Nintendo Download: 05/17/2010

Bit.Trip Runner arrives as expected alongside this week's major surprise, Kirby Super Star.

This week's Nintendo Download is a bit more exciting than weeks passed, as it offers up a nice selection of games for players to choose from.

On WiiWare, two new titles are available, one of which was expected to release today, Bit.Trip Runner. The latest in the Bit.Trip series is a forced progression, forced movement platformer starring Commander Video. Alongside Runner is Blood Beach, from Coresoft Inc. Its gameplay is not clear from the description, but will be available today for 1,000 Wii Points($10).

Virtual Console brings a single surprise title this week, from Nintendo. The classic, Kirby Super Star, will be available today with its six main games and two minigames, as well as the ability to turn enemies into helpers.

DSiWare also features a compelling line-up, featuring a brand new title from Nintendo. Looksley's Line Up is a 3D search and find game, which allows players to find things in the diorama and complete a variety of goals. Alongside Looksley, comes Frogger Returns from Konami, A Topsy Turvy Life: Turvy Drops from Tecmo Koei, and Flips: More Bloody Horowitz from EA.

Press Release

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: NEW DOWNLOADABLE GAMES WILL BLOW YOUR MIND, NOT YOUR BUDGET

May 17, 2010

Just because Nintendo offers a rich selection of downloadable games doesn't mean you have to be rich to enjoy them. Available for just 500 Nintendo DSi Points™ apiece, Looksley's Line Up™ and Frogger Returns for the Nintendo DSiWare™ service offer immersive virtual world fun and arcade-inspired thrills, respectively, at a budget-friendly price. Check out the complete lineup of incredible titles for the hand-held Nintendo DSi™ system, and while you're at it, be sure to download the hilarious new Photo Dojo™ game, available for zero Nintendo DSi Points through June 10 (the game will require 200 Nintendo DSi Points for download as of June 11).

BIT.TRIP RUNNER marks a fresh installment in one of the WiiWare™ service's most acclaimed game series, while the Super NES™ classic Kirby Super Star™ arrives on the Virtual Console™ service, each available to download for only 800 Wii Points™. Also, fans of Band Hero for the Wii™ system can be among the first to play the new Band Hero 1 Track Pack, featuring music from Miley Cyrus ("7 Things"), Selena Gomez ("Falling Down") and Demi Lovato ("Here We Go Again"). This pack will be exclusive to Wii for one week starting May 18, 2010.

This week also brings new additions to the "Big Name Games" section of the WarioWare™: D.I.Y. series, featuring downloadable microgames from some of the industry's most talented figures. Gary and Allison, hosts of the Nintendo Channel's "Nintendo Week" program, have each created an original microgame to add to the series' wild mix. New "Big Name Games" will be added every Monday through July 26, all available to download for zero Nintendo DSi Points to anyone with broadband Internet access and a copy of either WarioWare: D.I.Y. for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems or WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase software for the WiiWare service. Visit the Nintendo Channel on your Wii™ system today to learn more about these games and to get a look at Gary and Allison's imaginative creations.

Nintendo DSiWare

Looksley's Line Up
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Looksley the rabbit needs your assistance to finish the story he's writing. Guide him through a world based on famous fairy tales and folk stories from around the globe, helping him to gather inspiration by finding hidden items along the way. In this unique take on hidden-picture games, you'll move the Nintendo DSi system to change your view of various 3-D dioramas. Peer deeply into the scene as you shift the system, watching as layers within the diorama move to reveal previously unseen letters and objects. As you collect these letters and objects, you'll meet new characters and spell words that will open additional stages with more sets of hidden items to find. Particular stages contain secret pictures, testing your observation skills even further. Scour each scene's incredible depth and detail as you lend Looksley a hand in completing his masterpiece. Players of all ages will love this visual puzzle challenge and be amazed to see that even the same spot can look different from another angle.

Frogger Returns
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Frogger is coming to a Nintendo DSi system near you! Frogger Returns takes the heart-pounding challenge of arcade Frogger and moves it into the next dimension. Classic top-down 2-D game play is updated with colorful 3-D graphics, a new perspective, new levels, new enemies and game-changing power-ups to dodge and use. Four stages take the original journey of Frogger from highway to home through a new adventure. Use multiple modes to attack your top scores, race against the clock or just get Frogger to his home pad.

A Topsy Turvy Life: Turvy Drops™
Publisher: TECMO KOEI GAMES
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Turn the Nintendo DSi system upside down and draw blocks on the touch screen to fill spaces in this topsy-turvy take on puzzle games. Play "Endless Mode" to see just how many points you can get as the blocks on the bottom screen fill faster and faster. The more blocks you clear at once, the higher your score. Play "Puzzle Mode" to test your brain against 30 mind-bending puzzles. Clear all the blocks within the specified time and turn limits. Can you solve the puzzles before time is up?

