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Wii

This Week in Nintendo Downloads

by Andy Goergen - October 26, 2009, 12:38 pm EDT
Total comments: 11

Nintendo delivers two new titles to each of its download services in preparation for Halloween.

This week in Nintendo downloads brings us two new Virtual Console, WiiWare, and DSiWare titles.

For WiiWare, Nintendo offers us Gameloft's Ghost Mansion Party and the latest chapter in the Tales from Monkey Island series from Telltale Games. Ghost Mansion Party features a ghost named Fazzy who has been locked out of his mansion by evil spooks. The gameplay takes place in the manner of a board game as players travel around the mansion in search of hidden treasure, and play mini-games along the way. The game supports up to four players.

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3 offers more of the same Monkey Island hijinks that players have come to expect from the beloved franchise. Subtitled "Lair of the Leviathan," Chapter 3 is set in the guts of a giant manatee. The player controls Guybrush Threepwood, as always, in this point-and-click adventure. Both WiiWare titles are available for 1,000 Wii Points ($10).

On Virtual Console, Nintendo has selected two classic titles for download. Originally on SNES, Zombies Ate My Neighbor is finally available just in time for Halloween. The LucasArts game features all sorts of horror movie mainstays as the player navigates each level trying to save as many neighbors as possible. The game is well known for its high difficulty and creative style. Zombies Ate My Neighbors is available for 800 Wii Points ($8).

Also available on Virtual Console is the arcade version of Golden Axe. This side-scrolling brawler is the game that launched the Golden Axe franchise and features two-player co-op among three selectable players. The game utilizes fantasy weapons and magic as the player makes their way through dozens of enemies throughout the game as they head toward the final boss, Death Adder. Golden Axe is available for 900 Wii Points ($9)

Finally, on Nintendo DSiWare, there are two more titles. SUDOKU, from EA, offers a fresh take on a classic puzzle game. The title offers hundreds of puzzles, and several modes to enjoy them in. There are five difficulty settings and an automated notes feature. SUDOKU is available for 200 Nintendo DSi Points ($2).

Also for DSiWare is PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff, a strategy game that has you guessing your opponents' chip color. The game features three modes (Tournament, Free Play, DS Wireless Play) and dares you to trick your opponent with trick cards and bluffing techniques. Picturebook Games: The Royal Bluff is available for 500 Nintendo DSi Points ($5)

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: NINTENDO OFFERS DOWNLOADABLE HALLOWEEN FUN FROM AXE TO ZOMBIES

Oct. 26, 2009

Boo! As the year's spookiest holiday draws near, this week's additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi™ Shop are ready to put some extra chills and thrills into your Halloween week. The WiiWare™ service invites you to explore a ghostly mansion or face menacing foes in a new Tales of Monkey Island adventure. On the Virtual Console™, battle zombies and other supernatural creatures in a Super NES™ classic, or ward off evil forces in the legendary arcade game Golden Axe™. For Nintendo DSiWare™ users, a portable PictureBook Games™ title delivers nifty tricks, while sudoku solvers are in for a real treat. And speaking of treats, Wii owners who have their Wii consoles connected to the Internet should check out the Nintendo Week show on Nintendo Channel for an exclusive WiiWare announcement of a fresh take on an 8-bit classic.

WiiWare

Ghost Mansion Party

Publisher: Gameloft

Players: 1-4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence

Price: 1,000 Wii Points™

Description: Fazzy the ghost has been locked out of his mansion by some evil spooks, and he's willing to give his treasure to anyone who can chase them out. Work cooperatively and competitively with friends and family to defeat the ghosts and discover a huge hidden treasure. Travel around this wild mansion in board-game fashion, landing on mini-games that everyone can enjoy. You'll even engage in challenges on the board itself as you try to collect magic scrolls and hints to reveal the secret word that will open the doors to the treasure. Get your Wii Remote™ controllers ready - you're about to play with them in ways you've never imagined.

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3

Publisher: Telltale Games

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Comic Mischief, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes

Price: 1,000 Wii Points™

Description: In the third Tales of Monkey Island chapter, Guybrush gets in deep - literally - as his quest for the voodoo exfoliating La Esponja Grande takes a scenic detour through the guts of a giant manatee. Our hero encounters a surprising band of castaways, including the long-lost explorer Coronado De Cava. Can the Mighty Pirate win the suspicious De Cava's trust? Will sexy pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay prove to be a ruthless enemy or an unlikely ally? Will the group find La Esponja Grande in time to save Elaine from the rampant Pox of LeChuck? And will the world be crushed by the gnashing teeth of a certain demonic skull? Tales of Monkey Island's moist and absorbing third episode, "Lair of the Leviathan," will answer some of these urgent questions and raise even more as the five-month adventure builds to its epic climax.

Virtual Console

Zombies Ate My Neighbors™

Publisher: LucasArts

Players: 1-2

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence

Price: 800 Wii Points

Description: You will play the game as one of two brave kids: Zeke or Julie. Both kids use the same control scheme and have the same characteristics. If you're playing in two-player mode, each player must pick a kid. You can't have two Zekes or two Julies. Each player starts with three lives. When your life bar runs out, you lose a life. There are hidden 1-Up bonuses in the game. You may also earn bonus lives if you have 10 victims left when you finish a level. Get ready to conquer 48 levels of giant ants, mad scientists and big babies. Find seven bonus levels (look for the question marks), earn points and stockpile your water pistols and other weapons.

