Even Hell's Kitchen Vs. for DSiWare (800 DSi Points) is a stretch, as I can't imagine I am in the majority when it comes to crossover fans of downloadable DSi titles and Gordon Ramsay's reality cooking show. I also can't imagine the game being anything like the show, especially with that E for everyone rating. How will I know my risotto is shit?

Hell's Kitchen is joined by two puzzle games on DSiWare this week, Nintendo's missile-firing Trajectile (500 points) and Aksys's Animal Puzzle Adventure (500 points), which sees players leading animals to barns while avoiding cliffs and other pitfalls. Totilo informs me that Trajectile is actually developed by Q-Games of PixelJunk fame, and is "so far, very good."

This week's WiiWare titles are all new to me. Triangle Studios' Heron: Steam Machine (500 Wii Points) is a game about managing steam pressure in a rubber ducky factory. Then we've got Big Blue Bubble's Pub Darts (500 points), which is about throwing darts at a pub, go figure. Finally, Digital Leisure whips out Fast Draw Showdown (500 points), a gun-slinging game that has you trying to out-draw the fastest guns in the West, or die trying. Fast Draw Showdown uses actual actors as targets, so you know it's got to be a quality product!

Finally (pun semi-intended) we've got Final Fight 3 for the Super Nintendo on the Virtual Console (800 points), which is of course the North American version of Final Fight 6, unless I am getting my Final games mixed up again.

And so begins the third year of the Nintendo Download. Are we off to a good start, or are things just warming up?

Nintendo DSiWare

Trajectile
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Trajectile is a puzzle game that's as much about firepower as it is about brainpower, requiring you to line up your shot and launch a flurry of missiles at enemy targets. Three types of missiles are at your disposal, each one with its own characteristics - but all of them can bounce off walls on their path to smash, blast or drill through enemies and blocks. Along the way, you'll find item blocks just waiting to be destroyed so that you can obtain special power-ups ... and cause even more destruction. Be careful though, as missile type and position are predetermined and you get only a limited number of launches per stage. Complete multiple classes containing numerous individual stages, earning medals when you clear stages in fewer than the given number of turns. Are you ready to take aim at becoming a Trajectile master?

Animal Puzzle Adventure
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Animal Puzzle Adventure is a simple puzzle game where you have to lead various animals to their respective barns placed on the map, while avoiding pitfalls and cliffs and using the objects on the field to your advantage. There are 10 stages per level with a total of five levels, creating 50 stages in all. After clearing a stage, you unlock a piece of a photo. Once you clear all 10 stages in a level, the wallpaper for that level becomes unlocked and you can then view it in the gallery. With so many puzzles to unravel, you'll find yourself immersed in the puzzle-riffic world of Animal Puzzle Adventure.

Hell's Kitchen Vs.
Publisher: Ludia
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Hell's Kitchen Vs. is based on the U.S. TV phenomenon where world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay puts aspiring chefs through rigorous culinary tests. The game recreates the show's pressure-cooker atmosphere as two players battle head-to-head in an arcade-style kitchen challenge. Try to conquer your opponent in each time-management test, while taking the heat of Gordon Ramsay judging and rating your performance at every stage of the game.

WiiWare

Heron: Steam Machine
Publisher: Triangle Studios
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: Heron: Steam Machine is a game about a factory where rubber duckies are being produced by a large steam engine. On this steam engine, there are four different gauges which you will have to watch carefully. By connecting the pipes, you will earn points and relieve some of the pressure, keeping the machine running just a little bit longer. If one of the gauges reaches its maximum, the machine will eventually blow up, and the game is over. If you were lucky enough to achieve a high score, make sure you enter your name in the list so other players can compete with you. In Multiplayer, you are able to cooperate with friends in maintaining the steam machine. When you play with two, three or four players, the screen is divided into sections with different background colors. Each player is able to solve his or her own part of the puzzle. Players are restricted to their own section of the screen, so you will have to work together to make the pipes fit properly. (Additional accessories are required for multiplayer play and are sold separately.)

Pub Darts
Publisher: Big Blue Bubble Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Alcohol Reference
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Pub Darts is a simple darts simulation which uses the Wii Remote™ controller's unique controls to mimic dart-throwing motion. The game is set in a local pub where the players will settle in to play some of their favorite dart games, including 501, Cricket, Around the Clock, Killers and Baseball. Controls function just like throwing a real dart. Players are able to create their own personal profiles, including selecting their avatar image from a collection of creative characters and the design they would like displayed on the dart flights.

Fast Draw Showdown
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Alcohol Reference, Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: When it comes to fast draw there're only two types of people: the quick ... and the dead! Now you have the chance to find out where you stand, or lie, as the case may be. You'll go up against the best quick draws in the business, including one of the world's fastest, Wes Flowers. Unholster your Wii Remote controller and show 'em who the fastest draw really is, in this live-action shooter. You can even take on a friend in multiplayer modes, and see which of you has the quickest draw. You'll need some serious speed and awesome accuracy to take on these gunslingers ... so get ready for some real fast draw action.

Virtual Console

Final Fight 3
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Animated Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Following the defeat and subsequent disappearance of the Mad Gear Gang, a small group known only as "Skull Cross" is responsible for a new uprising of vandalism, terrorism and death. The government of Metro City is at a complete loss. Metro City's mayor, Mike Haggar, and Guy are prepared to take on the new gang, but before they can act, the door bursts open, revealing Lucia, Cody's old friend. "Metro City is under attack!" she shouts, "Skull Cross is loose, and they've got something up their sleeves." But before any of them can move, a mysterious man appears in the doorway. "My name is Dean," he says. "I know Skull Cross inside-and-out, and I hate them more than anything. I can help you, and you can help me. We must go!" All four fighters vow to bring Skull Cross down. It will be a tough assignment, and may even be their final fight!

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood has been available to Japanese Wii owners since 2008, but it may be available to those of us in North America, Europe and Australia, if the OFLC's recent rating—spotted by Nintendo Life—is any indication. Perhaps another Hanabi Festival is in order for PAL territories?

Of course, you can play Castlevania: Rondo of Blood right now, should you have a PSP. Konami released the game as Dracula X Chronicles in 2007 on UMD, issuing a digitally downloadable version this year.

