DSiWare News (Page 3)
Review Zombie Blaster (DSiWare)
A grave disappointment
Throughout DSiWare's long and not always distinguished history, we've seen a lot of games come and go. From puzzlers to RPGs to interactive storybooks, we've spent the past several years wading through every single release, doing our best to separate the rare diamonds from the dirt. Zombie Blaster interested us simply because,...
Review Tales to Enjoy! The Ugly Duckling (DSiWare)
A load of quack
Another Tales to Enjoy game? Yep, we regret to inform you that it’s true. But this time it’s the most repulsive of all…The Ugly Duckling. If you haven’t been following along as of late, Tales to Enjoy is a series of games that uses the same exact interface and activities, but swaps out one fairly tale or fable for another...
Lost in space
Just when you thought that the DSiWare service had nothing left to offer except some word puzzles and interactive children’s books, along comes Astro. It's quite clear that this is intended to pay homage to the Atari classic Asteroids in its design and gameplay, but it falls short of recapturing what continues to make the original a...
Nintendo Download 10th October (North America)
Pokémon, retro sports, water racing, lots of zombies and more
It's Nintendo Download time, North America, with a certain Game Freak title dominating attention this time around. There are some other offerings, retro and new, to consider, including two(!) zombie-themed games on Nintendo's handhelds. Let's stop blabbering and get on with it, shall we?...
Nintendo Download 3rd October (North America)
Crazy racing, retro brawling, classy puzzling and much more
It's Nintendo Download time once again, North America, and just a little later than normal this week. We have a fairly lengthy list for you to pore over, covering content on the Wii U and 3DS eShops as well as one DSiWare title. There's plenty to get through, so let's leap right in. Wii U...
Review Tales to Enjoy! Three Little Pigs (DSiWare)
A case of swine flu
If you’ve been hanging around the site during the past two weeks, chances are you’ve at least stumbled onto one Tales to Enjoy review. These games are compilations of activities targeted at kids who are just learning how to read, write, and develop basic problem solving skills. Each one uses an identical interface, but...
Review Letter Challenge (DSiWare)
Missing the mark
There isn’t really an interesting or unique way to introduce Letter Challenge, but that might be the point. There are plenty of word-based puzzle games available in the world, and so many of them already exist in one form or another on the Nintendo eShop, but that wasn’t enough to stop Enjoy Gaming from throwing another one...
Nintendo Download 26th September (North America)
An epic tale is revisited, crazy fishing, a running discount and much more
It's Nintendo Download time, North America, with this week bringing new offerings to Wii U, 3DS and even DSiWare — it's the latest handheld that has the most content. A particularly enticing first-person RPG features in the retail downloads, while some sequels and WiiWare...
Review Tales to Enjoy! Puss In Boots (DSiWare)
Give it the boot
Tales to Enjoy! Puss in Boots is a compilation of activities and games geared towards the youngest audience, ages 3-6 years old. If you’ve taken notice of our review for Tales to Enjoy! Little Red Riding Hood, then you should know exactly what to expect here – exactly. The activities and interface are identical, but the...
News Banking Dream and Cafe Dream Will Come To The 3DS eShop Next Year
CIRCLE Entertainment cancels the DSiWare development
CIRCLE Entertainment is behind the DSiWare titles Publisher Dream and Bookstore Dream and not too long ago it confirmed it would be bringing Banking Dream and Cafe Dream to the platform. However, it has now confirmed both these games have been cancelled, although it won't be the last we see of...
Review Tales to Enjoy! Little Red Riding Hood (DSiWare)
You should probably stay out of the woods.
Tales to Enjoy! Little Red Riding Hood is a collection of activities and games designed to be accessible to young children, ages 3-6 year old. With eight modes in all – which consist of puzzles, games of memory, a digital colouring book, and of course a re-telling of the classic fairy tale – there’s...
Nintendo Download 19th September (North America)
A legendary HD release, monstrous discounts, classic Mario and much more
We have a bumper Nintendo Download week for you, North America, with over a dozen games gracing the Wii U, 3DS and even the DSi. A certain Zelda title is headlining, but we also have terrific — but brief — Monster Hunter discounts, some retro goodies and enough new 3DS...
Nintendo Download 12th September (North America)
Things get Wonderful, an untold story has a demo, discounts galore and more
It's Nintendo Download time, North America, with a host of new offerings to tempt you this week. We have a wonderful PlatinumGames Wii U retail exclusive, classic Zelda, a promising demo, various sales and more. The DSi even gets some love this week, leaving the Wii as the...
