Get arty

As more retail games gradually make their way to 3DS eShop, we're sure to see a steady stream of promotions and incentives to tempt gamers into going digital. Today sees two more joining the ranks, with Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! and Crosswords Plus both arriving at a price of $29.99.

Both will be available in stores as normal, of course, but those that download on the eShop before 6th January 2013 will get a free copy of Donkey Kong: Original Edition, previously an eShop retail download incentive in Japan, with this being the first time that this version of the title has appeared outside of Japan. You can check out the official details below.

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Today’s launch of two new software titles will have people broadening their artistic horizons and deepening their love of creative wordplay. Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! and Crosswords Plus are now available for the portable Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL systems, giving consumers a variety of fun ways to learn about how to draw and paint or challenge their puzzle-solving skills anytime, anywhere.

“Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! lets everyone learn about how to draw and paint creatively, regardless of their current skill levels,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “And Crosswords Plus is a blast whether you’re a vocabulary enthusiast or just love solving word puzzles. Both of these new titles offer something for everyone, whether you consider yourself a traditional gamer or not.”

With Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone!, people of any artistic skill level can learn to unleash their imaginations using varying painting and drawing techniques. The skills learned can be easily transferred to real-life art projects. An in-game tutor guides users through more than 30 new lessons covering numerous concepts, including techniques for paints, pastels, sketch pencils and colored pencils. Each lesson can be completed at users’ own pace and paused for later completion. Art Academy also features Free Paint mode, which encourages users to let their creativity run wild. Players also can take photos using their system’s built-in camera and use those images as the subject of a new drawing. Users can also purchase additional lessons from within the game to further hone their artistic skills. There are two lesson packs available at launch with additional lesson packs available in the future.

Crosswords Plus lets users try to solve more than 1,000 professionally designed different crossword puzzles at a variety of different skill levels. Players use the touch screen to input their answers, and a helpful hint system will give clues or fill in letters when they get stuck. Crosswords Plus also includes word-search and anagram puzzles and a vocabulary-building Word of the Day feature. Additionally, with giant-sized puzzles, players will feel more like they are working through multiple crossword puzzles at a time. Players can also use a broadband Internet connection to access additional puzzles via SpotPass. They can even receive and share puzzles with other Nintendo 3DS owners using the built-in StreetPass feature. In the U.S. and Canada, players can also receive exclusive puzzle distributions from a Nintendo Zone location. Nintendo Zone locations offer a free and automatic connection to Wi-Fi and can be found by visiting http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/nintendozone.

Shoppers can purchase both packaged games as usual at retail locations nationwide. Or they can simply purchase and download the game on their own from the Nintendo eShop using a wireless broadband connection. Regardless of the purchasing method, both Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! and Crosswords Plus sell at a suggested retail price of $29.99 each. Also, Club Nintendo members who purchase either of these games through the Nintendo eShop and register them before Jan. 6, 2013, will receive a download code for the Donkey Kong: Original Edition game for free. This is a special version of Donkey Kong with content never before seen in the U.S. and is not available for purchase.

The release of New Super Mario Bros. 2 in the North American eShop brought rewards of double Club Nintendo coins, but do you prefer the option of a retro title?