Dec. 20, 2010
If there's one guest who's welcome at any holiday party, it's MarioTM. This season, the Virtual ConsoleTM service invites you to join Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom crew for the classic, family-friendly fun of Mario PartyTM 2, now playable on the WiiTM system for the first time ever. You'll also find new additions to the WiiWareTM service to help keep your days merry and bright: the unique sci-fi strategy of Inkub and the funky robot challenge of Frobot. (A demo version of Frobot is available for zero Wii PointsTM.) If you aim to fill your holiday week with hand-held adventure, take a look at the latest arrivals for the Nintendo DSiWareTM service, including Dragon's Lair® II: Time Warp and Cosmo Fighters. No matter where the season leads you, here's hoping it's a warm and happy one.
Virtual Console
Mario Party 2
Original platform: Nintendo 64TM
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Get
ready to party like it's the year 2000 all over again, complete with
fancy costumes, bags of surprises and games galore. Mario and his
Mushroom Kingdom friends return for a new round of Bowser-bashing board
game action in Mario Party 2. Each of your favorite characters
dons a differently themed outfit to take part in five fun-packed
Adventure Boards: Pirate Land, Western Land, Space Land, Mystery Land
and Horror Land. Then battle BowserTM
on his own specific board - if you're brave enough. Up to four players
(additional accessories required, sold separately) can travel around the
boards and compete in minigames for coins while also using items to
gain an advantage. Win the most stars and become the ultimate victor:
the Super Star. Or, if you just feel like proving your minigame mettle,
visit Mini-Game Land. Head to the Mini-Game Stadium and replay your
favorites, including the Item, Battle, Duel and Chance Time minigames.
WiiWare
Frobot
Publisher: Fugazo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points; demo version available for 0 Wii Points
Description: Frobot
is programmed to make love, not war. But when his five foxy girlfriends
get botnapped, he doesn't skip a beat in taking the fight to the
streets. Blast your way up from the Funkytown Slums to the BotBlocker HQ
and save them. In Burn Baby Burn mode, earn powerful weapons including
the Robo Hustle dash and the Jivestalker disco ball to help take on the
Man. In The Big Payback, journey through a story mode filled with
action, adventure and fro-frazzling physics puzzles to rescue your
girlfriends. In Superfreak, find hidden power picks and upgrade your
style. It's a fight to the last Fro in Frobot's multiplaya arena. Face
off with up to three of your friends on one screen to see who will earn
the spotlight. In It's Raining Guns, access an expanded arsenal of funky
weapons, including the Bass Bomb grenade and the Heartstopper shield.
And in Do the Hustle, you can unlock multiplaya maps by beating
single-playa levels in record time.
Note: Some demo versions do not support all game features, and players cannot save their in-game progress in demo versions.
Inkub
Publisher: Cosmonaut Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: In Inkub,
you are responsible for the defense of incubators, each one connected
to a life support system by means of transparent carbon tubes. For
years, different organisms, viruses and bacteria have formed colonies
that attack the species in each incubator. Your objective is to repel
the attacks of these organisms and keep the eggs in the incubators safe.
To do this, you have an arsenal of weapons, mines and blockers
available. Different weapons will be unlocked as you progress through
the game, including laser canons, projectiles, blockers, mines and speed
inhibitors. Use them by placing them throughout the tube to repel enemy
attacks.
Nintendo DSiWare
Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Suggestive Themes, Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi PointsTM
Description: Princess
Daphne has been spirited away to a wrinkle in time by the evil wizard
Mordroc, who plans to force her into marriage. Only you, Dirk the
Daring, can save her. Transported by a bumbling old time machine, you
begin the rescue mission. But you must hurry, for once the Casket of
Doom has opened, Mordroc will place the Death Ring upon Daphne's finger
and she will be lost forever in the Time Warp. Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp
is a fully animated arcade classic from legendary animator Don Bluth.
You'll make your way through time by using your Nintendo DSiTM system to move and wield your sword. Beware of your foes, for they are numerous. Only you can save Princess Daphne.
Cosmo Fighters
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: There's
a battle to fight in outer space, but before you meet your fate, train
yourself against the CPU to master all the tricks and combos. Whether
playing one-on-one or against a group of three, your training will pay
off once you challenge your friends and foes. Anyone can play, but only
the well trained will win. Send your friends a demo via DS Download Play
to allow them to play solo or in a Versus mode. Finding opponents for
the Multiplayer mode is easy because only one player needs to have the
game loaded onto his or her system. Let the fight begin!
Paul's Monster Adventure
Publisher: Agetec, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Prepare
to embark on an epic adventure and enter a land where monsters known as
bosses once ruled with an iron fist. The local inhabitants have
rebelled against the bosses by stealing their food supply. Now the
bosses are slowly dying from starvation, and it's up to you to save
them. Explore and discover magical items that will aid you on your
adventure. Interact with intriguing monsters that desperately need your
help to regain their energy. Be warned: The inhabitants may consider
your heroic efforts to be a threat and become aggressive if you are
caught with food. Do you best to avoid them, but if you need it, you're
equipped with a powerful hammer that will temporally knock out the
inhabitants. It's time to step up to the challenge and restore order to
this chaotic land.
Just SING! Christmas Vol. 2
Publisher: dtp young entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You
are the star! Prepare yourself for the next edition of Christmas
karaoke. Holiday classics such as "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" and
"Deck the Halls" are waiting for you. Enter the festively decorated
stage in a fancy Santa costume, then sing into the built-in microphone
of your Nintendo DSi system to instantly capture the magical Christmas
spirit. Hit all the right notes and sing in time to reach the top of the
high-scores list.