Review Jewel Adventures (DSiWare)
Woo-hoo, glitchy woman
Jewel Adventures is a puzzle game that’s partially familiar due to its match three gameplay, but freshened up by a few extra layers of depth. A sense of story, enemy battles, world (re)building and various gameplay goals are the glue that gives this puzzler a bit more substance than most like it. Much of it is only fluff –...
Nintendo Download 5th September (North America)
Dungeons & dragons, twisted dreams, rare retro shooting and much more
It's Nintendo Download update day, North America, and there are some real goodies on offer this week. We have long awaited Wii U eShop games, a rare NES shoot 'em up on the 3DS Virtual Console and various other treats. Without further ado, here are the details. Wii U eShop:...
Nintendo Download 29th August (Europe)
Legendary Zelda and Rayman tales are told, Ninja-tough NES action and more
Another Monday is brightened up by the Nintendo Download Update that brings a mix of Wii U and 3DS titles, while a DSiWare release also sneaks in. It's a true mix of the old and new once again, so let's get to the details. Wii U Virtual Console: The Legend of Zelda...
Nintendo Download 22nd August (Europe)
A Wonderful download, Giana Sisters, Street Fighting and much more
It's Monday morning, but shake off those new week blues, Europeans, as the Nintendo Download update news is here. We have two major retail releases on Wii U, a new download-only game, retro goodies and a lot of new offerings on the 3DS, so let's get right to it. Wii U eShop: Giana...
Nintendo Download 15th August (Europe)
DuckTales returns, 'mon rumble, extreme bike riding and much more
It's time for the European Nintendo Download news to wipe away our Monday morning blues, and this week is one of the most packed line-ups in recent memory. There are two heavy-hitting Wii U releases, and plenty of others spread throughout the 3DS, DSi and Wii. There are some discounts...
Review Cute Witch! Runner (DSiWare)
Magical Nights
With last year's Dress to Play: Cute Witches!, developer Coder Child channeled both Cotton and cosplay into a unique mix of dress-up and side-scrolling flight, a solid concept that we felt was let down by poor execution on the fashion side of the equation. We found plenty to like about the airborne action, however, and that's the main...
Nintendo Download 25th July (North America)
Kid Icarus, chain blasting, Picross puzzling and more
It's that time again, North America, and after releasing a long awaited cult classic last week, the Nintendo Download Update is fairly reserved this week. There are some goodies to enjoy, nevertheless, so let's get to the details. Wii U Virtual Console: Kid Icarus (Nintendo, $4.99) — Not the...
Review Fashion Tycoon (DSiWare)
Fashion disaster
If there's one thing that Fashion Tycoon truly achieves, it's the way in which it makes you appreciate just how hard retail workers have it at times. Much like in real life, demanding customers, stock shortages and a lack of staff are just some of the problems you find yourself up against in this game — it's a nightmarish...
Nintendo Download 25th July (Europe)
Pikmin 3 at last, lots of retro, BASIC programming and more
It's another Monday morning, but it's also another Nintendo Download update for Europe. The star of this week's show is undoubtedly an eagerly anticipated Wii U retail release, but we also have a variety of titles — old and new — covering every Nintendo platform. Without further ado,...
Review Rhythm Core Alpha 2 (DSiWare)
Bring life back to music
Musicians both aspiring and experienced have had copious opportunities to break out into song with their DSi thanks to a cornucopia of software suites, including 2010's Rhythm Core Alpha that brought an emphasis on live performances to the table. Developer SoftEgg's sequel Rhythm Core Alpha 2 is the most advanced one yet to...
Nintendo Download 18th July (Europe)
Earthbound, Shantae, attacking Guild monsters, reduced Virtue and more
Update: EARTHBOUND!!! Original Article with updated entry: It's Monday, and as is now tradition Nintendo Download fans in Europe find out what's on the way in this week's update. There are some long awaited and potentially intriguing arrivals this week, along with a few price...
Review Lost Treasures of Alexandria (DSiWare)
The perfect match?
Lost Treasures Of Alexandria's release on the DSi Shop comes as something of a surprise. That's because it's the first game in a short while to break the trend of poor Match-3 games to which the service has been cruelly subjected. In fact, this latest game rectifies many of the issues that plagued publisher MSL's other recent...
