All skill, no cheap tricks!

Multiple games were already announced for release this week, but they don't even make up half of the total releases. Each service gets more than one new game, and almost all of them are (or seem to be) good.

The Virtual Console steals the show this time though - Super Mario Kart on the SNES is the long-awaited original game in Nintendo's famous racing series. There's no unfair items like Blue Shells and Bullet Bills here - It's all about pure skill. The tracks aren't quite as diverse as they would become in later games, but they're still extremely fun to race around on, and isn't that really all that matters? You can read our retro review of the game here.

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia on the NES is a bit too late to promote the Wii retail game, but at least it's been released! It generally tends to get very mixed opinions - Some love it, while others absolutely hate it. Whatever the case, it's at least interesting to check out the game which just got a surprisingly good sequel. We'll have a review soon.

WiiWare this week plays catchup to both Europe and Japan, but there's still four titles to pick from. Bit.Trip Void is the third installment in the Bit.Trip series and once again changes up the gameplay mechanics - This time you play as a large black ball, which must move around and pick up black dots while avoiding white ones. Sean wrote up some first impressions when it was surprisingly released in Japan first, which you can read before we review it. It costs 600 Wii Points, just like the others.

Harvest Moon: My Little Shop is unlike most other Harvest Moon games - Instead of running a farm, you must run a shop, customizing it as you see fit and trying to make a succesful business out of it. At 1200 Wii Points, it's one of the more expensive WiiWare games, so we certainly hope it delivers! We'll review it soon.

Little Tournament Over Yonder can safely be passed on by most. It's a strategy game with both turn-based and real-time battles, which sounds good in theory - Sadly, once you play it you'll quickly think otherwise. Some people don't like strategy games that are too complicated, but we thought this one was too simple - Something we imagine even less people will like. It costs 800 Wii Points.

This week's final WiiWare game is really just there for parents with young children - Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1 is meant to provide children 3 to 6 years old a fun way to learn some basic things. Nothing to complain about, because it does its job well and only costs 500 Wii Points.

DSiWare gets seven new games this week, although you can probably guess what five of those are. The most interesting is Castle of Magic, an action platformer from Gameloft which makes heavy use of the touch screen and also features support for the DSi camera, allowing you to put your own face on the main character, among other things. Considering the only other DSiWare platformer is pretty average, we hope this one will deliver. It only costs 500 DSi Points.

myNotebook: Blue is the first of three different colours of notebooks Nnooo will be releasing on DSiWare. Aside from the colours, there are no other differences, so you should just wait for the colour you like most - Blue, red or green. The application itself does exactly what it says - It provides a digital notebook to, well, write notes in! For the people who could use such a thing on their DSi, it can come in very handy. It's only 200 DSi Points.

Today also sees the release of the remaining five Electroplankton titles. Each once again offers you different ways to make music, so search around for impressions or wait for our reviews before deciding which one is best fit for you. This week's offerings are Luminarrow, Sun-Animalcule, Lumiloop, Marine-Crystals and Varvoice. Each costs 200 DSi Points.

A ton of games this week, will you be getting any? More from Nintendo's press release:

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: DOWNLOAD NEW BIT.TRIP KICKS, SPEEDING KARTS, MAGIC CASTLES AND MORE

Nov. 23, 2009

Among the latest downloadable games from Nintendo is BIT.TRIP VOID, a riveting new installment in the extraordinary retro-arcade series for the WiiWare™ service. You'll also find some remarkable kid-friendly fare on WiiWare this week, including the immersive Harvest Moon®: My Little Shop. Race-loving Mario™ fans will thrill to see the original Super Mario Kart™ make its Virtual Console™ debut alongside the imaginative A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia. The Nintendo DSiWare™ service welcomes Castle Of Magic - featuring some inventive uses for the Nintendo DSi™ system's built-in cameras - as well as five delightful additions to the Electroplankton™ series. No doubt, the variety and value found on the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop are enough to keep holiday consumers energized through Black Friday and beyond.

WiiWare

BIT.TRIP VOID
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points™
Description: The third installment in the retro-arcade BIT.TRIP saga is a synesthetic exploration of rhythm and music as they pertain to our everyday lives and moods. With a control scheme that's new to the series yet wholly familiar to gamers, players have complete freedom to move about the screen wherever they desire, interacting with the music in brand new ways. The classic game-play aesthetic remains as color - and the absence of color - are explored to the fullest. Trip out in four-player co-op and get lost in the beat with a friend. See if you can survive the onslaught of Beats and further your own BIT.TRIP.

Harvest Moon: My Little Shop
Publisher: Natsume, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,200 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to Clover Town, where you've just taken over your grandparents' farm and shop. The town has fallen on hard times, though. People are leaving, businesses are struggling and the magic of the Harvest Sprites is gone. Can you turn Clover Town's fortunes around and restore its missing magic? Raise crops and animals, then use what you farm at your shop. Keep your customers happy by making wild fruit juices, towering ice cream cones and extravagantly decorated eggs in a series of fun and fast-paced activities that use the Wii Remote™ controller to its fullest potential. Chop vegetables in midair, shake your Wii Remote controller to match your cow's moves, roll eggs through tilting mazes and more. Use your hard-earned money to buy new crops and animals or expand and decorate your shop. Along the way, you'll meet and befriend lots of new and interesting characters, as well as several familiar faces from the Harvest Moon series.

