesterday. Better late than never, the update has arrived on our desk today, and as a result we've got a selection of downloadable treats for you to sample. 3DS eShop: Balloon Pop...

  • Review Retro Pocket (DSiWare)

    Through the Past, Darkly

    Before Retro Pocket, Game & Watch fans were poorly served. If they wanted to enjoy those early Nintendo forays into gaming, they were out of luck. There was no way for gamers to get their hands on recreations of those originals, short of picking up the Game & Watch Collection, of course. Or its sequel. But apart...

  • Nintendo Download 20th September 2012 (North America)

    Surfing, retro pockets and the long-awaited La-Mulana!

    Roll up, roll up, it's another generous helping of digitally-downloaded goodness from our North American Nintendo Download report! Feast your eyeballs on the following treats and start counting those virtual pennies - there's purchasing to be done. 3DS eShop: Rising Board 3D (odenis studio,...

  • Review Bookstore Dream (DSiWare)

    Let us tell you about this game, fair reader

    Bookstore Dream, to be clear, has about as much book-selling realism as the Call of Duty series has to real warfare. Ultimately though, it is just a game, and this one draws much of its inspiration from a series of smartphone resource management games from developer Kairosoft. We won't complain about...

  • News Castle Conquerors Heroes 2 Going Out With a Bang On DSiWare

    Futuristic sequel is close to release after a year of development

    CIRCLE Entertainment's Castle Conquerors has enjoyed quite a few outings on DSiWare. The original game has spawned a flood of sequels, and there's another on the way in the shape of Castle Conquerors Heroes 2. Following on from the brilliant Castle Conquerors Heroes - which we...

  • Nintendo Download 20th September 2012 (Europe)

    The year's most eagerly-awaited WiiWare title finally sees the light of day

    3DS eShop: Dot Runner: Complete Edition (Intense, £4.50) — This unique puzzle title adopts a dual viewpoint - you see the action from both a top-down perspective as well as a first person view. It's certainly different, but we weren't totally enamoured when we reviewed...

  • Nintendo Download 13th September 2012 (North America)

    Fractured action over two screens, shooting, retro ninjas and selling books

    There may be a shiny new home console hogging the headlines today, but the world keeps spinning and another Nintendo Download update arrives. Wii misses out, unfortunately, but there's an interesting mix of handheld titles to choose from; let's get to it. 3DS eShop:...

  • Review Crazy Hunter (DSiWare)

    Hunting, it’ll make you crazy

    Have you ever thought to yourself, “what’s the least amount of fun I can possibly have while playing a DSiWare game”? Well, think no more, because now your wildest fantasies can be a reality when you play Crazy Hunter. With a plot that makes no sense and controls that are almost impossible to master, you’ll be...

  • Nintendo Download 13th September 2012 (Europe)

    Zelda II, some bookworms and a metallic slug - it's all happening in this week's Euro Nintendo Download

    3DS Virtual Console: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo, £4.50) — Arguably one of the most controversial games in the Zelda bloodline, this second NES outing combines side-scrolling action with top-down adventuring to create a heady mix...

  • News DSiWare RPG 18th Gate Opens For Business Soon

    What happened to the previous 17?

    DSiWare developer CIRCLE Entertainment has gotten in touch to confirm that its latest game is close to release. 18th Gate is an RPG adventure title which appears to use a hex-based movement system not entirely unlike those old table-top board games people over the age of 30 used to play before they discovered video...

  • News LCD Gaming is Resurrected in Retro Pocket on DSiWare

    New downloadable title channels the spirit of Nintendo's Game & Watch range

    Nintendo's Game & Watch series was the precursor to the Game Boy and introduced many fledgling players to the concept of portable entertainment. The simplistic yet addictive LCD games captivated a generation, and they're due for a comeback courtesy of UFO Interactive's...

  • Nintendo Download 6th September 2012 (North America)

    Balloon popping, puzzles from Nikoli, princely acrobatics and crazy hunting

    It's time for another Nintendo Download update, and we reckon that no-one should be able to complain of a lack of variety. We have two new 3DS eShop titles, a stone-cold Super NES classic on Wii Virtual Console and a wacky sounding DSiWare title. Check out the details below...

  • News Kart Krashers Careers Into View on 27th September

    Slot on North American starting grid confirmed

    Big John Games has confirmed the North American release date for its forthcoming DSiWare racer Kart Krashers. The magical day is 27th September, with a price point of 500 DSi points. The company has also released a new trailer which features gameplay footage - you can check it out after the press...

  • Nintendo Download 6th September 2012 (Europe)

    Picture crosswords, crazy hunting and retro pugilistic action

    Monday morning means an update on the downloadable delights that European Nintendo fans can expect this week. The long-awaited Picross E is likely to bring a smile to the faces of many, but there's content the DSi and Wii as well. 3DS eShop: Picross E (Jupiter, £4.50) — Nintendo's...

August2012

July2012

  • Nintendo Download 2nd August 2012 (Europe)

    Kung fu, Toki Tori, edutainment and retro fighting

    Once again we have news of this week's download delights in Europe, with something on offer for every system you own. Let's get started. 3DS Download Software: Jonny Kung Fu (UFO Interactive, £5.40/€6) — On paper this sounds full of promise, being an old-school side-scrolling action game with...

  • Review Decathlon 2012 (DSiWare)

    Torch it

    Well, the London 2012 Olympic games are officially underway, and the eShop now has its equivalent of those ubiquitous bootlegged t-shirts in the form of Decathlon 2012, a digital souvenir that hopes to coast on the excitement of the Olympics without shelling out for the rights to refer to them by name. Already we're off to a great start,...

  • Review Rabi Laby 2 (DSiWare)

    Return to Wonderland

    Remember the old adage “less is more"? Even if you don’t, Agetec certainly does, as is clearly reflected in Rabi Laby 2, its most recent DSiWare release. While it’s true that not much has changed from the first instalment, the original Rabi Laby was pretty good, so there’s not much to find fault with here. Much like its...