worrybomb

@invmat: That's pretty cool. I didn't know there were 4 other loading screens I haven't seen. I was d/ling FATE and I just noticed Mario and Luigi swimming around. It makes me want to d/l more games but with 1300 Points left, I'll just wait and see if there are any more games down the pipeline I would want.

Oh eff yeah, WE HAVE FLASHLIGHT NOW! Best 2010 update so far.

Oh yeah and something called FATE is released too.

Downloading this sucka right now. I've been a fan of CommanderVideo ever since BEAT hit the scene. Man, it's great to see Gaijin Games tackling the shmup genre and to have Minusbaby provide the soundtrack is just icing on the cake.

Also, has anyone gotten the loading screen when d/ling a game with Mario and Luigi swimming, collecting coins and jumping under the coin blocks? It's the first I have ever seen it. Then again, haven't downloaded a game from Wii Shop in a long while.

Great update to end the year. I already d/l Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth and played the first stage. It definitely harkons back to the classic NES Castlevania games and so far it's worth the 1000 Nintendo Points. I'm thinking about getting Pilotwings and I'll wait for impressions, possibly a review or two on The Magic Obelisk. Great to see Game Arts back in the scene.

Although I wish The Oregon Trail was priced at 500 Nintendo Points, it has been a while since I went on the Trail and sadly I have no iPod Touch/iPhone. I'm really tempted to give this one a go.

Here's to hoping the next update starts us Wii/DSi owners right in 2010! See you then. =)

Great impressions, Sean. I'm a shmup fan so I'm hoping Phalanx gets a release here in the US. WiiWare has been lacking in the shoot'em up department and if it keeps the 500 Nintendo Points price tag, then that's a plus for me.

At least Smash Bros. is out before the holidays and it's one less game for people to whine about.

It's disappointing UNO and Dragon's Lair costs a little bit higher than expected. After all, UNO for the DSi was priced at 500 Nintendo Points in other territories while Dragon's Lair is $5 over at the iTunes App Store.

I'm interested to hear more impressions or reviews about Eco Shooter: Plant 530. I love Intelligent Systems' work so I'll be keeping a close eye on this to see whether it's a keeper or not.

Here's hoping Pilotwings, Castlevania Rebirth, or Cave Story will show up on the last Nintendo Download update for 2009.

While I would've loved local multiplayer to be included, I just don't see it working out. Split screen would have restricted some of the field of vision of tracks and jumps whether it's horizontal or vertical borders.

It's a great update to the Excitebike franchise and online play is virtually lagless (in my end, at least). Monster Games did a great job with this game.

Thanks for the update, CommanderVideo. =)

The new update makes the game's file size 316 Blocks compared to the previous 312 Blocks. I can't wait to see if I can tell the difference. Maybe, maybe not.

Well according to what's current;y in my DSi Shop, not only is DSiWare getting "Oscar in Toyland" today but also a Nintendo app titled "Art Academy: First Semester". It'll cost 800 Nintendo Points to download. Here's the description:

Art Academy is a portable art course that anyone can join to replace the lecture-like structure of art school, or the trial and error on canvas, with a Nintendo DSi system. Art Academy: First Semester will guide you through the basics of using pencil and paints, which draw like the real things. With your own paintbrush set and color palette, you will learn texturing and blending techniques, along with how to depict light and shade. There is also Free Paint mode where you can select photos from your Nintendo DSi Camera Album to draw from. In just a few lessons, you will be discovering your inner artist and creating your own masterpieces, with art skills that you can apply with real-life materials.

Since the price for Sonic's UGC still hasn't budged an inch, it looks like I'll be purchasing Phantasy Star.

My first RPG that I ever played...it's going to be a wonderful trip down memory lane.

I'm definitely purchasing this game on Monday. I was a little afraid Pop Plus: Solo would be lacking in substance due to the no multiplayer options but it looks like it's a really fleshed out game and for 500 Nintendo Points, it's a pretty good value. Keep up the great work, Nnooo! =)

I, too, was hoping for Phantasy Star but I'm tempted to give "Revenge of Shinobi" a download. I still haven't downloaded "Super Star Wars" yet. =(

The WiiWare games don't interest me this week but with Pop Up Pursuit being released, hopefully the next Nintendo published WiiWare game will be "You, Me, and the Cubes".

