Topic: This Week in Nintendo Downloads

[Nick DiMola]

The first week of Nintendo Downloads brings us five launch DSiWare titles alongside one for each Virtual Console and WiiWare.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=18122

 This week in Nintendo Downloads opens with a bang providing players with five brand new DSiWare titles, one WiiWare title, and one Virtual Console title.    

Equilibrio, this week's solo WiiWare title, is yet another ball-rolling game. Players will need to avoid deadly traps in 64 levels by navigating a ball with the Wii Remote held sideways for optimal titling. Equilibrio is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is available now through the Wii Shop Channel for 500 Wii Points ($5).    

Uncharted Waters: New Horizons from Koei for the SNES is this week's only Virtual Console title. Players will choose one of six protagonists, which they will use to pursue a career path. Each protagonist hails from a different country and will change the course of player's travels as they discover new and exciting things across the globe. The title is widely regarded as the best and most popular in the Japanese fan-favorite series. Uncharted Waters: New Horizons is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is available now through the Wii Shop Channel for 800 Wii Points ($8).    

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: SIX NINTENDO DSIWARE TITLES, ONE WIIWARE GAME AND ONE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME ADDED TO SHOP CHANNELS    

April 6, 2009    

This week marks the launch of Nintendo DSi™, the third iteration of the nation's top-selling portable video game system. Along with it comes the grand opening of the Nintendo DSi Shop, an online store where players can redeem Nintendo DSi Points™ for a wide variety of games and applications, including Nintendo DSiWare™ titles. Just as the WiiWare™ service does for Wii™ owners, the Nintendo DSiWare service delivers an ever-growing library of cool new downloadable content for Nintendo DSi users, with new games added on Mondays.    

For this first edition of Nintendo Download, we're pleased to highlight the latest additions to both the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel. You'll find six Nintendo DSiWare titles to choose from, including a free Web browser that lets Nintendo DSi owners access the Internet with a swipe of the stylus. Wii users, meanwhile, will see a fun new WiiWare game that's compatible with the Wii Balance Board™ (sold separately with Wii Fit™), plus a classic exploration game for the Virtual Console™.    

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ or Nintendo DSi Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All Nintendo Points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems. This week's new games are:    

Nintendo DSiWare    

Nintendo DSi Browser (Nintendo, 1 player, 0 Nintendo DSi Points): Get on the Web with ease using the Nintendo DSi Browser. Powered by Opera, this simple-to-use Web browser is made specifically for the Nintendo DSi system, providing a seamless and intuitive browsing experience that makes the most of the system's touch controls and two-screen interface. Check e-mail, get the latest news updates and more – wherever a wireless Internet connection is available. Just grab your stylus and start surfing.    

Bird & Beans™ (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): In Bird & Beans, you control Pyoro, a small bird with an elastic tongue and an insatiable appetite for beans. Scramble to catch beans that fall from the sky, racking up points as you go. The farther away the bean, the more points it's worth. Beware any beans that are missed – they'll leave a hole in the ground that can't be crossed, potentially trapping Pyoro. Bird & Beans also features a second version that enables Pyoro to spit seeds at high speed, bringing down more beans than ever before. This fun and fast-paced game requires skill and strategy to master, and always leaves you wanting to play just one more time.    

Master of Illusion™ Express: Funny Face (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): Master of Illusion Express titles are mind-boggling magic tricks pulled from the popular Nintendo DS™ game. Learn the illusions, practice up and amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face uses your Nintendo DSi system as a prop in a card trick. Draw a face on the touch-sensitive screen and astound your audience as the face tells them which playing card they picked. Also included is the bonus Vanishing Card trick, which the Nintendo DSi system performs for your enjoyment.    

Art Style™: AQUIA™ (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Nintendo DSi Points): Dive into Art Style: AQUIA, a fast-paced underwater puzzle game that asks you to think fast and move even faster. Help a scuba diver reach the ocean's floor by matching three or more colored blocks horizontally or vertically. The more blocks you match, the faster the diver will descend. Fail to clear blocks and the diver's air supply will start to run out, causing darkness to creep in from above and cloud your vision. Race against time in TIMED DIVE, dive deep in FREE DIVE mode or visit the AQUARIUM to view various sea creatures. Like every game in the Art Style series, AQUIA features elegant design, polished graphics and pick-up-and-play controls, creating an experience that focuses purely on fun and engaging game play.    

WarioWare™: Snapped! (Nintendo, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 500 Nintendo DSi Points): Wario™ returns with more manic action made especially for the Nintendo DSi system. WarioWare: Snapped! uses the built-in Nintendo DSi Camera to make players the star of the show by placing them right into fast-paced mini-games. Take part in wacky challenges simply by moving your face and body as you travel along four wild roller coasters, hosted by Wario and his pals. Beat the mini-games using motions ranging from large to small, or play with a friend for even more fun. Wario even has a few tricks up his sleeve.    

