We need a bigger gun

It's the final Nintendo Download update before Christmas, so Nintendo's got a helping of festive cheer for us to download. Only Wii is left out to ask Scrooge for some new content, with both handhelds getting new games and Wii U joining in with some juicy price reductions. Let's get to the details, shall we?

3DS download software

escapeVektor (Nnooo, €10.00 / £8.99) — The original release on WiiWare was one of the platform's best titles, so this compilation of four "chapters" of content is sure to please fans. You're tasked with escaping a CPU over the course of 150 levels and 27 worlds, all with stereoscopic 3D and online leaderboards thrown in. We've got high hopes for this one, and we'll see whether we can avoid an unfortunate cyber-virus in our upcoming review.

Gunman Clive (Bertil Hörberg, €1.99 / £1.79) — What do you get when you combine a paper-based art style with run-and-gun platforming that owes some of its thanks to franchises such as Mega Man? Gunman Clive, it seems, originally a smartphone game that's now arriving on the eShop at a budget price. We'll see whether a well-loved genre and attractive art-style hit their marks in our review, soon.

3DS download software price reduction

Rising Board 3D (Odenis Studio, permanent reduction to €1.99 / £1.79) — In what seems like a first for the platform, this title gets a permanent price reduction this week, dropping to the lowest price point. In our Rising Board 3D review we felt that it was fun but lacking some polish and features, though some may be tempted by the new cost of entry.

3DS Virtual Console "Hero Sale"

Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, €3.99 / £3.69 until 27th December) — It's Mario's turn to join in with the Hero Sale, with this classic sidescrolling NES debut coming in with a modest saving. A classic that is still enjoyable to play today, this is a chance to take it on the go and spend a little less for the privilege.

Dr. Mario (Nintendo, €1.49 / £1.19 until 27th December) — Just what the doctor ordered? Lame joke aside, this is a 50% reduction on the EU price, though we didn't feel that this Game Boy puzzler was anything special in our Dr. Mario review.

3DS Retail DLC

New Art Academy (Nintendo, €1.99 / £1.79 per lesson) — Two new lessons are available to improve your artistic skills this week.

  • Glass and Light
  • Expressionism

Wii U download software sale

Chasing Aurora (Broken Rules, €5.99 / £5.39 until 3rd January 2013) — Although it has a single player mode, this is a title with a focus on local multiplayer, combining gorgeous visuals with smooth controls. This is a hefty price cut of over 50%, and we gave it a solid recommendation in our Chasing Aurora review.

Little Inferno (Tomorrow Corporation, €9.99 / £8.39 until 4th January) — It can be difficult to decide whether to describe this as a game or an experience, but it incorporates a distinctive art-style with a quirky premise and gorgeous soundtrack. Although you spend much of your time experimenting by burning objects and trying to find combos, it can be rather unique to play, as our Little Inferno review explains.

DSiWare

Castle Conqueror - Heroes 2 (CIRCLE Entertainment, 500 Nintendo Points) — This picks up on events two years after the original Castle Conqueror - Heroes, which arrived on DSiWare almost exactly a year ago. It's turn based strategy over a number of battles, and we awarded the first title an excellent 9/10 in our review, so we're hopeful that this will be another enjoyable quest.

Cake Ninja XMAS (Cypronia, 200 Nintendo Points) — The ninja that specialises in slicing and dicing cakes is making a festive appearance on DSiWare. Neither of the first two entries in the series found favour in our reviews, but we'll head to the dojo — wearing a Santa hat — to test this one out soon.

So there you have it, some interesting downloads, a long awaited return for escapeVektor and some reduced prices on Wii U. What will you be spending your funds on this week? Let us know in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (88 votes)

  1. escapeVektor (3DS download software)17%
  2. Gunman Clive (3DS download software)16%
  3. Rising Board 3D (3DS download price reduction)2%
  4. Super Mario Bros. (3DS Virtual Console sale)  0%
  5. Dr. Mario (3DS Virtual Console sale)2%
  6. Chasing Aurora (Wii U download sale)15%
  7. Little Inferno (Wii U download sale)11%
  8. Castle Conqueror - Heroes 2 (DSiWare)1%
  9. Cake Ninja XMAS (DSiWare)3%
  10. Nothing for me this week32%

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Thanks to Nintendaan for the information.