Flips: More Bloody Horowitz
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Anthony Horowitz, the best-selling creator of Alex Rider, gives horror a whole new look in this mischievous collection of macabre tales, exclusive to the Flips series. Including three new stories – each with its own unique feature, such as illustrations and sound effects – Flips: More Bloody Horowitz finds Horowitz at his most wicked. The Flips series brings modern classics to the Nintendo DSiWare service, allowing readers to collect, solve, interact and learn as they progress through the various stories and challenges.

WiiWare

BIT.TRIP RUNNER
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Discover the fastest, most exhilarating action-platformer to hit the WiiWare service. Race across the moon, kicking down crystal walls and sliding under chomping moon-slugs. Bound through the Robotic Mines and face off against the MinerMech. Dash through the Big City on a quest to find friends and defeat the final boss together. RUNNER is the fourth entry in the award-winning and critically acclaimed BIT.TRIP series. You control CommanderVideo as he runs, jumps, slides and kicks. With exciting modern and retro challenges, you can move through more than 50 levels of addictive game play. Chiptune supergroup Anamanaguchi makes a guest appearance. Join CommanderVideo on his most epic journey yet!

Blood Beach
Publisher: Coresoft Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Blood, Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: You are hopelessly outnumbered and have no choice but to fight and win. Just you, your guns and the thin stretch of Blood Beach stand between you and the entire Japanese Imperial Navy. You have an impressive arsenal of weapons, including the M2 BMG, 40mm M1 and, of course, your Thompson SMG. But the Imperial Japanese Navy will hit you with everything they can muster – "Zeros," "Bettys" and even Takao-class battleships – in their methodical and relentless push to recapture the Solomon Islands. High scores can be saved for Easy, Normal and Hard levels of difficulty.

Virtual Console

Kirby Super Star
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: That awful King Dedede is at it again – he's stolen all the food in Dream Land. It's up to Kirby™ to get it back and ultimately save Pop Star from being overtaken. In what may be the most diverse adventure yet for the round, pink hero, Kirby journeys through six main games and two minigames, finishing with the ultimate showdown in The Arena. Each game offers its own story and style of platforming action, as well as unique environments and an assortment of enemies. Swallowing an enemy allows Kirby to copy the abilities of that enemy, granting him the power to perform special attacks and giving him a new hat to don. In a strategic twist, Kirby can now give up an acquired ability and use it to turn an enemy into a helper. The helper will follow Kirby around and automatically fight as his ally or offer a second player the chance to join in the game by controlling it. There's never a dull moment as Kirby dashes, flies and swallows enemies in his battle against King Dedede, Dyna Blade and Meta Knight.

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.

vudu

05/17/2010 at 09:16 AM

After two weeks of no VC games Kirby Super Star is quite a nice surprise. :)

Looksley's Line Up is the worst name ever. No one's gonna buy that if they don't already know what it is. They should have called it "AMAZING!!!! 3d on your dsi MUST SEE!!!!!!!!!"

Nick DiMola Director

05/17/2010 at 11:02 AM

Agreed, that name is absolutely awful, especially for something that seems like a pretty sweet concept.

It's about time Kirby Super Star dropped, but honestly, it's embarrassing that Virtual Console games are barely a trickle at this point. The service has so much potential, but it seems like Nintendo unnecessarily throttles it, to the point where most weeks the releases are crap or non-existent.

I have to wonder if they are holding stuff back for a reason, though Nintendo's actions are typically without rhyme or reason.

Kathrine Theidy Staff Alumnus

05/17/2010 at 07:17 PM

It's nice to see Kirby Super Star was released, I wasn't sure if it would come due to it being on DS. Though that version probably isn't still available at retail. I have the original cartridge though, so it doesn't matter to me.

Obligatory comment: There's a Birdo cameo in the game, she can be seen in the crowd of the Megaton Punch minigame.

As far as trickling out VC games is concerned, I think that's because this service is going to be around for years to come. Nintendo doesn't want to frontload it with all of the good stuff, they'll get more sales if they spread them out over time. It's similar to the reason that all seasons of old television shows aren't released on DVD all at once. I believe there is a reason for every decision Nintendo makes, it's just that it isn't usually apparent to consumers such as us.

Jason Ross Senior Editor

05/18/2010 at 03:27 AM

I'm torn as to whether or not I'll buy Kirby Super Star. Hands down, the game is my favorite Kirby title, but I already own the SNES and DS version of the game, so I'm not sure if it's worth it. I may pick it up some time in the future if I feel like it, but I can't recommend an SNES title any more than KSS.

05/19/2010 at 07:07 PM

If you have the original cartridge then I don't see a reason to download the VC version. The only reason would be if the cartridge ceased to operate, or if the save battery went dead and you didn't have the means to replace it.

Lukasz Balicki Staff Alumnus

05/23/2010 at 11:27 PM

Bit.Trip runner is fantastic!

PixlBit