This lone WiiWare game this week is Nintendo's My Pokémon Ranch (1000 Wii Points or $10). The Virtual Console fare is of the import variety and is represented by the NES games, Dig Dug and Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (both 600 Wii Points or $6).

My Pokémon Ranch is a game where you can store Pokémon from the DS games Diamond and Pearl. This is very similar to the GameCube game, Pokémon Box, but with more additions. What makes My Pokémon Ranch more interesting is that you can interact with your Pokémon in full 3D with your Miis. You can even take pictures of your Pokémon and post them on the Wii Message Board. There is enough room in the game for up to 1,000 Pokémon spread across eight Pokémon game cards and you can trade for rare Pokémon such as Mew or Phione with the ranch's caretaker.

Namco's Dig Dug is a classic arcade game that was released on numerous other systems but never saw a NES stateside release. This version, originally on the Famicom, features all the Pookas and Fygars that made the series an arcade hit.

The final game of the week is Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa which originally launched on the Famicom Disk System in 1988. It is a platformer where you control the infantile Prince Upa who is on a mission to save his kingdom from the demon Zai. You use his baby powers to inflate enemies to either use as weapons or as platforms.

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

June 9, 2008 - The latest additions to the Wii Shop Channel offer a remarkable array of characters you won't find just anywhere. A fresh WiiWare™ title gives Pokémon lovers a whole new way to wrangle and enjoy their little pals, while a pair of imported Virtual Console releases will pump up the action quotient—literally—for fans of NES® classics.

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:

My Pokémon Ranch (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The Pokémon phenomenon debuts on WiiWare with My Pokémon Ranch, a game that lets you watch as Pokémon and Miis interact with each other for the first time. Enjoy the relaxing ranch life by viewing your ranch and its Pokémon, taking pictures and sending those pictures to your friends via the Wii Message Board. The more Pokémon and Miis you bring to your ranch, the more fun it becomes. My Pokémon Ranch can be linked with the Nintendo DS™ Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl Game Cards to deposit the Pokémon you've caught in these games in your ranch. You can deposit a maximum of 1,000 Pokémon from up to eight different game cards. Make your ranch livelier by playing with your friends and family.

Virtual Console:

DIG DUG (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Become Dig Dug, the champion of love and justice, as you drill up, down, left and right, defeating any enemies in your path. Avoid the persistent Pooka and the deep-dwelling but whimsical Fygar as you defeat all the enemies in order to clear each stage. Defeat enemies by hitting them with the harpoon and pumping air into them, or by dropping rocks on them from above. Receive bonus points by getting the vegetables that appear in the middle of the stage. Receive high points for defeating deep-dwelling enemies or by defeating Fygars from the side with the harpoon. Pass through inflated enemies or defeat enemies in an adjacent passage for an even higher score. Lure multiple enemies and defeat them with a single rock from above in this thrilling action game.

BIO MIRACLE BOKUTTE UPA (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 600 Wii Points): BIO MIRACLE BOKUTTE UPA is an action game released in 1988, but it was never available outside of Japan. Players take on the role of baby Upa, a prince of the Akuyo kingdom. Prince Upa must take on an adventure spanning seven different worlds in order to rescue the kingdom from the dangerous demon Zai. Upa must defeat the enemies he meets along the way by inflating them. Upa can then use these floating enemies to his advantage by bouncing off of or riding on top of them. The prince must also avoid deadly thorns and pits while keeping an eye out for helpful items such as milk (to restore health) and bells (for temporary invincibility) if he hopes to succeed. If you're looking for a cute and solid platformer with a hero unlike those in most other games, then look no further than BIO MIRACLE BOKUTTE UPA.