DSiWare News
Nintendo Download 28th January 2011 (Europe)
Back to no Virtual Console games
Every one of Capcom's announced arcade titles is out now, which means they don't have anything else coming anytime soon. Nobody else seems to have picked up their slack this week, as there's no new Virtual Console titles, but as expected that means there's a decent amount of games for the other services. WiiWare:...
News Check Out the Fins on These Flipper 2 Screenshots
New stage pictured
Flipper 2 is taking a totally different approach to predecessor Flipper, with its new gameplay using just one action button. Developer Goodbye Galaxy Games just sent over some new screenshots of the game, and it seems to be shaping up nicely. The new shots show off an ice stage and a level based on ancient ruins, with coins,...
Believe in angles
There's a wealth of puzzle games on DSiWare, but 505 Tangrams is the first tangram-based title to hit the shop so it's got the genre all to itself. How high does it set the bar for future tangram titles to match, though? If you're not sure what a tangram is, allow us to enlighten you. You're given a silhouette, here in one of five...
News 101 Dolphin Pets to Make "African-Style" Dolphins Possible
Teyon does it again
You may have played 101 Shark Pets on DSiWare, but if you prefer your pets a little less man-eating Teyon has just the thing up its flipper: 101 Dolphin Pets, a simulation game with a twist. As well as the usual array of pet-training exercises, minigames, dressing-up and all-around dolphin care, you'll be able to alter your...
Review Airport Mania: Non-Stop Flights (DSiWare)
Economy class
In November, Nintendo Life received an unexpected – and quite pleasant – shock from a little game called Airport Mania: First Flight. It was a release that flew in from totally off the radar, and immediately became one of our favorite games on the WiiWare service. It was a deceptively deep, engaging game of time- and...
Review Ante Up: Texas Hold'em (DSiWare)
Sometimes less is more
Since we've already seen a host of Texas Hold'em games released on the WiiWare and DSiWare services, it would be quite easy to dismiss this fourth entry, Ante Up: Texas Hold'em, as just another attempt to cash in on the game's popularity. But even with the game's minimalistic visual approach, it's difficult not to be impressed...
News Kiloo Games Announces Zoonies for DSiWare
You can't hide those lion eyes
Cute animal-based platformers used to be ten-a-penny in the olden days, but with the advent of more powerful consoles the genre has noticeably diminished. Thankfully the portable nature of the DSi combined with the console's download service means fans of big-eyed animals collecting things can still be entertained,...
News Xbox Live Arcade's Antipole Flipping to DSiWare
Saturnine Games returns
Xbox Live Arcade title Antipole attracted plenty of attention with its gravity-flipping gameplay, and soon DSi owners will be able to get their hands on the innovative platformer as developer Saturnine Games has announced it'll be bringing the title to DSiWare. The game is said to be progressing well, with several stages...
Review Glory Days - Tactical Defense (DSiWare)
Glorious
odenis studio has built a good track record on DSiWare, with its capture-the-flag-on-wheels adventure Pop Island and its follow-up, Pop Island: Paperfield. Before that, however, it was responsible for the combat strategy Glory Days titles, and now it's drastically altered and miniaturised the formula into a downloadable top-down...
Sell it
Quick! What's the most convoluted and fun-deprived card game on the DSiWare service? Wrong: it's The Seller, an unnecessarily complicated and almost completely unstimulating card game that probably won't even keep you awake long enough to irritate the Hell out of you. Now, let's get one thing clear: The Seller isn't broken. It's (almost) a...
Podcast NLFM Episode 14: The Past and Future, Remixed
Check out some of our favourite remixes of classic franchises coming to 3DS
We're absolutely killing 2011 with our new weekly schedule, even if we're a little late in the day from time to time. As in every episode so far. This episode we're inspired by the 3DS line-up and looking towards both the future and past by checking out some excellent...
Nintendo Download 24th January 2011 (North America)
Action on land, sea and air
There's a definite airborne theme to this week's downloads, with rockets, meteors, fighter planes and passenger aircraft all featured across the three download channels. Let's take a look at what's available. WiiWare: Jam City Rollergirls (Frozen Codebase, 1000pts) – An arcade action take on the growing sport of roller...
News Twisting and Matching 3D Objects Comes to DSiWare
In 3D Twist & Match, of course
Forget matching three like-coloured objects together; matching three-dimensional objects to their silhouettes is where it's really at, as Sanuk Games is bringing 3D Twist & Match to DSiWare in the near future. Sanuk Games is promising a range of difficulties and themed objects, including food, Christmas, tools and...