Brain Age Express: Sudoku is something I might download as well. I don't own a Brain Age game and I do like Sudoku. I'm gonna have to think about this. =)

I am a little shocked Super Star Wars was announced and released all in the same day. Since I never played the Super NES versions, I'll wait for a review just in case. Although I'm pretty sure a lot of people have some praise for this game.

Definitely a good week for the Nintendo Download.

VCA (Virtual Console Arcade):

• Donkey Kong
• Donkey Kong Jr.
• Mario Bros.
• Arm Wrestling
• Mario Kart Arcade GP
• Popeye

NES:

• Mother
• Devil World (USA)
• Kung Fu
• RC Pro Am
• Cobra Triangle

SNES:

• Earthbound
• Pilotwings
• Star Fox
• Super Mario Kart
• Stunt Race FX
• Uniracers
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
• Wrecking Crew '98

N64:

• Pilotwings 64
• Blast Corps
• Bomberman 64
• Mischief Makers
• Tetrisphere
• Donkey Kong 64
• Mario Party
• Ogre Battle 64

That's all I can think of.

Alright, ToMI!!

I'll probably wait until I pick up the Monkey Island remake over at XBLA this Wednesday before I dip my points into Tales.

Well hopefully Bit Boy!! will be well received here but judging from some of the reviews, I'll be hesitant to fork over the points for it.

I really hope Cave Story gets release soon. It's hard saving my Wii Points for that game yet having no idea of a solid date.

Eh, I wasn't really interested in this game anyway. Maybe next time, Snap Dragon Games.

This game certainly looks interesting. Also, it looks like it'll be a blast to play with some people. I'll definitely wait for a review or two to see how this game pans out. Good luck to Exkee!

Okay SEGA, if it's really possible I want the following games to appear on the Virtual Console because I will purchase them once they are available:

• Road Rash 1, 2, and/or 3
• Skitchin'
• Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (maybe a portion of the sales will go to the estate of MJ)
• Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
• Lost Vikings
• Shining Force CD
• Snatcher
• Rocket Knight Adventures (please, please, please release RKA)
• Castlevania: Bloodlines
• Contra: Hard Corps
• Ghostbusters (Genesis/Mega Drive)
• Jewel Master
• Outrun (Arcade)
• Sonic CD
• Mystic Defender

If you can make any of those games happen, that'll be awesome.

Online multiplayer would've really helped out Puzzle Bobble Wii in my opinion. I'm glad, though, that the game remains the same which can be a really great puzzler if this is your first time playing it. Definitely get it if you're new to the series.

As for me, I'll probably wait for Space Bust-A-Move for the DS.

Congrats on getting Super Smash Bros., Europe! I hope this compensates for the lack of VC updates that occurred the last couple of weeks.

And now starts the hype train for SSB release this Monday in NA. I hope the train doesn't get derailed. =P

I think it's fairly priced. So far from what I seen of the game, it looks like a very solid run'n gun action game. I might give this one a download.

Swords and Soldiers is definitely a "buy" for me today.

While I hate the idea of Nintendo still repackaging their games in bite-size chunks, what's more important is that this is the first DSiWare game to use Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection. Hopefully this means a sign that more DSiWare titles with have Wi-Fi.

Wow that sucks. No Virtual Console releases this week again for Europe. At least you guys get Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and another Art Style DSi game (one that I'm looking forward to playing). Here's to hoping you guys get a great VC release next week.

Darn you, Corbie. This game along with Swords and Soldiers and possibly Mario vs. DK: Minis March Again is going to use up all my Nintendo Points cards I've saved up. I hope I have enough for Cave Story when the time comes.

However, I'll probably give MFC a download from all the positive reviews I'm hearing from everyone that has played it.

