WiiWare News
News chick chick BOOM Lays New Screenshots and Artwork
WiiWare title awaiting approval
It's been a long time since we heard anything from tons of bits regarding its WiiWare action game chick chick BOOM, but the studio's just been in touch to tell us the game's been submitted to Nintendo for approval, kindly sending over some artwork and screenshots too. Two opposing teams of chicks try to blow each...
Podcast Episode 19 - So Long, Farewell
Full of audio treats you simply will not believe
The Nintendo Life podcast is taking a break for a little while, but this final-for-a-while show is crammed full of quality items. Terrible accents, anonymous listeners pretending to host talk shows about genitals – yes, really – and the culmination of Sean Aaron's interview with Gaijin Games's...
News Find Adventure on Lost Island: Hidden Object Game Next Monday
Bit of a mouthful
Ateam Inc, the team behind previous WiiWare releases "Aha! I Found It!" Hidden Object Game and "Aha! I Got It!" Escape Game, is bringing another colourful title to the service next week in the form of Adventure on Lost Island: Hidden Object Game. Another four-player find fest, Adventure on Lost Island is set to...
Nintendo Download 6th September (North America)
Westerners on WiiWare; Samurai on VC; Exotic Farms, Mahjong and Acoustic Guitars on DSiWare
Today might be a national holiday in United States but that doesn't mean the Nintendo Download is taking a day off, with five releases including the return of Virtual Console in the form of Samurai Shodown III. WiiWare: Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner...
News Racers' Islands: Crazy Racers Off the Starting Grid Next Week
Zallag zooming around on September 10th
European publisher Zallag, the same company behind the upcoming Gods vs. Humans, is set to launch its first WiiWare title in Europe next week with the release of Racers' Island: Crazy Racers. With up to eight players on one Wii console, 20 tracks to choose from and the nVidia PhysX engine making each object...
First Impressions BIT.TRIP FATE
We take the game for a spin in space
The folks at Gaijin Games have already brought us four amazing BIT.TRIP releases that take many of the classic arcade elements from days gone by and somehow make them relevant again with their unique music/rhythm gameplay twists. We've seen classic influences ranging from the original Pong all the way up to David...
News BIT.TRIP FATE Revealed at PAX
It's bullet hell BIT.TRIP!
Gaijin Games finally unveiled their newest BIT.TRIP release BIT.TRIP FATE this morning at the PAX 2010 show in Seattle and the bullets were flying. After taking the series into the platforming realm last trip out with BIT.TRIP RUNNER, FATE propels CommanderVideo straight into on-rail bullet hell. You can check out the...
News First Jam City Rollergirls Art Smashes Through
Concept art ahoy
Jam City Rollergirls, the upcoming arcade take on roller derby, has been creating a stir since we announced it here in August, and with the game making its debut at PAX this weekend we've received some concept art from developers Frozen Codebase to share with you. Frozen Codebase refers to itself as a "punk rock developer"...
News First Fluidity Video and Screenshots Released
Free flowing fluid physics are fun!
Well after a few weeks of mystery, the dam has finally busted on Nintendo's newest WiiWare release Fluidity and the video and screenshots are now beginning to flow. The game is currently on display at PAX 2010 in Seattle, but for those who can't be there, you can check out the first gameplay trailer and...
Nintendo Download 7th & 8th September 2010 (Japan)
The gang's all here: WiiWare, Virtual Console and DSiWare next week in Japan
WiiWare: Surinuke Anatōsu (800pts - Nintendo) -- Though we've gotten the distinct impression that third parties have abandoned WiiWare in Japan, Nintendo certainly hasn't. Keys Factory is credited as the developer – a bit odd since all they seem to make are Wii and DSi...
News First Episode of Back to the Future Could Appear in Our Timeline by November
Bob Gale lays down some heavy hints
When all that was known about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the notorious single piece of artwork, that didn't stop gamers lapping it up. They knew that a much-loved franchise in the hands of a developer with an impressive catalogue of releases can't go wrong. And it's that same kind of expectation which...
Nintendo Download 3rd September (Europe)
Another retro fighter, and more
Thankfully, the wait for another Virtual Console title wasn't long - Surely you managed to get by with just one week of no new retro games? It's accompanied by the first of Gamebridge's GO Series, and five other games. WiiWare: Fishie Fishie (500pts, DK Games) – The only WiiWare title this week. Fairly similar to...
