This week's Virtual Console and WiiWare features just two titles, one for each service.

Gradius ReBirth, this week's WiiWare release, puts players back in the Gradius universe. Like Mega Man 9, the title will feature retro graphics and play style. In order to succeed in their mission against the alien enemies, players must pick and upgrade their weapons carefully. Players can compare their best scores against worldwide players with online leaderboards. Gradius ReBirth is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is available now through the Wii Shop Channel for 1,000 Points ($10).

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars for the Sega Master System puts players back in the shoes of the titular character for yet another adventure. In a race against time, players must find the 12 missing zodiac signs scattered throughout six unique levels. Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is available now through the Wii Shop Channel for 500 Points ($5).

WII-KLY UPDATE: ONE WIIWARE GAME AND ONE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

March 9, 2009

Remember when Grandma used to mark your height on the wall every so often, just to see how fast you were growing? Well, if the Wii™ Shop Channel had its own growth chart, she'd be impressed at how the selection of great games keeps getting bigger and bigger each week. Take a look at the latest additions and you'll discover a pair of different yet equally engaging titles: a thrilled-packed WiiWare™ shooter and a classic SEGA adventure for the Virtual Console™. Thanks to this steady stream of new games, your own library ought to be growing up fast, too.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

WiiWare

Gradius ReBirth (Konami, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Fantasy Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): Blast your way through levels filled with alien spaceships and otherworldly creatures in this retro side-scrolling shooter. Pick your weapons carefully and upgrade them to create a devastating arsenal of space-aged weapons that will aid you in your challenging mission. Players can post their high scores to worldwide leader boards via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection and see where they rank against all the other Gradius ReBirth players. Test your skills with Gradius ReBirth and see if you have what it takes to beat this action-packed arcade shooter.

Virtual Console

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars™ (SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, Crude Humor, 500 Wii Points): In this platformer from the 1980s, help Alex Kidd in a race against time to find the 12 missing zodiac signs hidden in six challenging levels-including toyland, the robot factory and an outer-space level-all complete with crazy enemies.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.