Review Missy Mila: Twisted Tales (DSiWare)
Child's play
Virtual books aren't really anything new on the DS, having seen full retail releases such as 100 Classic Books Collection containing classic literature such as Around The World In 80 Days to the DSiWare series of Flips. This time around, we have Missy Mila – Twisted Tales, a small collection of five original children's stories (Baba...
Review Animal Boxing (DSiWare)
Not just cruelty to animals, unfortunately
For those who don't know, Animal Boxing was originally released as a DS retail title two years ago to little fanfare. In fact, even though the game has just been recently released on DSiWare, most people don't even know it was originally a retail release. Perhaps this might explain the reason the game's...
Nintendo Download 21st January 2011 (Europe)
More Capcom classics
Virtual Console is the clear winner this week with two new Capcom arcade games, but that's not to say the rest should be ignored outright. Although WiiWare only gets one new download, DSiWare gets four of them, so hopefully there's something for everyone. WiiWare: Spot the Differences! (Sanuk Games, 500pts) – Another...
Review Oscar in Toyland 2 (DSiWare)
Oscar in Average Land 2: Mediocre Harder
In September 2009 we got Oscar in Toyland on DSiWare, and almost a year ago we saw its follow-up, Oscar in Movieland, come to the service. Both of them were secretly slightly redone ports of Amiga platformers, which, in a weird way, meant that there were actually some Virtual Console games available on the...
News Keep DodoGoing with DodoGo! Robo
A third egg in the DSiWare omelette
In 2010 we enjoyed the innovative DSiWare puzzler DodoGo! and its sequel DodoGo! Challenge, which tasked players with guiding the last remaining dodo eggs to safety. Well, it appears that the titular bird still isn't quite extinct as the third instalment, DodoGo! Robo, has just been rated by the ESRB. From the...
News There's a Limit on Transferring Software from One 3DS to Another
Your games are going places... just not too many places
While we've known about the ability to transfer DSiWare to the 3DS for a while now and learned today about transferring software between devices (DSiWare, 3DSWare and Virtual Handheld), we've just found out that there will be a limit to how many license transfers you can make. From Play.c
Review Alien Puzzle Adventure (DSiWare)
Connect three puzzle action returns to DSiWare.... again
Puzzlers are a dime a dozen on DSiWare. They range from connect three games like A Little Bit Of... Puzzle League to simple bubble-popping in Pop Plus: Solo. Now we have Alien Puzzle Adventure, Mastertronic's second title for the service. Does it do enough to stand out from the crowd? Not...
News Be the Hip Hop King in Cinemax's Third Rytmik Release
... to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat
With two Rytmik titles already under its belt, Czech developer Cinemax is getting ready to launch the third instalment in the franchise, and following Rytmik: Rock Edition, musically-creative gamers can look forward to something with a little more Hip to the Hop. The Rytmik: Hip Hop King user-interface will...
Podcast NLFM Episode 13: Yep, Still Weekly
Storms can't hold this podcast back
Your eyes doth not deceive you: NLFM is back with another episode a mere week after the last one. And man, did we almost not make it thanks to an impending snowstorm and travel arrangements. But lo and behold, here is a delicious ear scoop for you. We couldn't bail on our weekly promise one week after making it,...
Nintendo Download 17th January 2011 (North America)
Puzzles, pugilists and more puzzles
Another varied array of titles this week, with time-travelling toasted sandwiches, boxing animals, tactical defending and more. Let's get right to it. WiiWare: Doc Clock: The Toasted Sandwich of Time (Stickmen Studios, 1000pts) – Hopefully this game has more than just a fantastic title to offer, but considering...
News Save the Earth Soon with the Imaginatively Titled Earth Saver
More localised Japanese budget fun from the GO Series
We've seen many Japanese DSiWare titles that we never thought would reach us thanks to the GO and G.G Series, featuring simple but entertaining experiences over a wide variety of genres and usually retailing for 200 Points. The latest to get a rating by the North American board, the ESRB, is GO...
News Boom Boom Squaries Goes Bang on January 28th
200 Points for animal puzzler
Gamelion's Boom Boom Squaries is an off-shoot of its Furry Legends series, heading to DSiWare in Europe on January 28th. An animal-themed puzzler, your 200 Points net you four gameplay modes, with 26 classic mode levels and 40 challenges to pit your wits against. Rather than matching objects you must blow up Squaries...
