Blasting off on DSiWare

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 making some much-needed improvements. Our resident cavern expert is digging through this one and we'll have a thorough review up shortly.

Frenzic (Two Tribes, 200pts) – Released in Europe last Friday, this cut prize puzzler scored plenty of awards in its previous states so let's hope it's just as playable on DSi. Our review will be ready this week.

Spot It! Challenge (Big John Games, 200pts) – It sounds like a hidden object game on paper, but the photographs used to form the puzzles of Spot It! Challenge could set this apart from the competition. We'll cast our eagle eyes over it and let you know soon.

WiiWare

Airport Mania: First Flight (Lemon Games, 500pts) – Already available on other formats (see here for more details), Airport Mania tasks you with getting a range of planes to their designated runways. New to the WiiWare version is a simultaneous four-player mode, which could result in air traffic chaos. We'll have our review soon.

HB Arcade Disc Golf (HB Studios Multimedia, 1000pts) – Players familiar with Wii Sports Resort should recognise the sport of disc golf, but for the uninitiated it's essentially golf, with a flying disc. For 1,000 Points this might seem steep, but it can't be any worse than WiiWare's other entry in the genre, Zoo Disc Golf... can it?

WiiWare Demos

Cave Story (Nicalis) – Get a free slice of this title with a demo.

Virtual Console

Magical Drop II (NeoGeo, 900pts) – A reasonably rare event these days: a Virtual Console game releasing in North America before Europe. This is a colourful and cutesy colour-matching puzzler that hopefully will be worth a pop. We'll have our review for you soon.

Give thanks for the press release below and the bountiful information it contains.

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: CAVE STORY NOW AVAILABLE ON DSIWARE AND AS A WIIWARE DEMO

Nov. 29, 2010

While the rest of your home might be cluttered with leftovers from a weekend of Thanksgiving revelry, this week's downloadable games from Nintendo provide a palate-cleansing mix of fun puzzles and challenges to start your week off right. The popular Cave Story™ makes its debut on the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, while a demo version of the game becomes available for the WiiWare™ service. Other Nintendo DSiWare games include the frenzied Frenzic puzzler and Spot It! Challenge, which tests players' ability to locate various objects. On the WiiWare service, travelers this holiday season will want to check out Airport Mania®: First Flight for a different perspective on the travel industry, while HB Arcade Disc Golf brings the popular outdoor sport into your living room. Finally, the classic 1996 NEOGEO game MAGICAL DROP II brings its balloon-bursting action to the Virtual Console™ service.

Nintendo DSiWare

Cave Story
Publisher: Nicalis
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Cave Story takes you into a rare world where a curious race of innocent rabbit-like creatures, called Mimiga, run free. You wake up in a dark cave with no memory of who you are, where you came from or why you're in such a place. Uncovering Mimiga Village you discover that the once-carefree Mimiga are in danger at the hands of a maniacal scientist. Their only hope rests squarely on the shoulders of a quiet, amnesiac boy who can't remember his own name. Take control and learn the origins of this world's power, stop the delusional villain and save the Mimiga.

Frenzic
Publisher: Two Tribes
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Frenzic is a unique puzzle game that dazzles the eye, teases the brain and keeps you coming back for more. It takes only minutes to learn, but months to master as you devise new, impressive play strategies to push your brain to its limit. Compete against your personal best and climb through seven levels of Devotion from Newbie all the way to Frenzic Master. Frenzic is a must-have for puzzle enthusiasts of all ages.

Spot It! Challenge
Publisher: Big John Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Spot It! Challenge, players race the clock to find the hidden objects in cleverly arranged scenes. The puzzles are based on the popular Spot-It book series published by Capstone Press. See how many objects you can spot in 10 different puzzles. Vibrant graphics make spotting objects fun and challenging. Players use the stylus to tap on the hidden objects and also to navigate the extra-large play areas. Spot hundreds of hidden objects in 10 themed puzzles, including Outdoor Sports, Board Games and Fun with Food. Players can compete against their friends using the "Pass Around Play" feature. Up to four players can race to find 10 objects hidden within a puzzle. Each player has to spot the objects and then pass it on to the next player. See who can get the best score! Find objects fast to score the most points. Three levels of difficulty (Easy, Medium and Insane) provide lots of replay value.

WiiWare

Airport Mania: First Flight
Publisher: Lemon Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: Pack your bags for a trip through the skies in Airport Mania. Travel through eight amusing airports while you land a variety of planes, purchase upgrades and avoid delays. Stay on your toes, as some planes carry precious cargo and will need to land in a hurry, while others might need a trip to the repair shop. But, with good planning, you're sure to make it to the gate on time. With unique challenges, whimsical characters and fun that'll put a smile on your face, Airport Mania is one flight you can't miss.

HB Arcade Disc Golf
Publisher: HB Studios Multimedia
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: HB Arcade Disc Golf re-creates the popular disc-flinging sport in the comfort of your own living room. Playing the game is as easy as tossing a disc around on a beautiful day. The goal of the game is to put the disc in the basket in the fewest throws possible. Disc golfers have three different types of discs at their disposal when out on the course: a driver, a mid-range disc and a putter. Also, there are three different types of throws available: forehand, backhand and the hammer throw. The forehand and backhand throws change based on the handedness of the player, and can be used to draw or fade a shot, while the hammer throw is less about distance and more about height. At the end of the round, scores are tallied and the player with the lowest score is the winner.

Cave Story (demo version)
Publisher: Nicalis
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 1,200 Wii Points
Description: Cave Story takes you into a rare world where a curious race of innocent rabbit-like creatures, called Mimiga, run free. You wake up in a dark cave with no memory of who you are, where you came from or why you're in such a place. Uncovering Mimiga Village you discover that the once-carefree Mimiga are in danger at the hands of a maniacal scientist. Their only hope rests squarely on the shoulders of a quiet, amnesiac boy who can't remember his own name. Take control and learn the origins of this world's power, stop the delusional villain and save the Mimiga.

Virtual Console

MAGICAL DROP II
Original platform: NEOGEO
Publisher: D4 Enterprise
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: MAGICAL DROP II is a puzzle action game released by Data East in 1996. The rules are simple. Control the clown to pull in and throw back the balloons that appear on the screen. If you line up three or more balloons of the same color in a row vertically, they will burst. Some balloons feature unique characteristics. Special balloons, which come in all four colors, pop every balloon of the same color. Arrow balloons burst everything in the direction the arrow is facing. Rainbow balloons have the same effect as special balloons, but can be thrown against a balloon of any color. And then there are bubble balloons, which simply get in your way. Together, these provide you with great chains and combos that make a puzzle game so much fun. Choose between VS CPU Mode, full of battles with a host of comical characters, and Puzzle Mode, where you'll enjoy a one-player challenge. Both modes support player-versus-player action, meaning you can have a great time together with friends.

Note: Some demo versions do not support all game features, and players cannot save their in-game progress in demo versions.