It's that time, North America, and you've undoubtedly got a particularly meaty lineup this week. All three Virtual Console services have new content, and the region gets a special retro Mario offer on the Wii U. There's also a stone-cold classic for 30 cents, along with quite a few new offerings of both the retail and download-only variety — we think there should be something for everyone this week.
Wii U Virtual Console
Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo, $4.99) — As is well known now, when it comes to the first Super Mario sequel, the West got an entirely different deal than those in Japan. Despite its style being an oddity in the series, this is still a lot of fun and, arguably, provides a template for how Mario can shake things up in the future. Running and jumping is still there, but some levels take plenty of exploring to figure out, while the four playable characters — each with different abilities — and the enemy tossing mechanics stand up rather well. We'll be adventuring through this again on Wii U, but in the meantime you can check out our Wii Virtual Console Super Mario Bros. 2 review.
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Capcom, $7.99) — Capcom's recent promise of 16-bit goodness on the Wii U begins here, with this classic and grueling action game ready to test your skills and patience in the best possible way. With terrific sprite graphics and classic music to help you along, we suspect this one will make liberal use of the Wii U save state and restore point functionality. We'll review this version, but in the meantime you can check out our glowing recommendation in the Wii Virtual Console Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts review.
Wii U Virtual Console Promotion
Super Metroid (Nintendo, $0.30) — We suspect that this is the Famicom Anniversary promotion that many have been waiting for, as you can pick up one of the finest games to grace the Super NES for less than a bar of chocolate. Even if you have this one already, the promotion price is still only one fifth of the normal "upgrade price" from the Wii edition, and is still considered by some to be the definitive Samus Aran adventure. You can read why we think it's a true classic in our Wii Virtual Console Super Metroid review, while we work on an updated assessment.
Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo, $2.49 if you already own the Wii U Virtual Console version of Super Mario World — valid until 23rd May)
Wii U Retail Download
Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom, $49.99) — Arriving on 21st May, this is the HD re-release of the terrific 3DS title, with improved visuals and some subtle tweaks to the formula. There's a free demo to try until it lumbers around the corner, and we're currently slaying plenty of ooze to bring you a review very soon.
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Warner Bros., $TBC) — This full-fat HD version of the title — released last year on PS3 and Xbox 360 — features an open-world environment to explore, along with the usual LEGO super hero shenanigans that we've come to expect. This Wii U version will include off-TV play on the GamePad, as well as separate screen multiplayer. Available from 21st May.
Wii U eShop Temporary Discount
BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (Gaijin Games, $11.25 until 30th May, normally $14.99)
3DS eShop
The Starship Damrey (Level-5, $7.99) — After last week's epic psyche-out, the first of the Guild02 titles arrives this week, and it's the adventure/exploration title from Kazuya Asano and Takemaru Abiko. You awaken on the named starship with no memory of who you are or how you came to be there, and you have to explore and figure out your environment without any hints or tips to guide you. It sounds intriguing, and we'll try to remember how to find it on the eShop to bring you our review, soon.
Swords & Soldiers 3D (CIRCLE Entertainment, $6.99) — CIRCLE has stepped in to port Ronimo Games' excellent side-scrolling real-time strategy title, which originally became a favourite on WiiWare. With quirky humour, solid challenge and a decent amount of content, we're hopeful that stylus controls will improve on the solid pointer controls of the Wii title. This port has a lot to live up to, and we'll see whether it's up for the battle; in the meantime you can see how much we liked the WiiWare version in our Swords & Soldiers review.
Bowling Bonanza (Enjoy Gaming, $5.99) — If you've had enough of those smelly bowling alley shoes, this may give you the chance to get a frame in whenever you feel like going for some strikes. The blurb for this title promises much, with hot-seat multiplayer, a rating system, four modes and ten alleys to choose from, among other things. We'll see whether it's the Kingpin of the genre in our upcoming review.
Dress to Play: Magic Bubbles! (EnjoyUp Games, $3.99) — This is the second entry in this series, where you go from dressing up your avatar of choice to playing a different game in order to unlock more outfits and goodies. This time around the secondary game appears to be a match-puzzle affair; we'll work on our fashion sense and bring you a review.