News DSiWare's Animal Rights Record Takes a Beating on Monday
Fight some critters in Animal Boxing
There's nothing funny about animal cruelty or boxing, but we defy you not to raise a smile at this video of Animal Boxing, heading to DSiWare on Monday. A cartoon-styled first-person boxing game is a new one on us, with the game boasting local wireless multiplayer modes and 50 fuzzy critters to smack around in...
Nintendo Download 14th January 2011 (Europe)
3 new DSiWare titles, but the other services aren't completely ignored
Europe mostly plays catch-up again this week, with three of the five new downloads already being available in North America. DSiWare makes up the bulk of this week's releases, with the other two services only getting one game each, and it's also the only one of the services to...
News First Flipper 2 Screenshots Released
More detailed, but still quite retro
The folks over at Goodbye Galaxy Games were kind enough to send over the first batch of screenshots from their upcoming DSiWare sequel Flipper 2. As you can see in the shots, the game has a very retro look to it, but shows quite a bit more detail than its predecessor. Developer Hugo Smits has promised a steady...
Review EJ Puzzles: Hooked (DSiWare)
Crab your enthusiasm
When last we heard from Electron Jump games...erm...uhhh...well, you know where we're going with this. Suffice it to say we weren't quite thrilled about wading through such questionable waters a second time. But a strange and unexpected thing happened with their most recent release, EJ Puzzles: Hooked. It turned out to be a...
News MUDDS Won't Be Making a Splash on DSiWare After All
Renegade Kid campaign falters
You might remember that last month we brought you news of a campaign to get Maximilian and the Rise of the Mutant Mudds on DSiWare, where developer Renegade Kid asked for 1,000 comments on a blog post to see if the game had an audience on the download service. Regrettably, one month later, the campaign has ended without...
A+
The year may be young (really, really young) but we've already seen two must-have games hit the DSiWare Shop. The first was Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology, a collection of some of the most beautifully realised artistic statements gaming has to offer. The second is Surfacer+, a wonderfully unique action-puzzler that came out of nowhere and...
News QubicGames Serving Up My Little Restaurant: All Welcome on DSiWare
AiRace publisher getting into the culinary business [UPDATED, including new screens]
QubicGames, known to DSiWare players for AiRace and AiRace: Tunnel as well as the upcoming Remote Racers, just had a title of a different sort rated by the ESRB: My Little Restaurant: All Welcome. Already available for iPhone and iPod Touch, the game lets you run...
News Improved Rhythm Core Alpha Hitting PAL Regions Next Week
Music to Europe, UK, and Australia's ears
Last August saw the NA release of the music creation application Rhythm Core Alpha from SoftEgg Enterprises. While the rest of the world is still waiting on a localized version to hit their DSi Shop, the developer has recently revealed that it's almost here and with it come numerous improvements over the...
Podcast NLFM Episode 12: Ch-ch-changes
New year, new podcast
Changes are a-brewin' with NLFM this year as the show enters its second season. First of all, we're shrinking and growing at the same time. Is your mind blown yet? Tell the rest of the goo in your skull to stay calm, as what this means is that while the average episode will shrink in length, we're ditching the whole monthly...
News Flipper Sequel Gets a Publisher, Aims for Q2 Release
Goodbye Galaxy Games teams up with Engine Software
Back in October, we brought you the exclusive news that a Flipper sequel was in the works, and now Goodbye Galaxy Games has announced that it has signed a contract with publisher Engine Software, making the arrival of Flipper 2 that much closer. Aside from publishing duties, Engine Software will...
Nintendo Download 10th January 2011 (North America)
A scoop of fun with a dash of soul-crushing
WiiWare: JellyCar 2 (Disney Interactive Studios, 500 Points) - The sequel to the popular iOS game hits WiiWare, promising even more driving platforming fun(ing). We'll give this one a proper whirl and let you know if it's a joyride or if it melts in the sun. Soccer Bashi (Icon Games, 500 Points) - A...
Review Word Searcher 2 (DSiWare)
Legend of the seeker
In late 2009 and early 2010, Digital Leisure released versions of Word Searcher on both WiiWare and DSiWare respectively. Finally, after nearly a year of waiting, fans of the original adventures can quit holding their breaths and take in the fresh air of Word Searcher 2, available now as a brand new addition to the DSiWare...
