The Nintendo Download continues its merry path this week with releases on all formats, though only one genuinely new game in the form of DSiWare's pirate puzzler Ikibago. Read on and see what's in store this week.
Virtual Console
Rival Turf! (Jaleco, Super NES, 800pts) — A relic from the days when scrolling beat 'em ups ruled the Earth, read our Rival Turf! review before putting your points down for this one.
DSiWare
Ikibago (Neko Entertainment, 500pts) — A match three game — wait, come back! This one's got pirates in it, who must align three like-coloured barrels to make them disappear. Our reviewer will walk the plank and hoist the mainsail, all in the name of bringing you a review this week.
Anonymous Notes Chapter 2 — From The Abyss (Sonic Powered Co., 200pts) — The second slice of a retail game, read through our Anonymous Notes Chapter 1 — From The Abyss review to get a good idea of what to expect from this new instalment.
Picture Perfect Pocket Stylist (505 Games, 500pts) — Otherwise known as Hair Salon: Pocket Stylist from its European release last year, this lets you take a photo of someone and use the DSi to give them a stylish new haircut. Read through our Picture Perfect Pocket Stylist review to decide if this is worth your points.
WiiWare
BINGO PARTY Deluxe (Ateam Inc., 500pts) — Play with balls — and numbers — in this WiiWare version of the popular game. Check out our BINGO PARTY Deluxe review for more details.
WiiWare Demo
BIT.TRIP RUNNER (Aksys Games, full version: 800pts) — As if the fourth entry in the BIT.TRIP series needed any introduction, now you can run, jump and slide with CommanderVideo for a cost of 0 Wii Points, then read our BIT.TRIP RUNNER review and purchase the full game post-haste.
NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: ACTION IS IN FULL BLOOM WITH NEW GAME DOWNLOADS FOR NINTENDO SYSTEMS
May 2, 2011
Spring flowers aren't the only new arrivals you'll want to savor as May gets underway. The latest downloadable games for the Wii™ and Nintendo DSi™ systems include action-packed fare that's sure to keep your adrenaline pumping. For the WiiWare™ service, a new demo version of BIT.TRIP RUNNER invites players to discover the fast-paced, retro-flavored platforming fun of the BIT.TRIP series for zero Wii Points™. On the Virtual Console™ service, RIVAL TURF! delivers classic street-fighting kicks from the Super NES™ era. And for the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, Anonymous Notes Chapter 2 - From The Abyss - plunges hand-held gamers deep in the heart of a rich dungeon-based adventure.
WiiWare
BINGO PARTY Deluxe
Publisher: Ateam Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: In BINGO PARTY Deluxe, play with up to four players in 75-Ball BINGO, 90-Ball BINGO or BINGO PARTY game modes. (Additional controllers are required for multiplayer game play and are sold separately.) The more you play, the more BINGO points you collect. Keep collecting BINGO points to unlock fun goodies such as new game modes and BINGO card patterns. All BINGO game modes can also be played with computer players, and the difficulty setting can be easily adjusted to match your skill level. The exclusive BINGO PARTY game mode adds excitement by having players compete to find and stamp BINGO numbers on multiple BINGO cards, eventually completing patterns to earn big points. Players can also enjoy the classic 75-Ball BINGO and 90-Ball BINGO game modes. There's plenty of fun for everyone.
BIT.TRIP RUNNER (demo version)
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 800 Wii Points
Description: Race across the moon, kicking down crystal walls and sliding under chomping moon-slugs. Bound through the Robotic Mines and face off against the MinerMech. Dash through the Big City on a quest to find friends and defeat the final boss. BIT.TRIP RUNNER is the fourth entry in the award-winning and critically acclaimed BIT.TRIP series. Players control CommanderVideo as he runs, jumps, slides and kicks through more than 50 levels. Chiptune supergroup Anamanaguchi makes a guest appearance. Join CommanderVideo on his most epic journey yet.Note: Some demo versions do not support all game features, and players cannot save their in-game progress in demo versions.
Virtual Console
RIVAL TURF!
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Jaleco
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Take back the streets with RIVAL TURF!, the classic two-player action game that originally launched on the Super NES. Clean up the streets in a fast and furious display of tag-team street-fighting action. Get your licks in with a range of attacks, from body slams and leg sweeps to jabs, hooks and uppercuts. Go it alone in single-player mode, fight alongside another player, or go head-to-head and toe-to-toe in the special Versus Mode. This could be the toughest fight of your life, so you'd better start swinging.
Nintendo DSiWare
Anonymous Notes Chapter 2 - From The Abyss -
Publisher: Sonic Powered Co., Ltd.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Discover an action-packed RPG set inside an infinitely extending dungeon. Sweep away the monsters wriggling in many places and defeat a strong boss monster lurking in the deepest part of the dungeon. Even after the boss monster is defeated, the dungeon automatically re-creates itself, so players can try new games over and over. Using a skill called Soul Capture, the male character can take magic and other skills away from the monsters, as well as weapons and shields to power up. It's exhilarating to strengthen your character by combining equipment and skills, and then crush the monsters in a sweep.Ikibago
Publisher: Neko Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Alcohol Reference
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Play the role of a pirate and set out to discover the lost treasure of Ikibago in this fascinating puzzle-action game. Differently colored barrels move from left to right. Your objective is to align at least three barrels of the same color in one column before they disappear from the screen. Use the stylus to switch the barrels while anticipating different traps. Bonuses are available - be sure to use them carefully to succeed in the game's 121 missions.
