On the WiiWare side of things we have Wild West Guns (1,000 Points), the eagerly anticipated shooting gallery title from Gameloft. That is, Gameloft eagerly anticipated releasing it, and here it is. Good going, Gameloft! You show those non-believers that WiiWare isn't synonymous with ShovelWare!

Wii-kly Update

One WiiWare Game and Two Virtual Console Games Added to Wii Shop Channel

The list of available games for Wii™ owners just keeps on growing as we add another trio of titles to the Wii™ Shop Channel. This week’s lineup features Old West thrills, supernatural chills and a little blue hedgehog whose name you’re sure to recognize. Thanks to Nintendo’s WiiWare™ downloadable game service and the classic-filled Virtual Console™, building your own blockbuster video game library has never been easier.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Wild West Guns (Gameloft, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen—Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): Draw your revolver to see if you’re the fastest gun in the West. Adjust your speed and precision as targets or enemies appear in front of you. Point and shoot to earn more points. You can aim at anything, so be sure to explore the environment for elements that will earn you more shooting points. Identify your enemies among the characters you encounter, but don’t shoot at innocent citizens. Take part in an Old West-style train attack, or challenge your skills in a variety of increasingly difficult shooting challenges in other beautiful, classic and lively Western environments. As you progress through challenges, you’ll earn medals and rewards, making for nonstop, addictive action. Play in a two-player multiplayer mode where you and your partner can combine points, or play against each other to find out who’s the fastest gun in the West.

Virtual Console

Sonic The Hedgehog™ (Sega Master System, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Based on the original Sega Genesis version, Sonic The Hedgehog was re-created as the first Sonic game for the Sega Master System. Not just a straight port, this version includes new stages, bosses, some different zones and a level map. The most noticeable difference, however, is that the Chaos Emeralds have to be found within certain stages other than the Special Stages. Dash through six Zones (including special zones that were only available for the Sega Master System version) and face Dr. Eggman (a.k.a. Dr. Robotnik) at the end of every Zone.

SPLATTERHOUSE™ 2 (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated M for Mature—Blood and Gore, Violence, 800 Wii Points): SPLATTERHOUSE 2 is the sequel to SPLATTERHOUSE, released only on the Sega Genesis. A few months after escaping from the first mansion in SPLATTERHOUSE, the main character, Rick, once again encounters the Terror Mask and must use its powers to rescue his beloved Jennifer. Rick will need to punch, slash, smash and even chainsaw his way through a haunted mansion against unspeakable horrors and terrifying bosses to make it out alive.

The press release does reveal that the game will feature the same characters from the original, including Terror Mask recipient Rick Taylor, his imperiled girlfriend Jennifer, and the iconic setting of West Manor, though a new story written by comic book writer Gordon Rennie (JUDGE DREDD!) will see Rick escaping the confines of the house, scouring the world to rescue his girl.

The promises brutal, combo-infused combat, a new leaping technique that adds a whole new element of explorations, and a regeneration mechanic that uses visible cues rather than a health meter to display Rick's status.

The game is coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2009. Hit the jump for the whole sticky mess.

NAMCO BANDAI GAMES ANNOUNCES SPLATTERHOUSE

Classic Action-Horror Franchise to Debut on the Xbox 360® and PLAYSTATION®3 System in 2009 with Gruesome Combat and Heart-Stopping Scares

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (May 29, 2008) – NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced the long-awaited debut of the Splatterhouse franchise on next generation consoles with an all-new installment of the series for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, developed by BottleRocket Entertainment. Inspired by the landmark 1988 arcade hit, Splatterhouse combines visceral, adrenaline-soaked combat with horror elements to deliver an original gaming experience that defies the boundaries of the traditional action category with over-the-top gore and shocking new gameplay mechanics.

Splatterhouse follows college student Rick Taylor as he tries to rescue his girlfriend, Jennifer, who has disappeared after entering the mysterious and run-down West Mansion. Confronted by horrific other-worldly creatures, Rick comes across a mystical sentient mask that promises to give him the power to find Jennifer. Full of desperation and rage, Rick puts on the “Terror Mask” and is transformed into a juggernaut of pure violence and destruction. Featuring an original storyline by critically-acclaimed comic book writer Gordon Rennie (Necronauts, Judge Dredd), Splatterhouse takes Rick beyond the mansion as he scours the ends of the world to rescue his beloved Jennifer.

Embodying the unfiltered, primal aggression of its namesake, Splatterhouse gives players countless ways to decimate the mansion’s assortment of demons, monstrosities and abominations. Featuring a dynamic combat system, Rick will be able to use his brute strength to perform bone-crushing melee combos, savage grapples and wield an assortment of makeshift weapons including the series’ trademark 2x4 and even limbs and heads ripped from enemies themselves. Players will also be able to reanimate the corpses of fallen enemies to fight alongside Rick, imparting strategic depth to the game’s battle and unique puzzle systems. More agile than ever before, Rick can now leap great distances and propel himself to out of reach areas by swinging from outcroppings in the environment, adding an all-new level of exploration to the series.

Introducing a new regeneration mechanic, players will be able to determine Rick’s status in battle by visible cues detailing how injured he is, doing away with the traditional health bar. If he succumbs to the mansion’s deadly inhabitants, they will begin to dismember him, savagely tearing away limbs and ripping at his flesh to expose his internal organs. To survive, Rick must call upon the power of the Terror Mask to regenerate his mutilated body, allowing players to watch in gory detail as bones, veins, muscles and skin return to his body in real-time.

“Splatterhouse promises to deliver an experience full of the gore, hard-hitting action and gritty atmosphere that fans of the franchise expect,” said Todd Thorson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for NAMCO BANDAI Games America, Inc. “Packed with plenty of surprise twists and gripping gameplay, this entirely new entry in the series is set to introduce the bloody saga of Rick and the Terror Mask to a new generation of gamers when it launches in 2009.”

Splatterhouse will launch for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system in 2009. The game is currently featured on the cover of the June issue of EGM, now available at newsstands nationwide. For more information, please visit www.namcobandaigames.com.

The ZD gang reveals that Bottlerocket games—the folks behind the Mark of Kri games for PlayStation 2—are piloting the good ship Splatterhouse. And they even offer up a shot of the in-game model, bigger and bloodier than the wee thumbnail above. Squeal! I'm moving my bed next to the mail slot, for more instantaneous EGM gratification.

Previews: Splatterhouse [1UP]

New-gen Splatterhouse details are non-existent, but EGM subscribers should start seeing their copies hit later this week.

EGM Heads to the Splatterhouse [1UP]

Splatterhouse isn't too bad, really. Some would call it the precursor to modern day survival horror. You play Rick Taylor, a parapsychology student who, like so many other beat-em up stars, finds his girlfriend kidnapped by evil. Rick is killed, only to be resurrected by the Terror Mask as Jason Voorhees.

Beyond Oasis is an action RPG I have never played and only barely heard of, but it features music by ActRaiser and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin composer Yuzo Koshiro, so it could possibly be worth the 800 points. Anyone out there play this one?

I hope this no press release thing isn't a trend, because if I have to turn on my Wii every Monday morning the ensuing distraction and lateness won't bode well for my day job.

(EDIT) - Apparently Excite Bike snuck up on there when no one was looking, increasing the quality of this week's VC releases 100%.

Virtual Console Releases - 3/19/07 [1P Start]

Yardarm51