A classic for all the right reasons!

Halloween's coming up, and as is tradition for Nintendo, that means at least some of this week's downloads are related - It's only two this year, but who honestly cares when one of them is a Virtual Console game which has been on thousands of "most wanted" lists since the Wii was released? Accompanying it is a new arcade game, the third chapter of Tales of Monkey Island, and three more games which we honestly think almost nobody was waiting for.

By far the biggest release is of course Zombies Ate My Neighbors, the fourth LucasArts game on Virtual Console and one which many people have been dying to see on the service. As either one or two players, you must go through over 50 stages in order to prevent your neighbors from being eaten by zombies and a variety of other enemies, such as aliens, giant ants, chainsaw maniacs, killer plants and more. With incredibly addictive gameplay, a fairly high difficulty level and an absolutely fantastic soundtrack this is easily one of the most welcome VC releases yet, and if you're even the slightest bit interested it's an absolutely essential purchase. We recently wrote a retro review of the game which you can read to make you want it even more. Also, yes, it's the SNES version, which is generally considered superior!

Today's other VC release is the third Sega arcade release and another one which is already available as a Genesis title - Golden Axe. It's a bit hard to pick whether this or the home port is better - Although this one obviously features superior graphics and sound, the Genesis version has a few extra levels. This one also costs slightly more, at a price of 900 Wii Points. It all comes down to a matter of preference! Our review will tell you more.

WiiWare only now gets Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan, which has been out on PC for nearly a month! Content-wise, it is easily the best chapter yet, as it features the return of a fan favourite character, but it remains to be seen whether occassional visual and audio hiccups still plague the WiiWare port like in the previous two parts. We'll review it soon. As before, it costs 1000 Wii Points.

Ghost Mansion Party is today's other Halloween-themed game and Gameloft's latest release. The game pretty much seems to be Mario Party in a haunted house setting - Up to 4 players move around a board and play minigames in order to win the game. As Nintendo's well-known party series isn't on Virtual Console yet, this could be a decent buy. We'll have a review soon. It costs 1000 Wii Points.

DSiWare gets a sequel of sorts to the recent WiiWare release PictureBook Games - PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff is less of a party game and instead centers solely around a single strategic game involving poker chips and animals in gentlemanly costumes, which means we have absolutely no idea what to expect! For 500 DSi Points it could be decent, so we'll have a review ready within the next few days.

Today's other DSiWare game is perhaps the least wanted game of the whole week - The very generically titled Sudoku is the fourth Sudoku game on DSiWare and most certainly won't be the last. Electronic Arts claims that the game features "hundreds" of puzzles, which would make it the most content-packed of the four so far, especially for 200 DSi Points, but do we really need even more of these? We'll review it soon.

So, how many people will be killing zombies with squirt guns later today? Hands up! More from Nintendo's press release:

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: NINTENDO OFFERS DOWNLOADABLE HALLOWEEN FUN FROM AXE TO ZOMBIES

Oct. 26, 2009

Boo! As the year's spookiest holiday draws near, this week's additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi™ Shop are ready to put some extra chills and thrills into your Halloween week. The WiiWare™ service invites you to explore a ghostly mansion or face menacing foes in a new Tales of Monkey Island adventure. On the Virtual Console™, battle zombies and other supernatural creatures in a Super NES™ classic, or ward off evil forces in the legendary arcade game Golden Axe™. For Nintendo DSiWare™ users, a portable PictureBook Games™ title delivers nifty tricks, while sudoku solvers are in for a real treat. And speaking of treats, Wii owners who have their Wii consoles connected to the Internet should check out the Nintendo Week show on Nintendo Channel for an exclusive WiiWare announcement of a fresh take on an 8-bit classic.

WiiWare

Ghost Mansion Party
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Fazzy the ghost has been locked out of his mansion by some evil spooks, and he's willing to give his treasure to anyone who can chase them out. Work cooperatively and competitively with friends and family to defeat the ghosts and discover a huge hidden treasure. Travel around this wild mansion in board-game fashion, landing on mini-games that everyone can enjoy. You'll even engage in challenges on the board itself as you try to collect magic scrolls and hints to reveal the secret word that will open the doors to the treasure. Get your Wii Remote™ controllers ready - you're about to play with them in ways you've never imagined.

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Comic Mischief, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: In the third Tales of Monkey Island chapter, Guybrush gets in deep - literally - as his quest for the voodoo exfoliating La Esponja Grande takes a scenic detour through the guts of a giant manatee. Our hero encounters a surprising band of castaways, including the long-lost explorer Coronado De Cava. Can the Mighty Pirate win the suspicious De Cava's trust? Will sexy pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay prove to be a ruthless enemy or an unlikely ally? Will the group find La Esponja Grande in time to save Elaine from the rampant Pox of LeChuck? And will the world be crushed by the gnashing teeth of a certain demonic skull? Tales of Monkey Island's moist and absorbing third episode, "Lair of the Leviathan," will answer some of these urgent questions and raise even more as the five-month adventure builds to its epic climax.

Virtual Console

Zombies Ate My Neighbors™
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: You will play the game as one of two brave kids: Zeke or Julie. Both kids use the same control scheme and have the same characteristics. If you're playing in two-player mode, each player must pick a kid. You can't have two Zekes or two Julies. Each player starts with three lives. When your life bar runs out, you lose a life. There are hidden 1-Up bonuses in the game. You may also earn bonus lives if you have 10 victims left when you finish a level. Get ready to conquer 48 levels of giant ants, mad scientists and big babies. Find seven bonus levels (look for the question marks), earn points and stockpile your water pistols and other weapons.

Golden Axe
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Blood, Fantasy Violence
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: In this original arcade game that launched the popular Golden Axe series, the evil Death Adder has invaded your land and taken the king and princess prisoner. Three mighty warriors step forward to bring the villain to justice: powerful fighter Ax Battler, Amazon warrior Tyris Flare and mighty dwarf Gilius Thunderhead. They will use their weapons and magic to fight their way through Death Adder's hordes. Along the way, they'll mount fearsome, fire-spitting beasts to help even the odds. Team up with a friend and enjoy two-player simultaneous game play for a better chance of survival.

Nintendo DSiWare

PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Aristocratic opponents square off in PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff, a game of strategy and deceit. Compete for points by adding or subtracting colored chips from rows on the game board and trying to guess each of your opponent's secretly assigned chip colors. Once you're confident in your deduction, issue a Call Out attempt to earn bonus points - at the risk of giving your opponent an extra point if you're wrong. Three modes of play (Tournament, Free Play, DS Wireless Play) offer a variety of options, from facing off against an assortment of computer opponents to competing in a wireless match with up to four players. Throw Trick Cards into the mix and you've got a winning combination of tactics and trickery that's sure to score points.

SUDOKU
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: SUDOKU offers hundreds of number-crunching puzzles that will stretch your brain power to the limit. Take it even further by playing in the exclusive Newspaper Mode. Add a daily puzzle from your favorite paper and build your very own collection. From Easy to Insane, a total of five different levels are available for novices and masters alike. Enjoy a host of grid designs that will keep you coming back for more. This worldwide phenomenon delivers an exhilarating game of logic that's not only challenging, but also surprisingly relaxing. It's everything you want for a quick puzzle getaway. Make life easier by taking advantage of smart features like automatic annotation for effortless calculation of your achievements. Stumped? Get help with error-checking tools and friendly cell hints. Track your stats and test your reaction time with the in-game timer. This addictive brain game has been polished to perfection and renders a sleek design that's easy on the eyes.

[source press.nintendo.com]