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It's Nintendo Download time once again, North America, with your goodies a little scaled back compared to the extravagances of last week. Alongside confirmation that there'll be extensive footage and coverage from the upcoming E3 Nintendo Direct on the eShop platforms, we have a mix of an eagerly anticipated 3DS retail title alongside some discounts and retro goodies. Let's get right to it.

Wii U Virtual Console

Spelunker (Tozai Games, $4.99) — Another retro NES platformer, with this one placing an emphasis on exploration and quick puzzle solving. We'll be taking a fresh look, but we did feel that an absurd level of difficulty and frustrating design — perhaps linking back to its days on pre-NES systems — made this one very hard to recommend; you can see why in our Wii Virtual Console Spelunker review.

Wii U Famicom Anniversary Promotion

Yoshi (Nintendo, $0.30) — This next part of the Famicom Anniversary monthly promotion will be available from 12th June, leaving you with just under a week to grab Super Metroid with some spare change. Although bearing the Yoshi name, this is at its core a decent if unspectacular puzzle game, enjoyable but not overly compulsive. We'll cast fresh eyes over this version, but until then you can check out our 3DS Virtual Console Yoshi review.

Wii U eShop Temporary Discount

Trine 2: Director's Cut (Frozenbyte, $9.99 until 27th June, normally $19.99)

Wii U eShop Permanent Discount

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (Ubisoft, $29.99, was originally $49.99)

3DS Retail Download

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo, $34.99) — What can we say about this one? It's been high on the hype charts for a number of weeks now, and will be available to download from midnight on 9th June; this may be a title perfectly suited to being easily accessible on your SD card. It's more of what fans have come to love in the franchise, with plenty of online fun and Mayoral duties to freshen up the experience. It's been critically acclaimed, and you can check out our Animal Crossing: New Leaf review for our glowing recommendation.

Wii Virtual Console

Sengoku 3 (D4 Enterprise, 900 Nintendo Points) — This side-scrolling action fighting series returns to the Wii Virtual Console, continuing the steady flow of Neo Geo releases. This one adds a ninja (shinobi) gauge that's charged up to unleash powerful attacks; it's the final title in this series, so we'll see whether it's a fitting finale in our upcoming review.


So there you have it, one blockbuster release being joined by some discounts and retro releases. Let us know what you'll be downloading in the comments and poll below.

What will you be downloading first this week? (374 votes)

  1. Spelunker (Wii U Virtual Console)1%
  2. Yoshi (Wii U Virtual Console Famicom Promotion)17%
  3. Trine 2: Director's Cut (Wii U eShop temporary discount)4%
  4. Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (Wii U eShop permanent discount)1%
  5. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS retail download)38%
  6. Sengoku 3 (Wii Virtual Console)5%
  7. Nothing for me this week34%

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