3DS Virtual Console
Mega Man 5 (Capcom, $4.99) — Isn't it about time you buy another NES Mega Man re-release? With the Blue Bomber now starting his assault on the Wii U eShop, we still have the completion of his 3DS roll-out to finish, and we're now approaching the end of this particular run. While fans will argue over the best of the NES classics, we still believe this is a thoroughly excellent game in our Wii Virtual Console Mega Man review. We'll be giving a fresh take on this one on its new portable home very soon.
Harvest Moon (Natsume, $4.99) — After a bit of a delay from the European release, The Game Boy Color debut for this popular series finally arrives on the North American Virtual Console. It has a decent amount of the farming simulation gameplay that's so well known, though we did feel that a little too much had been stripped away from the home console equivalents in our Harvest Moon review.
DSiWare
California Super Sports (Cypronia, 500 Nintendo Points) — This title combines six games and sports commonly played in the U.S., including Target Football, Croquet and Dodgeball. You'll be taking on 1-3 CPU opponents, with controls that make use of the touch screen in particular. We'll dig out some fashionable shorts and a headband for our review.
Wii Virtual Console
The King of Fighters '99 (D4 Publisher, 900 Nintendo Points) — Three words: Neo Geo, fighting. This is the sixth Neo Geo entry in this particular franchise, all of which have graced the Wii Virtual Console in North America. This time around there are a few tweaks, such as teams having four members instead of three, while three power stocks can be used to enable Counter Mode or Armor Mode for extra bad-ass powers. We'll gear up for another brawl and review.
There's certainly plenty going on this week, North America.. Let us know what you plan to download in the poll and comments below.
What will you be downloading first this week? (289 votes)
- Super Mario Bros. 2 (Wii U Virtual Console)
- Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Wii U Virtual Console)
- Super Metroid (Wii U Virtual Console Famicom Promotion)
- Resident Evil Revelations (Wii U retail download)
- LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Wii U retail download)0%
- BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (Wii U eShop temporary discount)
- The Starship Damrey (3DS eShop)
- Swords & Soldiers 3D (3DS eShop)
- Bowling Bonanza (3DS eShop)
- Dress to Play: Magic Bubbles! (3DS eShop)0%
- Mega Man 5 (3DS Virtual Console)
- Harvest Moon (3DS Virtual Console)
- California Super Sports (DSiWare)0%
- The King of Fighters '99 (Wii Virtual Console)
- Nothing for me this week
Please login to vote in this poll.
Comments (110)
Another excellent week!
I think you might want to correct this part here :
"Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo, $2.49 if you already own the Wii U Virtual Console version of Super Mario World — valid until 23rd May)"
EPIC WEEK!!!
Why aren't we allowed to choose more than one option? I want to.
@Joshers744 No correction needed, that's the deal!
this is awesome! I've been trying to save the money i have on my Wii U and i'm getting a discount for mario bros 2! sweet sweet victory. for once i'm happy with nintendos decision. mario rpg next? lol
There are some pretty good options this week. I'm curious about The Starship Damrey personally.
@barbiegurl. im not a fan on mega man but everyone has their opinion. some people love it.
Aww yeah they just announced a Nintendo Direct for tomarrow. .yeaaa buddy
Going to have to get Runner 2, and might as well get Super Mario World and SMB2 too.
Where's our price drop for Tekken Wii U? HUMPH.
Got Super Metroid. Planning on SMB2, Starship Damrey and Harvest Moon.
What a week! SMB2, Mega man 5, Super Metroid and Bit Trip Runner 2 for sure.
@ThomasBW84 oh I'm sorry! I read that wrong. I guess I need the correction.
Thinking the people who say "nothing for me this week" don't even own either system, this is quite an epic week! I'll be Downloading at least 6 things today after work, can't wait!!
What a fantastic week! I'm planning on picking up Super Metroid and Runner 2 on sale, and picking up Super Mario World later. So much win!
@Hyperstar96 Yeah seriously, what's that all about? lol
@Hyperstar96 people without a wii u?
also all these discounts just seem to be there way of avoiding an ambassodor program for the system
Harvest Moon this week.
I don't understand why the publishers won't throw in Lego batman 1 with the re-release of 2. It would be a nice bonus for people.
i will wait for zelda
I was happy to see the $6.99 price tag on S&S until I finally did my research and there is no multiplayer. It was a great game and I really enjoyed the single player, several times in fact on Wiiware (easy normal and hard modes), then twice on PSN w/ and w/o Move, but I won't buy it again w/ the multiplayer stripped out. For $6.99 each of my kids may have bought it for their own 3Ds and then multiplayer. Oh well.
getting harvest moon and starship darmey. that's it for me.
