Kirby says hi

So it's Nintendo Download time once again, North America, and what this week lacks in volume it makes up for with some quality and a lot of Kirby. Wii and DSi miss out, so you'll have to be rocking Nintendo's current hardware to enjoy some downloadable goodies. All of the details, including the chance to spend a bit of money and get a free game for your trouble, are below.

Wii U Virtual Console

Kirby's Dream Course (Nintendo, $7.99) — It's golf, Kirby style, with the pink one being a ball that can take out enemies and absorb abilities en-route to the cup. The crazy golf approach is also fun with a friend in multiplayer, and we felt the whole experience was worth recommending in our Wii Virtual Console Kirby's Dream Course review. We'll take to the course again for a fresh look.

Kirby Super Star (Nintendo, $7.99) — Kirby's big Dream Land adventure on the Super NES, this is typical of the fun, imaginative platforming that the franchise offers. This does shake it up with a number of smaller games, as opposed to one long adventure, but the top-notch design, tight controls and colourful visuals make it work. We'll be reviewing on Wii U soon, but in the meantime you can check out our Wii Virtual Console Kirby Super Star review.

Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Nintendo, $7.99) — Following on the Dream Land franchise in the 16-bit era, this entry adopted a crayon-drawing visual style and, generally, served up more conventional Kirby platforming fare than Kirby Super Star. For our money, however, the reduced pace and lack of challenge are downsides to the experience, making it ideal for platforming newcomers but potentially disappointing for Kirby fans. We'll be checking it out again for this fresh release, and until then you can learn more in our Wii Virtual Console Kirby's Dream Land 3 review

Limited Time Wii U Virtual Console Promotion

Buy two of this week's Kirby VC titles on the Wii U eShop and get the third for free. Applies to Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby Super Star and Kirby's Dream Course; offer ends on 30th May.

3DS eShop

Groove Heaven (Teyon, $3.99) — The 3DS has fared well with music rhythm games, and now Teyon steps into the fray. The story has a character called Rhymi delivering a letter to an angel atop a tower, but ultimately this is likely to be all about completing plenty of rhythm challenges to progress. We'll find our groove to bring you a review, soon.

3DS Retail Downloads

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (Nintendo, $39.99) — The Wii original may only be a few years old, but this port is a natural fit to make the most of the 3DS and its stereoscopic screen. While it doesn't quite match the buttery smoothness of the Wii original, this is a strong conversion of a truly exceptional platformer, so should be a serious candidate for your cash. If you want the full lowdown check out our Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D review

Naruto: Powerful Shippuden (Namco Bandai, $TBC) — Arriving on the eShop two months after hitting retail stores, this is the most recent handheld title for the popular franchise. A rather simple action brawler, its strong suit is the humour it shows, which combines well with cartoonish visuals; the gameplay doesn't live up to its style unfortunately. Not necessarily a bad game, but it only earned a modest recommendation in our Naruto: Powerful Shippuden review.

3DS eShop Temporary Discount

The Denpa Men: They Came by Wave (Genius Sonority, $7.99 until 30th May, normally $9.99)


So there you have it, perhaps a case of quality over quantity this time around. Let us know what you're planning to download in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (278 votes)

  1. Kirby's Dream Course (Wii U Virtual Console)3%
  2. Kirby Super Star (Wii U Virtual Console)6%
  3. Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Wii U Virtual Console)4%
  4. All three Kirby games for the Wii U VC promotion13%
  5. Groove Heaven (3DS eShop)3%
  6. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (3DS retail download)9%
  7. Naruto: Powerful Shippuden (3DS retail download)  0%
  8. The Denpa Men: They Came by Wave (3DS eShop temporary discount)5%
  9. Nothing for me this week58%

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