Happy times

As always, Europe, news of the download offerings coming to the region in this week's update are already here to start our week with a bang. While there are a few new additions, including a previously unannounced transfer tool, the main headline is the lengthy list of retail downloads becoming available. There are some surprising prices, too, showing that the 3DS eShop may be joining its Wii U brethren in offering some rather appealing deals; let's get on with the details.

Wii U Retail Download

LEGO City Undercover (Nintendo, €59.99 / £49.99) — After its arrival in North America last week, this exclusive Wii U LEGO title arrives in Europe, with its zany and unrelenting humour coming along for the ride. Incorporating a large open world and enough collectibles to keep the most compulsive of gamers happy, we think this is certainly worth picking up for Nintendo's latest system; check out our LEGO City Undercover review for full details.

3DS Download Software

HarmoKnight (Nintendo, €14.99 / £12.99) — After last week's rather entertaining demo of this rhythm action title, the real deal is set to arrive in the coming week. From the famous 'mon developer Game Freak, this has been high on some wishlists since it was teased in a Nintendo Direct broadcast last year. We'll have a review with you very soon to see whether it matches the hype.

Code of Princess (Agatsuma Games, €29.99 / £24.99) — Released at retail and on the eShop in North America, the developer self-publishes this as download-only in Europe, which at least means that we get the chance to enjoy the experience on offer. This is one to strongly consider for anyone that's a fan of 2D hack and slash games, while some RPG mechanics and online co-op / competitive play add some extra appeal. We were certainly fans in our Code of Princess review.

50 Classic Games 3D (cerasus.media, €4.99 / £4.49) — Having enjoyed life as a budget retail title in North America for nearly a year, cerasus.media takes on publishing duties to bring this game collection to Europe as a cut-price download only title. We can expect card games, chess and similar things besides, and we'll see just how "Classic" these versions are in our upcoming review.

Save Data Transfer Tool (Nintendo, free) — This app will apparently allow you to transfer save game data from a game card to its retail download equivalent; with some of the retail discounts and prices outlined below, it looks like this tool is part of a big campaign to get 3DS gamers downloading more games direct from the eShop.

3DS Virtual Console

Harvest Moon (Natsume, €4.99 / £4.49) — Announced during the 3DS Direct broadcast in February, this cult-classic farming RPG is the second of two Natsume Game Color titles confirmed for the platform. We rather liked Legend of the River King, and now we can indulge in this — arguably — better known franchise. We'll dig out some wellies and bring you a review soon.

3DS eShop Discount

escapeVektor (Nnooo, €5.00 / £4.49 until 11th April, was €10.00 / £8.99) — Released during the Holidays 2012, this handheld title from the Aussie developer follows on from the WiiWare first chapter and includes four chapters of content. Footage rarely does justice to how compulsive and intuitive this title is, and now you have a chance to pick it up with a meaty 50% discount for a limited period of time. We think you should strongly consider doing just that, and we explain why in our escapeVektor review.

3DS Demo

Fire Emblem: Awakening (Nintendo, free) — While this title has rather quickly become the most successful entry in the series in North America, selling a pleasing number of copies for the big N, we still have a few weeks left to wait here in Europe. While we continue to chew our knuckles Nintendo of Europe is giving us this demo to get a taste of what's to come; it's free and it's one of the best games of the year so far, so there's no reason not to download this.

3DS Retail Download

Nintendo of Europe is bulking out the retail download list this week, with some eyecatching prices to tempt you:

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (Nintendo, €44.99 / £39.99) — After over a decade of waiting after his solo debut on GameCube, Luigi returns to his spooky quest. The first salvo of this Year of Luigi, this one has been critically acclaimed to date, with our Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon review explaining why we think this is a must-buy.

Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom, €29.99 / £24.99) — While HD entries in the series have had a particular action focus, this handheld title not only looks fantastic, but it brings some genuine horror. A HD remake arrives on Wii U soon, but you can see why the 3DS version is worth considering in our Resident Evil Revelations review.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (Capcom, €9.99 / £8.99) — The first Resi Evil title on 3DS, this one expands on the home console bonus mode, and is all about action and high-score chasing. This week it becomes available for the same price as a download-only title. Worth considering if your expectations are in line, as our Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D review explains.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D (Ubisoft, €19.99 / £17.99) — A 3DS launch title that had a bit of marketing behind it, the flashy adverts couldn't cover up what is a sloppy and poorly thought-out port, as our Splinter Cell 3D review makes clear.

Heroes of Ruin (Square Enix, €24.99 / £19.99) — This action RPG gives you the chance to master multiple classes, explore varied areas and tackle some nasty monsters; it also allows you to do this online with up to three other players, incorporating rather decent voice chat into the bargain. Even with a few rough edges, we certainly feel it's worth a strong recommendation; you can check out our Heroes of Ruin review for more details.

Nintendo Video

The Beet Party: Unidentified Flying Waffle (Redrover, €0.99 / £0.89) — The Beet Party is a series of 3D short videos available for download on Nintendo eShop. The two-minute interstitials target four to six year olds and follow the adventures of the five coolest beets around as they explore, experiment, celebrate and communicate with beat-boxing sounds when something new arrives in their fridge.


So, plenty to choose from on Wii U and, in particular, 3DS this week. Lots of quantity, but will the quality be taking away your funds this week? Let us know in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (202 votes)

  1. LEGO City Undercover (Wii U retail download)5%
  2. HarmoKnight (3DS eShop download)30%
  3. Code of Princess (3DS eShop download)9%
  4. 50 Classic Games 3D (3DS eShop download)1%
  5. Harvest Moon (3DS Virtual Console)8%
  6. escapeVektor (3DS eShop discount)5%
  7. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS retail download)11%
  8. Resident Evil Revelations (3DS retail download)1%
  9. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (3DS retail download)5%
  10. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D (3DS retail download)  0%
  11. Heroes of Ruin (3DS retail download)1%
  12. The Beet Party: Unidentified Flying Waffle (3D Video)1%
  13. Just the freebies for me17%
  14. Nothing for me this week7%

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