Nintendo Download 11th July (Europe)
The flippin' Force, bullet hell, a dreamy RPG and much more
It's Monday morning, but our week is brightened once again by the European download news. This week brings us plenty to consider, with new and old titles on Wii U, a mixture of retail, video and download-only goodies on 3DS and a match-3 puzzler for DSiWare. So many downloads, so little...
Your View The Issues of Collecting and Owning Download-Only Games
Downloads aren't forever
At the start of this week we posted a talking point on the questionable collectibility of download-only game libraries, an issue that's yet to come to a head on Nintendo systems. So far its debut download-only platforms, the Wii Shop and DSiWare, have been available in the company's current systems. The approaches have been...
News Money Talks In CIRCLE Entertainment's DSiWare Title Banking Dream
Mo money, mo problems
CIRCLE Entertainment has announced that it is bringing another of its "Dream" titles to DSiWare this year, this time focused on the wacky world of finance. Banking Dream places you in the bank manager's chair, where you're expected to grow your bank's cash mountain whilst dabbling in stocks and shares to inflate your own...
News Cute Witch! Runner Flies Onto North American DSiWare on 4th July
Like Dress to Play equivalent, but without the fashion
Dress to Play: Cute Witches was a title targeting young gamers that combined basic fashion dress-up with a flying runner-style mini-game; ultimately it felt like neither was truly optimised and fleshed out to bear much scrutiny. Developer CoderChild is bringing the flying game back, at least it...
Talking Point The Uncertain Collectible Future of Download-Only Game Libraries
Servers will surely shut down, but what about the games?
Just before the weekend, a number of Wii Channels were shut down. On 28th June most of the online enabled channels and services — such as Weather, News, Everyone Votes and Wii Connect 24 — went off air; low participation rates more than likely caused Nintendo to deem them an expense not...
Nintendo Download 4th July (Europe)
Pilotwings returns, X Zone madness, Game Gear goodies and more
It's Monday morning, and it's that time again for European download gamers. This week's download goodies are confirmed, including a Super NES title that we think will be popular, a chaotic retail release on 3DS and plenty more besides. Let's get down to the details, shall we? Wii U...
Review Jewel Quest 5 - The Sleepless Star (DSiWare)
Jewel Identity
We often complain about the lack of innovation in today's games industry. Publishers and developers tend to take the safe and easy route, making games that stick closely to a tried-and-tested template with the odd tweak here and there. While there's nothing wrong with making a sequel to a popular game, it's not unreasonable for us...
Nintendo Download 20th June (North America)
Luigi, Wario, tanks fighting bugs, X Zone craziness and much more
It's that time again, North America, when your Nintendo systems groan under the weight of new download offerings cramming up virtual servers. That's not always strictly accurate, but is this week, with plenty of new titles available on Wii U and 3DS, with a sequel even gracing...
Nintendo Download 20th June (Europe)
Luigi steps up, the Guild returns, some retro goodies and much more
So E3 is now but a fading memory, but at least we have a lot of Wii U and 3DS games on the way to keep us entertained for the rest of the year. One of those lands as Wii U DLC today, while the 3DS is pretty much overflowing with varied offerings, including the second entry from the...
Review Jewel Quest 4 Heritage (DSiWare)
Losing its shine
It seems like the Match-3 genre never stops growing, with some new form of the popular puzzle games appearing what feels like every other week. It's a genre that has seen hundreds upon hundreds of releases, and there's little sign of it slowing down. If anything, it's baffling that so many of these games are still being made. Very...
News CIRCLE Entertainment Hopes To Release Castle Conqueror Dark Age This Year
It's taken 18 months to develop
CIRCLE Entertainment is behind the Castle Conqueror series on DSiWare and has now confirmed there is to be another iteration in the form of Castle Conqueror Dark Age. According to a tweet from the company, it's a sequel to Castle Conqueror Heroes 2, which means it could be set to feature the turn based combat found...
News Club Nintendo's June Rewards Bring Out More Retro Goodies
Including one of the greatest platformers ever made
It's that time again, North America, when you're tempted to part with your hard-earned Nintendo coins in exchange for a free download game, and for Europeans to unite as one and say "why don't we get monthly game offers?" In any case, there are four new games to consider if you have a Wii U, Wii or...
Nintendo Download 6th June (Europe)
Spelunking, questing for jewels and discounts galore
It's the start of another week, which means it's time for those of us in Europe to dive into this week's Nintendo Download update. We have the most iconic puzzle game of all, as well as some alternative puzzling and strategy titles joining in. Only the Wii misses out this week, with its successor...