Features Nintendo Life Reader's Choice Awards 2010
The top Wii and DS games of the year, as voted by you
We showed you ours, now it's time for you to show your favorite games of 2010. The categories may have been limited, but your response wasn't. Here are the Wii (including WiiWare), DS (including DSiWare) and overall Reader Games of the Year. Reader Wii Game of the Year: Winner: Super Mario Galaxy...
Review Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology (DSiWare)
Real art style
Jason Rohrer has made a name for himself in the art game sphere with numerous small and thought-provoking PC games. To kick off their Alt-Play compilation series, Sabarasa has pulled together a collection of three of his most notable releases so far in the Jason Rohrer Anthology: Passage, Gravitation and Between. While DSiWare patrons...
News Live Out Your Glory Days on January 17th for 200 Points
Ten-hut!
odenis studio has a reputation for quality portable titles at cheap, cheap prices, having released 500 Point racer Pop Island and follow-up Pop Island: Paperfield for 200 Points. Its next release, Glory Days - Tactical Defense, is built on the same principles: silky smooth 60fps gameplay and a cheap price, and it's coming to North America...
Nintendo Download 7th January 2011 (Europe)
More Capcom arcade classics, plus a bunch of catch-up titles
Capcom is continuing their Virtual Console Arcade support with another two games, both of which were of course announced some time ago. At this rate they'll run out of games before we hit February! They're accompanied by a mixture of completely new games and games North America already...
Review Music On: Drums (DSiWare)
Hard to beat
Abylight's been putting out music games on DSiWare for a while, so you'd expect the Spanish studio to have it down to a fine art by now, but it's had a few bumps along the way. Thankfully Music On: Drums is a better outing than previous series entry Music On: Playing Piano, as it plays out more like an electronic drum sequencer than a...
News Surfacer+ Cropping Up on DSiWare Next Week
Crossbreeding skill with strategy
French developer Lexis Numérique has announced that it will be bringing a version of its iPhone game Surfacer to the DSiWare download service. Players must create and control the size of flowers by using the stylus and use them to fill up the screen. Enemies will appear from both sides of the screen and gamers must...
Features Vote For Nintendo Life Reader's Choice Award 2010
Make sure your favorite game of the year gets the acclaim you feel it deserves
It wouldn't be too much of an understatement to say that Nintendo platforms had a mammoth year in 2010 with regards to excellent software. But we play by Thunderdome rules here at Nintendo Life around award season, and we're handing over a cache of weapons to you. Which...
Nintendo Download 3rd January 2011 (North America)
Kick off with the first download of the year
The first Nintendo Download of the year isn't a classic, but it brings some notable titles to DSiWare and a new WiiWare demo as well. Let's get this show on the road. WiiWare: Sneezies (Chillingo, 500pts) - A cutesy puzzler that began life on the iPhone, Sneezies is a decent enough title but doesn't do...
Review G.G Series: Z-ONE (DSiWare)
Ride into the danger zone
As the variety of shoot-‘em-up games on the DSiWare service continues to expand, it’s expected that some titles are going to stand out better than others. With releases such as Metal Torrent and Paul’s Shooting Adventure already available and rated highly, being a new contender is no easy feat. The G.G Series of...
News Four More G.G Series Titles Headed to North America
Localised Japanese budget fun to continue in the new year
If you've enjoyed Genterprise's G.G Series of low-priced localised Japanese titles, you'll be happy to hear that four more have recently received ratings from the ESRB and thus will be heading to the North American DSiWare Shop soon. Three of the games have already hit Europe as part of the...
Review GO Series: Dark Spirits (DSiWare)
In good spirits
The latest in Gamebridge's line-up of localised Japanese budget titles is GO Series: Dark Spirits, a horizontal shoot 'em up again courtesy of developer Suzak. It's not exactly a bullet hell shooter like Metal Torrent, but the difficulty can still get pretty high. You play the game as some sort of wizard who can only fire one rather...
Review Fantasy Slots: Adventure Slots and Games (DSiWare)
500 Point bandit
Gambling is fun. It must be. Millions of grandmothers and potential homeless people can't be wrong. But what, exactly, is fun about it? Is it the glitz of the casino? The pulsing energy of the crowd around you? The free drinks? The wandering magicians and entertainers? The risk? The rush of joy that comes with winning a particularly...
Nintendo Download 31st December 2010 (Europe)
Catch-up titles, art and astrology, plus a BIT.TRIP demo
If you plan on ringing in the new year with downloadable titles, you've got more than your fair share of options in this Nintendo Download update. Whether you want to adventure through the stars or read them to predict your future, play a sequel to Bejeweled or Nintendo's own take on the...