And about the Art Style games, I don't really think of them as mini-games of any kind. They are more like "pick up and play" games. Pictobits, for example, won't end in 3 minutes time which is what an average mini-game would last. The presentation is indeed simple compared to other titles on their respected digital service but Art Style is all about simplicity but with engaging gameplay to match it. I still play me some Pictobits from time to time.

I'm glad it's finally coming out although I wish it were for 500 Nintendo Points instead of 800. It's not WayForward's fault. If only Nintendo would make the Wii and DSi accounts join as one for some of us that own both hardware. After all they are Nintendo Points...we should be granted the ability to spend them on multiple Nintendo hardware.

I'm ranked #1 in Super Arrange mode for the Regional Rankings. I keep losing in Stage 18, I believe (darn those blue flying Witches!). Also, I'm glad to report that BB+ already ranked in the Popular Lists at the #18 spot. I don't know if it did good over in PAL territories but I have a good feeling it'll have a longer lifespan over here.

I just made #3 under Regional Rankings in Bubble Bobble + Standard mode. So far, I'm having fun with the game. I only played Standard mode with a friend and tackled the Ranking mode for Standard. As you can guess, I haven't touch any of the Arranged modes. Overall, if you haven't played Bubble Bobble then definitely get this version. And if you do have the NES version of BB, Taito may have sweetened the deal by offering the game 200 points less plus you'll have Arranged, 4-player, and Ranking modes at your disposal. A definite buy, in my opinion.

Not a great an update compared to last week but it's still a good one, thanks to Taito/Square Enix and Hudson offering a much cheaper price for their WiiWare offerings (sorry Euro fans). I was waiting to get BB+ on the Xbox but for 600 Wii Points, it looks like I'll be picking this one up. I'll think about getting Adventure Island but I'm still waiting for much more anticipating releases (namely Cave Story and Swords & Soldiers).

Great review Olimar! In my opinion, the game would've gotten a perfect 10 from me if it included a multiplayer mode and/or online leaderboards. But overall, I really enjoyed PiCOBiTS a lot and I can't possibly imagine people still holding on to their free 1000 Nintendo Points with PiCOBiTS now available. Trust me, I was one of those people.

I have to agree with Pegasus. So far I've played a couple of stages of PiCOBiTS and also a Dark Stage and I must say that I am definitely glad I bought this without hesitation. There's a helpful tutorial and I just love the presentation and sound of the game...being that I'm a retro nut. Although the Dark Stage 1 really beat my butt...I'll tackle it as soon as I get a few more stages down cold.

Bottom line, this is definitely one of the games you've been waiting for to arrive on the DSiWare service.

Great update this week.

Definitely will be getting Majora's Mask and it looks like my untouched 1000 free DSi Points will be used to get Art Style: PicoBits. I've been waiting for that game to show up stateside.

While the DSi launch games are pretty much a mixex bag, it looks like Art Style: Aquia is probably the most essential download of the bunch. I'm definitely going to purchase this game as soon as get my DSi in the mail. The sound effects will probably be in your head for days (good thing or bad thing, you decide) but it definitely looks like another fun Skip puzzler. =)

I have to admit that "Snapped" was one of my anticipated launch titles but from reading all the reviews about it, I may need to revisit on purchasing this title for a later date.

I think this kind of game would've benefited with Wii Speak functionality. I wonder if the upcoming UNO game will have it...

Yeah it does stink to have 2 games in the span of two weeks compared to what the US or Japan gets. Sorry guys. =(

As far as Texas Hold'em goes, if it's rated nicely depending on the local and online gameplay then maybe I would get something like this. I think this game would benefit if it had Wii Speak functionality too. Who knows when we'll get a game with Wii Speak functionality.

I'm glad World of Goo is back to number 1 and Bit.Trip: Beat skyrocketing to the number 4 position. Hopefully it shows other developers what kind of WiiWare games we want: good ones.

I'm guessing SAMEGAME would hit the charts sometime next week. For the cheap price and addicting gameplay, I'm figuring it's a pefrect compliment to other puzzlers like Dr. Mario Online Rx or Tetris Party.