Don't be surprised to see Rondo of Blood on the list of Wii Virtual Console releases in 2010. And don't be surprised if you recognize many of its heavily recycled sprites.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Getting Long Overdue Western Release [Nintendo Life]

Okay, I suck at giving subtle hints. The original Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 is the 500th downloadable game for the Nintendo Wii. 1,000 Wii points scores you the grandfather of one of the biggest games released on the Wii, or the father of one of the best things going on the GameCube. Between that and the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden (600 points), which takes place before TECMO mastered breast physics, the Virtual Console could be your best bet in this week's Nintendo Download.

That's not to say there aren't plenty of titles coming on the WiiWare front this week. You've got Nintendo's first-person shooter Eco-Shooter: Plant 530 (1,000 points), which pits you as a recycling plant worker fighting against an evil alien race that has brought Earth's empty cans to life. It's a message about recycling that even lets you recycle a useless piece of plastic - the Wii Zapper. Eco-Shooter is joined by Gameloft's TV Game-Show King 2 (800 points), Playstos' action platformer Pallurikio (1,000 points), and Happy Holidays Christmas from 505 Games (500 points), an application that lets you create Christmas cards and send them to your Wii friends. Aww.

Finally we have DSiWare, with Dragon's Lair making it's downloadable debut (800 DSi points), High Stakes: Texas Hold'Em (500 points) and Hot and Cold: A 3D Hidden Object Adventure (800 points) filling in the H category, and My Notebook Green (200 points) adding green to the colors that My Notebook comes in.

As always, check out the official descriptions below, and be sure to log into the Wii Shop Channel to wish it a happy 500th game.

Virtual Console

Super Smash Bros.
Original platform: Nintendo 64™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Choose from an all-star cast of Nintendo characters in a frantic melee to prove who will be the ultimate brawler. Utilize the easy-to-learn but hard-to-master controls and battle it out in the single-player mode, earning point bonuses and unlocking hidden characters along the way. Enter VS Mode to take on up to three other players simultaneously. Inflict damage using each character's unique set of special moves, familiar items and power-ups, eventually winning by knocking your opponents off the screen in one of the interactive stages, each with a Nintendo theme. Need a moment to catch your breath? Polish your skills in Training Mode or destroy targets in Bonus Stages specific to each character. Are you ready to test your mettle against all comers, including the powerful Master Hand?

NINJA GAIDEN™
Original platform: Arcade
Publisher: TECMO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Alcohol Reference, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Take control of a ninja, master of the Five Ninja Fighting Arts of assassination passed down since the chaotic times of feudal Japan, and enter "Jungle," a terrifying American city, to crush waves of foes who are part of an assassination syndicate. Use three buttons to execute exciting moves like the Flying Neck Throw, the Hang Kick and the Triple Blow Combination. Each stage is based around popular Western misconceptions about ninja and Japan, making the game world a fantastic mix of ninja and American pop culture. Game settings such as the starting number of player characters and the difficulty level can also be adjusted.

WiiWare

Eco Shooter: Plant 530
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Earth's empty cans have been brought to life by the Cannoids, an alien race determined to destroy the planet. Only Mack, a technician from the recycling facility Plant 530, stands in their way as Earth's last line of defense. Step into Mack's shoes in this guided first-person shooter as he takes on the invading aliens with only his trusty recycle cannon and a can-do attitude. Blast and vacuum (yes, vacuum) your way to victory, keeping in mind that every shot counts. Your ammo also doubles as your health, and every enemy you destroy leaves behind Can Energy that you can vacuum up and use as ammo. Uncomplicated controls (including optional use of the Wii Zapper™ accessory) give everyone the chance to save the planet, while advanced tactics like consecutive hit combos and the tough Challenge mode give even the best players a run for their money. Are you ready to step up and put a dent in their cans?

TV Show King 2
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Drug Reference
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: TV Show King is back for a second round. There are 8,000 questions sorted into 12 categories on the program, including general knowledge, sports, movies, music and more. And that's without counting the questions that you can create yourself. Here's everything you need to compete with your friends, or with players all over the world thanks to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection.

Pallurikio™
Publisher: Playstos Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Jump and roll with Pallurikio, a fast-paced action platformer that's easy to pick up yet challenging to master. While playing a mysterious board game he found with his friends, Rusty is sucked into a dimensional vortex and finds himself in a mystical and wondrous world where he assumes the aspect of the round and bouncing Pallurikio. Using the Wii Remote™ controller, make Pallurikio jump and roll and help him find his way through more than 50 enticing levels while surviving all kinds of pitfalls and trickeries in Bakumbala Jungle, the far reaches of Palluro Prime and many other weird settings. Featuring physics simulation, Time Attack mode, collectible cards and space rockets to boot, Pallurikio is a game you won't want to miss.

Happy Holidays Christmas
Publisher: 505 Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Planning a Christmas party and want to grab guests' attention? Or want to send greeting cards without the hassle of licking stamps? Here's the solution: Create and send fun Christmas cards with this unique WiiWare application. Happy Holidays Christmas lets you make fun Christmas-themed e-cards and send them straight to friends' Wii™ consoles. Add a tree and decorations; choose frames, stickers and music; then write a message to friends you've registered in your Wii Address Book. It might not snow this Christmas, but with this fun new software your holiday is guaranteed to be a happy one.

Nintendo DSiWare

UNO
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Get ready to call out "UNO!" on your Nintendo DSi™ system. The world-famous card game has been faithfully reproduced for the Nintendo DSi system and features exciting new rules. With a multiplayer mode that can be accessed by local wireless play or with broadband Internet access and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, playing UNO has never been so fun and easy, so be the first to get rid of all your cards.

Dragon's Lair
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You play the heroic Dirk the Daring, a valiant knight on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon. Control the actions of the daring adventurer and find your way through the castle of a dark wizard who has enchanted it with treacherous monsters and obstacles. In the mysterious caverns below the castle, your odyssey continues against the awesome forces that oppose your journey to the dragon's lair. Dragon's Lair is a fully animated classic arcade game from legendary animator Don Bluth.