News Step to the Beat of the Lilt Line Website
First trailer available
Our recent Lilt Line First Impressions placed the game on many readers' radars, but words cannot do justice to the game's soundtrack or devious design. Thankfully Gaijin Games has obliged by launching the official Lilt Line WiiWare site containing the first trailer of the forthcoming release, hopefully filling in some of...
News Jam City Rollergirls Press Release Wants You to Sit Up and Take Notice
All the excitement of Roller Derby in a press release!
Our previous post on Jam City Rollergirls caught the attention of roller derby players the world over – over 1,600 Facebook "likes" and counting, viral fans – and now Frozen Codebase has put out the first official press release with more shouting than you can slam a lead jammer into. If...
News MotoHeroz for WiiWare Sounds a Lot Better Than You Might Think
2D action platform racing from RedLynx
Here's a quick question for you: have there been many platform games where you control a monster truck? That slim genre is about to get a monster-sized boost as Finnish developer RedLynx has announced MotoHeroz on the way to WiiWare. Although you may not have heard of RedLynx, Xbox 360 owners may have played...
News Telltale Jolts Us with 1.21 Gigowatts of Back to the Future Character Art
Marty and the Doc looking sketchy
The announcement that Telltale Games is bringing Back to the Future to WiiWare was enough to send us into a wild frenzy of quoting lines. Now the first official character art has hit 88mph and materialised on our desk there's no telling what will happen. The information accompanying the artwork is similarly...
Review Tales of Elastic Boy: Mission 1 (WiiWare)
Elastic fantastic?
While still creating a line of educational games on WiiWare, Lexis Numerique decided to work on a platforming series alongside it. Sticking with a similar graphical style clearly geared towards younger gamers, does this fare well against other games in the genre currently available? You play as Mooky, just one member of an entire...
News Jett Rocket Developer Flooring It For FAST - Racing League
Shin'en Multimedia shifts gears for its next project
Shin'en Multimedia is on a WiiWare hot streak. After the impressive puzzler Art of Balance and platformer Jett Rocket, the German development studio is in a good position to score a service hat trick. Today the studio revealed its next project, a futuristic racer called FAST - Racing League...
News Pelvic Floor Exercise Game Fills Gap in the Market
Now we've really heard everything
The Wii has a huge audience, from little children to pregnant women, and so it's only fair that each gamer gets a game individually tailored to them. Kaasa is already working on Physiofun, a physiotherapy game for WiiWare that uses the Balance Board, but a PEGI rating has outed something rather more... specialised...
News Ready Your Guns for The Westerner on Monday
Showdown at the Wii Shop Channel Corral
Fans of the Wild West may look enviously upon the titles released on HD consoles in the past year, notably Red Dead Redemption and Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, and wish for their own rootin' tootin' adventure to match. Well, they'll be waiting a long time yet, but here comes a more sedate cowboy adventure...
Nintendo Download 30th August 2010 (North America)
Elastic on WiiWare; Piano, Notebooks and Cosmos on DSiWare
After a short delay the Nintendo Download is available, and sadly brings with it no surprises, meaning August ends with more of a whimper than a bang. WiiWare: Tales of Elastic Boy: Mission 1 (600pts, Lexis Numerique) – A platformer from the creators of the PooYoos games, this was released...
News Updated Cave Story Remixed Soundtrack Released
And it won't cost you a cent!
That's right, the nice folks over at Nicalis have just released an amazing updated remixed Cave Story soundtrack and it's now available for download completely free of charge. You can click here to download the 3 disc zip file. We'll keep you posted on any new announcements regarding the upcoming European release of...
News Super Meat Boy Should be on the WiiWare Menu Soon
Check out the new images from the Hell chapter
If you're looking forward to Team Meat's upcoming Super Meat Boy then you're in luck, as the latest post on the developers' official blog has announced that the Xbox Live Arcade version is now content complete. With the XBLA game nearing the finish line, that means Team Meat will be able to concentrate...
News Brand New Frobot Director's Cut Video
The game continues to look better and better
The nice folks at Fugazo have just sent over a brand new gameplay video of their upcoming WiiWare release Frobot in action. The brand new video shows a far more polished look and assures fans that the game will indeed be released sometime in 2010. It's been a long wait for the game, but judging from this...
News My Planetarium Gazes Out Into the Expanding WiiWare Library
Hudson's galactic follow-up to its My Aquarium series
Hudson's been releasing some fairly decent and relaxing simulations on the WiiWare service lately. The developer has more than likely extracted all it can from the aquarium route, at least for the time being, however – and an ESRB rating has revealed a new direction that's a lot more cosmic in...