I plan to get the $1.50 update to play this game on the GamePad for Super Mario Bros. 2 once I finally get my Wii U near the very beginning of June. The only thing I don't understand is why Nintendo would offer Super Mario Bros. 2 at a discount of $2.49 just for owning the Wii U VC version of Super Mario World ? :/ That's the first time I ever heard of them doing something like this.
Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo, $2.49 if you already own the Wii U Virtual Console version of Super Mario World — valid until 23rd May)
Ok, I like these type of deals. I hope to see more of these in the future.
Mega man 5 and Starship Damrey Are so mine.
@Barbiegurl777 Have you tried Gunman Clive? If so, it might give you an insight on how the Mega man games play. The MM NES games on the eshop are basically run'gun platformers but seriously, it's better to watch some videos on youtube to get a better idea.
If you are looking for a game that is tough as nails, yet has good level design, memorable bosses and obtainable weapons, Mega man is worth a look. Personally, I'd recommend you to try Mega man 2 since it's the easiest of all the ones released.
@Thomas I think you guys should have an option for not owning either console. It'll skew the data less. Of course, it's still possible someone could troll but the majority of honest people will select that option if it's there since in their case it would be "not applicable" really.
Lots of retro goodness this week!
Sword and Soldiers 3D is good stuff.
Anyways, buying 7 today (got the game above yesterday, thanks to Circle)
Nice retro update update
If I buy Super Mario World today do I still get the Super Mario Bros. 2 discount?
Does Europe get the discount from Super Mario Bros. 2 ????? Pleaaase say yees NintendoLife ???
@Royalblues no. The 3DS can play Resident Evil in 3D, but it can't possibly handle SNES games.
Wow, that's an amazing update! Definitely hopping on Runner 2 at a discount and the SMB2 discount for people who bought SMW is an awesome idea - hope we see more of those, and I think I'll be poppin' turnips this evening as a result
Should I get Runner2?
@majinx07 It says, "What will you be downloading FIRST?"
@zipmon I see what you did there...lololol, oh thank Goddess for the gift of laughter!!!... On a serious note I hope to see more of these kind of loyalty discounts too.
Well now, nobody can complain about this week!
Interesting, never seen the "buy a game and get another game discounted" type promotions on a Nintendo console before. Would like to see some more of this, though it does seem to further kick people like me who've bought the Wii VC versions of these games and having to pay an upgrade fee when newcomers can buy the cheaper version of SMW and then benefit from a discounted SMB2. Perhaps they could offer free upgrades when they do this type of promotion.
Oh, I like that that SMB2 promo. I will have to jump on that but I have to first download Super Mario World. I'm glad Nintendo is offering sales and promo's on VC titles in the post Wii era.
King of Fighters 99
Really, REALLY disappointed with the RE:R demo. The controls are absolutely terrible. I was happy that the game was coming to the masses and Capcom could finally get an idea of the kind of RE game the fans want, but with aiming this terrible I don't think it will do particularly well at all. I mean, it's practically unplayable to me.
I got Super Metroid last night, SMB2 is a for sure get. Starship and S&S depend on what I read on the reviews. I may get other games down the road. All in all a good week.
fantastic update, im def getting the bowling, and quite possible the swords as well as the starship game...plus animal crossing is around the corner, ugh my wallet lol, but thanks for the awesome lineup of games!
Wish I could vote for 2 or 3 cause I will be buying multiples this week. Starship Damrey for sure
Mega Man 5, yeah!
Soon, the NES Mega Man series will be complete!
Wow nice week. Super Metroid, Harvest Moon and Mega Man 5 my wallet is going to be hurting this week.
GAAAAH! TOO MUCH! TOO MUCH!
@Joshers744 Don't question Thomas' authority!
This is a pretty great week. I hope they can keep this rolling now!
Awesome. Will be getting Damrey and HM.
I like where they're going with the SMB2 sale. It bodes well for the future of Virtual Console sales. But what's with the awkward Runner 2 price? $11.25?
KOF 99 instant download!
Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Metroid, Harvest Moon and Mega Man 5!
I just downloaded starship. Super Metroid was up earlier so I downloaded it. First every week is new mh stuff on Tuesday.
I'd have gotten HM if I had enough money,. Right now I have less than $2.
