Virtual Console & WiiWare release master thread

Jan 4th, 2009.

WiiWare:
Heron: Steam Machine (500pts - Triangle Studios) -- We quite enjoyed this variation on the classic 8-bit computer game Pipe Dream, so it's nice that folk in North America are finally getting a shot at it.

Pub Darts (500pts - Big Blue Bubble Inc.) -- Darts has been done before on the Wii, but this is the first pure-play darts game for WiiWare. We'll let you know if it hits the bulls-eye or misses the mark in an upcoming review!
Puzzling down on the farm.

Puzzling down on the farm.

Fast Draw Showdown (500pts - Digital Leisure Inc.) -- This seems to be a spinoff of Mad Dog McCree: rather than a rails shooter the players are tasked with shooting faster than their FMV opponent. Our reviewin' hombres will have to find out if this is one to leave buried at Boot Hill or not...

Virtual Console:
Final-fight-tough-box.jpg

Final Fight 3 (800pts SNES - Capcom) -- Released in Japan last month as Final Fight Tough, this is regarded by many as the best Final Fight game for the SNES.

^ Oh yeah, now we're talking! The last and rarest sequel (Next to Final Fight GUY edition) on the Super NES can be downloaded for $8? Totally worth it. The real cartridge is worth $45-50, if complete about $65. So please, snag up this lost 1996 sequel that is too hardcore for words.
 
Jan 11th, 2010

WiiWare:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (1000pts - Capcom) -- The DS courtroom sensation brought to the Wii at last. This WiiWare release comprises four of the five chapters of the original DS cartridge release with the fifth chapter coming as a downloadable extra for another few hundred points. Our very own Tommy Bowskill thought the DS version of the game was quite good, and you can expect a verdict from us on the WiiWare version soon.
Klondike on DSi, but now in English

Chronos Twins DX (1000pts - EnjoyUp Games) -- This appears to be a sequel to the DS title Chronos Twins. It uses temporal mechanics (time shifting) for some novel gameplay using a split-screen interface, with the game world being depicted in two time periods at once. Whether this game is worth your time is something our own researchers will have to investigate and report back on.

ShadowPlay (800pts - Deep Fried Entertainment) -- This release is something of a surprise, mainly because it's the first WiiWare game to boast support for Nintendo's MotionPlus peripheral (though surprisingly this fact isn't mentioned in the press release below). Our resident shadow puppeteers will have a go at this shortly and let you know whether it should remain in the shadows or not.

Virtual Console:

Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye (800pts - Sega) -- The sole Virtual Console release is a game that will no doubt have a WiiWare version or two released in good time. Certainly our review wasn't too favourable, largely because the dated visuals and -- most critically -- clunky controls just don't work with this kind of game. You're really better off waiting for something like Mahjong Zodiac to grace the system instead.
 
Jan 18th 2010:

WiiWare

* Muscle March (Namco Bandai, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): No wall is safe when a conga-line of beefy bodybuilders, in single file, gives chase to the thief of their protein powder.
* The Amazing Brain Train (Wahoo Studios, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): It's an indie brain training game, featuring activities in the categories of Search, Planning, Spatial, Memory, and Numbers.

Virtual Console

* Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Call it A Ninja and His Dog: Friends Forever. Joe Musashi (or his son Kato, depending on the region) fights evil ninjas and ... annoying guys who can roll up like armadillos, with the help of his dog Yamato.

---------------------

Muscle March is a very very weird game, so be warned. Yet very fun for those who like crazy party Japanese games.

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is AMAZING. The first Shinobi game released on the console is one of the finest actually, pre-dates Revenge of Shinobi by a few months. Very much worth it!
 
Jan 25th, 2010

WiiWare
UNO
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-6
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Get ready to call "UNO" on your Wii™ system! The world-famous card game is faithfully reproduced for the Wii console with some exciting new rules. Thanks to a multiplayer mode (additional Wii Remote™ controllers required) that's playable on one Wii console or online via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required), UNO has never been so fun and easy.

bittos+
Publisher: MACHINE
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The next big thing in casual gaming, bittos+ is all about rotating, moving and placing game pieces onto a game board to make squares and, more importantly, squares within squares. Playing bittos+ provides hours and hours of entertainment for the whole family, with boatloads of challenge and replay value for even the most avid gamer. With luscious environments, multiple modes to unlock, game styles to suit every mood, multiple real-time reactive control methods, in-game Awards to collect and high-score boards for the entire your household, bittos+ is a new game-play experience that will sweep you away.

