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This Week's Virtual Console and WiiWare

by Neal Ronaghan - September 29, 2008, 6:52 am EDT
Total comments: 13 Source: Press Release

Continuing the good streak of content, Bomberman Blast explodes onto WiiWare alongside a new Nintendo IP and Super Turrican 2 for Virtual Console.

After last week's great titles, the final week in September had a big act to follow. With the release of the anticipated Bomberman Blast alongside Art Style: ORBIENT for WiiWare and the Super Nintendo game, Super Turrican 2 for Virtual Console, the streak of weeks with quality games continues.

Art Style: ORBIENT, surprisingly published by Nintendo, is a game that experiments with both gravity and anti-gravity. Taking the role of a small star, the player must maneuver the star through 50 stages and collide and capture other stars and avoid obstacles, like black holes. The game focuses on simple controls in a relaxing, atmospheric environment. Art Style: ORBIENT is rated E for Everyone is available for 600 Wii Points ($6).

Hudson's latest entry onto WiiWare, Bomberman Blast, comes highly anticipated due to the addition of online play and Mii support, both firsts for Bomberman on Wii. Featuring leaderboards and local and online play for up to eight people, Bomberman Blast brings the classic hectic gameplay to WiiWare for a price of 1,000 Wii Points ($10).

On the Virtual Console side of things is Super Turrican 2, a Super Nintendo sequel to a game that was released on the service months ago. Playing as the last survivor of the United Freedom Force, the player fights through hordes of enemies with all the weapons and power-ups they can find. Super Turrican 2 is available now for 800 Wii Points ($8).

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

Sept. 29, 2008

Auspicious debuts and the return of a classic franchise top the list of new additions to the Wii Shop Channel™ this week. Art Style™: ORBIENT™ is the first in a new game series from Nintendo, combining deep game play with atmospheric flair and simple, elegant controls that anyone can pick up and enjoy. With two more Art Style titles scheduled for release in October, this is your chance to be the first to enjoy this truly remarkable gaming experience.

Bomberman makes his WiiWare™ debut in Bomberman Blast, taking the frenzied multiplayer action the series is known for online. Or if you just feel like saving the galaxy again, take on the Machine in Super Turrican 2.

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™

Art Style: ORBIENT (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Explore the universe like never before in Art Style: ORBIENT. Take control of gravity and anti-gravity and carefully maneuver your small star through 50 stages set in multiple galaxies. Collide with other stars to absorb them and make your own star expand in size, or capture the stars in your orbit and have them become your satellites. Space isn't empty, though, and you'll have to avoid bumping into obstacles or getting pulled into a black hole. If you feel like relaxing while still being challenged, this is the game for you. Its combination of simple controls, atmospheric sound and unique environment make for an experience unlike any other.

Bomberman Blast (Hudson Entertainment, 1-8 players, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Cartoon Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): A brand new addition to the Bomberman series is available on WiiWare. Up to eight players can battle online simultaneously via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection. Simple controls make this a great game for family and friends to enjoy anytime. You can trigger new items by shaking the Wii Remote™ controller, creating new levels of Bomberman excitement. You can even take the intensity up another notch by adding your own Mii™ caricatures to the mix. Battle results can be recorded on the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Ranking, so you can see how you stack up against others around the globe. This title will prove to be a blast for everyone--from those who've never touched a Bomberman game to the Bomberman masters.

Virtual Console™

Super Turrican 2 (Super NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Violence, 800 Wii Points): As the last survivor of the United Freedom Forces, it is your duty to destroy the Machine's forces that have devastated the galaxy. Fight through countless hordes of enemies using everything at your disposal. Use weapons and power-ups to fight back the tide of oncoming enemies. Use special abilities like the Energy Wheel and Cyberfist to find secret areas and score extra lives. When your lives and continues are gone, the mission ends. You are the galaxy's last hope. Are you up to the challenge?

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

Talkback

Nick DiMolaNick DiMola, Staff AlumnusSeptember 29, 2008

What the crap, where the hell did this Art Style: ORBIENT come from?

Granted I'm interested and might just buy it tonight, but why aren't these games talked up before release?

I did a double take when I saw the publisher of Art Style.

I'd think of getting it if Bomberman Blast didn't beg me for my money. I will be blowing up my Zoidberg Mii in no time...

Nick DiMolaNick DiMola, Staff AlumnusSeptember 29, 2008

Friends, help! A guinea pig tricked me!

This sounds like a port of Orbital, one of the Bit Generations games from GBA.

1. I really hope it is that.
2. I really hope Nintendo brings the other ones to WiiWare.
3. This is so awesome and unexpected.
4. Bow down to Kepler.

KDR_11kSeptember 29, 2008

Yeah, 600 points is a good price for those games and not having to handle carts is an advantage (I think I never played my Bit Gens games much because the GBA carts are big and clunky, I can fit two DS games into the same case).

Bill AurionSeptember 29, 2008

So not only does Bomberman come out of nowhere, but I'm also just hearing for the first time that the retail version has been canned...So a minigame-fest is okay, but a real Bomberman isn't?  Come on, Hudson...

D_AverageSeptember 29, 2008

Assuming there's nothing wrong w/ Bomberman, I'll be picking that one up.

Quote from: Bill

So not only does Bomberman come out of nowhere, but I'm also just hearing for the first time that the retail version has been canned...So a minigame-fest is okay, but a real Bomberman isn't?  Come on, Hudson...

What are you talking about?  Bomberman Blast hardly came out of nowhere; it has already been released in other regions and has recently been pimped heavily by Hudson USA.  It was widely expected to be launched this week or very soon after.  And it's hardly a mini-game fest, either.  In fact, Blast is the closest thing to a "real" Bomberman game on a Nintendo console in a very long time.

YoshidiousGreg Leahy, Staff AlumnusSeptember 29, 2008

Having owned the Bit Generations game and seen footage for this WiiWare game, I can confirm that Orbient is essentially the same game as Orbital for GBA. This is nice to see, as Orbital was a simple, but fun and unique experience that, for 600 points, should be very solid value on WiiWare (though the chance to play it on-the-go as a GBA game was welcome).

Given that they've applied this "Art Style" (rather than the "Digiluxe" moniker that was going around when the Bit Gen games were considered for a western release before, and appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's sticker album) brand to Orbient, I think we can rest assured that other Bit Generations games will come to WiiWare now as well. I'd say Orbital was the best of them, but DigiDrive is a very addictive puzzler that's quite different from your usual falling block/tile matching type of game, and Dotstream is a cool (but very basic) racing game with great 8-bit style music, so it would be nice to see those made available also. 

KDR_11kSeptember 29, 2008

I think he means that some Bomberman minigame fest got a retail release but not this true Bomberman game.

On Wiiware World some user mentioned that there are apparently three "Art Style" games coming.

AVSeptember 29, 2008

Is it safe to say this was the best month for virtual console/wiiware ever ??

Michael8983September 29, 2008

Looks like Nintendo might be bringing out the Virtual Console's big guns to supplement the somewhat lacking Fall lineup.
If every week from here on is as good as the last couple have been, we might not even have time for retail titles.

Quote from: Mr.

Is it safe to say this was the best month for virtual console/wiiware ever ??

September 2008 wins hands-down, in my opinion.  Very solid VC releases combined with some spectacular WiiWare content.

By the way, I just played the first tend levels and Orbient is RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!

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