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Wii

This Week in Nintendo Downloads

by Pedro Hernandez - November 29, 2010, 1:19 pm EST
Total comments: 12

Cave Story explores the DSiWare service, and its WiiWare counterpart receives a demo.

Headlining this week is Cave Story, Nicalis's indie sensation. Starting life as a free PC game by Pixel, the game received a WiiWare update, which was released on March 22, 2010. Today, a demo of the WiiWare version has been added to the demos section of the Wii Shop Channel. In addition, a DSiWare version was released today. For 1,000 DSi Points ($10), players will get to experience Mimiga Village and uncover the plot behind their existence.

The second DSiWare title this week is Frenzic, a puzzle game from Two Tribes that promises to challenge players' minds with gameplay that is easy to learn, but challenging to master. Frenzic can be downloaded for 200 DSi Points ($2). From Big John Games comes this week's third DSiWare title, Spot It! Challenge. Based on the Spot-It series of books by Capstone Press, the main objective is to spot different objects in 10 different puzzles. The item-finding game is priced at 200 DSi Points ($2).

Lemon Games has the first WiiWare title for the week, Airport Mania: First Flight. The 500 Wii Point ($5) title has players going to many airports trying to catch flights and avoiding delays. From airports, we jump to disc golf with HB Arcade Disc Golf from HB Studios Multimedia. The 1,000 Wii Point ($10) game is a disc golf simulator where players can take control of how they toss the disc as they try to get as many discs in the basket as possible.

The Virtual Console section of the Wii Shop Channel receives the final game for the week, Magical Drop II for the Neo Geo. A 900 Wii Point ($9) puzzle title, players will be popping balloons of the same color and creating chains in order to gain the highest score possible.

Nintendo Download: Cave Story Now Available on DSiWare and as a WiiWare Demo

Nov. 29, 2010

hile the rest of your home might be cluttered with leftovers from a weekend of Thanksgiving revelry, this week's downloadable games from Nintendo provide a palate-cleansing mix of fun puzzles and challenges to start your week off right. The popular Cave Story™ makes its debut on the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, while a demo version of the game becomes available for the WiiWare™ service. Other Nintendo DSiWare games include the frenzied Frenzic puzzler and Spot It! Challenge, which tests players' ability to locate various objects. On the WiiWare service, travelers this holiday season will want to check out Airport Mania®: First Flight for a different perspective on the travel industry, while HB Arcade Disc Golf brings the popular outdoor sport into your living room. Finally, the classic 1996 NEOGEO game MAGICAL DROP II brings its balloon-bursting action to the Virtual Console™ service.

Nintendo DSiWare

Cave Story
Publisher: Nicalis
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Cave Story takes you into a rare world where a curious race of innocent rabbit-like creatures, called Mimiga, run free. You wake up in a dark cave with no memory of who you are, where you came from or why you're in such a place. Uncovering Mimiga Village you discover that the once-carefree Mimiga are in danger at the hands of a maniacal scientist. Their only hope rests squarely on the shoulders of a quiet, amnesiac boy who can't remember his own name. Take control and learn the origins of this world's power, stop the delusional villain and save the Mimiga.

Frenzic
Publisher: Two Tribes
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Frenzic is a unique puzzle game that dazzles the eye, teases the brain and keeps you coming back for more. It takes only minutes to learn, but months to master as you devise new, impressive play strategies to push your brain to its limit. Compete against your personal best and climb through seven levels of Devotion from Newbie all the way to Frenzic Master. Frenzic is a must-have for puzzle enthusiasts of all ages.

Spot It! Challenge
Publisher: Big John Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Spot It! Challenge, players race the clock to find the hidden objects in cleverly arranged scenes. The puzzles are based on the popular Spot-It book series published by Capstone Press. See how many objects you can spot in 10 different puzzles. Vibrant graphics make spotting objects fun and challenging. Players use the stylus to tap on the hidden objects and also to navigate the extra-large play areas. Spot hundreds of hidden objects in 10 themed puzzles, including Outdoor Sports, Board Games and Fun with Food. Players can compete against their friends using the "Pass Around Play" feature. Up to four players can race to find 10 objects hidden within a puzzle. Each player has to spot the objects and then pass it on to the next player. See who can get the best score! Find objects fast to score the most points. Three levels of difficulty (Easy, Medium and Insane) provide lots of replay value.