"Aha! I Found It!" Hidden Object Game
Publisher: Ateam Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: A hidden-object game for everyone has come to the WiiWare service. Try to find 12 particular items among a crowd of on-screen objects as fast as you can, from big fish to tiny earrings, easy-to-find items to well-hidden ones. Unlike most other hidden-object games, this one lets you play along with friends and family (additional Wii Remote controllers required) and compete to see who's best at finding the hidden objects in each stage. With 10 stages and more than 277 different items, there's plenty of searching fun to enjoy. Also, with items changing position each time you play, you can enjoy each stage again and again.

----------------------------------------------

Virtual Console:


Ghoul Patrol
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The main attractions at the library's Goblin exhibit have come to life! As the Ghoul Patrol, you'll go back in time and de-spook an encyclopedia of zombified historic dudes. Vaporize garbage-can ghosts and ninja spirits, rescue bug-eyed librarians and wigged-out pirates, dodge flying books and adolescent-eating plants, and ultimately put the beastly spirit back in the history books.


------------------------

Ghoul Patrol is the SEQUEL to Zombies ate my Neighbors. Zeke and Julie are back for more monster mayhem!
 
MegaDrive20XX said:
Ghoul Patrol
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The main attractions at the library's Goblin exhibit have come to life! As the Ghoul Patrol, you'll go back in time and de-spook an encyclopedia of zombified historic dudes. Vaporize garbage-can ghosts and ninja spirits, rescue bug-eyed librarians and wigged-out pirates, dodge flying books and adolescent-eating plants, and ultimately put the beastly spirit back in the history books.
------------------------
Ghoul Patrol is the SEQUEL to Zombies ate my Neighbors. Zeke and Julie are back for more monster mayhem!
Click to expand...
Nuff said. =D
 
Feb 1st, 2010.

WiiWare
Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 5 (1000pts - Telltale Games) - The saga of Guybrush Threepwood comes to a climactic conclusion! Obviously if you've been following the series all along you'll buy it anyway, but anyone on the fence who's not adverse to spoilers can wait patiently for our review.

Tumblebugs 2 (800pts - Gameshastra Inc.) - The sequel to a PC game that looks suspiciously like Magnetica Twist/Actionloop. Our resident bug brains will get on the case to let you know if this game has legs of its own or should simply be scooped up and put outside.

5 in 1 Solitaire (500pts - Digital Leisure Inc.) - The first collection of patience games for North American WiiWare. Will this satisfy your desire for digital solitaire card games on the Wii? Have patience and wait for our review!

Virtual Console
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World (500pts Sega Master System - Sega) - This week's sole Virtual Console offering is the last of the Alex Kidd games. We thought it was okay when it came out in Europe last December so if you're a big fan of the series or 8-bit platformers it's probably worth a go.


---------------------------------

Oh dear lord, this was the final and last 8-bit Alex Kidd game on the Sega Master System before his final bow on the Sega Genesis. However, this happens to be one of my all time favorites being one of the first cross-game platformers I can remember. I mean, it's SHINOBI'S WORLD with ALEX KIDD? How can you go wrong!
 
WiiWare

* Blaster Master Overdrive (Sunsoft, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points): Jump back into your cool tank-car thing for a sequel to the classic NES vehicular Metroidvania! If the grenade pause trick doesn't work this time, we're all doomed.
* Tomena Sanner (Konami, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points): Jump, dance, kick, and more to get past the moai, sumo wrestlers, punks, trees, aliens, schoolgirls, and other assorted impediments in this extraordinarily quirky one-button game.
* Bloons (Hands-on Mobile, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Pop as many balloons as possible using a limited supply of darts.
* Hubert the Teddy Bear Winter Games (Teyon, 1-16 players, 500 Wii Points): These are the events that don't get televised: "snow fight, sleigh ride, Christmas tree decoration, fishing, catching a bunny and more."

Virtual Console

* Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Hudson's graphical text adventure stars Sir Cucumber, who must rescue Princess Tomato from Minister Pumpkin and prevent the Farmies from overthrowing the Salad Kingdom, with only a baby persimmon named Percy to help him.

---------------------------------------------------

Old school RPG goodness on VC and a remake of Blaster Master on WiiWare? Very nice weel :)
 
WiiWare

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney®: JUSTICE FOR ALL
Publisher: Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Blood, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Phoenix Wright is back as the second game in the popular Ace Attorney hand-held franchise comes to the WiiWare service. As Phoenix Wright, you'll play through four shocking new cases in first-person perspective. The game features two unique game play modes. In Investigations Mode, you'll survey crime scenes, interview witnesses and gather evidence. You'll then present findings, listen to testimonials and examine witnesses in Court Mode. JUSTICE FOR ALL also includes a new "Psyche-Lock" feature that allows Phoenix to use a line of questioning to reveal inconsistencies in witness testimony.