News BIT.TRIP FATE Teaser Image Released
More funky artwork to blow your mind
As you know, Gaijin Games has just recently announced the title of their newest BIT.TRIP release BIT.TRIP FATE, so the obligatory teaser image from the ever-sadistic Alex Neuse was bound to surface eventually. As you can see below, it's a very beautiful piece of artwork, but if you're expecting to get any type of...
Interviews Onteca Studio Visit - A Monsteca Corral
We discuss monsters, robots and WiiWare with Corral’s Producer and Art Director
Following our recent A Monsteca Corral: Monsters vs. Robots review, we headed to Liverpool in the UK to chat with independent developer Onteca’s Jon Wetherall (Producer) and Rich Alston (Art Director), about their first WiiWare title. Nintendo Life: Where did the...
News The Roller Derby Game of Your Dreams is Coming to WiiWare
Girls on rollerskates at last
"What's a roller derby?", the curious among you may have asked. It's a sport in which two teams of five players on rollerskates try to score points against each other. It's fast, physical and hardly what you'd call "mainstream", which makes it a perfect candidate for a transition to Wii. That's exactly what's happening,...
Nintendo Download 27th August (Europe)
A slightly lower amount of releases this time
It's the first time in a few weeks that Europe has to make do without a new Virtual Console game, but you can't really complain too much: we've had some great titles recently and we'll be getting another game in the form of Samurai Shodown III next week. Hopefully an excellent WiiWare platformer and some...
Review And Yet It Moves (WiiWare)
Vertigo has never felt so fun
It seems that the Wii’s unconventional controller and competitively underpowered specifications have made the console quite attractive to smaller PC developers looking to break into the console space. Cave Story jumped from freeware to WiiWare with a fresh coat of paint and new modes and jams, Pearl Harbor benefitted...
News New Screenshots Illuminate Aya and the Cubes of Light
Object Vision gives us an art attack
We got a first whiff of Aya and the Cubes of Light last week, and now developer Object Vision has been in touch to share some new screenshots of the title and more details of its launch. There is currently no fixed release date, with the game due to enter lotcheck at Nintendo of America next month with a European...
Podcast NLFM Episode 8: Have You Heard Captain Falcon's Theme Song?
If you haven't then you're in for a real treat
Some video game themes are so iconic that it's impossible to not recognize where they're from, even if you haven't touched the game in years. Tetris. Super Mario Bros. Captain Falcon? While we're not saying his theme song is up there in the annals of game music legend, after this episode of NLFM, we're...
News European Developers get Their Games Nominated for Milthon Awards
The 4th Milthon Awards has selected four titles on Nintendo systems across four categories
With the BAFTA Video Game Awards done and dusted, gamers hoping to see their favourite titles get some sort of golden trophy need only wait a few more weeks as this September marks the fourth annual Milthon Awards; recognising European video game studios and...
Nintendo Download August 23rd (North America)
Anticipated games arrive and the Virtual Console returns!
With Rytmik, And Yet It Moves and Ufouria: The Saga all in one day, this week's download fares better than previous outings. The debut of the G.G Series, a classic puzzle game and farming on the go round out this week's line-up. WiiWare: And Yet It Moves (1000pts, Broken Rules) – This...
News Exclusive Horizon Riders Screenshots Ready to Lock and Load
Shots of Sabarasa's simple but stylish shooter
We brought you the latest trailer of Horizon Riders the other day, and now we have a wealth of exclusive screenshots straight from Sabarasa. Earlier comparisons to Star Fox gain credence with a pared-down aesthetic style that harks back to the classic shooter, with some intense-looking boss battles to...
Nintendo Download 20th August (Europe)
More VC and a bunch of WiiWare and DSiWare
As we reported earlier this week, Europe gets yet another Virtual Console title to continue the streak. It's accompanied by another bunch of catch-up titles on WiiWare and DSiWare of which we've already reviewed all but one. WiiWare: Furry Legends (1000pts, Gamelion Studios) – A platformer that's been in...
News Sabarasa Blasts Us with Horizon Riders Trailer
WiiWare shooter looking sweet
Last month we brought you word on Horizon Riders, an upcoming rail shooter from Sabarasa Games. Now the team has sent over the latest trailer showing off more footage from the title, and it's shaping up to be a thrilling ride. Wii Balance Board support is confirmed, allowing you to lean from side-to-side to steer your...
