This week features, among others games, two DS titles that have never been released in America before. There is also a handful of Wings and Nirvana songs for rhythm game fans.
After a virtual storm of hot Wii releases in the first two weeks of February, Nintendo's system has cooled down slightly this week with Battle Rage, Puzzle Challenge & More, and Solitaire & Mahjong. However, the DS brings some big RPGs in Dragon Quest V and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, both of which are remakes of games that have never before been released on western shores.
Guitar Hero: World Tour gets a dose of Wings with three songs from the classic band. Meanwhile, Rock Band 2 put out seven Nirvana songs for download.
Note: Harmonix has still not fulfilled their promise of getting Wii Rock Band 2 DLC on the same schedule as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 iterations.
Wii Games
Battle RagePublisher: Destineer Cost: $19.99 ESRB Rating: E10+ Release Date: February 20 Based on a PC game from last year, Battle Rage is a third-person shooter in which players take control of large robots doing battle in arenas. It comes with a pair of glasses so that it can be played in 3D. With eight robots and support for up to four players, Battle Rage is a cross between a shooter and a beat'em-up. There is an arcade mode and a separate storyline for each robot. |
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Puzzle Challenge & MorePublisher: Crave Cost: $29.99 ESRB Rating: E Release Date: February 17 Originally appearing on PC and PlayStation 2, Crave's Puzzle Challenge & More comes with four different crosswords-related games: Crosswords, Codebreakers (you have to crack codes), Cryptic (full of enigmatic clues), and Diamonds (everything is laid out in a diamond shape). In total, there are over 1,000 different puzzles waiting to be solved. |
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Solitaire & MahjongPublisher: Crave Cost: $29.99 ESRB Rating: E Release Date: February 17 101 is the popular number in Crave's Solitaire & Mahjong. It features 101 different kinds of Solitaire and 101 unique Mahjong tile layouts. There are also detailed statistics and extra mini-games, such as Memory and Matching. |
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DS Games
Dragon Quest V: The Hand of the Heavenly BridePublisher: Square-Enix Cost: $39.99 ESRB Rating: E10+ Release Date: February 17 Dragon Quest V: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride is a 3D remake of the 1992 Super Nintendo classic. Dragon Quest V features a story that follows the hero from birth to marriage, including everything in between (and after). This was the first game in the long-running series to introduce the idea of capturing monsters and using them as members of your party. There are also a few mini-games, such as Bruise the Ooze, T'n'T, and the Slurpodrome. |
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Fire Emblem: Shadow DragonPublisher: Nintendo Cost: $29.99 ESRB Rating: E10+ Release Date: February 16 A remake of the original Fire Emblem that was released on the Famicom in 1990, Shadow Dragon features updated graphics and added tutorial levels to ease in new players. Marth, of Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl fame, leads the charge against the evil and recently-revived Medeus and the fearsome sorcerer Gharnef. Shadow Dragon also features online multiplayer with voice chat via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. |
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Jake Power FiremanPublisher: Ubisoft Cost: $29.99 (each) ESRB Rating: E Release Date: February 17 Players take control of Jake Power as he plays the role of a firefighter in Jake Power Fireman, and a policeman in Jake Power Policeman. Both games feature Jake Power in the role of a hero as he saves people from fires and crime. Vehicles in the games can be upgraded to ensure better performance as Power "safely [speeds] through the wide streets of a big US city." |
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DLC
Guitar Hero: World Tour
This week's DLC offering features three songs by Wings, the classic '70s band featuring Paul McCartney. Each song is available for 200 Wii Points ($2) each.
- "Hi Hi Hi" by Wings
- "Jet" by Wings
- "Junior's Farm" by Wings
Rock Band 2
Once again reaching into its large backlog of downloadable songs, this week Rock Band 2 has seven Nirvana songs available for Wii owners to download. They're all from their classic album Nevermind, and each song is available for 200 Wii Points ($2) each.
- “Breed” by Nirvana
- “Lounge Act” by Nirvana
- “On a Plain” by Nirvana
- “Polly” by Nirvana
- “Something in the Way” by Nirvana
- “Stay Away” by Nirvana
- “Territorial Pissings” by Nirvana
For Nintendo's Virtual Console and WiiWare releases for this week, check out our weekly article.