I've been on the fence for getting Mario World on Wii U VC. With the added 50% for SMB2, now's the perfect chance!
Also got Super Metroid.
"Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo, $2.49 if you already own the Wii U Virtual Console version of Super Mario World — valid until 23rd May)"
woot Super week with Super metroid / Super mario and Super ghoul n ghost should be fun ^^.
I downloaded and played all the way through Super Metroid yesterday, so yeah...
That reduced price promo for Super Mario Bros. 2 is kinda weird...I wonder if we'll see any more like it in the future, perhaps on games I want to get on VC.
I like the reduced price promo they're doing with SMB2. I can't take advantage of it, since I'm upgrading, but I hope that becomes a trend. I would impulse buy so many more VC games if there were sales.
I'd like to hope that getting SMB 2 at its discount price now would prove beneficial with regard to any potential deals similar to this one down the road.
ie: Own SMB 2? Get SMB 3 half price. Own SMB 3? Get SMB half price. etc. etc.
If only every week was this good.
SMB2, Super Metroid, Runner 2 sale, and Mega Man 5 for me. SG&G will have to wait for now!
@ThomasBW84 - Is there an addition coming to NA Download listings? Swords & Soldiers 3D is $8.19 in Canada, not $6.99. So I'm curious if there will be two listed for NA games were the price differs by Country like the Pound and Euro set up that is used for the European Downloads list?
Might get The Starship Damery, but not yet.
Geez, Nintendo puts out so few games on their systems, I have nothing to play, what a horrible company. OH WAIT.
Im don't think I will get anything this week, maybe harvest moon, but I might just save my money or buy something that was already out.
Wow this is one of the best Download weeks in a long time!
I had been waiting months for Super Metroid on the gamepad. I played through most of the game yesterday, and it really looks great on the gamepad. I'm also going to get MM5 at some point. I'm new to these MM games, but they're pretty fun! I have SMW, but I'll skip the SMB2 promo because I have the Super Mario All-stars Wii disc.
Good week. I downloaded Super Metroid yesterday, and I have Super Mario World, so I'm getting Super Mario Bros. 2 with the discount. My menu is getting filled with VC games already... arguably WAY faster than Wii with these deals. Maybe my bro will want Harvest Moon.
Aww, I won't be getting a WiiU before these discounts expire.
The 30 cent deals give me another reason to get a wii U. Love the 3ds VC I just can't decide what mega man to get. I already played and beat the original.
picking up metroid right now
I noticed most of the 3DS VC games being released are usually Mega Man. Capcom is contributing a lot and Nintendo so little. I know the Zelda Oracle games are just 2 weeks away, but Nintendo still has a few games to release here, such as Wario Land 3 and Kirby's Dream Land 2.
This is an EPIC download week. It's weird that Swords and Soldiers is $8.19 in Canada.
Blue and cyan, it's MOAR MEGA MAN!
What a great deal for SMB2, and a great idea as well! I'm loving the discounts on the WiiU shop!
oops, i meant to click metroid in the poll! now i've forever skewed the results ;_;
NOA just tweeted that LEGO Batman 2 is available now in the Wii U eShop. So you may want to correct that.
Any rumours for resident evil price? I own it on 3ds but will grab hd vers if under 35$ us.
@DarkEdi do you know how this holds up compared to the ps1 version? not sure if I want to buy it again. I will be picking up starship damrey and super metroid definitely
I downloaded Super Metroid yesterday and Runner 2 this morning. I also plan to get King of Fighters 99, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Starship Damrey and maybe Harvest Moon. I also need to get Legend of the River King.
@mattatron None of the KOF games play well on PSOne so it will be vastly different. The Wii games feature arcade perfect emulation.
URG, I WANTED TO SELECT SO MANY OF THOSE!!
Much better VC offering this week than the last couple weeks. Especially on Wii U. I'm really hoping N64, GBA and Genesis games start getting added soon, too. Also awesome would be Gamecube, and maybe even Saturn and Dreamcast support, though i'm starting to doubt we'll ever see any of that. Still, its good to see some quality games on the VC this week! Already downloaded Super Metroid. I may pick up Super Mario Bros 2 as well since its half off
I'm very interested in THE STARSHIP DAMREY, but I'll wait for a review.