News WiiWare Revs Up with Rush Rush Rally Racing
Dreamcast indie game turns to Nintendo
Despite having never really taken off in the face of the PlayStation 2 – though that's a story for another site – the Dreamcast is still a much-loved console to this day, with small developers still releasing new titles. One such team is Senile Games, whose classic racing games Rush Rush Rally Racing is...
News Robotube's Bloktonik Drops to 2011 on WiiWare
Delay for boxy puzzler
WiiWare may not be short on quality puzzle games featuring cubes, what with You, Me, and the Cubes, Art of Balance, Art Style: Cubello and more, but Robotube's Bloktonik won't be beefing up the service's line up this year as it's slipped to 2011. In a post on the company's blog, founder Jason Cirillo said: I’ve gotten a lot...
Review A Monsteca Corral: Monsters vs. Robots (WiiWare)
Pikmin-like play that packs a punch
A Monsteca Corral: Monsters vs. Robots is refreshing, both in its quirky tone and its strategic demands. What starts off as a seemingly simplistic mechanic – guide a herd of creatures around to collect bubbles – eventually evolves into a surprisingly deep and thoroughly challenging affair. This is achieved by...
News Aya and the Cubes of Light Defies WiiWare Laws of Gravity
What's up?
Gravity's everywhere these days: Super Mario Galaxy 2 made it an artform, but WiiWare developer Object Vision has a few tricks up its sleeve in the upcoming release Aya and the Cubes of Light. Little is known about the title so far, with the game's official website presenting only a cryptic log-in screen and nothing else, but from the...
News Get the Lowdown on And Yet It Moves with this Series of Videos
Rotating puzzler explained
WiiWare puzzle platformer And Yet It Moves is a curious beast: with graphics inspired by paper cut-outs and hamsters with horns, it's truly unlike anything on the format so far. Maybe that's why developer Broken Rules wants to give you a headstart before the game's release next week with a series of helpful instructional...
Space dreck
Calaris's last WiiWare game, WarMen Tactics, was allegedly “created to reflect the realities of urban warfare." Not only did it completely and utterly fail to accomplish its goal, it completely and utterly failed to function as a working and playable videogame. The operations guide of its latest outing, Space Trek, describes...
News Angry Birds Making Their Nest on WiiWare
It seems a DSiWare release isn't enough for Chillingo
You may remember we reported on the possibility that the fastest-selling game on the Apple Store was likely to make its appearance on the DSi Shop earlier this month. Well now it seems Angry Birds could be flying over to the Wii Shop Channel too as an ERSB rating suggests. If you're not familiar...
Nintendo Download 16th August 2010 (North America)
Monsters and Space on WiiWare; Mahjong, Reflections, Singing and Notes on DSiWare; nothing on VC
Another week, another round of "Where's My Most Anticipated Game?" with the Nintendo Download. There's no Shantae and no Virtual Console release, but don't be glum: there's still Quark Dispellers, Astro Maggots, Divergent Shifts and all manner...
Gaijin gets ready to beat us up again
WiiWare fans already know to associate the Gaijin Games name with a series of top drawer titles, all with unique retro stylings and a heavy emphasis on music. Now the developer has turned publisher, having picked up A Different Cloth's iPhone title Lilt Line for a transition to the big screen. We recently sat...
News Gaijin Games Tease Fifth Game in BIT.TRIP Series
Facebook post outs new instalment...and Wii Zapper support?
Gaijin Games, the team responsible for creating the retro-styled BIT.TRIP series on WiiWare, is spilling the bits on its latest game. Recent updates on its official facebook page have been dropping cryptic clues as to what is coming next in the series, partially revealing the title of the...
Nintendo Download 13th August (Europe)
Cowboys, card games, racing and more
As we already reported earlier this week, the Virtual Console is keeping up its streak of weeks with a new game a bit longer, with today's new retro release easily being the most interesting new title this week. All five of this week's games have already been released elsewhere, so you don't have to wait for any...
Review Enjoy Your Massage! (WiiWare)
Rubbed the wrong way
Most of the time when you talk about hand-drawn 2D graphics in a game, it's a good thing. In the case of Enjoy Your Massage!, however, it's a hideous thing. The stock girl who you'll be rubbing down over and over again looks like she was whipped up in a minute with a Wacom drawing tablet, complete with a wobbly outline and one...
Review My Aquarium 2 (WiiWare)
Go fish
When Hudson released the original My Aquarium on WiiWare two years ago, it not only quickly made it to the highest reaches of the WiiWare charts but managed to hang around the top three for well over a year. Now, Hudson is trying to capture lightning in a bottle again with the release of My Aquarium 2. While there are a few new additions to...