News Orion's Odyssey: A Pattern Blocks Adventure Hits Crowdfunding Target
Coming to DSiWare and the 3DS eShop later this year
While much of the attention on Kickstarter game projects is often reserved for titles being released on PC and consoles, earlier this month we told you about Orion's Odyssey: A Pattern Blocks Adventure. This is a DSiWare release that's described as a "comedy puzzle" experience, and utilises the...
News Flipnote Hatena Data to be Automatically Switched to Flipnote Studio 3D World Gallery
Unless you opt out
As announced earlier in this year, Flipnote Studio 3D is coming to the 3DS eShop as a free app this Summer, finally taking the place of the DSiWare title that's been non-transferable to the new hardware. As explained with that announcement, the new and free app will split the online sharing component of your creations into two...
Review California Super Sports (DSiWare)
A bad sport
To understand what California Super Sports is, start with Wii Sports. Do you have the handful of mini-games fixed in your mind, complete with simple rules and bobble-headed athletes? Good; now trade in your Wii Remote for a DS stylus. Next, systemically break every intuitive gameplay system and control scheme in sight. Then sabotage the...
Nintendo Download 16th May (North America)
Super inexpensive Metroid, scares, soldiers, retro classics and more
It's that time, North America, and you've undoubtedly got a particularly meaty lineup this week. All three Virtual Console services have new content, and the region gets a special retro Mario offer on the Wii U. There's also a stone-cold classic for 30 cents, along with quite a few...
Developer Interview Goodbye Galaxy Games on Developing for Nintendo's Portable Systems
Hugo Smits gives insight into a developer's life
While we'd suggest that he doesn't necessarily get the attention he deserves, Hugo Smit — through his studio Goodbye Galaxy Games — delivered four notable DSiWare experiences. These have all been published by third-parties, but have each had merits and plenty of areas worthy of praise. Of...
News Hugo Smits: Nintendo of Europe Needs "Somebody Like Dan Adelman"
"It will allow Nintendo to tap this huge pool of developers"
Hugo Smits is the man behind Goodbye Galaxy Games, which has produced two Flipper titles, Nintendo Life's "DSiWare Download of 2012" winner Ace Mathician and, most recently, the rather enjoyable Color Commando — all for DSiWare. We've spoken at some length to Hugo about his history...
Nintendo Download 16th May (Europe)
Spooky starships, retro classics, free scares, juicy discounts and more
It's a dreary Monday morning but fear not, Europe, Nintendo Download salvation is at hand. We now know what treats are coming this week and, we hope you'll agree, it's a pretty strong lineup. Only Wii misses out, and there are new, old and discounted offerings to chew over;...
News CIRCLE Entertainment Will Make A Publisher Dream Sequel Should It Be Successful
All it needs is 888 "votes"
CIRCLE Entertainment's DSiWare title Publisher Dream is now available in both Europe and North America and it seems there may be a sequel on the way should the game do well. The publisher recently announced on its Twitter account that if the game hits "888 votes" in the US eShop a sequel will "definitely" be lined up for...
Developer Interview Island Officials on Kickstarting "Orion's Odyssey"
"Nintendo has been nothing but supportive"
You may not have heard of Island Officials, but this New Jersey-based development studio has been supporting Nintendo handhelds for years, and is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund its DSiWare puzzler, Orion's Odyssey: A Pattern Blocks Adventure. We chatted with Island Officials' Ryan Morrison...
Nintendo Download 9th May 2013 (North America)
Mario and DK team up, X-rated speed, game development dreams and more
It's that time again, North America, when your Nintendo systems are updated with new downloadable delights to sample. The humble Wii is the only platform to miss out, and overall you have Virtual Console titles to consider, a retail demo and some fresh games to contemplate. Let's...
Review Publisher Dream (DSiWare)
This game development biz is confusing...
CIRCLE Entertainment has published a good variety of games on DSiWare, covering almost any genre that can feasibly work on the ageing service. Its own take on the sim style began with Bookstore Dream, which while owing much to similar smartphone games was a solid effort. Unlike that book publishing title,...
News Orion's Odyssey: A Pattern Blocks Adventure Reboots Kickstarter Campaign
If at first you don't succeed...
A few weeks ago, we reported on a DS Kickstarter project from developer Island Officials called Orion's Odyssey: A Pattern Blocks Adventure. The ambitious Kickstarter goal was to raise enough funds to release a limited run retail edition of the unreleased, finished puzzle title. For various reasons, the lofty goal...
