That's one way to sort out a virus

It's Nintendo Download day, North America, which is particularly good news if you own a 3DS or like a bit of Neo Geo retro action on Wii — if you only have a DSi or Wii U, never mind. It's a packed lineup for the big N's current handheld, with a broad range of download-only and retail offerings, as well as a demo to give a useful taster. Let's stop stalling and get to the details.

3DS eShop

Nano Assault EX (Shin'en Multimedia, $14.99) — Every week a number of the Nintendo Life community responds to the download update with "where's Nano Assault EX?", in increasingly anguished tones. It's arriving in Europe and North America at the same time to ease our suffering, and perhaps reflects its status as an expanded version of a retail title with one of the eShop's highest prices. We expect a lot of action-packed virus blasting in pretty 3D, and while we get to grips with this updated entry you can check out our strong recommendation of the retail original in our Nano Assault review.

Kersploosh! (Nintendo, $2.99) — Arriving not long after its Nintendo Direct reveal, this title tasks you with guiding a variety of objects — ranging from pebbles to jewels — down a well safely while avoiding various obstacles. It's simple "one more go" fare, and slightly bonkers, but at a budget price is an attractive option; we gave it a thumbs up in our Kersploosh! review.

ATV Wild Ride 3D (Renegade Kid, $7.99) — This latest 3DS eShop release from Renegade Kid is a new version of a DS retail title, this time self-published and with a greater focus on stunts and generally looking rad. As a racer it has the usual mix of vehicles, tracks and tournaments to participate in, but it's likely to draw much attention for its full online racing component, with connected multiplayer a rarity in eShop games. While the online racing is enjoyable and there's a fair bit of replay value, we feel that this one also lacks polish and has some issues with design; check out our ATV Wild Wide 3D review for the full lowdown.

3DS Virtual Console

Wrecking Crew (Nintendo, $4.99) — An arcade-style NES puzzler that sees Mario don a hard-hat, this title is full to the brim with 100 stages and a strong sense of challenge and creativity. The Wii Virtual Console also included the original level editing tool and provided the opportunity to save your creations; hopefully the 3DS version will do likewise, but while we find out you can see our recommendation in the Wrecking Crew Wii Virtual Console review.

3DS eShop Discount

Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (Nintendo, $4.99 until 14th March / normally $6.99) — This latest 3DS eShop promotion gives you the opportunity to feel like a samurai for a little bit less. A title focused on good timing and an old-fashioned concept of genuine challenge, we rather liked it in our Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword review.

3DS Retail Download

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (Capcom, $19.99) — A relatively early title for 3DS back in 2011, this spin-off — expanding on the Mercenaries mode normally included as an extra in the main series — caused some controversy with its non-removable saves, though the Japanese download version reportedly resolved this restriction. With a good number of characters and stages this is score-chasing, zombie-slaying action, and little more. As we explained in our Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D review, that can be appealing with the right mind-set, and the lower price won't do this download's prospects any harm.

Monster High: Skultimate Roller Maze (Little Orbit, $29.99) — Launching on the eShop at the same time as it lands in stores on 13th March, this appears to be a 3DS re-release of the DS and Wii equivalent. It's all about rollerblading and racing, with four modes — Quick, Relay, Race and Timed — included.

3DS Retail Demo

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (Nintendo, free) — This latest entry in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon spin-off series arrives in North America in a little over two weeks, with more of the 'mon brand of exploration expected. If you're still on the fence about it, this demo may help you to decide whether it's worth collecting.

Wii Virtual Console

The King of Fighters '98 (D4 Enterprise, 900 Nintendo Points) — It's Neo Geo, and it's a fighting game, so you mostly know the drill. That said, we should be careful not to complain about all of the Neo Geo goodies coming to the Wii Virtual Console — this is the fifth entry in this particular series, promising improved customisation and mechanics over its predecessors. We'll get some sparring in and bring you a review soon.

Quite a few options to dive into this week; let us know what you'll be downloading in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (270 votes)

  1. Nano Assault EX (3DS eShop)10%
  2. Kersploosh! (3DS eShop)14%
  3. ATV Wild Wide 3D (3DS eShop)4%
  4. Wrecking Crew (3DS Virtual Console)5%
  5. Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (3DS eShop price reduction)5%
  6. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (3DS retail download)4%
  7. Monster High: Skultimate Roller Maze (3DS retail download)  0%
  8. The King of Fighters '98 (Wii Virtual Console)4%
  9. Just the freebie for me27%
  10. Nothing for me this week26%

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