Brain Age™ Express: Math (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Nintendo DSi Points): In this math-focused edition of the popular Brain Age series, players can enjoy a mix of new and familiar exercises, including Change Maker, Triangle Math, Sum Totaled and Multi Tasker. A new Themes mode includes drawing, photography and voice acting challenges, letting you share your creativity with friends and family. And if you need a break from your routine, the always-enjoyable Virus Buster makes its return.    

WiiWare    

EQUILIBRIO (DK-GAMES, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): In EQUILIBRIO, you must finish a series of levels by moving a ball toward an exit. To move the ball, hold the Wii Remote™ controller horizontally and turn it to tilt the playfield. You can also play using the Wii Balance Board™ (sold separately with Wii Fit). The ball is fragile, so don't let it fall too far, and be sure to avoid deadly obstacles such as spikes and acid pools. The difficulty of the game adjusts according to your skill. Will you be tough enough to complete all 64 levels?    

Virtual Console    

Uncharted Waters: New Horizons (Super NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Cartoon Violence, Simulated Gambling, 800 Wii Points): Uncharted Waters: New Horizons is a game set in the Age of Discovery, the golden era of European global exploration during the early 16th century. There are six different characters to choose from, all with different backgrounds and different motivations. Once you've chosen a character to play, you're free to sail the world's oceans as you wish, visiting a variety of exotic ports and making thrilling new discoveries.    

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

[Dasmos]

Please tell me Uncharted Waters: New Horizons is being released in PAL territories too. I will rage all over the fucking joint if it's not. It's the second best Koei game after Aerobiz Supersonic.

[TJ Spyke]

Interesting. PAL regions have The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Japan has Super Smash Bros. Why not give us one of those? I am glad to see more third party titles on the VC, but I want SSB.

[Jonnyboy117]

I don't think I've ever heard of this SNES game.  And how many times can you say that for a Virtual Console release?  Interesting.

Equilibrio sounds a lot like Kororinpa.  I think there's also an earlier WiiWare game of the tilty maze variety.

Gotta say that the Opera browser is by far the most appealing of the DSiWare so far.  That's something I might actually use, since I don't have an iPhone.  The games are all pretty lame except maybe Aquios.

[UltimatePartyBear]

Uncharted Waters: New Horizons is a fantastic game.  However, I played it in a nonstandard way, using save states to cheat at blackjack and make a lot of money, so I blew through the game with a fleet of the most powerful warships that ever existed.  I might buy it just to force myself to experience the game the right way.

[KDR_11k]

By the looks of it Equilibrio is sidescrolling, not full 3d.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Another week without Bubble Bobble makes me sad.

[RABicle]

Interesting. PAL regions have The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Japan has Super Smash Bros. Why not give us one of those? I am glad to see more third party titles on the VC, but I want SSB.

Because you don't deserve it.

[NWR_pap64]

My biggest concern is that with Nintendo now supporting multiple consoles, systems and games they might struggle to be fair and update all evenly. Its been ages since we saw an N64 games and both the Virtual Console Arcade and Commodore 64 could suffer from neglect.

Again, I hope they manage to update all without much issue.

[TJ Spyke]

I think they added more systems because they knew it would be hard to get a lot of games. If the rumors are true about third parties (that Nintendo is requiring games to sell a minimal amount of copies in a region to get ANY money from it), then I can't blame third parties would be reluctant. If I had a super niche game that I knew would have trouble selling that many copies, I don't know if I would waste my companies time or money making a VC emulation knowing there was a chance I would not get any money for it unless it sells at least a certain amount of copies that is determined by Nintendo.

I am not happy with the 1 game per week schedule of coarse. As for Commodore 64, Europe has 19 Commodore 64 games while North America has 4, so there are plenty of games right there they could give us. Add in all the games Japan has (Japan is up to 434 while North America is at 294) and there is plenty right there. Imagine how many we could get if major western publishers like Midway, Ubisoft, Atarti, Electronic Arts and others supported it. Hell, Midway and Atari alone could add well over 100 games in the "Virtual Console Arcade" category.

[vudu]

If the rumors are true about third parties (that Nintendo is requiring games to sell a minimal amount of copies in a region to get ANY money from it), then I can't blame third parties would be reluctant. If I had a super niche game that I knew would have trouble selling that many copies, I don't know if I would waste my companies time or money making a VC emulation knowing there was a chance I would not get any money for it unless it sells at least a certain amount of copies that is determined by Nintendo.

First time I've heard that rumor.  Source?