Nothing out of the ordinary in Tomena Sanner!

Yes, we didn't get any Virtual Console games in the final update of 2009, and now it looks like we're not getting any in the first update of 2010 either. Nintendo of Europe has just sent out a press release listing Friday's new downloadables, with a measly selection of 5 games compared to the 10+ North America's consistently been getting lately.

Tomena Sanner on WiiWare is the only truly interesting offering this week. In this rhythm-action game, you control a Japanese businessman as he automatically runs through a variety of environments. So where's the gameplay? Well, it doesn't consist of much more than simply pressing the A button at the right time, to avoid various enemies and obstacles that try to hinder you from reaching your destination on time. As simple as it may sound, impressions of the Japanese version have been quite positive, so it's definitely one to look into. It's also only 500 Wii Points! We'll have a review soon.

Happy Hammerin' might seem like a very simple whack-the-mole game, but it's actually a collection of various completely different minigames, all involving moles and hammers. We've already got plenty of minigame collections on the Wii, but at 500 Wii Points and with support for 4 players this could be decent. We'll review the game soon.

DSiWare this week consists of nothing but games already released elsewhere. Dragon's Lair is a near-perfect conversion of the original arcade game, featuring all the fully animated cartoon action the game is known for. And at 800 DSi Points, it costs far less than the combined total of all quarters it would take to clear it on the original arcade machine! You can read what we thought here.

Miami Nights: Life in the Spotlight is the umpteenth conversion of a mobile phone game by Gameloft, and although they're generally decent, this one's a bit mediocre. A "social life" game of sorts, there's no real objective other than walking around, talking to people, going on dates and that sort of stuff, which is also its downfall - It gets repetitive fairly quickly, making it one of the lesser Gameloft DSiWare releases so far. Our thoughts can be found here. It costs 800 DSi Points.

High Stakes Texas Hold'em might be the first poker game for DSiWare, but we're sure there will be more to follow. We generally expect good games from Hudson Soft, but they dropped the ball a bit on this one - It's as basic as can be and offers nothing more than 4-player multiplayer for its 500 DSi Point asking price. Our review will tell you exactly why this is one to skip.

That's sadly all there is this week. Here's Nintendo of Europe's painfully brief press release (It's like they're not even trying anymore!):

Bring in the new year with some amazing downloads for Wii and Nintendo DSi!

Get the most out of your Wii or Nintendo DSi by downloading new software directly from the Wii Shop Channel or Nintendo DSi Shop in exchange for Nintendo Points. More information on WiiWare and Nintendo DSiWare can be found at the bottom of this article. The following new releases will be available from Friday:

WiiWare
New, original games offering something for everyone!

Happy Hammerin'
A party game where friends and families can compete against each other by bashing moles using the Wii Remote!

Tomena Sanner
Take control of businessman Hitoshi Susumu, who won't stop running until he gets to his ultimate dance party!

Nintendo DSiWare
Access a world of new possibilities with Nintendo DSiWare.

Dragon's Lair
Play as the heroic Dirk the Daring, a valiant knight on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon!

High Stakes Texas Hold'em
Hold 'em and fold 'em with High Stakes Texas Hold'em, a world-famous poker game now available as Nintendo DSiWare!

Miami Nights: Life in the Spotlight
Follow the path to becoming the star that you've always dreamed of being and live the life you've always wanted!

[source nintendo.co.uk]