Hot and Cold: A 3D Hidden Object Adventure
Publisher: Majesco Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You're getting warm...warmer...hot! You've found Hot and Cold: A 3D Hidden Object Adventure, the new game that puts you on the job of finding people's missing stuff. A voice in your head tells you whether you're Hot or Cold when searching for things. Investigate cases all over town using your unique ability, and discover the secret behind the mysterious voice in your head. Throw objects out of your way, maneuver your way through a 3-D world, follow your Hot and Cold meter and more in this unparalleled hidden-object adventure.

High Stakes: Texas Hold'Em
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Simulated Gambling
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Hudson proudly presents the definitive Texas Hold'Em game for Nintendo DSiWare with High Stakes Texas Hold'Em. High Stakes allows players of any level to enjoy Texas Hold'Em game play. The popular No-Limit rule set used in many tournaments is included, so anyone can play with the big boys. With the added functionality of DS Wireless Communications, players can compete with others and test their skills. It's the core Texas Hold'Em experience on your Nintendo DSi system - anytime, anywhere.

myNotebook: Green™
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off, or even play your favorite pen-and-paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable squared and lined paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make your notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don't like. With five ink colors, you'll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.

Some highlights or lowlights - really, you should go see the whole thing - Marvel vs. Capcom 2 bottomed out after releasing to Xbox Live Arcade and PSN this year. After reaching highs of $109.99 (PlayStation 2) and $91.99 (Xbox), they slumped to $43 and $30 respectively after the title went out online. Ouch.

The games get a dead-cat bounce but prospects for a recovery beyond that aren't good, if Castlevania is any indication. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in its PSOne form hit $50.75 in December 2006. The next year, the game was released on XBLA and PSN, dropping the hard copy value to $19.99. It's recovered slightly to $27.12, but that's just a little over half its pre-re-release (say that three times fast) high.

MTV Multiplayer did its analysis according to VideoGamePriceCharts.com. Really, though, take a look for yourself. They covered much more than those two titles above, and offer tips for the safest investments unlikely to be undercut by re-releases.

Video Game Collectors Feeling the Pain of Re-Releases [MTV Multiplayer]

Despite a strong showing across all three of Nintendo's downloadable game services, the Virtual Console comes out on top this week, with one of the greatest action games for the Nintendo Entertainment System finally making it onto the Wii. I'm talking about Sunsoft's Blaster Master (500 Wii points). On one hand, it's the story of a brave adventurer travelling through the mutant-infested tunnels beneath the earth's crust in Sophia the 3rd, an armored attack vehicle of unknown origin. On the other, it's a game about a kid looking for his missing frog, Fred. It's one of my favorite video games of all time, eclipsing even Interplay's Earthworm Jim 2 (800 points), also hitting the VC this week.

DSiWare is a close second this week, with titles like Littlest Pet Shop (800 DSi points), Bejeweled Twist (500 points), Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam (500 points), and Gameloft's Miami nightlife simulator Miami Nights (800 points) making up the inclusion of another silly Master of Illusion: Express title.

Not that this week's WiiWare offerings are particularly bad. I'm just not all that familiar with racer Stunt Cars (800 points), petri dish shooter Diatomic (800 points), Natsume's puzzler Moki Moki (800 points), and Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH (600 points), so my excitement is held in check by my unfortunate ignorance.

Check out the full descriptions below and see if there's anything worth your while. Other than Blaster Master, of course. That's a given.

Virtual Console

Blaster Master™
Original platform: NES™
Publisher: Sunsoft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: The New York sewers were never like this. You've fallen down a hidden manhole into a world of creatures so terrifying they'd scare the rats away. You can panic and perish, or blast your way through an endless maze of tunnels in search of secret passages to your escape. Masters of the Caverns lay waiting - prehistoric creatures so powerful and gigantic they literally fill your screen. Load your arsenal and get ready for Blaster Master.

Earthworm Jim 2™
Original platform: SEGA Genesis
Publisher: Interplay
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Superhero annelid Jim and his new sidekick, Snott, are back for an off-the-wall sequel in Earthworm Jim 2. Containing more action than your standard platformer from the Genesis era, each stage has a different style and mission, drawing on game play from different genres, including mazes, trivia contests and arcade-style levels. The game also features music composed by Tommy Tallarico. Do you have what it takes to rescue the Princess?

Nintendo DSiWare

LITTLEST PET SHOP
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Experience your favorite LITTLEST PET SHOP pets in a whole new way on your Nintendo DSi system. Play catch with your pets and their favorite toys, dress them up in adorable new accessories and keep them happy by brushing and feeding them. You can even throw a little dance party for your pets and help them rock out to cool songs.

Miami Nights
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Comic Mischief, Mild Suggestive Themes, Tobacco Reference, Use of Alcohol
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You won't find a more complete life simulation than Miami Nights: Life in the Spotlight. Begin by designing your avatar with an unbelievable level of customizable physical detail. But it's not your physique that counts. Instead, your life choices and your everyday behavior will influence more than 40 attributes that will make you a unique, progressive individual. The city of Miami is presented to you with no fewer than 30 places to explore. Plus, you'll be able to customize your entire home and interact with your environment in many ways. The most important part of the game play lies in how you interact with other characters. They will be the ones who'll help you achieve your goals. You'll be able to establish and break off different types of relationships with them. It's up to you to act like a bad guy or sweet girl, make friends or enemies, and choose the best way - honest or otherwise - to make your dreams become a reality.

Bejeweled Twist™
Publisher: PopCap Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Spin, match, explode - it's a brilliant new way to play. Spin and match explosive gems for shockwaves of fun in this quick-play version of the award-winning PopCap game. Rotate jewels to set up electrifying combos, outwit obstacles like Locks and Bombs, and create high-voltage Flame and Lightning gems. Play the intensely fun Classic mode or take on a friend in the exclusive Nintendo DS Battle mode. No matter how you play, you'll find endless ways to win.

Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam
Publisher: Virtual Toys
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Have you ever asked yourself what it would feel like to be among the stoves of the best restaurants in the world? Do you want to become the best chef there is, preparing scrumptious dishes? Jump right in and enter the world of Yummy Yummy and its mixture of flavors and aromas. In Yummy Yummy, you'll have to satisfy the hunger of the most diverse, colorful set of diners: vampires, extraterrestrials, mafia thugs, Vikings and more. Prepare hot dogs, hamburgers, pizzas and Mexican burritos as quickly as you can before your customers get tired of waiting and decide to leave the restaurant without giving you a good tip. Roll up your sleeves, don your chef's hat and have a great time.