Little Tournament Over Yonder
Publisher: Gevo Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: In the world of Little Tournament Over Yonder, play as a young Prince or Princess and lead your team through numerous battles. Plan and deploy your units to gain strategic advantages. Launch real-time battles between units and fight hard, fast and smart. Build your team, hire new units with different powers, then groom them with battle experience to gain level. With strategic planning and real-time, fast-paced fighting, this game is for the complete warrior - one who works his mind and his muscles. Go for Single-Player Tournament glory or challenge your friend in a 2-Player Versus match.

Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1
Publisher: Lexis Numérique
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: EC (Early Childhood)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to the world of the PooYoos, the first fun, poetic brain trainer for children aged 3 to 6. With the PooYoos, a merry band of adorable baby animals, children will have fun while learning the developmental basics: numbers, letters, lateralization, shapes, colors and more. Children get to dance with their new friends and enjoy lovely interactive rewards. There are two levels of interactivity, so children can play according to their age and level. This game has been designed for use by children who have not yet grasped reading.

Virtual Console

Super Mario Kart
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Get in, sit down, buckle up and experience frantic kart racing in the game that started it all. Select one of eight characters from the Mario series - offering a variety of driving styles - and take on three championship cups in three different kart classes. Win enough and you'll unlock a fourth circuit: the ultra-tough Special Cup. Crossing the finish line in first place isn't an easy task, though, as each track has unique obstacles to conquer. Racers can obtain special power-ups that boost them to victory. For a different kind of challenge, take on a friend in multiplayer races or go head-to-head in a Battle Mode arena, where the object is to pop your opponent's balloons before you lose your own. With more than 15 tracks to master and nearly endless replay value, Super Mario Kart is classic gaming with some banana peels thrown in for good measure.

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia
Original platform: NES™
Publisher: Majesco Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Blob has come from the distant planet Blobolonia in search of an Earth boy to help him save his world. Join him on this fantastic adventure, searching for treasures in mysterious caverns beneath the earth, then traveling to Blobolonia to battle the evil emperor. Discover Blob's amazing appetite for jellybeans and the different transformations that occur with each flavor. Use these shapes to overcome even the most outrageous obstacles. A Boy and His Blob is a fantastic journey filled with constant surprises and humorous characters.

Nintendo DSiWare

Castle Of Magic
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Be prepared for anything as you try to save your friend from the clutches of the horrifying magician Nefastax. Stand up to wild monsters in environments that directly influence your movement. As you navigate this universe, the ground will make you stick, slide, sink, swim, levitate and even walk on the ceiling when gravity disappears. A never-before-seen use for the Nintendo DSi Camera application lets you transform yourself into powerful new forms. Visit an in-game Photo Cabin and search for a real-life object that matches the color of the character you want to transform into. Take a picture of a blue object with your Nintendo DSi system and…presto, you're transformed into a swordfish. You can customize game items - from coins to enemies - with pictures of your choice. Our cute hero's adventure is just too big and immersive for one screen, so he'll have to jump between the top and bottom screens of your Nintendo DSi system. Ready to dive into the adventure?

myNotebook: Blue™
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off or play your favorite pen and paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don't like. With five ink colors, you'll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.

Electroplankton Luminarrow
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Luminarrow plankton are famous for their habit of perfectly following arrow-shaped formations. The plankton spin as they move, changing directions as soon as they come in contact with an arrow that's pointing in another direction. The pitch of the sound they make will change depending on where the arrows are positioned. There are four types of Luminarrow: red, yellow, green and blue. Each type floats at a different speed and makes a distinctive musical tone. The four types of Luminarrow drift together to create beautiful melodies. Completely alter the direction of the arrows to change their sound dramatically.

Electroplankton Sun-Animalcule
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Sun-Animalcule plankton get their name from their tendency to emit light in a sphere around them. The plankton begin as eggs and gradually grow, emitting light and fascinating sounds throughout their entire life cycle. The sounds they make will change as they grow from infancy to maturity, growing very quickly until they disappear completely. Sun-Animalcule plankton only emerge in the morning, noon and evening. They lose strength as the night wears on; that's when the crescent-shaped Falcato plankton take their place. The pitch of the plankton changes depending on where they grow.

Electroplankton Lumiloop
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Lumiloop plankton are curious, donut-shaped aquatic creatures. While stationary, they have the ability to spin at a very high rate of speed. As they spin, the Lumiloop emit unique sounds and a fascinating ring-shaped glow. Lumiloop plankton seem to always grow in clusters of five. They produce sounds at different pitches as they spin together, creating a beautiful harmony. This is called a pentatonic scale. Depending on where they live, Lumiloop plankton that produce several different sounds have been identified.

Electroplankton Marine-Crystals
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Resembling delicate snow crystals, Marine-Crystal plankton float elegantly on the surface of the water. The plankton get their name from their distinctive snowflake shape. They grow in clusters of 35 and line up in very orderly formations. When stimulated, Marine-Crystal plankton spin and produce vibrant sounds. While the plankton do grow in size if they are repeatedly tapped, they gradually return to their original size over time. They are born in four polygonal shapes: triangle, square, pentagon and hexagon. The ends of the crystalline protrusions also take on the same shapes. The tone of the sound they make will change depending on the shape of the Marine-Crystal plankton's body.

Electroplankton Varvoice
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Varvoice plankton memorize the sound of human speech and repeat it over and over. They accomplish this amazing feat by oscillating the long flagellum that extends from their heads. By resonating the vibration with their water-droplet-shaped body, the plankton produce sounds that closely resemble the human voice. The body can expand and contract at will. By changing shape, they can easily manipulate the sound of the voice. Words that the Varvoice memorize and play back in reverse have a particularly strange ring to them. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as Varvoice inversion.

[source press.nintendo.com]