WiiWare

Airport Mania: First Flight
Publisher: Lemon Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: Pack your bags for a trip through the skies in Airport Mania. Travel through eight amusing airports while you land a variety of planes, purchase upgrades and avoid delays. Stay on your toes, as some planes carry precious cargo and will need to land in a hurry, while others might need a trip to the repair shop. But, with good planning, you're sure to make it to the gate on time. With unique challenges, whimsical characters and fun that'll put a smile on your face, Airport Mania is one flight you can't miss.

HB Arcade Disc Golf
Publisher: HB Studios Multimedia
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: HB Arcade Disc Golf re-creates the popular disc-flinging sport in the comfort of your own living room. Playing the game is as easy as tossing a disc around on a beautiful day. The goal of the game is to put the disc in the basket in the fewest throws possible. Disc golfers have three different types of discs at their disposal when out on the course: a driver, a mid-range disc and a putter. Also, there are three different types of throws available: forehand, backhand and the hammer throw. The forehand and backhand throws change based on the handedness of the player, and can be used to draw or fade a shot, while the hammer throw is less about distance and more about height. At the end of the round, scores are tallied and the player with the lowest score is the winner.

Cave Story (demo version)
Publisher: Nicalis
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 1,200 Wii Points
Description: Cave Story takes you into a rare world where a curious race of innocent rabbit-like creatures, called Mimiga, run free. You wake up in a dark cave with no memory of who you are, where you came from or why you're in such a place. Uncovering Mimiga Village you discover that the once-carefree Mimiga are in danger at the hands of a maniacal scientist. Their only hope rests squarely on the shoulders of a quiet, amnesiac boy who can't remember his own name. Take control and learn the origins of this world's power, stop the delusional villain and save the Mimiga.

Virtual Console

MAGICAL DROP II
Original platform: NEOGEO
Publisher: D4 Enterprise
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: MAGICAL DROP II is a puzzle action game released by Data East in 1996. The rules are simple. Control the clown to pull in and throw back the balloons that appear on the screen. If you line up three or more balloons of the same color in a row vertically, they will burst. Some balloons feature unique characteristics. Special balloons, which come in all four colors, pop every balloon of the same color. Arrow balloons burst everything in the direction the arrow is facing. Rainbow balloons have the same effect as special balloons, but can be thrown against a balloon of any color. And then there are bubble balloons, which simply get in your way. Together, these provide you with great chains and combos that make a puzzle game so much fun. Choose between VS CPU Mode, full of battles with a host of comical characters, and Puzzle Mode, where you'll enjoy a one-player challenge. Both modes support player-versus-player action, meaning you can have a great time together with friends.

Note: Some demo versions do not support all game features, and players cannot save their in-game progress in demo versions.

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 http://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.

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Talkback

Mop it upNovember 30, 2010

I tried out the Cave Story demo. It reminded me too much of NES Metroid, a game which I don't like, and I'm not a fan of retro-styled games, so the demo does nothing but solidify my choice to pass it over.

NWR_pap64Pedro Hernandez, Contributing WriterDecember 01, 2010

Quote from: Mop

I tried out the Cave Story demo. It reminded me too much of NES Metroid, a game which I don't like, and I'm not a fan of retro-styled games, so the demo does nothing but solidify my choice to pass it over.

I had the opposite reaction to it. I wasn't expecting anything out of Cave Story, and ended up enjoying it a lot!

I didn't find it to be as bad as Metroid. Cave Story at the very least has some guides as to what to do. Metroid had nothing. On what difficulty setting did you play it on, though?

KDR_11kDecember 01, 2010

Quote from: Mop

I tried out the Cave Story demo. It reminded me too much of NES Metroid, a game which I don't like, and I'm not a fan of retro-styled games, so the demo does nothing but solidify my choice to pass it over.

What, not enough crying over dead jellyfish in it?

