A tasty download treat?

It's Monday, but it's also time to turn that frown upside down. The European Nintendo Download update news is here, and it's full of handheld goodies for you to enjoy. Wii misses out, unfortunately, but we do have a highly anticipated sequel on the 3DS eShop, a teeth-grindingly difficult NES re-release and a demo to get worked up about. Let's get to it.

3DS Download Software

Fallblox (Nintendo, £7.19 / €7.99) — The sequel to the critically acclaimed and much-loved Pullblox, this new entry promises a similarly vast number of puzzles, more QR code level creating antics and 20 additional free levels straight from the developers over the next nine months. With the puzzles now incorporating rows in front and behind the shapes, along with a host of new items and power-ups, the focus is not only reaching the goal but avoiding the horrors of gravity causing your blocks to crash to the ground. We'll be putting on our thinking caps to bring you our review very soon.

Johnny Hotshot (UFO Interactive, £5.39 / €5.99) — Johnny makes his return after Johnny Kung Fu, a title that looked full of promise but struggled to earn our affection, receiving just 4/10 in our review. This sequel ops for the wild-west shooting gallery genre, no doubt hoping to have better success in recreating a fun retro vibe. Like its predecessor it may have potential, but as our Jonny Hotshot review explains, it's riddled with mistakes; we don't recommend it.

3DS Virtual Console

Ninja Gaiden (Teckmo Koei, £4.49 / €4.99) — This one was actually expected last week in North America — we'll see whether it arrives across the pond later in the week — but good things come to those who wait. This iconic action title from NES is renowned for its intense gameplay, innovative cut-scene story-telling and also for being relentlessly difficult to beat. We'll be reviewing this on 3DS, of course — while making good use of restore points — but you can check out our previous recommendation in our Ninja Gaiden review from the Wii Virtual Console.

3DS Retail Download

Nintendo Presents: New Style Boutique (Nintendo, £39.99 / €44.99) — Available from 16th November on the eShop and in stores, this is Nintendo's latest entry in its fashion series, known as Style Savvy: Trendsetters in North America. Though on the surface this may be looked upon as a casual title not worth a gamer's time, that'd be doing it a disservice. It earned an 8/10 recommendation in our Style Savvy: Trendsetters review, and brings a great deal of depth and even online functionality to the worlds of fashion retail and design. If you have any interest in anything related to fashion, then this one merits your attention.

3DS Retail Demo

Virtue's Last Reward (Rising Star Games, Free) — This sequel to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is already available in North America, with lots of positive words bouncing around the internet. We have a member of the team on the case to bring you a review, but Europeans can now get a taste of the action with this demo. It's free, so just go ahead and download it.

DSiWare

Magical Whip (Agetec, 200 Points) — It seemed like this DSiWare title would never arrive, as it's been available in North America for over a year and Japan for over two years; yet here it is, with a shorter name. This is an action puzzler that draws inspiration from the likes of Bubble Bobble and the rather obscure Neo Geo release, Nightmare in the Dark. With 50 stages on offer and tight gameplay at a budget price, our Magical Whip review explains why this may be worth a small did into your funds.

So there you have it, a variety of titles on offer for 3DS gamers and one unexpected gem on DSi. So, what'll you spend your money on this week? Let us know in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (111 votes)

  1. Fallblox (3DS Download)64%
  2. Johnny Hotshot (3DS eShop)2%
  3. Ninja Gaiden (3DS Virtual Console)12%
  4. Nintendo Presents: New Style Boutique (3DS Retail Download)  0.9%
  5. Magical Whip (DSiWare)2%
  6. Nothing for me this week20%

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