Master of Illusion™ Express: Matchmaker
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Master of Illusion Express titles feature mind-boggling magic tricks that you can perform with your Nintendo DSi system. Learn the illusions, practice up and amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Matchmaker includes two tricks that use your Nintendo DSi system to reveal information about others. Use the Photo Diagnosis trick and stun others by taking two simple photos to pinpoint their exact age. Or have the Matchmaker trick show that another person has favorite dates or favorite foods that are similar to yours. Who knows? You could even land a date or make a new friend.

WiiWare

Stunt Cars™
Publisher: Icon Games Entertainment
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Stunt Cars takes place on elevated racetracks with very little to stop players from accidentally driving off the side. Turbo can be used to make a car go faster, but it can only be used for a limited amount of time in each race. As you progress through the game's four championship cups, you'll unlock special features such as driver achievement awards.

Diatomic
Publisher: Grendel Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Diatomic is a fast retro-arcade action game that takes place inside a set of petri dishes. The safe confines of your petri dish are about to be invaded by nine different diatomic creatures that seek to destroy you. Armed with your shield, tail, strategic intelligence and good reflexes, you stand a good chance of defeating the overwhelming odds. You must stay alive during 65 hectic stages spread over five chapters. The high score list shows what kind of player you are. Playing defensively and gaining an all-out defensive high score is harder to pull off than gaining an all-out offensive high score.

Moki Moki™
Publisher: Natsume Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: It's a mind-bending, gravity-defying puzzler. The Moki are being devoured by the voracious Gromblins, and it's up to you to guide the hapless little guys to safety. Bend, twist and rotate the environment to herd the Moki through a series of brain-teasing puzzles. Along the way, you'll have to contend with deadly pitfalls, spinning blades and shifting gravity. Roll Moki down ramps, grab them with hooks and blast them with jets to guide them safely to the portals. Challenge your skills in 100 unique levels.

Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH
Publisher: Two Tribes
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is a 3-D puzzle game with more than 70 challenging levels. Players need to guide Cubes to color-coded exit points. Using the Wii Remote™ controller's intuitive controls, players herd the colored cubes along by using Conveyer Belts, Warps, Stop Signs, Directional Signs and Splits. RUSH also includes the original Rubik's Cube as a bonus. Players can attempt to solve one of the four different-sized Cubes alone, compete against a second player or learn how to solve the classic Rubik's Cube.

Alex Kidd in Shinobi World was, sadly, the last game in the Alex Kidd series to be released, a title that originally began its existence as Kid Shinobi before Sega opted to capitalize on its largely forgotten mascot. My favorite Alex Kidd in Shinobi World trivia morsel is the game's original first boss, Mari-Oh, a mustachioed parody of the fireball tossing Shinobi boss Ken-Oh. Sega chose not release the game with Mari-Oh in his more recognizable, legal troubling form.

And, as was confirmed already by the recently revitalized Sunsoft, hybrid adventure Blaster Master is coming to the Wii's Virtual Console, as doubly confirmed by the ESRB. When? Some time in December.

Kicking things off this week despite a startling lack of actual limbs is Ubisoft's Rayman (800 DSi points). Ubi has taken the original game and ported it to the DSi, forcing him to save his world from the dreadful Mr. Dark all over again, only this time around he can play against the clock to earn bonuses, which might include arms and legs. Probably not.

Four other titles drop for DSiWare this week along with Rayman, including puzzle game Ball Fighter (500 points), local wireless capture-the-flag game Pop Island (500 points), action shooter Army Defender (200 points), and the red version of myNotebook (200 points).

WiiWare keeps it low key this week, with four titles guaranteed to not get you all that excited. Yullaby's Magnetis (500 Wii points) is a puzzle game about creating electric explosions. Nocturnal Entertainment's Flowerworks (1,000 points) is a 20 hour-plus adventure game about a girl named Follie who loses a shipment of flowerworks seeds, whatever those might be. My Dolphin (500 points) is a dolphin training sim. As you can see, nothing too amazing, through Stop Stress: A Day of Fury (800 points), a game about beating things up with a baseball bat in the dreams of the world's most stressed-out man certainly sounds promising.

Finally we have the Virtual Console, which gets the arcade version of Sega's Shinobi (800 points) and Street Fighter Alpha for the Super Nintendo (800 points).

So Rayman, Stop Stress, and Shinobi are on my shopping list. What's on yours? Feel free to browse the full descriptions below to aid in your shopping adventure.

Nintendo DSiWare

Rayman
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: The legendary first Rayman adventure is now available from the Nintendo DSiWare service. Play as Rayman and try to save his amazing world from the evil Mr. Dark. Discover a charming universe with colorful landscapes and meet funny characters who'll help Rayman through his quest. Experiment with his abilities as you punch, hang or fly in the air and choose between two difficulty levels. Take advantage of new features in the Nintendo DSi version, such as the Nintendo DSi Camera, map selection on the touch screen and the ability to play against time to win bonuses.

Ball Fighter
Publisher: Teyon
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Ball Fighter is a puzzle game in which you take aim and blast groups of dropping spheres to create matches and clear the board. You can make chains to earn additional points or to make the game more difficult for an opponent. When you destroy spheres in a multiplayer mode, they will be added to the opponent's board, making his or her task more difficult. You can find special bonuses like a Brush, a Rocket Launcher or a Bomb, which can be used to destroy spheres or to paint a line of them with the same color. You'll find a variety of single-player modes, including Arcade, Survival, Brain Breaker and Player vs CPU, plus the unique multiplayer mode, all playable on one Nintendo DSi system.

Pop Island
Publisher: odenis studio
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Discover a joyful universe where playing is always a pleasure with Pop Island. Colorful and fun, Pop Island is an action-packed capture-the-flag game. Pick a team to join, then run, jump and spin your way around the island in an attempt to collect the priceless flags hidden throughout it. Become a surfing penguin, a flying fish or a waterskiing crocodile as you go all out for victory, unlocking 12 more joyful animals as you rack up points across eight different planets. You might even end up competing as a skateboarding mammoth. Playing alone is plenty of fun, but the madcap action reaches a new level when your friends get involved. By sharing the demo of the game via DS Download Play, up to seven more people with their own Nintendo DSi systems can use a local wireless connection to join you for some head-to-head or cooperative action. With plenty of power-ups, you'll need to concentrate on capturing more than just the rival team's flag to claim victory.