I don't have a Wii U, so I can't take advantage of 30¢ Super Metroid, but that's okay because I got it on my Wii through Club Nintendo
Super Metroid for me! :3
I'm not sure, but it sounds like The Starship Damrey is a point-and-click (adventure) game, but I'm not sure. I hope it is, but I'm going to check the details and wait on the review.
THEIR STILL COMING OUT WITH GAMES FOR THE OLD Wii SHOP CHANNEL!!! WHAT THE FUDGE!!
Still nothing.... Getting old very fast...
Perfect arcades games with Wii VC Neo Geo, yeah!!
question do megaman 4 or 5 let you rebattle bosses you already beat?
Damrey eventually and S&S (probably) later.
Super week for me - that is, Super Metroid and Super Mario Bros. 2.
Swords and soldiers is $8.16 in Canada, just thought I would let some know.
K!O!F!
K!O!F!
I needs me some King of Fighters, and '99 will do the job.
@ThomasBW84 Any idea when or when about the Starship Damrey review will be up friend?
Picked up Damrey & MM5. I had played the Harvest Moon on GBC when it was brand new, but I already have a good portion of Harvest Moon releases (HM: Another Wonderful Life, HM: More Friends of Mineral Town, HM Boy & Girl on PSP, and the first 2 Rune Factories with RF4 on preorder), so will pass on the nostalgia. Having said that, HM on GBC is a good mobile version if you want a streamlined, scaled-back version, and highly recommended if you really don't have any other HM games for DS.
Mega Man 5 for the win this week! I'm waiting for a review on Starship Damrey before I drop the cash though.
@Barbiegurl777: The Mega Man games are awesome, but they offer quite a challenge especially to newcomers of the series. My only gripe with the 3DS VC releases is that you can't custom map the jump and shoot button to your liking. In other words, I'd rather have Y to shoot and B to jump instead of B to shoot and A to jump. It would be so much easier to play, but it's not by any means a deal breaker; it just takes some getting used to.
You know, this is why you trickle these games out. If Super Ghouls and Ghosts was released in a different week, it would make many more sales. This week it is competing with Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Metroid. Ouch.
Huh, Harvest Moon is a pretty good title but I still have to finish Grand Bazaar anyways. Plus saving my eShop money for Animal Crossing, woohoo!
@Aqueous Thanks for highlighting the issue. In terms of what game pages show, they show one price (US for NA, UK under EU), while as you say we cover Euros and Pounds in the European download update. This NA update comes from Nintendo of America, but I'll look into the options for adding Canadian prices in the update, even if they don't show on game pages. I need to see if the details are readily available.
@MarioEU deal queries - the half price Mario Bros. 2 deal wasn't listed for Europe, so this seems to be NA only
@Prof_Elvin_Gadd - I'm the lucky soul reviewing Starship Damrey, but I got it today like everyone else. I'll aim for something like Sunday, depends how long the game is etc. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it though, so hopefully it won't disappoint
@ThomasBW84 Gosh Thomas, this is part of the reason I love this website so much. You and your staff are so kind to the community and try your best to answer every and all questions if possible. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that.
I've always been a fan of anything outer space, so hopefully The Starship Damrey is quality!
Starship Damrey has my interest, but I'm a little iffy about having no help whatsoever. I'll wait for a review to see if its worth the purchase.
Starship Damrey definitely! Mega Man IV and V to round out the collection. Might also get KoF '99 since the Orochi Collection only went up to '98.
@ThomasBW84 I mainly give out prices using my 3DS XL, the system I use most (as I'm from Canada). However, I now use my old 3DS for info purposes for the US to confirm prices.
I'm considering emailing Nintendo about this wacky pricing lately for the Canadian eShop. Being that Swords & Soldiers is $1.20 more than the US is ridiculous.
@divinealpha IKR and that goes to some other games as well, also Canada never got real heros fire fighters on the eshop while the us got it.
I just downloaded Starship Damrey and I'm absolutely loving it so far. It reminds me of oldschool point-and-click adventures. Also, while there is no tutorial, the game doesn't leave you completely in the dark either. There are explanations as to which buttons do what and so forth, but the instructions are integrated into the game, so it seems more natural.
Starship Damrey and Harvest Moon.
wish we were able to vote for more than one
@ThomasBW84 - Thank you
This week its Super Metroid for 30 cents and Super Mario bros 2 for 50%! A week of savings.
I cant find anything besides games I already own.snoozefest, again.
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