Art of Balance
Publisher: Shin'en Multimedia
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Grab your Wii Remote™ controller and build a balanced stack in this physics-based puzzler, featuring 100 levels that challenge not only your skills but also your imagination. The game is easy to pick up and hard to put away. Play alone or invite a friend to grab a second Wii Remote controller and drop in at any point for co-op play. There's even a dedicated two-player split-screen "versus" mode for extra fun.

WarMen Tactics
Publisher: CALARIS
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Blood, Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: In the year 2013, civil unrest across the globe has prompted world leaders to merge the police and military into a single force called the Department of Control. This force is opposed by a resistance made up of former military members who refused to join the Department. Marco is one of them, and the game tells his story. Join Marco as he is deployed on a mission to destroy scrambler devices placed around the city. Created to reflect the realities of urban warfare, the game requires players to take cover behind walls and other obstacles as they strive to defeat enemies and advance to the next post.

---------------------------------------------

Virtual Console

Sonic & Knuckles
Original platform: SEGA Genesis
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Sonic, the world's fastest hedgehog, continues his adventures in this fourth installment of the Sonic The Hedgehog™ series. This time, he buddies up with his former enemy, Knuckles the Echidna, in order to defeat the evil Dr. Eggman (a.k.a. Dr. Robotnik). At the end of Sonic The Hedgehog 3, Dr. Eggman's ultimate orbital weapon for global domination, the Death Egg, was badly damaged in an epic battle with Sonic. The Death Egg, losing power rapidly, hurtled back down to the planet below and crash-landed on the mysterious Angel Island again. Now Sonic and Knuckles must put a stop to Dr. Eggman once and for all before Eggman and his no-goodniks find the secret to Angel Island's floating power, the Master Emerald. This game features Lock-On Technology, which allows you to play as Knuckles in other Sonic titles available for the Virtual Console, including Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Sonic The Hedgehog 3, as long as these titles are part of your Virtual Console library.


Phoenix Wright and Sonic & Knuckles with the PROPER Lock-on technology to allow you to play Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 with it? Amazing week!
 
Feb 22nd, 2010. NO VC games today! WiiWare only this week!


GhostSlayer (600pts - Gevo Entertainment) – If you feel knocking Miis off raised platforms at Wuhu Island has gotten a bit stale, you may want to have a go at slaying ghosts in this Chinese mythology-inspired action title. Whilst the review is pending you'll probably want to check out our interview with the developers for more information on this freshman release from Gevo.


Mouse House (600pts - Big John Games) – This colourful maze game features cute character designs and retro gameplay that should appeal to old-time gamers. Expect a review from us soon.

Family Go-Kart Racing (500pts - Aksys Games) – The "Family" series isn't known for being the best of WiiWare games, but we'll take a few spins and let you know what we think of it.

---------------------------------------

Ghost Slayer looks fun :)
 
March 1st, 2010. In the year 20XXA.D....There lived a super robot named....

WiiWare:

MEGA MAN 10 (1000pts – Capcom) – The blue bomber returns to smash bad robots 8-bit style! North America may get it first, but rest assured Capcom's latest helping of retro goodness will be released everywhere else soon!

Dart Rage (600pts – JV Games) – We thought their previous WiiWare outing was pretty good so let's see if lightning strikes twice with this "no button" dart simulator.

Happy Hammerin’ (500pts – Gamebridge) – North America is the last territory to get this game, but that just means you already know what we think of it - namely that it's good!


Virtual Console: FINALLY! SOMEONE REMEMBERS THE NEO GEO!!

FATAL FURY SPECIAL (900pts - D4 Enterprise) – The third game in the Fatal Fury series. It's more of an update to the second game than a full-blown sequel (hence "Special" rather than "3"), so if you already have that one you'll need to be a committed fan of the series to get this too!
 
Wow another amazing week! March 8th, 2010

Max & the Magic Marker (1000pts – Press Play) – The novel platformer makes its North American debut today. We thought it was a very good addition to the platforming line-up on WiiWare, so if that kind of game floats your boat get your points ready!

Dracula: Undead Awakening (1000pts – Chillingo) – Hot on the heels of the European release comes this credible iPhone port. If you like a bit of arcade action it's worth a look.