News QubicGames and NoWay Studio Revving Up Remote Racers
Arcade racer speeds toward the DSi Shop with an ESRB rating
QubicGames has to date published two NoWay Studio-developed DSiWare flight titles, and they've recently gotten their next racing collaboration rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Having already released AiRace and the more bite-sized AiRace: Tunnel, QubicGames and NoWay Studio...
News More Puzzle Action Coming Next Month Courtesy of Super Swap
Teyon announces the European release for its match three puzzle game
There's no shortage of puzzle games in the DSi Shop, but European gamers hungry for one more can look forward to receiving one early next year that hit North America this past June. If you liked what you read in our Super Swap review, then you're in luck as Teyon has announced that...
Review Cosmo Fighters (DSiWare)
Decent multiplayer fun
If the DSiWare service is lacking one thing, it's a compelling multiplayer experience. And if it's missing two things, it's a compelling multiplayer experience and a solid fighter. Cosmo Fighters, the latest from developer Abylight, hopes to kill both those birds with one downloadable stone, and, although it's seriously...
Nintendo Download 27th December 2010 (North America)
Catch-up titles and more
There are plenty of ways to ring in the new year in this Nintendo Download update, including a quality WiiWare demo, a couple of NeoGeo titles for virtual console, a portable slot machine and the newest entry in the G.G Series. Will you spend your holiday cash on any of these titles? Virtual Console: Fighter's History...
Nintendo Download 24th December 2010 (Europe)
A mix of old and new
This week offers yet more catchup titles, consisting of games released in North America within the past few weeks, as well as the last few months. There's also two new games, however, both of which are for DSiWare and both of which are new instalments in two series which have been going for a while now. WiiWare: Hydroventure...
Does it measure up?
Cinemax releases have proven to be a rather mixed bag when it comes to DSiWare, from below average attempts such as Sokomania to the some of the best music applications available on the system, most notably Rytmik and Rytmik: Rock Edition. This time around, the company has provided a program for calculating biorhythms, which...
Review Paul's Monster Adventure (DSiWare)
Not quite The King of Carrot Flowers
Last month in Paul’s Shooting Adventure, Paul was an infant who could fly through the air, shoot energy blasts, and transform into various creatures. Things are a bit different these days in Paul’s Monster Adventure in which we see our protagonist as a young teenager who seems to lack any extraordinary...
Review Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp (DSiWare)
A trip back to the days of the LaserDisc
Few series divide players – including our own writers – as sharply as Dragon's Lair. Originally intended for the LaserDisc format, its titles are more interactive movies than traditional video games, tasking you with pressing the correct button quickly enough every few seconds. If our hero, Dirk, has to...
News Guilty Gear Spin-Off Known as Towel Slappin' Pro-Jumper in North America
Quirky platformer now rated by the ESRB
Back in August, we reported on the Japanese release of the Guilty Gear spin-off title Arc Style: Furo Jump!! Guilty Gear Gaiden!?, and if this quirky DSiWare title caught your interest then you're in luck as the game has been passed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Known in North America as Towel...
Nintendo Download 20th December 2010 (North America)
Mario gets the party started!
It's the week before Christmas and plenty is stirring in the Wii Shop Channel, with everything from Virtual Console party games to WiiWare games about killer robots with afros. DSiWare doesn't do without though, with more Christmas carols, dragon's lairs and more. Virtual Console: Mario Party 2 (Nintendo 64, 1000pts)...
News Rock Out to the Cosmos X2 Soundtrack, Now With Added Guitar
It's electric
Those of you who've dabbled with DSiWare shoot 'em ups may have had a blast to Cosmos X2's soundtrack, and now it's available for you to carry around with you wherever you go. Saturnine Games has just released an alternate version of the soundtrack with the guitar parts performed live, a short sample of which you can hear embedded...
Nintendo Download 17th December 2010 (Europe)
Lots and lots of catchup titles
This week is almost exclusively made up of catchup titles, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it means that there's so many releases. Maybe there's something you'd like in the bunch. WiiWare: My Fireplace (Korner, 500pts) – Secretly the recently released in North America Fireplacing, for some...
