Back to the jungle in Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure

If you bought a DSi you'll be quite glad to hear that there's already some new games available this week. Of course the Wii Shop gets its usual new WiiWare and VC game as well!

Mixed Messages is Activision's first DSiWare game. It's pretty simple - First, you enter a sentence. Then, you pass the DSi to a friend, who has to illustrate that sentence. He then passes it on to another friend, who will then have to write a sentence he thinks suits that picture, and so on! This really only seems to be fit for very large groups of people - Activision claims it's for 2 to 21 players!

If you would like to learn some more magic tricks you can do so this week as well - Master of Illusion Express: Shuffle Games will teach you a bunch of tricks with which you read your friends' minds.

If you'd rather stick with the Wii Shop you might find this week's releases a bit disappointing. For WiiWare, you can grab Party Fun Pirate, the North American localization of Pop-Up Pirate, which was released in Europe quite a while ago. We thought it was pretty mediocre, so if you were thinking of getting it you might want to reconsider!

As said, Activision has not just started supporting DSiWare - They've started supporting the VC as well. Their first game is, naturally, an installment in their most well-known series, Pitfall! In Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure for the Genesis, you once again visit the jungle, swinging from vines, dodging snakes and jumping across pitfalls - The only difference is that you play as Pitfall Harry's son, because his dad has gone missing and he's out to find him. The game is quite well animated, but as far as gameplay goes it's fairly standard. A nice feature which will have been hopefully retained for the VC release is that you can unlock the ability to play the original Atari 2600 Pitfall! game.

Sadly, this means that, once again, there's no The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask! Hopefully next week!

More from Nintendo's press release:

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: PIRATES AND PITFALLS SEND MASTERFUL MIXED MESSAGES

April 13, 2009

The new Nintendo DSi™ system has been on store shelves for just a week now. Today Activision's Mixed Messages™ becomes the first third-party downloadable game for the new system. Mixed Messages is a game of electronic telephone that can accommodate a whopping 21 players. On the WiiWare™ side, fans will find a game based on the popular Pop-Up Pirate™ toy that might have players sticking virtual swords into their Mii™ characters. And classic character Pitfall Harry Jr. makes his debut on the Virtual Console.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ or Nintendo DSi Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All Nintendo Points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Wii Shop Channel or the Nintendo DSi Shop. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems. This week's new games are:

Nintendo DSiWare™

Mixed Messages (Activision, 2-21 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Nintendo DSi Points): Mixed Messages is the hilarious party game of mixed-up miscommunication. Sketch a picture to capture your friends' sentence, or try to figure out what in the world they've drawn. You might start with, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" and end up with "A crazy surfer outruns flying sticks of dynamite while his fans cheer!" Two to 21 players take turns writing sentences and drawing pictures to pass along a message. This isn't a game about winning and losing - it's all about the funny miscommunications that happen along the way. You'll laugh when you see just how wacky things can get. Get together with your friends and mix it up.

Master of Illusion™ Express: Shuffle Games (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): Master of Illusion Express titles are mind-boggling magic tricks pulled from the popular Nintendo DS™ game. Learn the illusions, practice up and amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Shuffle Games will boggle your audience members' minds as they try to figure out how you know exactly what they're thinking. Also included is the bonus Vanishing Card trick, which the Nintendo DSi system performs for your enjoyment.

WiiWare

Party Fun Pirate™ (TOMY Corporation, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): Based on the popular Pop-Up Pirate toy, players take turns thrusting swords into a barrel that holds your captain captive, trying to see who can insert the most swords into the barrel. Thrust a sword into the wrong hole and you'll send your captain flying, which means it's game over for you! Unique Wii features add to the excitement, making for a fun-filled party game. Try swapping out the captain and putting your custom Mii character in the barrel for some real laughs!

Virtual Console

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated T for Teen - Animated Violence, 800 Wii Points): Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is a side-scrolling action game in which you play adventurer Pitfall Harry Jr. in search of his father, Pitfall Harry. Pitfall Harry has been taken captive by the dreaded warrior spirit Zakelua: Lord of Evil. Armed with only a trusty sling and his father's journal, young Harry Jr. must now venture into the unknown to rescue him … before it's too late! Bungee jump and boomerang your way to safety as you battle through treacherous Mayan jungles, waterfalls and deserted mines. With 13 levels of fast, gripping action, you will need to be attentive and quick - or prepare to die …

[source press.nintendo.com]