Virtual Console

final_fantasy_2_snes1.jpg
(800pts SNES - Square Enix) – Whilst owners of certain other consoles get to experience Final Fantasy XIII tomorrow, Wii owners can indulge their retro tastes with this classic RPG from way back when.
 
March 15th, 2010. The week I will NEVER EVER FORGET!

WiiWare

Rage of the Gladiator (1000pts - Ghostfire Games) – Whilst this may look like a first-person brawler, it's more of a fantasy version of Punch-Out!! complete with NES-style control option to complete the comparison, though it's also amongst the few WiiWare titles that offers Wii MotionPlus support. Whilst we're battling in the arena to prepare for our review you'll want to give our preview a read.

Triple Shot Sports (500pts - The Code Monkeys, Ltd.) – This is a collection of three Olympic events which focuses on the skill of marksmanship in archery, pistol shooting and free rifle events. We'll get our expert sharp-shooter on the case to let you know if it's on target or misses the mark.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Virtual Console

castlevania-dracula-x-rondo-of-blood.jpg


Dracula X Rondo of Blood(900pts TG-16 - Konami) – Released nearly two years ago in Japan, many doubted this would ever see the light of day on the Virtual Console in other territories, but here it is Castlevania fanatics. Our own vampire hunters will be putting it through its paces to see if it's worthy of resurrection or deserves a prompt staking!

The Legend, the myth, the KING OF KINGS is finally on your Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console at last.
 
WiiWare

Cave Story (1200pts - Nicalis, Inc.) -- It's been a long wait, but at last it's here! We were well impressed with what we experienced during our time previewing the final build of the game, though sadly it looks like those of us in Europe (and other PAL territories) will have a bit longer to wait before we can get our hands on the game proper. Whilst we're sure many fans will be downloading it straight away, rest assured that we'll be giving it a full review in due time for those who may yet be sitting on the fence.

Yup, 1 game only today. Yet it's TOTALLY WORTH IT!
 
MegaDrive20XX said:
Virtual Console

final_fantasy_2_snes1.jpg
(800pts SNES - Square Enix) – Whilst owners of certain other consoles get to experience Final Fantasy XIII tomorrow, Wii owners can indulge their retro tastes with this classic RPG from way back when.
Click to expand...

Yippie skippy, when do we get FFIII XD?
 
March 29th, 2010. Retro goodness and RPG greatness!

WiiWare

WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase (800pts - Nintendo) – There's already plenty of WarioWare on both Wii and DS already, but this is the first time we've seen the zany "microgames" on WiiWare. Not only does it include loads of microgames "out of the box," but you can download games created using the companion DS release WarioWare D.I.Y., changing these single player games into full 1-4 player experiences you can share with people in your lounge. We thought WarioWare D.I.Y. was excellent, so check out our review and know that we will be putting this companion release through its paces soon.

Diner Dash (1000pts - Hudson) – A popular game in the PC space and already released on Xbox Live Arcade, Diner Dash turns running a restaurant in an experience that's essentially a turbocharged version of the arcade classic Tapper. It was just released in Europe last Friday and you can expect our review as soon as we've finished serving those demanding customers!


Virtual Console

Ogre%20Battle%2064%20-%20Person%20of%20Lordly%20Caliber.gif

(1000pts N64 - Square Enix) – This classic strategy title from the N64 marks the first third-party release for that platform on the Virtual Console. The fact that this was a domestic release in North America means it is 200 Points cheaper than in PAL territories, but either way it's a sought-after game that strategy fans will enjoy. It was just released last week in Europe and our review is still in progress, but should hopefully be up soon.
 
April 5th, 2010

WiiWare

2 pieces of trash and HOLY CRAP A NEO GEO CD classic that's an import!?

Fishie Fishie (500pts - DK Games) – Originally from Farbs, the WiiWare version from DK Games adds new modes including play for 1-4 players. We recently got our hands on a final release version of the game, so you can expect our review soon.

Learning with the PooYoos - Episode 2 (500pts - Lexis Numérique) – Second in a series of educational Wii titles for children in the pre-school to kindergarten years.
Virtual Console

Ironclad (1000pts Neo Geo - D4 Enterprise) – An import shooter we honestly didn't know would be coming to other markets as quickly as it has. Read our review of the Japanese Virtual Console release to find out why we think shooter fans should regard this as a must-have.

I'm shocked they can actually emulate Neo Geo CD games now!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top