This week's releases are saturated with baseball and ice sports, while the Wii Rock Band 2 downloadable content is now up to speed with the other versions, and Guitar Hero: World Tour gets a handful of tunes as well.
This week's Wii releases have a running theme: sequels. Sega's Sonic and the Black Knight is the sequel to 2007's Sonic and the Secret Rings, while 2K Games' Major League Baseball 2K9 and Namco Bandai's We Ski and Snowboard are sequels to 2008's MLB 2K8 and We Ski.
The DS is led by PopCap Games' Peggle Dual Shot, which brings the original Peggle, its sequel, and more into one package. There's also the cartoony DS version of MLB 2K9, a Spongebob game from THQ, Ubisoft's Imagine: Ice Champions, and EA's latest entry in the Littlest Pet Shop series.
On the downloadable side of things, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's album Texas Flood, a song from No Doubt, three songs from Jimmy Eat World hit the Wii Rock Band 2 Music Store. This marks the first time that the Wii version has had the same downloadable song releases as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. Meanwhile, Guitar Hero: World Tour has three songs from European artists added to the game.
See you next week when the releases triple and Madworld makes it to retail.
Wii Games
Major League Baseball 2K9Publisher: 2K Games Cost: $49.99 ESRB Rating: Everyone Release Date: March 3 From developer 2K China, Major League Baseball 2K9 refines the gesture-based controls for batting and pitching that were introduced in last year's first Wii iteration. MLB 2K9 features updated rosters, player-specific animations, and a new broadcast team of Gary Thorne and Steve Phillips. It also features music from Judas Priest, Cheap Trick, and Ted Nugent. |
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Sonic and the Black KnightPublisher: Sega Cost: $49.99 ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ Release Date: March 3 Sonic and the Black Knight, the second game in Sonic's storybook series, sees the hedgehog following a chili dog to King Arthur's time. Once he gets there, Sonic is given a legendary sword and must fight off various enemies, overcome obstacles, and unravel the plot of a mysterious villain. Using the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk over thirteen environments, players use powerful sword combos and upgradeable moves to save Camelot. There is also an online item-trading system via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and a four-player local multiplayer mode where players compete in sword battles as their favorite Sonic characters. |
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We Ski and SnowboardPublisher: Namco Bandai Cost: $39.99 ESRB Rating: Everyone Release Date: March 3 The sequel to last year's We Ski, We Ski and Snowboard retains the controls popularized by the original and adds snowboarding to the game. Featuring over 7,000 vertical meters of snow spread across two mountains, We Ski and Snowboard has Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls with optional Balance Board support. Different characters can be recruited as tour guides as players traverse through the game, which is populated by other in-game characters and Miis. Players can also watch replays of their runs and capture still shots that can be sent to friends over Wii Connect 24. |
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DS Games
Imagine Ice ChampionsPublisher: Ubisoft Cost: $29.99 ESRB Rating: Everyone Release Date: March 3 The sequel to Imagine Figure Skater, Ice Champions puts players in the shoes of a young figure skater who dreams of making it to the Grand Championship Finals. Using the stylus to pull off moves such as the Triple Axel, Lutz, and Salchows, players control their figure skater through different competitions where their skate routine and outfit is customizable. Using the in-game skating boutique, players can buy hairstyles, skating costumes, and ice skates, or they can trade them via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. There are also nine different mini-games, such as Go-Go Slalom and Penguin Push. |
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Littlest Pet Shop: SpringPublisher: Electronic Arts Cost: $29.99 ESRB Rating: Everyone Release Date: March 3 The fourth game in the Littlest Pet Shop series adds more mini-games, accessories, and playsets. Littlest Pet Shop: Spring features 20 different pets, including the newest additions: Happiest, Sassiest, and Hungriest. There are over 100 unique pet accessories and four unique pet-sized worlds. In addition, the newest Littlest Pet Shop game also has 20 different mini-games with multiple difficulty levels for additional replayability. |
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Major League Baseball 2K9 Fantasy All-StarsPublisher: 2K Games Cost: $19.99 ESRB Rating: Everyone Release Date: March 3 The second game in the DS spin-off of 2K Games' Major League Baseball series, MLB 2K9 Fantasy All-Stars, is a fun, cartoony baseball game with stylus control. The game has multiple play modes, including an exhibition mode, a tournament mode with eight different fantasy pennants, and eight mini-games such as Home Run Derby. There are also numerous unlockable stadiums that range from an Aztec ruin to the burp-happy Innards Stadium. There is also local wireless and online multiplayer. |
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Peggle Dual ShotPublisher: PopCap Games Cost: $29.99 ESRB Rating: Everyone Release Date: March 3 Popularized on the PC last year, Peggle comes to the DS, courtesy of Lumines and Meteos developer Q Entertainment, in Peggle Dual Shot. The game, which is similar to pachinko, features all the content from the original Peggle Deluxe and its sequel, Peggle Nights, along with 10 levels made by Q Entertainment exclusively for the DS. That works out to 120 levels, two full-featured adventure modes, and 90 challenge levels. There is also a duel mode where players can play against the computer or a friend via local wireless play. |
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Spongebob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-OffPublisher: THQ Cost: $29.99 ESRB Rating: Everyone Release Date: March 3 In THQ's Spongebob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off, Spongebob and his Krusty Krab co-workers compete in a cooking contest to see who gets to cater Jack Kahuna Laguna's Big Beach Party. Players will use the stylus to create such meals as the Krabby Patty, Anemone Meatloaf, Fried Seaweed Sandwiches, and over a hundred more. Beach Party Cook-Off also features a multi-card wireless multiplayer mode where up to four players can show off their cooking skills. |
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DLC
Guitar Hero: World Tour
This week's Guitar Hero: World Tour downloadable songs are from European artists. Each song in the European Track Pack 03 is 200 Wii Points ($2).
- "C'est Comme Ça" by Les Rita Mitsouko
- "In the Shadows" by The Rasmus
- "Break It Out" by Vanilla Sky
Rock Band 2
At long last, the Wii Rock Band 2 downloadable content is the same as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 DLC this week. Except for a single song by No Doubt, this week's songs are from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's 1983 album Texas Flood. Also, the Wii version gets the three Jimmy Eat World songs that hit Xbox 360 and PS3 last week. Each song is available for 200 Wii Points ($2) each.
- "Futures" by Jimmy Eat World
- "Lucky Denver Mint" by Jimmy Eat World
- "Sweetness" by Jimmy Eat World
- "New" by No Doubt
- "Dirty Pool" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "I'm Cryin'" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "Lenny" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "Love Struck Baby" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "Mary Had a Little Lamb" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "Rude Mood" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "Tell Me" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "Testify" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- "Texas Flood" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
For Nintendo's Virtual Console and WiiWare releases for this week, weekly article.