ARMY DEFENDER
Publisher: MINDSCAPE
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Army Defender is an action shooter in which players must defend their base against enemy attacks by controlling a machine gun tower designed to eradicate enemy waves. As the player levels up, the enemy becomes more and more numerous and well-equipped. Attackers include soldiers, tanks, paratroopers, helicopters, jet fighters, bombers and elite commandos. Depending on the enemy type (red or green), players must switch between ammunition colors. The machine gun tower will fire where the player taps the touch screen. Power-ups are made available on a regular basis when a super bomber delivers them onto the base. When a power-up is retrieved, players will be able to upgrade their tower for a limited amount of time. Upgrades include flamethrowers, rocket launchers or concussion grenades that will help contain enemy progression.

myNotebook: Red™
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off, or even play your favorite pen-and-paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable squared and lined paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make your notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don't like. With five ink colors, you'll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.

WiiWare™

My Dolphin
Publisher: T&S Ltd.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: You are a dolphin trainer. Use the magical stick (Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers) to perform in lifelike dolphin shows. Teach your dolphin tricks and have fun watching your dolphin swim and play elegantly with different scenes, music and angles. This game lets you train your dolphin, compete in dolphin shows and watch your dolphin swim freely. Using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play, you can become friends with other dolphins that have different colors and personalities. You can also buy new toys such as rings and balls for your dolphin to play with.

MAGNETIS™
Publisher: YULLABY
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: MAGNETIS is all about attraction. Connect the magnets to create electric explosions. Solving this frantic puzzle will require quick thinking and foresight. Anticipate connections in order to generate massive chain reactions to win the highest number of points. To get rid of blocks and score points, you must create lines by connecting left and right magnets of the same color by using conductor blocks. The longer the line, the more points you'll get. Team up with as many as three friends in cooperative mode or play against them in battle mode and compete for the highest score.

Stop Stress: A Day of Fury
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Animated Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Jack's dreams have become a nightmare, and only you can help him to get out. Climb into the skin of the most stressed-out man in the world, grab the baseball bat and prepare to let off more steam than ever before. Destroy everything around you, beat a path through traffic or at the office, and face off against incredible hallucinations. How far will a day of fury take you?

Flowerworks®
Publisher: Nocturnal Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: While our heroine Follie is traveling to meet her auntie with a cargo of mystical Flowerworks seeds, her ship is pulled off course and crash-lands in a particularly dull area of the planet Elilia. Explore with Follie and help her recover her seeds to transform the world from drab to fab. You'll encounter strange inhabitants, some of whom will help Follie in her quest. Others, such as naughty garden gnomes, will hinder it. Flowerworks is a single-player adventure which combines blooming flowers, colorful fireworks, exploration and a whole lot of fun. The game will have the whole family immersed in no time, but be warned: Becoming a Flowerworks master is not for the faint of heart. Flowerworks includes Adventure, FreePlay and Tutorial game modes, with three difficulty settings in a 20-hour adventure.

Virtual Console

Street Fighter Alpha 2
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Animated Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Street Fighter Alpha 2 explodes with lightning-fast game play and amazing innovations. Quick Move Reversals, Alpha Counters and the incredible Custom Combo System create a new standard for all games to fight by. Push your talents to the limit as you discover new hidden moves and reversals for every character. Neutralize opponents' attacks with high and low Alpha Counters and execute incredible Custom Combos to create your own rapid-fire assaults. All your favorite warriors are back for more. Previously hidden characters Dan, Akuma and Bison are joined by five new fighters: Rolento, Gen and Sakura, plus classic favorites Dhalsim and Zangief.

Shinobi™
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Here's a bit of helpful advice to all you criminal organizations out there: If you're going to hatch an elaborate plot that involves kidnapping children, don't kidnap children who have ninjas for parents. That was the big mistake that a group called Zeed made when it went after the offspring of the Oboro clan. Now Joe Musashi is on the hunt to rescue the young hostages and take out Zeed's leaders, the Ring of Five. As you scour each stage, leave no children behind - Joe can't proceed to the next level without freeing them all. With an unlimited supply of shuriken, his sharpened katana and his deadly fists and feet, Joe will show Zeed why you don't mess with family.

Despite adding a grand total of ten new titles across Nintendo's three downloadable game platforms, this week's update is relatively tame. The only real big-name title is the fourth chapter of Tales of Monkey Island for WiiWare (1,000 Wii points). Other WiiWare additions this week include Hudson's zoo simulation My Zoo (500 points), Digital Leisure's helicopter rescue title Copter Crisis (500 points), and a Christmas-themed puzzle game from JV Games called Christmas Clix (1,000 points).

DSiWare gets four new games as well, starting with EA's Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes (800 DSi points), which allows players to use the DSi camera and mic to create faces and voices for every character in the game. Outside of that gimmick, its a pretty simple platforming puzzle game, but still more interesting than Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe (200 points), Sudoku Challenge! (500 points), and PopCap's Bookworm (500 points).

The Virtual Console gets the short end of the stick this week, with Super Nintendo beat-em up The Combatribes (800 points) and TECMO's action/puzzle arcade game Solomon's Key (600 points).

I might pick up Foto Face, if only to have something new to do with my DSi camera. Your thoughts?

WiiWare

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Conspiracies, betrayal and shocking revelations as the Tales of Monkey Island intensity builds. Guybrush returns to Flotsam Island, but forget about a hero's welcome. Handed over to De Singe by the backstabbing Morgan LeFlay, Guybrush is seized by an angry mob and put on trial. With a silk-tongued prosecutor in his face and a hangman's noose dangling over his neck, Guybrush must figure out how to defend himself against grave accusations. Meanwhile, the determined Marquis sets his sights on a new and far more attractive test subject. How on earth will the Mighty Pirate get out of this mess? The monthly Tales of Monkey Island tension continues to mount in The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood. Brace yourself for a shocking revelation that will rock the world of Monkey Island to its core.

