Uncle Sam must be proud

It's North America's turn for a bit of a catch-up with Europe in this week's Nintendo Download, but there are still a few interesting titles here that might take your fancy.

DSiWare

All-Star Air Hockey (Skyworks Interactive, 200pts) – A handheld version of the classic arcade pastime, this comes from the creators of Arcade Hoops Basketball and Arcade Bowling, neither of which have been stellar classics. Hopefully this take on the paddle game will fare better – find out in our review later this week.

Mahjong (DTP entertainment, 200pts) – There are plenty of other mahjong games on DSiWare, and sadly this isn't the best of them, as our Mahjong review points out.

myDiary (Nnooo, 200pts) – An organiser from Nnooo's myLifeCollected series, this is a pretty good app for DSi, with over 400 pages, a PIN protection feature and the ability to set an alarm as well. Make a note of our myDiary review for more information.

101 Dolphin Pets (Teyon, 500pts) – Befriend and train your very own dolphin through a range of minigames, all brought to you by the same team behind 101 Shark Pets. That game didn't turn out too well, but we'll have to wait and see if basing a pet game on a more intelligent, friendly animal will help raise the quality. Our review is on the way this week.

WiiWare

Magic Destiny (Shanblue Interactive, 500pts) – Do you want to know your future? The official blurb for Magic Destiny (known as Magic Destiny – Astrological Games in Europe) says it "mixes minigames with Astrology and helps you learn to read your future with seashells, numerology, tarot cards, palmistry and fortune cookies." Gaze into our crystal balls and our Magic Destiny review will appear, possibly along with a handsome stranger. Possibly not.

WiiWare Demos

Racers' Island: Crazy Racers (Zallag) – Any game with crazy in the title should generally set alarm bells ringing, but now you can try Zallag's island racer for nothing, then check out our Racers' Island: Crazy Racers review in case you feel like buying the full game.

Zombie Panic in Wonderland (Akaoni Studio) – A third-person shooter on WiiWare is a rarity, but one about zombies and fairytale heroines is even rare. Now you can try Akaoni's title for nothing, then read our Zombie Panic in Wonderland review for the rest of the tale.

Press the button to release the press release.

Fire Up for February with Fresh Downloads for Nintendo Systems

Winter blues got you down? Bid farewell to January and say hello to a new batch of downloadable games for Wii™ and Nintendo DSiT systems. As always, the latest additions to the WiiWareT and Nintendo DSiWareT services offer a wide variety of titles to lift your spirits. WiiWare users can also take advantage of demo versions of select games available for zero Wii PointsT, giving players the chance to sample select games before downloading the full versions. As you trudge through the dog days of winter, the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop are open 24 hours a day to help keep you fired up no matter what the weather has in store.

Nintendo DSiWare

All-Star Air HockeyT
Publisher: Skyworks Interactive
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi PointsT
Description: Remember the days of hanging around the local arcade and playing air hockey until the wee hours? Grab your paddle and enjoy some classic arcade action with All-Star Air Hockey from Skyworks, creators of some of the best and most fun sports and arcade games for the Nintendo DSi system. In Practice Mode, choose from eight computer opponents. In Tournament Mode, test your skills against all of them. All-Star Air Hockey features state-of-the-art graphics and local high-score boards.

Mahjong
Publisher: dtp young entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Experience the world-famous Chinese board game. Play your way through numerous tricky levels with varying degrees of difficulty and beautifully drawn backdrops. Enjoy Single-Player or 2-Player Mode. Use powerful extras such as Dynamite, Whirlwind and Hourglass to become the uncontested Mahjong champion.

myDiaryT
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myDiary lets you keep your own personal diary on your Nintendo DSi system. Just open your system, tap on a day and write a note. Set alarms for important events. You can even lock your notes away from prying eyes. Try keeping track of important dates and to-do lists. You can even personalize myDiary with 12 unlockable themes and ink colors. Use the stylus like a pencil to make notes or doodles and then erase the bits you don't like. myDiary will help you organize your life.

101 Dolphin Pets
Publisher: Teyon
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Choose from more than 101 baby dolphins or simply adopt them all. Discover their personalities as you feed, clean and care for your new pets. Bring out your pet's talents by training your dolphin in a variety of fun activities. Enter your dolphin into pet shows and earn money to buy exciting upgrades such as toys, food, clothes and accessories. The more tricks you teach and the more games you play, the more fun you'll have. You'll never be bored with so many new friends to play with, pamper and love.

WiiWare

MAGIC DESTINY
Publisher: SHANBLUE INTERACTIVE
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Violent References
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Discover the fascinating world of astrology and let the stars guide you with MAGIC DESTINY. Use the vast encyclopedia to learn all about ancient knowledge that's been handed down through the centuries. Explore your destiny with predictions. Learn to read your future using seashells, numerology, tarot cards, palmistry and fortune cookies. Highly entertaining games such as Runeblock, Diamonds Link and Stellar Memory will take you deeper into the experience. Venture into this captivating, magical world.if you dare.

Zombie Panic in Wonderland (demo version)
Publisher: Akaoni Studio
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Mild Suggestive Themes, Fantasy Violence
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 1,000 Wii Points
Description: A wave of zombies is attacking Wonderland. To save his friends from the spell of the "amorous zombies," the player will have to solve the mystery of the "scented dwarves" - with machine gun in-hand - and put an end to the evil power hidden in the castle in the northern city. Game features include cut scenes, music with lyrics, seven playable characters, hidden levels, final bosses, different weapons, fire, demolitions, explosions and lots of zombies attacking you at all times.

Racers' Islands - Crazy Racers (demo version)
Publisher: ZALLAG
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Six drivers are competing on a popular TV show: an English lord, a dangerous beauty from Russia, a Mexican desperado, an eccentric Frenchman, a Japanese prodigy and an American bulldozer. Whichever character you choose, you'll have to drive and shoot simultaneously to be the first to cross the finish line. Enjoy 20 different races and six thematic islands styled to look like a big amusement park. Unique game play challenges you to drive with one hand while aiming with the other. Discover tons of content including items, trophies and time trials.

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