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorDecember 01, 2010

Dear Cave Story developers:
I enjoyed the demo of your game and would be interested in downloading the DSiWare version of it.  However, due to Nintendo's insane and unreasonable DRM restrictions, I have not downloaded it.  Just wanted to let you know, the reason I haven't purchased it has *nothing* to do with the game itself and 100% to do with Nintendo.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorDecember 01, 2010

Dear And Yet It Moves Developers:
Likewise with your demo.  Loved it.  Would like to purchase the full version of it as well.  Will not, due to Nintendo's asinine DRM.

Dear Bit.Trip Developers:
Sorry... I've now tried two of your games... I don't get it.

KDR_11kDecember 01, 2010

Quote from: UncleBob

Dear And Yet It Moves Developers:
Likewise with your demo.  Loved it.  Would like to purchase the full version of it as well.  Will not, due to Nintendo's asinine DRM.

It's also available on Steam.

vuduDecember 03, 2010

Quote from: KDR_11k

Quote from: UncleBob

Dear And Yet It Moves Developers:
Likewise with your demo.  Loved it.  Would like to purchase the full version of it as well.  Will not, due to Nintendo's asinine DRM.

It's also available on Steam.

But doesn't the Steam version have you rotate the world in 90 degree increments instead of giving you 100% control over the environment?

KDR_11kDecember 03, 2010

Yes but since that's the original version the levels are designed for it.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorDecember 03, 2010

Quote from: vudu

Quote from: KDR_11k

Quote from: UncleBob

Dear And Yet It Moves Developers:
Likewise with your demo.  Loved it.  Would like to purchase the full version of it as well.  Will not, due to Nintendo's asinine DRM.

It's also available on Steam.

But doesn't the Steam version have you rotate the world in 90 degree increments instead of giving you 100% control over the environment?

Yeah, I had tried the PC demo and didn't like that as much... might break down and get it though.

Mop it upDecember 04, 2010

Quote from: NWR_pap64

On what difficulty setting did you play it on, though?

I tried all three to see what the differences are. I also tried both the new and original music, and both were ear-piercing, though the new was less so.

Quote from: UncleBob

Dear Cave Story developers:
I enjoyed the demo of your game and would be interested in downloading the DSiWare version of it.  However, due to Nintendo's insane and unreasonable DRM restrictions, I have not downloaded it.  Just wanted to let you know, the reason I haven't purchased it has *nothing* to do with the game itself and 100% to do with Nintendo.

I thought you still had tens of thousands of points. What has changed?

Quote from: vudu

Quote from: KDR_11k

Quote from: UncleBob

Dear And Yet It Moves Developers:
Likewise with your demo.  Loved it.  Would like to purchase the full version of it as well.  Will not, due to Nintendo's asinine DRM.

It's also available on Steam.

But doesn't the Steam version have you rotate the world in 90 degree increments instead of giving you 100% control over the environment?

At the least, that would make the game control better, and would probably allow for better level design too.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorDecember 04, 2010

Quote from: Mop

I thought you still had tens of thousands of points. What has changed?

I still have a ton of points left on my primary Wii and my DSi (and on my wife's DSi), but I've been on this one-man semi-boycott of Nintendo's digital products pretty much since the DSiXL came out, due to Nintendo's unreasonable DRM restrictions.

I know it won't change much, even more so since I've already got the points loaded on the systems, but it makes for some good conversation with people involved with the process.  I've spoken with reps from two different companies about it (one of them is a pretty heavy supporter of Nintendo's Digital Distribution platform) and we've had a good talk about it.  Quite honestly, there's no real way of knowing how much Nintendo's policy is effecting sales - so I don't really expect anything to come out of my complaints... just screaming into the darkness.

Mop it upDecember 06, 2010

I'm assuming that you have or want a DSi XL, but all your points are already on your regular DSi so you can't download games onto the XL?

I'm not a fan of Nintendo's online shopping services either, but, like you, I got all my points from last summer's Pepsi sweepstakes. Since these points have already been paid for by Pepsi, it doesn't really make a difference if I use them or not. Once they're gone, I doubt I'd buy any points, especially because so far nothing on WiiWare has impressed me.

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