Picture Perfect Pocket Stylist
Publisher: 505 Games US Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Thanks to Picture Perfect Pocket Stylist, your hairdresser will always be with you. Have fun inventing new hairstyles for cartoon characters or for yourself and your friends. Take a picture of yourself and see how you look with a new haircut. When you find the right style, save it to your Nintendo DSi system's photo album. You can also import pictures from the album and use them to create new styles. Enjoy thousands of combinations of styles and makeup.
Comments 30
I'm glad to see Jaleco's games are arriving on the North American VC again. I'd love to see Bases Loaded II at some point as well.
Final Fantasy III in two weeks perhaps?
I still own Bases Loaded II, that game was awesome. And I agree on wanting Final Fantasy III.
As for this week, another batch of complete ****.
would rather pick my nose
I'll be sure to download the Runner demo, to prepare for Bit Trip Saga
You've got to be effing kidding me.
@pixelman: LOL! Come on! You don't like Bingo?
Personally I'm not so sure how fun a bingo game would be without real (or at least Good virtual prizes. There's no skill to this. Just luck.
I AM however happy for the bit trip Runner demo. Now I can see what I think of it before I buy.
Wow, this is crazy, Wii-ware is dying hard!
Where are the great games we have been waiting forever for? lile Descent or La Mulana? I hope they make it before the Wii is totally dead
@SteveW
MDK2 is next week. Does that count?
Fun (Depressing?) Fact: Bingo Party Deluxe is the only WiiWare game that Japan got this year. So far.
@WarioFan63
Wiiware is unpopular in Japan yet DSiware is extremley popular there.
Wiiware might as well be dead.
There's only three games left I'm even remotely interested in.
La-Mulana, Nightsky and Retro city Rampage.
Since the first two are by Nicalis I don't expect them anytime soon if ever.
You know how long it took them to get Cave story released.
I'll download Bit.Trip Runner... it'll whet my appetite for when I get Bit.Trip Saga in the future. Everything else, meh. I think I'm going to make this day one I start complaining about the Adventure Island games-- where's my Adventure Island II?
Wow, only 12 comments so far. Why even bother with Rival Turf!? In 2 weeks NA better see FFIII!
Huff gasp ugh this week sucks as usual why do I keep visiting every week for five years? complain complain
rinse and repeat for next week changing the number of years when necessary.
Just the demo for me. WiiWare has really stunk it up this year.
Ugh! I thought the US wasn't going to be getting the Jeleco stuff, but unfortunately I was wrong. Between Adventure Island 2, Super Adventure Island, Super Adventure Island 2, Final Fantasy III, Mega Man 5 and Chrono Trigger, the queue was entirely games I wanted but now with this, Earth Defence Force, Brawl Brothers and The Ignition Factor thrown into the mix, the two weeks between releases becomes even more annoying. Lame.
Seriously, I understand the business side of reasoning for spreading out the games...obviously Nintendo isn't going to want to release all the big games at once. Having said that, the Wii successor is coming out sometime in '12 and we have yet to see a staggering number of high-profile games. I fully expect that the Big N isn't going to release E V E R Y game that we are clamoring for, but why do different regions get different games at different times? Don't know about everyone else, but I would probably be less annoyed with this if they would just release a written-in-stone schedule for download Mondays.
Excellent! Now I can play RUNNER for free!!
Forget Rival Turf and download Final Fight 3 instead.
Give us Thunder Spirits! Or the Genesis Thunder Force games....those were Jaleco right?
And yeah...Rival Turf really isn't that bad, but given that Final Fight 3 is one of the best 2d beat em ups period and is already available, I dunno how much attention it will get...
@LosAngeloTip - nope, Thunder Spirit and the Thunder Force series were developed by Technosoft
Pretty lame week overall, even with a VC release. I'll stick with Streets of Rage 2 if I want a good beatemup. But on the bright side, at least Bit Trip Runner got a demo this week.
We are still waiting for Final Fantasy III, Chronotriggger, Mega Man 5, and it would also be nice to see La Mulana. Come on Nintendo what are you waiting for.
I don't even open my shop channel anymore lol. It's sad to think that as crappy as this VC release is, it's still a VC release, which means Nintendo is off the hook for the next 2-3 weeks. After that, we'll probably get more junk haha!
The next American release is likely to be be one of the following:
Super EDF, Final Fantasy III, Brawl Brothers, Adventure Island II or The Ignition Factor
If I'm going to get BIT TRIP SAGA I will have to try out RUNNER.
How many more Abyss chapters are there going to be?
VERY tempted to get Ikibago hopefully someone will review it soon..
AG AWESOME - im pretty sure there are only 2 chapters
Downloaded the BIT.TRIP RUNNER demo after having no interest in it really and came away impressed I have to admit it's addictive.
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