My Zoo™
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: My Zoo is a relaxing animal sim that puts you in the shoes of an animal breeder, raising up animals you'd normally only dream of. All it takes is a Wii Remote™ controller for a simple, yet fulfilling, connection with nature. There are 12 animal types in total (four sold separately as add-on content). Select your favorites and nurture them to adulthood. Feeding them, petting them and cleaning up their messes are great ways to form a lasting bond. Each animal's personality will change depending on how you take care of it. Watch them get spoiled, turn into over-eaters and more as they grow on a daily basis. Some animals will even have a baby on occasion, and once it's born, you've got another mouth to feed. Game time passes much more quickly than real time, and the different animal types are active at various hours - some during the day and some at night. Sometimes it's fun to just kick back and watch what they do. So what are you waiting for? It's time to create your own personal zoo.

Copter Crisis
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Copter Crisis puts you in the pilot's seat. As a member of the elite Helicopter Rescue Squad, you'll be assigned to respond to any type of emergency anywhere at any time. As the newest member joining this team, you'll have to complete various missions with the latest in helicopter rescue technology. When you're ready, you'll be tasked with executing rescue missions all around the Black Rock Canyon. Your Wii Remote controller becomes the control stick as you guide your copter along the canyons while avoiding rocks, severe weather and even anti-aircraft fire. Rescue lost hikers, deliver supplies to remote areas, assist on scientific missions and even blast your way into underground cavern systems. Complete all of your objectives and rise through the ranks to take on the toughest rescues and unlock 10 bonus missions. Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play allows you to enhance your flight experience with 10 additional copters, which can give you access to unlimited missiles, larger fuel tanks, cargo holds and even mid-air loops.

Christmas Clix
Publisher: JV Games Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Christmas doesn't have to be all work for Santa, does it? Santa's having some fun and wants you to play along too. You can help Santa decorate the tree by removing the presents and ornaments that he stacks. When you consecutively connect packages without missing a beat, you get extra points. Collect as many candy canes as you can because when you collect enough, Santa will add a special star to the game that can greatly help you get through a level or just bring some additional fun.

Nintendo DSiWare

Foto Face™: The Face Stealer Strikes
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Your face, your game, you're the hero. In Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes, YOU get to be in the game. Using the camera and microphone, you become the hero in your own game. Unlock a variety of hero costumes as you battle the baddies, search for stars and solve platforming puzzles. The Face Stealer has stolen your identity and is creating trouble - and everyone is blaming you. You have to track him down across 15 action-packed stages. Along the way, you'll come across many memorable creatures, both friend and foe. Use the camera and microphone to create faces and voices for every character in your game. Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes - a game starring YOU.

Bookworm
Publisher: PopCap Games, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Feed your appetite for wordy fun in this download version of PopCap's hit word-puzzle game. Link letter tiles left, right, up and down to build words and feed Lex in Bookworm Classic mode. But watch out for burning letters - they could spell disaster for you and Lex. Use Reward Tiles and spell Bonus Words to boost your score and link your best words to enter the Hall of Fame. Play unlimited levels of word-puzzle fun and learn new words on the go. You'll relax and tune up your brain every time you play.

Master of Illusion™ Express: Mind Probe
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Master of Illusion Express titles are mind-boggling magic tricks that you perform with your Nintendo DSi™ system. Learn the illusions, practice up and then amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe uses your Nintendo DSi system as a means of detecting information. Ask a spectator to write down a favorite (or least-favorite) item - person, food or color, for example - and then be astonished when the Nintendo DSi system sounds an alarm to indicate when that item is spoken. Use any variation of likes or dislikes to stun the crowd.

Sudoku Challenge!
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Now's your chance to play the brain-busting puzzle game taking the world by storm. With more than 100,000,000 sudoku puzzles, you'll never see the same puzzle twice in Sudoku Challenge! You can select the classic nine-by-nine sukodu game boards as well as Grand Sudoku, which challenges you to complete five intersecting sudoku boards simultaneously. Just a beginner? Don't worry - with three difficulty options, even the most novice player can complete a sudoku with ease. But if you're a seasoned pro, challenge yourself in "Hard" mode and test your true skills. It's time to get your thinking cap on and see how many sudoku puzzles you can conquer.

Virtual Console

The Combatribes™
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The evil gang known as "Guilty Zero" rules the city, and it's up to you as one of the members of the Combatribes to take them down. Choose one of three characters and fight your way through the city of New York. Progress through the game by tackling the goons and boss of each stage using your arsenal of kicks, punches, throws and other techniques to beat them into submission. Once your stamina bar is reduced to zero, you'll need to use a continue, but when you're out of continues, it's game over. Can you eliminate the threat of "Guilty Zero" and restore the peace in New York City!?

Solomon's Key™
Original platform: Arcade
Publisher: TECMO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Solomon's Key is an action/puzzle game that lets you control the wizard Dana, delving into a labyrinth to seek out a magical tome called Solomon's Key, an item that will help in your quest to drive away evil spirits let loose in the world. The goal of the game is to use the buttons to create and destroy blocks, and use various techniques to find keys to pass through doors. The game has appeared on a variety of platforms, but the arcade version focuses strongly on the action elements of the game, making it more challenging, and allowing players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters, to enjoy it. Settings like the number of lives and difficulty level can be adjusted.

Where to start? This week is pretty packed, especially in the DSiWare department, with five more Electroplanton to play with at 200 points a pop. There's also a notepad application called myNotenook Blue from Nnooo (200 points), which allows users to jot down notes and features 18 unlockable paper styles, which is nearly too much excitement for me to stand. Add in Gameloft's Castle of Magic (500 points), a platform adventure that uses the Nintendo DSi Camera to transform your character into powerful new forms, and you've got enough DSiWare goodness to have you in leftovers for weeks.

The Virtual Console gets two new old games, and they're both relatively big ones. Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo is still one of the best racing games around, and at 800 Wii points its an absolute steal. It is accompanied by
the NES original A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia (500 points), which should be a treat for those who've played the recent reimagining without having played its inspiration.