I finally made it up to "Growth" after encountering many "Game Over" screens during the later parts of "Descent". CommanderVideo, you sure are one tough pony.

I love the development video. Very trippy just like the Commander himself (see the beginning of "Descent" if you don't believe me, hehe). Plus I'm amazed you accomplished what you did in 4 months with so little people. Each one of them sure loved doing Bit.Trip: Beat. Can't wait for the next adventure starring CommanderVideo. Maybe some comics or video vignettes of the Commander until his next game could tidy us over? =P

Also don't forget the soundtrack. =)

First. =P

But it looks like this Monday is Hudson's day. SAMEGAME has me interested to try out while the VC selection is looking good with Twinbee and Bomberman 94. I'm afraid though Wiiloveit isn't going to be too thrilled that NoE released SAMEGAME to us NAs. Hopefully Bit.Trip: Beat will be announced for release in Europe, guys.

Alright! Bit.Trip: Beat is currently at no. 18 here in the US charts. Here's to hoping it climbs up more spots. =)

Pikamander2 has a good point. Especially if NoA brings out an updated version of MPR the same way NoJ did over there.

I would have love to see Bit.Trip: Beat make the charts this week but sadly that wasn't the case. I'm still stuck in that blast "Descent" song. Curse you, CommanderVideo!

Hey there Commander, sir.

Is there a possibility of a soundtrack of those 3 songs (Transition, Descent, and Growth) to appear as a download whether it's through payment or not? I would love to hear these tunes on the go.

Great review, Corbie. I wasn't expecting it to receive a 9 out of 10 though. I have a few nitpicks with the game: big file size, 3 but very long songs that could have used an intermission for the eyes to rest and some pixelated blocks would have benefited from a color change so they wouldn't blend in the background. Still, what makes a game great is that even with these nitpicks, I had lots of fun with the game. The presentation is spot-on, the graphics although it being "retro" are quite lovely and the tilting mechanism was a great idea for this kind of game (though having a D-pad function for your high score initials would've been nice).

Bit.Trip: Beat is exactly what I want representing the WiiWare service: fun, pick up and play games with an original take or interesting twist. Definitely worth your 600 points. Oh and if you're reading this CommanderVideo, I salute you. =)

I'm still stuck in "Descent". What messes me up is those Challenges where your paddle shrinks half its size and it really does stink when those pixelated blocks go on hyper speed.

@Twilight Crow

Once you unlock the next song, you can go back to it in the main menu for replayability. It's definitely a good thing judging from how long each song takes to be completed. =P

Well we know what Corbie's gonna do with the money. I wonder what Dazza would spend his fortune on... =P

Yeah the ghosting on the pixelated blocks being reciprocated back to where they came from is the main culprit for my eye problem.

You gotta admit though...the game does look purty at 480p. I'm stuck at the "Descent" song as well. I'm beginning to hate that song. heh.

@ Corbie

Ha. I let my older brother give it a shot and about 2 minutes into the game, he was complaining how his eyes were watery.

Seriously though, Gaijin I like your game a lot but your game is more than likely going to make me visit an optometrist sooner than later. =P

It looks like a hostage situation. Someone better call a negotiator but not just any negotiator.

PRICELINE NEGOTIATOR!!!

As for my impressions of the game, I agree mostly with IGN's review. The presentation is awesome and so are the 8-bit tunes. I have a few minor issues: the relatively large file size, some kind of level break would've been nice so one's eyes can rest, and it's a bit of a learning curve with the tilting. Overall though, I enjoyed it regardless and if you have the points (and the space), I say download this. Definitely one of the best WiiWare titles so far in 2009.

Dang that Bit.Trip...it's 312 blocks. Time for some Wii-shuffling. =(

When is Eternity's Child coming to WiiWare? I'm thinking Alten8 is taking their sweet time thanks to Luc's "encouraging" words for them.

In other news, you guys sold out!!! At least it's for a game that deserves the promotion. =P