News Monsters Smash Robots in Monsteca Corral from August 16th
500pts for WiiWare strategy
We played an early version of Monsteca Corral in February of this year, and we knew then it had a long time left before release. Now it doesn't, as it's due to invade WiiWare in North America on August 16th, with a European release following just days later. Coming to the end of its two-year development cycle with a new...
First Impressions Gods vs. Humans
Tower power
Fresh from the first footage of in-game action, a preview build of Gods vs. Humans arrived at Nintendo Life HQ for us to get to grips with. Taking in several stages as the Egyptian God Osiris, the demo offers a sneak peek at what to expect from the finished product. Despite some similarities to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life...
Nintendo Download 9th August 2010 (North America)
Aquariums and Massages for Wii; ABC123, Rhythm, Chess and Lost Artifacts for DSiWare; no VC game.
If you're a Wii owner looking for a relaxing experience, this week's download is enough to send you into nirvana, with massages and fish-staring ahoy. DSi owners receive some rather more cerebral offerings, with chess, puzzles, music and even a learning...
News My Aquarium 2 Website Makes a Splash
Dive into new information
Just released in Japan, My Aquarium 2 is due to ride the waves to the Western world within the near future, so it's a good job Hudson has opened the information floodgates by launching the game's website. As well as the option to use the Forecast Channel to update the in-game weather and the revelation that your fish will...
News Witness the Birth of My Little Baby on WiiWare This November
Don't want to get pregnant? Buy this game instead, then
Are you looking for a 'baby care' game because looking after a real baby is far too much hassle? Look no further because Raylight Studios is teaming up with DTP to bring WiiWare gamers a port of My Little Baby; originally released on the DS, and then brought over to the mobile phone format. The...
News Dress Up and Throw Down in These Hoopworld Clothes
Hoodies, t-shirts and sneakers for sale
Hoopworld has been shooting from downtown for a few weeks now, plenty long enough for fans of the game to have decided if they would or wouldn't spend $65 on some branded basketball shoes. If you're in the camp who would pay for them, today is your lucky day, as Virtual Toys and Streamline Studios have...
Nintendo Download 17th & 18th August (Japan)
A break for the Virtual Console and a mini-update for the DSi next week in Japan
All good things must come to an end - weekly Virtual Console releases in Japan, for example. Ah well, it's summer, so people should be playing outside anyway! WiiWare: Item Sagashi ★ Yōsei to Fushigi no Tō (500pts - Ateam Inc.) -- More party games centred around...
Oh deer
Deer Captor is a blast from the past, a lazy rehash of a genre over two decades old that lets you blast stuff. The game doesn't look or feel particularly bad upfront - it has decent graphics, clean presentation and well functioning motion controls - but playing it is simply a bore, like you've been sold some watered-down version of those...
Nintendo Download 6th August (Europe)
Sand and chess on WiiWare; Aero 2 on VC; Links, chess and puzzles on DSiWare
To call this a catch-up week would be a slight understatement: several of these games have been out for months, with one game reaching European shores after over a year and a half. Enough history, let's get on with it. WiiWare: Sandy Beach (500pts, Konami) – This sandy...
News Gods vs Humans Smites You with In-Game Teaser
WiiWare deities on the move
There are plenty of tower defence games on WiiWare, but Zallag's upcoming Gods vs. Humans is a twist: it's a tower attack game. You play a God, benevolent and kind, but you're troubled when humans begin building a tower to heaven. How can you stop them from reaching you? By destroying the tower, of course. With a range of...
Review Fantasy Slots: Adventure Slots and Games (WiiWare)
Eye roller
The Wii has sold brilliantly, more than even Mr. Iwata dreamt, due partly to its let's-get-up-and-have-fun image. Here comes Fantasy Slots: Adventure Slots and Games to prove that sitting down and pressing one button just isn't as much fun as it used to be. With eight variations of the slot machine on offer, each with a theme ranging from...
News Furry Legends Softens Up Europe on August 20th
Rolling rolling rolling
The victim of a spate of delays, Furry Legends finally landed on WiiWare last month, and the delays were to enable the game to launch in all territories as closely together as possible. Now Europeans can finally stop gazing out the window and wondering, as the game will launch across the continent on August 20th. If you're...
News BIT.TRIP RUNNER Soundtrack Now Available
More BIT.TRIP beats to jam to!