News Take on Abylight's DSiWare Cosmo Fighters on Monday
500 Points for cartoon capers
Abylight's not just about music and samurai tower defence games: its next handheld offering is Cosmo Fighters, a 2D "retro-futurist" fighting game. Fans of classic Dreamcast brawler Power Stone may recognise a little of the game's chaotic spirit in the four-player brawling action, with Download Play allowing...
Review GO Series: D-Tank (DSiWare)
Tank Defence
The GO Series already had a tower defence-esque game with tanks, but there's already another one now in the form of D-Tank. In Defence Wars you got a bunch of turrets, cannons and tanks to defend you against oncoming armies, but D-Tank takes its name quite seriously and only has one of those, the tanks. You control one single tank at a...
Review Jam Space: PocketStudio (DSiWare)
Dance club calibre headaches without the fun
Among the applications that have made it to DSiWare so far is a handful of music mixing and writing programs, none of which are particularly bad. From the mighty Rytmik and its rockin' follow-up to the slightly more basic but still solid Rhythm Core Alpha, DJs on the go have had their fair share of...
News Take the Slots On the Go with Fantasy Slots DSiWare
All bets are on
We've already had Fantasy Slots: Adventure Slots and Games on WiiWare, and now Big John Games is making the title portable with a DSiWare release on December 27th. With two slot machines, five bonus games and unlockable achievements this might not be a bad bet for 500 Points, but it failed to impress on the big screen as you can read...
News Jason Rohrer Anthology Gets DSiWare All Thoughtful on January 3rd
Alt-Play just 200 Points
Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology isn't the most captivating of names, but to anyone familiar with indie gaming it's an extremely promising title. A DSiWare-bound compilation of design darling Jason Rohrer's titles Passage, Gravitation and Between, it's safe to say these games are unlike anything currently available on the...
Podcast NLFM Episode 11: A Holiday Season in FLUX
Take a sneak peek at the final BIT.TRIP, sigh at simians, sneak along with a secret agent and get into the spirit of the season
We look to the future here at Nintendo Life. Why, take this episode of NLFM, the little ol' chip and game music podcast we've got going: it's got an exclusive first listen of the soundtrack to Gaijin Games' upcoming...
News Lend Your Support to Get Renegade Kid's MUDDS on DSiWare
Only you can make it happen
Renegade Kid's Maximilian and the Rise of the Mutant Mudds (known as MUDDS) was a DS project that failed to find favour with a publisher, but in this age of digital distribution that doesn't mean the project has to fall by the wayside. Jools Watsham of Renegade Kid has opened up the possibility of bringing Maximilian to...
Review Just Sing! Christmas Vol. 2 (DSiWare)
Another lump of coal for this year's stockings
Last Christmas, the European DSiWare service received the karaoke title Just Sing! Christmas Songs. As you might expect, it featured a Christmas theme and asked you to sing along, but it only included two songs and proved itself as nothing more than a waste of time. Sadly, Just Sing! Christmas Vol. 2 is...
News WayForward's Next DSiWare Game is Mighty Milky Way
ESRB outs galactic title
WayForward has created some of DSiWare's finest titles – in fact, Shantae: Risky's Revenge is the only game on the service awarded a 10/10 score – so the ESRB's rating of a new title from the studio should get your thumbs standing to attention. Called Mighty Milky Way, it's an action-puzzle game involving portals,...
Nintendo Download 13th December 2010 (North America)
lilting, shooting, Riding and more
There's a definite musical theme to this week's downloads, with a dubstep racer/puzzler, DSiWare singing, another portable music studio and a violin game (yes, really), as well as plenty of other non-melodic goodies. WiiWare: lilt line (Gaijin Games, 500pts) – It's that rarest of occurrences: an iPhone-to-WiiWare...
Review Dairojo! Samurai Defenders (DSiWare)
A strong defence, or will it just offend?
Here is it, folks. Yet another entry in the ever popular tower defence genre on DSiWare. With a focus on arcade-style high score achieving rather than plot-driven level advancement, Dairojo! Samurai Defenders makes for a slightly different experience while still retaining the same basic formula. Enemies...
News Nintendo Download - 10th December 2010 (Europe)
The wait is over, Cave Story is here!
It's been way too long of a wait, but one of WiiWare's greatest games has finally managed to cross over to Europe this week. It's accompanied by a handful of titles for the other services, including yet another VC game. WiiWare: Cave Story (Nicalis, 1000pts) – Does anything really still need to be said about...
News Final List of Indie Games Advent Calendar Titles is a WiiWare Who's Who
Who's behind the doors?