Rounding up this week's Nintendo Download are four new entries to the WiiWare service. We've got Bit.Trip Void, another entry in Aksys' colorful rhythm-centric series (600 points); Harvest Moon: My Little Shop (1,200 points), which allows players to grow and sell things, building their Clover Town store up from nothing; Little Tournament Over Yonder from Gevo Entertainment (800 points), a strategy game for 1-2 players; and Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1 (500 points), a brain trainer for children aged 3-6.

Check out the full list below to see if you spot anything that will keep you occupied once Thanksgiving dinner ends and awkward family time begins.

BIT.TRIP VOID
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points™
Description: The third installment in the retro-arcade BIT.TRIP saga is a synesthetic exploration of rhythm and music as they pertain to our everyday lives and moods. With a control scheme that's new to the series yet wholly familiar to gamers, players have complete freedom to move about the screen wherever they desire, interacting with the music in brand new ways. The classic game-play aesthetic remains as color - and the absence of color - are explored to the fullest. Trip out in four-player co-op and get lost in the beat with a friend. See if you can survive the onslaught of Beats and further your own BIT.TRIP.

Harvest Moon: My Little Shop
Publisher: Natsume, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,200 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to Clover Town, where you've just taken over your grandparents' farm and shop. The town has fallen on hard times, though. People are leaving, businesses are struggling and the magic of the Harvest Sprites is gone. Can you turn Clover Town's fortunes around and restore its missing magic? Raise crops and animals, then use what you farm at your shop. Keep your customers happy by making wild fruit juices, towering ice cream cones and extravagantly decorated eggs in a series of fun and fast-paced activities that use the Wii Remote™ controller to its fullest potential. Chop vegetables in midair, shake your Wii Remote controller to match your cow's moves, roll eggs through tilting mazes and more. Use your hard-earned money to buy new crops and animals or expand and decorate your shop. Along the way, you'll meet and befriend lots of new and interesting characters, as well as several familiar faces from the Harvest Moon series.

Little Tournament Over Yonder
Publisher: Gevo Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: In the world of Little Tournament Over Yonder, play as a young Prince or Princess and lead your team through numerous battles. Plan and deploy your units to gain strategic advantages. Launch real-time battles between units and fight hard, fast and smart. Build your team, hire new units with different powers, then groom them with battle experience to gain level. With strategic planning and real-time, fast-paced fighting, this game is for the complete warrior - one who works his mind and his muscles. Go for Single-Player Tournament glory or challenge your friend in a 2-Player Versus match.

Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1
Publisher: Lexis Numérique
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: EC (Early Childhood)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to the world of the PooYoos, the first fun, poetic brain trainer for children aged 3 to 6. With the PooYoos, a merry band of adorable baby animals, children will have fun while learning the developmental basics: numbers, letters, lateralization, shapes, colors and more. Children get to dance with their new friends and enjoy lovely interactive rewards. There are two levels of interactivity, so children can play according to their age and level. This game has been designed for use by children who have not yet grasped reading.

Virtual Console

Super Mario Kart
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Get in, sit down, buckle up and experience frantic kart racing in the game that started it all. Select one of eight characters from the Mario series - offering a variety of driving styles - and take on three championship cups in three different kart classes. Win enough and you'll unlock a fourth circuit: the ultra-tough Special Cup. Crossing the finish line in first place isn't an easy task, though, as each track has unique obstacles to conquer. Racers can obtain special power-ups that boost them to victory. For a different kind of challenge, take on a friend in multiplayer races or go head-to-head in a Battle Mode arena, where the object is to pop your opponent's balloons before you lose your own. With more than 15 tracks to master and nearly endless replay value, Super Mario Kart is classic gaming with some banana peels thrown in for good measure.

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia
Original platform: NES™
Publisher: Majesco Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Blob has come from the distant planet Blobolonia in search of an Earth boy to help him save his world. Join him on this fantastic adventure, searching for treasures in mysterious caverns beneath the earth, then traveling to Blobolonia to battle the evil emperor. Discover Blob's amazing appetite for jellybeans and the different transformations that occur with each flavor. Use these shapes to overcome even the most outrageous obstacles. A Boy and His Blob is a fantastic journey filled with constant surprises and humorous characters.

Nintendo DSiWare

Castle Of Magic
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Be prepared for anything as you try to save your friend from the clutches of the horrifying magician Nefastax. Stand up to wild monsters in environments that directly influence your movement. As you navigate this universe, the ground will make you stick, slide, sink, swim, levitate and even walk on the ceiling when gravity disappears. A never-before-seen use for the Nintendo DSi Camera application lets you transform yourself into powerful new forms. Visit an in-game Photo Cabin and search for a real-life object that matches the color of the character you want to transform into. Take a picture of a blue object with your Nintendo DSi system and…presto, you're transformed into a swordfish. You can customize game items - from coins to enemies - with pictures of your choice. Our cute hero's adventure is just too big and immersive for one screen, so he'll have to jump between the top and bottom screens of your Nintendo DSi system. Ready to dive into the adventure?

myNotebook: Blue™
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off or play your favorite pen and paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don't like. With five ink colors, you'll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.

Electroplankton Luminarrow
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Luminarrow plankton are famous for their habit of perfectly following arrow-shaped formations. The plankton spin as they move, changing directions as soon as they come in contact with an arrow that's pointing in another direction. The pitch of the sound they make will change depending on where the arrows are positioned. There are four types of Luminarrow: red, yellow, green and blue. Each type floats at a different speed and makes a distinctive musical tone. The four types of Luminarrow drift together to create beautiful melodies. Completely alter the direction of the arrows to change their sound dramatically.

Electroplankton Sun-Animalcule
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Sun-Animalcule plankton get their name from their tendency to emit light in a sphere around them. The plankton begin as eggs and gradually grow, emitting light and fascinating sounds throughout their entire life cycle. The sounds they make will change as they grow from infancy to maturity, growing very quickly until they disappear completely. Sun-Animalcule plankton only emerge in the morning, noon and evening. They lose strength as the night wears on; that's when the crescent-shaped Falcato plankton take their place. The pitch of the plankton changes depending on where they grow.

