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Another week begins with the Nintendo Download Update for Europe, and this week we have two major retail releases across the Wii U and 3DS; beyond that we have three rather good Wii games available on the eShop, some free-to-play Pokémon and a range of discounts. Let's get to the details.

Wii U Retail Download

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft, €59.99 / £49.99 or €49.99 / £40.99 until 18th December for those that have downloaded Xenoblade Chronicles on the same Wii U) - An exciting arrival for many that enjoyed the Wii predecessor, this new entry sees an entirely new setting and cast on the impressive Planet Mira as a colony of humans strives for survival. It's a complex, demanding game that also rewards the many hours of time invested, with some familiar ideas and mechanics blending with new approaches. Our review will be with you later today, and until then you can check out our preview. Available from 4th December.

Wii U eShop

Human Resource Machine (Tomorrow Corporation, €9.99 / £8.99) - From the team behind World of Goo and the intriguing Little Inferno, this takes the form of a fiendish puzzle game. In each level your boss gives you a job which you can automate by programming your little office worker. If you succeed you'll be promoted up to the next level for another year of work in the vast office building. Despite some flaws it's a neat idea, and we gave it a recommendation in our Human Resource Machine review.

Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Capcom, €14.99 / £13.49 until 18th December, then €19.99 / £17.99) - When gamers talk about underappreciated gems from the Wii era, this can often come into the conversation. A quirky point-and-click adventure with a sharp script, this used the Wii Remote in various clever ways; it's very much a concept title for the system. We loved this in our Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure review.

Wii U Virtual Console

Kirby Mass Attack (Nintendo, €9.99 / £8.99 or €4.99 / £4.49 until 10th December for those that have downloaded Kirby: Power Paintbrush on the same Wii U) - Kirby has had his share of spin-off concept games, and this was another that graced the DS. Utilising the portable's touch screen this one's all about using lots of Kirby characters to get by, and we loved it in our review.

Kirby: Power Paintbrush (Nintendo, €9.99 / £8.99 or €4.99 / £4.49 until 10th December for those that have downloaded Kirby Mass Attack on the same Wii U) - The DS predecessor to 2015 Wii U release Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush, this once again utilised the DS touch screen, except this time it was all about drawing lines to help Kirby roll his way along; we were fans in our original Kirby: Power Paintbrush review.

Wii U eShop Temporary Discounts

Wicked Monsters Blast! HD PLUS (Corecell, €2.99 / £2.69 until 31st December, normally € 7.99 / £7.19)

EDGE (Two Tribes, €0.79 / £0.71 until 17th December, normally €1.99 / £1.79)

RUSH (Two Tribes, €0.79 / £0.71 until 17th December, normally €1.99 / £1.79)

Swords & Soldiers (Two Tribes, €1.19 / £0.99 until 17th December, normally €2.99 / £2.69)

Toki Tori (Two Tribes, €0.79 / £0.69 until 17th December, normally €1.99 / £1.79)

Toki Tori 2+ (Two Tribes, €2.99 / £2.49 until 17th December, normally €14.99 / £12.99)

Wii U DLC

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Disc version): Basic High-Speed Data Loading Pack - Impact: High (Nintendo, free)

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Disc version): Enemy High-Speed Data Loading Pack - Impact: Medium (Nintendo, free)

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Disc version): Player High-Speed Data Loading Pack - Impact: Medium (Nintendo, free)

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Disc version): Skell High-Speed Data Loading Pack - Impact: Medium (Nintendo, free)

3DS Retail Download

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. (Nintendo, €39.99 / £34.99) - The latest entry of AlphaDream's terrifically quirky RPG series sees the worlds of this franchise and Paper Mario combine. As a result the brothers team up with Paper Mario, and this allows the developers to play around with new ideas and approaches. We gave it a strong recommendation in our Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. review. Available from 4th December.

3DS eShop

Pokémon Picross (Nintendo, free) - This free-to-play version of the popular puzzle game comes with a Pokémon flavour, as you create images of 'mon and then utilise their skills and special buffs in follow-up puzzles. We'll start puzzling out how this one and its microtransactions come together.

3DS eShop Temporary Discounts

AeternoBlade (Corecell, €4.99 / £4.50 until 31st December, normally €14.99 / £13.50)

3D MahJongg (Joindots, €3.99 / £3.59 until 17th December, normally €4.99 / £4.49)

Gardenscapes (Joindots, €5.99 / £4.49 until 17th December, normally €7.99 / £5.99)

Pazuru (Joindots, €4.49 / £2.99 until 17th December, normally €5.99 / £3.99)

Darts Up 3D (EnjoyUp Games, €0.99 / £0.89 until 31st December, normally €2.99 / £2.69)

Football Up Online (EnjoyUp Games, €1.99 / £1.79 until 31st December, normally €3.99 / £3.59)

3DS eShop DLC

The following 'Picrites' options are available with Pokémon Picross:

  • 200 Picrites (one-off price) - €0.99 / £0.89
  • 200 Picrites - €1.49 / £1.39
  • 1000 Picrites - €6.99 / £6.29
  • 2000 Picrites - €12.99 / £11.69
  • 4000 Picrites - €24.99 / £22.49

3DS HOME Themes

The Winx at Alfea – A fairylicious school (Rainbow, €1.99 / £1.79) - Available from 4th December.

Mia and Me - A Centopic friendship (Rainbow, €1.99 / £1.79) - Available from 4th December.


That's it for this week, so let us know what you'll be downloading in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading first this week?