Mission in Snowdriftland's list of indie games participants just grew a little bigger, now standing at a sizeable 17 studios bringing exclusive content to the advent calendar. Yesterday Gaijin Games released a BIT.TRIP FLUX teaser image through the advent calendar, so WiiWare and DSiWare fans would be well advised to keep...
Review Rocks N' Rockets (DSiWare)
Rocking rockets
Most people are familiar with arcade classic Missile Command. In it, you control a bunch of anti-air batteries and have to shoot down the incoming enemies before they manage to destroy all of your cities. Rocks N' Rockets can pretty much be considered a revival of sorts of that game, although it does add a few unique twists of its...
Jedi school dropout
Originally released to arcades in 1984, Space Ace sought to recapture the magic of its predecessor, Dragon's Lair. And by "magic" we mean "ability to eat money." Gameplay was not high on the list of priorities for the team that designed these games, but flashy presentation certainly was. As a result, we are...
News Zombie BBQ Chews on DSiWare in North America Next Monday
What big teeth you have
Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ has been out in Europe for well over a year but fear not, North America: Nintendo has not forgotten about you. In fact, you'll get your chance next Monday, as EnjoyUp has just shared the news the game is on the way at long last. To celebrate the company has also sent over a new introduction...
Nintendo Download 6th December 2010 (North America)
Water, fire and much, much more
Never let it be said that the Nintendo Download lacks variety. On the same day that Nintendo launches new water-based puzzle game Fluidity, Korner Entertainment conquers completely the opposite end of the scale with virtual fireplace simulator Fireplacing. DSiWare is equally varied, with portable music studio Rytmik:...
Review Spot It! Challenge (DSiWare)
Spot It or Ignore It?
Spot It! Challenge, if nothing else, has to be commended for making an incredibly boring idea (that's usually relagated to children's books that you'd find in the waiting room at the pediatrician's office) frantic and fun. At its core this is is still very much a portable version of the Spot It! search-and-find books on which...
News Dairojo! Samurai Defenders Attacks DSiWare on Monday
800 Points for Oriental-themed tower defence
Spanish publisher Abylight is taking a break from its Music On series of melodic outings to bring something altogether different to DSiWare: Dairojo! Samurai Defenders, a tower defence title developed by Japanese firm Kawamoto Industrial. Featuring a Far East slant on the familiar tower defence genre, the...
Review DodoGo! Challenge (DSiWare)
DodoGo! Hard Mode
A little over half a year ago, Neko Entertainment released DodoGo!, a charming, decently sized puzzle game not unlike Lemmings. Now they're back with a new instalment, but is it worth another go? The basic premise of DodoGo is still here. Your objective in each stage is to safely get at least one of the present eggs safely to the...
Cave Story on the go
With the release of Cave Story on WiiWare earlier this year, Nicalis gave Wii owners a chance to experience a game that's become one of the most popular indie PC titles of all time. Now it's decided to give gamers a chance to own a portable version of the game that they can take with them on go. And while the game hasn't changed...
News Mission in Snowdriftland Opens for Christmas Business
With a host of treats to come
Online advent calendar Mission in Snowdriftland just opened its first door, playable online now as a Flash game, but it's the calendar's team-ups with indie developers that will bring the most cheer to hearts this Christmas. Top WiiWare and DSiWare developers have all collaborated on the project, with exclusive...
Nintendo Download 3rd December 2010 (Europe)
Tetris, soccer and a VC double whammy!
Brace yourself for a truly rare week: Virtual Console receives two games today, putting it level-pegging with WiiWare and DSiWare for the first time in ages. What's occurring this week? Read on and find out. Virtual Console: Magical Drop II (NeoGeo, 900pts) – A cutesy colour-coded puzzler from way back, this...
Frenzied
We're used to quality from Two Tribes so far, with excellent titles like Toki Tori and Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH available on WiiWare getting good scores all around. With its latest game being an iPhone port for DSiWare, can it keep up this streak of entertaining titles? Frenzic is a fairly simple game, but it can get deceptively hard...
Review Music On: Electric Guitar (DSiWare)
It's electric!
There are distinct advantages to an electric versus an acoustic guitar, such as being able to play for a larger audience using an amplifier. Unfortunately, a title that emulates the instrument on your DSi won’t offer any of these advantages, with the exception of manipulating the sound with various effects. Unlike a real axe, the...