So you say you want to listen to the amazing musical tracks from the BIT.TRIP RUNNER release but don't know where to turn? Well the nice guys over at Gaijin Games have just announced that the game's soundtrack can now be yours for a mere $5.99. Check out the official press release below for all of the information you...
News And Yet It Moves Tears Up North America on August 23rd
Updated: 1000 Points
And Yet It Moves hit many people's radars with our First Impressions of the title back in February, and it's been a long wait to see when the game would finally be available to download. Now, thanks to an update to Nintendo of America's site, we have a date: August 23rd. Updated: official PR confirms pricing of 1,000 Points...
Podcast Episode 18 - 3DS Report and Gaijin Games!
Take another journey into sound
Another month, another Monday: that can only mean a brand new episode of the Nintendo Life podcast. James Newton will be talking more about the 3DS following his 3DS First Impressions, as well as waxing lyrical about promising party title Wii Party and more. Zach Kaplan returns with a leaner version of This Nintendo...
Nintendo Download 2nd August 2010 (North America)
Chibi fighters, dogzzzz and slots
There's something for everyone in this week's Nintendo Download. Or is that nothing for everyone? Something for no one? Anything for nothing? Everything or Nothing? Wouldn't that be something. WiiWare: Fantasy Slots: Adventure Slots (Big John Games, 700 Points) — A whole mess of themed slot machines, including...
Review Girlfriends Forever: Magic Skate (WiiWare)
Thin ice
Let's get right to the point: Girlfriends Forever: Magic Skate is bad. Really, really bad. What seems like a perfect combination of ice skating and dressing-up on the surface reveals itself to be so cripplingly simplistic that not even children would want to play it. At the beginning you choose one of the bug-eyed girls to play throughout...
Nintendo Download 3rd & 4th August (Japan)
Fish and VC goodness for the Wii; the DSi gets the usual bumper crop of new titles
WiiWare: Blue Oasis: Michi naru Shinkai (500pts - Hudson) — People in the know will recognise Blue Oasis as the Japanese name for Hudson's perennially popular virtual fish tank, My Aquarium. Apparently not satisfied with what has to be one of the best-selling...
News Nintendo Posts 43 Percent Revenue Drop
For the first time in two years, the Big N posts a quarterly loss
There has been many-a-meme relating to the DS “printing money,” but now a quarterly earnings report from Nintendo suggests the handheld's printer may be running out of ink. According to the earnings report, which covers the second quarter of fiscal year 2010/2011 running from...
Review Dive: The Medes Islands Secret (WiiWare)
As much relaxing as it is fun
Dive: The Medes Island Secret marks the second WiiWare release from developer Cosmonaut and a far more ambitious project than its first release 5 Spots Party was. This time around, players will get the opportunity to explore vast underwater depths in search of hidden treasures using the unique motion controls of the Wii...
Review Heavy Fire: Special Operations (WiiWare)
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-buyer's remorse
There’s certainly no lack of lightgun games on Wii; in fact, one of the more vocal complaints about Wii shooters is that too many of them are on-rails. It’s a silly thing to complain about given the dearth of them in previous console generations and the relatively high quality of the Wii’s...
Nintendo Download 30th July 2010 (Europe)
A bit of a catch-up week
The Virtual Console takes another expected break to focus more on WiiWare and DSiWare this week, with five releases total spread across the both of them. All of them have already been released elsewhere, including a few in North America only a few days ago, so you can expect reviews for them all very shortly. WiiWare: Dive:...
Nintendo Download 26th July 2010 (North America)
Diving and Firing for WiiWare; Acrobats for VC; a bumper crop for DSiWare
A big week for DSiWare with five titles arriving, WiiWare receiving two very different titles and Aero the Acrobat tumbles gracefully onto Virtual Console. WiiWare: Dive: The Medes Islands Secret (Cosmonaut Games, 1000pts) – This underwater adventure takes a few leaves from...
Fouled by the W-word
Streamline Studios' HoopWorld has been a long time coming. Originally announced as an Xbox Live Arcade title back in 2005 and looking like an odd Power Stone/sports hybrid, it's finally seen release on WiiWare in slightly scaled-back form as a 3-on-3 arcade basketball game. There's a hokey backstory to do with primal energy or...
News You Can Enjoy Your Massage from August 9th
Get your relaxation on, North America
We got our first sight of Enjoy Your Massage! with an ESRB rating last month, and now we have the first screenshots, trailer and a release date for this upcoming downloadable relaxation-puzzle game. Coming to North American WiiWare on August 9th for an as-yet unspecified price, Enjoy Your Massage! puts you in...