Golden Axe

Publisher: SEGA

Players: 1-2

ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Blood, Fantasy Violence

Price: 900 Wii Points

Description: In this original arcade game that launched the popular Golden Axe series, the evil Death Adder has invaded your land and taken the king and princess prisoner. Three mighty warriors step forward to bring the villain to justice: powerful fighter Ax Battler, Amazon warrior Tyris Flare and mighty dwarf Gilius Thunderhead. They will use their weapons and magic to fight their way through Death Adder's hordes. Along the way, they'll mount fearsome, fire-spitting beasts to help even the odds. Team up with a friend and enjoy two-player simultaneous game play for a better chance of survival.

Nintendo DSiWare

PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff

Publisher: Nintendo

Players: 1-4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™

Description: Aristocratic opponents square off in PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff, a game of strategy and deceit. Compete for points by adding or subtracting colored chips from rows on the game board and trying to guess each of your opponent's secretly assigned chip colors. Once you're confident in your deduction, issue a Call Out attempt to earn bonus points - at the risk of giving your opponent an extra point if you're wrong. Three modes of play (Tournament, Free Play, DS Wireless Play) offer a variety of options, from facing off against an assortment of computer opponents to competing in a wireless match with up to four players. Throw Trick Cards into the mix and you've got a winning combination of tactics and trickery that's sure to score points.

SUDOKU

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: SUDOKU offers hundreds of number-crunching puzzles that will stretch your brain power to the limit. Take it even further by playing in the exclusive Newspaper Mode. Add a daily puzzle from your favorite paper and build your very own collection. From Easy to Insane, a total of five different levels are available for novices and masters alike. Enjoy a host of grid designs that will keep you coming back for more. This worldwide phenomenon delivers an exhilarating game of logic that's not only challenging, but also surprisingly relaxing. It's everything you want for a quick puzzle getaway. Make life easier by taking advantage of smart features like automatic annotation for effortless calculation of your achievements. Stumped? Get help with error-checking tools and friendly cell hints. Track your stats and test your reaction time with the in-game timer. This addictive brain game has been polished to perfection and renders a sleek design that's easy on the eyes.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

Talkback

TJ SpykeOctober 26, 2009

I've been waiting for ZAMN for over 3 years. I wonder why Konami is not publishing it though. They published the original game,  and they at least used to own the trademark (they canceled the trademark in 2002).

Flames_of_chaosLukasz Balicki, Staff AlumnusOctober 26, 2009

LucasArts developed it so I bet they retained and own the IP.

I love how LucasArts has a new emphasis on digital download. Their support of Virtual Console has brought us a rare two-game week! I've never played Zombies Ate My Neighbors, but always heard good things about it. Maybe for a future RetroActive...

NinGurl69 *hugglesOctober 26, 2009

I wonder where's their emphasis on good Star Wars games.

NWR_pap64Pedro Hernandez, Contributing WriterOctober 26, 2009

ZAMN was published by Lucasarts? I was under the impression that Konami did that game...

Where's my The Tower, Nintendo?!

ArbokOctober 26, 2009

Quote from: NWR_pap64

ZAMN was published by Lucasarts? I was under the impression that Konami did that game...

Correct. Konami published the original ones on the Genesis and SNES. The series was developed by Lucasarts, though, and the opening credits cite "Zombies Ate My Neighbors TM and © 1993 Lucasarts Entertainment Company". So it seems they always owned the rights, and are the sole owners today going by the credit for these releases. Be interesting I guess to see if the Konami logo is still on there (probably is if I had to guess).

TJ SpykeOctober 26, 2009

Quote from: Arbok

Quote from: NWR_pap64

ZAMN was published by Lucasarts? I was under the impression that Konami did that game...

Correct. Konami published the original ones on the Genesis and SNES. The series was developed by Lucasarts, though, and the opening credits cite "Zombies Ate My Neighbors TM and © 1993 Lucasarts Entertainment Company". So it seems they always owned the rights, and are the sole owners today going by the credit for these releases. Be interesting I guess to see if the Konami logo is still on there (probably is if I had to guess).

But from 1993 until 2002, Konami owned the trademark (check the USPTO). Seems like it would be odd for LucasArts to own the copyright and Konami to own the trademark. Maybe that's why the sequel was named Ghoul Patrol, since LucasArts legally couldn't use the ZAMN name.

ArbokOctober 27, 2009

Quote from: TJ

But from 1993 until 2002, Konami owned the trademark (check the USPTO). Seems like it would be odd for LucasArts to own the copyright and Konami to own the trademark. Maybe that's why the sequel was named Ghoul Patrol, since LucasArts legally couldn't use the ZAMN name.

I checked the Library of Congress, and they cite LucasArts as the claimant:

"Type of Work: Computer File
Registration Number / Date: TX0003776880 / 1994-02-17
Title: Zombies ate my neighbors.
Description: Machine readable work.
Copyright Claimant: LucasArts Entertainment Company
Date of Creation: 1993
Date of Publication: 1993-10-15 "

TJ SpykeOctober 27, 2009

The US Patent and Trademark Office lists Konami:

Goods and Services  (CANCELLED) IC 028. US 022. G & S: computer game programs, video game cartridges, video output game machines and instructional materials therefor. FIRST USE: 19930830. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19930830
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 74380634
Filing Date April 16, 1993
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1B
Published for Opposition September 28, 1993
Registration Number 1846280
Registration Date July 19, 1994
Owner (REGISTRANT) Konami Inc. CORPORATION ILLINOIS 900 Deerfield Parkway Buffalo Grove ILLINOIS 600894510
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Attorney of Record SUSAN R. REISS, ESQ.
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Cancellation Date May 10, 2002

So it looks like LucasArts owned the copyright to the game while Konami owned the trademark to the actual name of the game.

ArbokOctober 27, 2009

Quote from: TJ

So it looks like LucasArts owned the copyright to the game while Konami owned the trademark to the actual name of the game.

Yep, so I guess LucasArts couldn't use the name itself before 2002 then, as you mused. Wonder why Konami decided to end their trademark on it.

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