Nintendo Download 29th November 2010 (North America)
Cave Story DSiWare is here
A little delayed but still delicious, it's this week's Nintendo Download for North America and a cracking week it is too. Let's get on with it. DSiWare: Cave Story (Nicalis, 1000pts) – The portable version of WiiWare's top notch Cave Story, this can hopefully live up to the standard of its home console predecessor whilst...
News Frenzic Lands Today with a Fresh New Trailer
200 Points for portable puzzler
Two Tribes' latest release, Frenzic, launches on European DSiWare today with a North American release to follow on Monday, and we have the official launch trailer to fill in some of the details in case you're not sure whether to take the 200 Point plunge or not. If the press release and following trailer still don't...
Review Supermarket Mania (DSiWare)
A pretty good sale
There's plenty of games available on DSiWare which are nothing more than glorified Flash games, which you could find playable for free online if you searched for just a few minutes. At first, we suspected that Supermarket Mania would join their ranks, but thankfully it offers a little bit more. As a single player-only experience,...
News Gamelion Bringing the Boom Boom to DSiWare
New title on the way next year
WiiWare's Furry Legends may not have quite lived up to all our expectations, but Gamelion clearly thinks the characters and setting is a recipe for success, as it's using elements of its rolling platformer in upcoming DSiWare game Boom Boom Squaries. Currently awaiting approval at Nintendo, with a release expected for...
Ruff
Playing fetch is a great way to bond with a canine companion. There's nothing like going to the park on a nice summer day and tossing a ball for your favorite four legged friend. When you first hear of a DSiWare release based on this you might imagine that you'll be guiding a puppy along with the stylus, avoiding obstacles and retrieving balls...
News Rytmik: Rock Edition Just 200 Points in North America
Out on December 6th
Rytmik: Rock Edition is a good buy for European musicians at 800 Points, but its upcoming North American release on Monday December 6th is about to get a lot better value. Cinemax has just got in touch with us to say the portable studio will launch at just 200 Nintendo Points, an absolute steal. Boasting all the features of...
Nintendo Download 26th November 2010 (Europe)
Bloody beaches, dying dodos and Faxanadu
As Advent draws near, it's truly the season of giving, with Nintendo joining in the festive spirit by giving Nintendo download fans 50% price cuts on two WiiWare titles finally making their way across from North America. Elsewhere, fans of NES side-scrolling RPGs are well catered for, and DSiWare gets the...
Interviews Two Tribes - Frenzic
Promising puzzler gets it in the Q&A
DSiWare puzzler Frenzic is nearly upon us – released this Friday in Europe and Monday for North America at 200 Points, in fact. Publisher Two Tribes graciously granted us time for an interview to find out more about the process of bringing Frenzic to DSiWare. Nintendo Life: Can you tell us a bit about Frenzic?...
Review Tetris Party Live (DSiWare)
Online Tetris for people on the go
Let's face it, we've seen hundreds of Tetris releases on various systems over the years, some obviously better than others. Hudson released the original Tetris Party on WiiWare almost two years ago, but with the release of the game on DSiWare, they're now giving gamers a version to take with them on the go. As a...
Review Need for Speed: Nitro-X (DSiWare)
Fast and (mostly) furious
Need For Speed: Nitro-X has a lot going for it. It's a racing game on a download service that's saturated with puzzlers, for one thing, but it's also part of one of the most long-running and successful racing franchises around. Is it a stripped down version of a retail game? Well yes, but it's a stripped down version of a...
Nintendo Download 22nd November 2010 (North America)
Demos, penguins, portable Tetris and VC
Getting in there early to beat the cold weather, here's this week's Nintendo Download complete with list of downloadable demos at long last. WiiWare: Snowpack Park (Nintendo, 800pts) – Befriend penguins in this left-field release from Nintendo. A cross between the pet and adventure genres, Snowpack Park sees...
News Shantae Shimmying to Europe in a Few Weeks' Time
Three to eight, to be precise
European DSi owners' long wait to play Shantae: Risky's Revenge is nearly over: the game will be out in three to eight weeks, according to WayForward. A message posted on the company's Twitter account reveals the game has just been submitted to Nintendo Europe, and barring any hold-ups the game should be available...
Review 21: Blackjack (DSiWare)
Strong suit or bad bet?
The time has come for blackjack to take its place among solitaire and Texas Hold 'Em as a card game that can stand alone on the DSiWare service. The objective, as the name gives away, is to get as close to 21 as possible in card value without going over. We've already seen a couple versions of the game in two slightly...