News Heavy Fire Rains Down on WiiWare on Monday
Just 500 Points
We've already had chance to have a quick blast on Heavy Fire: Special Operations, the upcoming on-rails shooter from Teyon, and soon you'll get the chance to enlist as the game is due to hit North American WiiWare on Monday, costing just 500 Points. With a heavy high-score focus, you unlock different weapons as you move up the ranks,...
News Ignition Gets a New Spark as it Aims for Download Dominance
That's UTV Ignition Entertainment from now on
Ignition's got a commendable history of Wii and DS releases, with Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Nostalgia and plenty of other titles. Now the company wants to aim even higher by positioning itself as a distributor of quality digital content, with WiiWare on its list of priorities. The company, now rebranded...
Nintendo Download 27th & 28th July 2010 (Japan)
WiiWare and VC releases and four new DSiWare titles next week for Japan.
It's been awhile since we've seen any new WiiWare in Japan, though the drought is only being broken by a single title from Nintendo. The weekly Virtual Console parade is also continuing and the DSi has its usual mix of education and entertainment apps to choose from. WiiWare:...
Review Furry Legends (WiiWare)
More floaty than furry
We've seen the rolling platformer idea explored several times over the years to varying degrees of success, but with the release of Furry Legends, Gamelion is attempting to inject a whole new level of playability into the standard formula and make things more interesting through the use of creatively-designed levels and a host...
News Show Your Love for Bit.Trip with Commander Video Videos
Superimpose the running man into your world
You can't fault the fans of Gaijin's Bit.Trip series – from fanart to papercraft, they know how to show their love for Commander Video and friends. One ardent fan thinks there's more that can be done, and has created a YouTube 'call to arms' for other fans of the series. The idea is to superimpose...
News Look Out, There's a New Pearl Harbor Video on Your Six
Do a barrel roll, of course
It's already available in North America and Europe of course, but those of you who want to see just one more video of Pearl Harbor Trilogy - 1941: Red Sun Rising before taking the download plunge are in luck today. Check out the video below and be sure to read our Pearl Harbor Trilogy - 1941: Red Sun Rising review to find...
News Jett Rocket's Return May Not be in Platform Form
Shin'en interview hints at branching out
Graphically resplendent and rather enjoyable WiiWare platformer Jett Rocket has been making waves since landing in June, and those who've clocked the adventure may have already seen this closing screen that hints at a reappearance for the jumpsuited Jett. Well, don't expect to see him repeating his...
Nintendo Download 23rd July (Europe)
Acrobats, skaters and more
While North America has now suffered three consecutive weeks without a new retro game available for download, we're about to get another. It's accompanied by a bunch of DSiWare and WiiWare games that might not be to the liking of everybody. WiiWare: Arcade Sports Air Hockey, Bowling, Pool, Snooker (800pts - Icon Games) –...
News Dive: The Medes Islands Secret to Surface on WiiWare Next Week
For gamers on both sides of the Atlantic
Cosmonaut Games has just confirmed the North American release date of its next outing, the WiiWare title that one of its designers described as "an underwater Metroid". The company has also released a batch of new screenshots to coincide with the announcement. Launching on the download service in...
Review Balloon Pop Festival (WiiWare)
Good enough to pop open your wallet?
With the increasing number of puzzle games furiously leaping to Nintendo’s online stores, it makes for a pretty fascinating battle for supremacy. The latest to make the jump is Balloon Pop Festival, an interesting combination of Bejewled and Puyo Puyo with a family friendly presentation and enjoyable gameplay...
Nintendo Download 19th July 2010 (North America)
The kittenpocalypse begins!
Let's just not talk about the Virtual Console this week. Instead, let's talk about furry things, like legends and kitties and selling things to unsuspecting animals. WiiWare: AquaSpace (Nintendo, 600 Points) – This fish tank...thing hit Europe recently under the name Zenquaria: Virtual Aquarium. The most notable...
Podcast NLFM Episode 7: User-Generated Content
Listener contributions, confusing homophones and Team Fortress 2 secrets revealed!
Oh hi, didn't see you come in there. Stay a while, and listen! Turns out we've got some fine musicians in the audience as we take a look to some listener-created tunes. We've also got a few select choices from The Megas, The World Ends With You, and the song that...
Interviews Takumi Naramura - La Mulana
La Mulana creator talks about new WiiWare remake
Nicalis have already released one hit indie PC title on the WiiWare service with the release of Cave Story and are now putting the finishing touches on their second WiiWare release La Mulana. Since it's been awhile since we've heard any new information on the game, we decided to go directly to the...
