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As the E3 madness settles down to daily regular madness, we have the reliable and steady Nintendo Download news to enjoy. This week is a strong one in North America, with both the Wii U and 3DS eShop services hosting games from Renegade Kid and WayForward, while the Game Gear also returns on the 3DS Virtual Console. There's also some fishing and Picross thrown in for good measure, so let's get on with the details.

Wii U eShop

Mutant Mudds Deluxe (Renegade Kid, $9.99) — The popular '12-bit' 3DS eShop title now arrives on the Wii U with sharp HD visuals — which has the affect of widening the viewing angle — and a number of all new Ghost levels to take on. With the original content and the subsequent "Granny" stages also included, this offers a lot of bang for your buck on the home console; we're currently working on our review, but until then you can check out our Mutant Mudds 3DS eShop review.

3DS eShop

Mighty Switch Force! 2 (WayForward, $5.99) — In a first for the "Mighty" series, WayForward brings us a sequel featuring Patricia Wagon jumping and puzzling her way to capture — or in this case rescue — the Hooligan Sisters and Ugly Secret Babies. Though there's a new backdrop and a hose weapon, we felt that this one occasionally crossed the line from varying on a template into outright rips from the first title, but nevertheless gave it a solid recommendation in our Mighty Switch Force! 2 review.

Picross e (Jupiter Corporation, $5.99) — Since this title arrived in Europe last year, Picross fans in North America have naturally been keen to see it make the move across the Atlantic. The day is finally here — though the series is up to number three in Japan — and it's exactly what you'd expect from the genre. It's simple, clean and full of levels to tackle, as our Picross e review explains.

Big Bass Arcade: No Limit (Big John Games, $6.99) — This series makes its 3DS eShop debut after previous appearances on the WiiWare and DSiWare platforms. This new entry promises much for fishing enthusiasts, with 10 unique lakes, 32 tournaments and 50 challenges; not to mention the description of the main action as "fish fighting". Previous efforts have been thoroughly decent releases, so we'll dig out our waders and waterproofs to see whether this one can haul in a high score.

3DS Virtual Console

Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA, $4.99) — Quite likely the highest profile of today's Game Gear blitz, the SEGA mascot made his portable debut in this title. Although outgunned by the Game Boy commercially, the Game Gear pushed impressive visuals for its time, and we'll see how this stacks up against its home console contemporaries in our upcoming review.

Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (SEGA, $2.99) — Puzzle games were a mainstay of retro portable systems, and this one brings Sonic's nemesis to the fore before he was named after poultry products. This Puyo Puyo title has you matching four coloured beans at a time, so we'll get own brains into gear to bring you a review.

Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya (SEGA, $3.99) — Shining Force is a fondly remembered franchise on SEGA systems, and now this portable entry makes its debut on the 3DS. Turn-based strategy is all the rage, making this one's timing ideal; we'll take to the battlefield and let you know what we think.

Columns (SEGA, $3.99) — This match-three puzzle title will be familiar to some that received it as part of a Mega Drive hardware bundle, and was fast-paced and compulsive on the 16-bit machine. It's hard to see where the Game Gear version could go wrong, but we'll jump in for a review soon.


A fairly meaty list this week, with some titles that are sure to attract a good number of downloads. Let us know what you plan to pick up in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (292 votes)

  1. Mutant Mudds Deluxe (Wii U eShop)14%
  2. Mighty Switch Force! 2 (3DS eShop)13%
  3. Picross e (3DS eShop)11%
  4. Big Bass Arcade: No Limit (3DS eShop)1%
  5. Sonic the Hedgehog (3DS Virtual Console)11%
  6. Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (3DS Virtual Console)3%
  7. Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya (3DS Virtual Console)13%
  8. Columns (3DS Virtual Console)3%
  9. Nothing for me this week31%

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