News Exclusive Mecho Wars WiiWare Screenshots
Check out the WiiWare version of the iPhone classic.
Our good friend Luc Bernard was nice enough to send over a batch of brand new Mecho Wars WiiWare screenshots for everyone to peruse in the screenshot gallery. Luc has informed us that development on the game is completed, but no release date has been set currently. There's also a WiiWare version...
Review Zenquaria: Virtual Aquarium (WiiWare)
Not too deep
With a rather good and successful aquarium simulator already available and a sequel underway, it seems rather futile of Nintendo to release a version themselves at a slightly higher price. Created by Paon of DK King of Swing, Jungle Climber and Barrel Blast fame, Zenquaria's primarily toted feature is the ability to swim around an...
First Impressions Heavy Fire: Special Operations
We enlist for Teyon's war shooter
We've been bringing you regular field updates on Teyon's WiiWare lightgun shooter Heavy Fire: Special Operations since its announcement in April, and we recently got the chance to sit down and blast through two missions from the completed game. Played out entirely on-rails, Heavy Fire is immediately reminiscent of...
News Alley-Oop! Hoopworld Slams WiiWare's Backboard on 19th July
That's our basketball knowledge exhausted
Virtual Toys has been absent from the world of WiiWare for quite a while, but it's ready to return on Monday with Hoopworld, 1000 Point, 3-on-3 basketball game with tons of fighting. Promising plenty of arcade action, an online leaderboard, offline two-player modes and plenty of the sport's trademark...
News Nintendo's European Release Schedule Offers Few Surprises
Unless you love Scooby-Doo
The news of Last Window: The Secret of Cape West heading to Europe is just one nugget from the latest Nintendo Europe press release outlining its schedule from now until the end of September. While this means that there's no sight of its big 2010 titles like Kirby's Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns and
Nintendo Download 16th July 2010 (Europe)
Flying and fighting on Wii; French, Darkness, solitaire and 3D tanks on DSi
Another Virtual Console holiday, but WiiWare gets Pearl Harbored and then engages in some funky fighting. Conspicuous by its absence is Furry Legends, previously believed to be released this Friday but Gamelion has confirmed to us there will be an announcement of its new...
Worth a bash
Already freely available for PC, Toribash has landed on WiiWare with a 1,000 point price tag and a lot to live up to. A turn-based fighting game, this title is seemingly impenetrable at first despite a series of tutorials that teach you your first basic moves: how to jump, to kick and to decapitate your opponent and throw their head out...
Nintendo Download 12th July (North America)
Bashing and balloons for Wii; puzzles, paper and playing French for DSiWare
A pretty varied platter for North America today, with Virtual Console again absent but WiiWare gaining two games and DSiWare letting five more passengers onto the download bus. WiiWare: Toribash (1000pts - Nabi Studios) – A turn-based fighting game that's big on physics,...
Review Pearl Harbor Trilogy - 1941: Red Sun Rising (WiiWare)
The dawn of a promising new WiiWare franchise
Pearl Harbor Trilogy - 1941: Red Sun Rising, one of the most anticipated WiiWare games of the year, wowed observers with screenshots that seemed far too impressive to be possible in a downloadable Wii title. In a field mostly populated by mini-game collections with simplistic graphics, Pearl Harbor...
Nintendo Download 9th July (Europe)
Plenty for everyone
As with every week, DSiWare gets the lion's share of releases this week, although most of it is not too stellar, or at least not likely to be. WiiWare gets a long-awaited fighter plus an interesting Nintendo-published title, while VC gets another ninja action game. WiiWare: Toribash (1000pts - Nabi Studios) — A very strange...
News Prepare Yourself Well for this Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts Trailer
The world's most dangerous game, apparently
Did you find the soft, clothy corners of Target Toss Pro: Bags to be a bit lacking in danger? Would you rather have something sharp and pointy to throw into something soft and loamy? It sounds as though Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts is for you, then. But be warned: it's dangerous. With 16-player tournaments...
News Soothe Your WiiWare Bloodlust with Zenquaria's Virtual Aquarium
Here, fishy fishy
WiiWare's virtual pet shop is getting fuller all the time, with Zoo Disc Golf, My Zoo and My Aquarium among the animal-filled attractions on offer. Nintendo itself is entering the furry fray this week, with Zenquaria: Virtual Aquarium on the way to Europe for 600 Points. Looking like a combination between Endless Ocean and My...