Electroplankton Lumiloop
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Lumiloop plankton are curious, donut-shaped aquatic creatures. While stationary, they have the ability to spin at a very high rate of speed. As they spin, the Lumiloop emit unique sounds and a fascinating ring-shaped glow. Lumiloop plankton seem to always grow in clusters of five. They produce sounds at different pitches as they spin together, creating a beautiful harmony. This is called a pentatonic scale. Depending on where they live, Lumiloop plankton that produce several different sounds have been identified.

Electroplankton Marine-Crystals
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Resembling delicate snow crystals, Marine-Crystal plankton float elegantly on the surface of the water. The plankton get their name from their distinctive snowflake shape. They grow in clusters of 35 and line up in very orderly formations. When stimulated, Marine-Crystal plankton spin and produce vibrant sounds. While the plankton do grow in size if they are repeatedly tapped, they gradually return to their original size over time. They are born in four polygonal shapes: triangle, square, pentagon and hexagon. The ends of the crystalline protrusions also take on the same shapes. The tone of the sound they make will change depending on the shape of the Marine-Crystal plankton's body.

Electroplankton Varvoice
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Varvoice plankton memorize the sound of human speech and repeat it over and over. They accomplish this amazing feat by oscillating the long flagellum that extends from their heads. By resonating the vibration with their water-droplet-shaped body, the plankton produce sounds that closely resemble the human voice. The body can expand and contract at will. By changing shape, they can easily manipulate the sound of the voice. Words that the Varvoice memorize and play back in reverse have a particularly strange ring to them. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as Varvoice inversion.

This coming Monday - November 23 - sees the release of the original SNES Mario Kart, for 800 Points. Good news. Better news is to come, though, as "sometime this holiday season" Nintendo will also release the original SNES Pilotwings and the original N64 Smash Bros. Exact release dates and pricing to come on those two.

Leaving just one game on my Virtual Console wish list. Jurassic Park. Chop chop, Nintendo.

Super Mario Kart drifts onto Wii VC [GameSpot]

Demos, in my WiiWare? Preposterous! Yes, this week Nintendo is giving us a free taste of some of the more popular WiiWare titles, letting players who weren't sure about BIT.TRIP Beat, Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, and World of Goo a chance to take the games for a test drive. It's about damn time, isn't it?

Or you could demo Pokémon Rumble. It's the only original title hitting WiiWare this week, but when it's a Pokémon brawler, do you really need anything else? Priced at a hefty 1500 Wii points, Rumble pits your Pokémon against wave after wave of enemy Pokémon, using your special moves to win the day. You befriend enemy Pokémon as you progress, allowing you to choose the right Pokémon for the right Poké-situation. Up to four players can participate locally, making this a fine party game for the younger set.

DSiWare gets three new games this week, and one of them has Art Style in the name. Art Style: DIGIDRIVE (500 DSi points) is a traffic manipulating puzzle game, where stacking similar cars gives you the fuel to keep stacking similar cars. Skyworks Interactive brings us Arcade Bowling (200 points), a ball-flicking bowler from classic Activision game designer David Crane. Finally we have Robot Rescue from Teyon (200 points), a logic game about manipulating linked robots through a deadly labyrinth.

A fine lineup this week, and let's not forget the Virtual Console, where Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventure for the Super Nintendo (800 Wii points) and Street Fighter II Championship Edition for the TurboGrafx16 (700 points) both go on sale today.

Check out the official descriptions below, and get ready to download the hell out of some WiiWare demos.

WiiWare

Pokémon Rumble
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 1,500 Wii Points
Description: Available exclusively for the WiiWare service, Pokémon Rumble is an action game in which you control Toy Pokémon (referred to as "Pokémon") and take on wave after wave of other Pokémon in a variety of stages. You can befriend some of the defeated Pokémon along the way, which lets you add them to your collection and grants you the ability to use them in battle. Switch between collected Pokémon at any time, taking advantage of the fact that the amount of damage you deal depends on the type of move used and the type of Pokémon hit. Be the last one standing to gain the right to compete in the Battle Royale and test your skills against many Pokémon at once. You can also team up with three people for some multiplayer action (additional Wii Remote controllers required), working together to take down tough Bosses and earning points that can be used toward recruiting or training Pokémon. You can even save your favorite Pokémon to your Wii Remote™ controller for exchanges with friends. Combining beautiful cel-shaded graphics and exciting game-play features, this is one rumble you won't want to miss. Note that a demo version of Pokémon Rumble is also available for zero Wii Points.

BIT.TRIP BEAT Demo
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: BIT.TRIP BEAT brings retro action back as you use the Wii Remote controller's motion sensor to bounce beats in this rhythm game. Retro visuals, classic game play, four-player multiplayer and an 8-bit soundtrack will get you in the zone and rock your world. Pay attention, though: As with most classic games, the challenges are mighty. If you can stay cool as the difficulty increases, you'll discover the beginnings of the BIT.TRIP saga.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord Demo
Publisher: SQUARE ENIX
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: Step into the royal shoes of the Darklord's daughter as she installs traps and monsters inside her tower to fight back the endless waves of invading adventurers in this world-conquest role-playing game. Filling your demonic tower with monsters and traps called Artifacts is your only hope to keep the adventurers from destroying the Dark Crystal on the top floor. Fly your tower across the land and conquer every stage on your way to dominating the entire world.

NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits Demo
Publisher: Over The Top Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits is the awesome story of Nyx, an enigmatic winged girl who must descend from heaven in search of her missing friend, Icarus. Fly over the ruins of ancient Greece and avoid falling into blazing sands or perishing in the claws of cruel harpies and hydras. You'll need the help of Zeus and other benevolent gods from Olympus to summon their powers. They will let you cast rays, modify the scenery and control winds at will. Fly, aim and shoot using the Wii Remote controller. Play with a friend and maximize your abilities: While one player controls Nyx, the other will control the powers from the gods.

World of Goo Demo
Publisher: 2D BOY
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: World of Goo is an award-winning, physics-based puzzle/construction game made entirely by two guys. Use living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins and giant tongues. The millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore, but they don't know that they are in a game, nor that they are extremely delicious.

Virtual Console

Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures™
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Grab your trusty whip and slash your way through all three Indy classics in this no-thrills-barred adventure. If it happened in the movies, it happens here: the giant boulder from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the mine-cart chase from Temple of Doom, the three trials from Last Crusade, Rene Belloq and Colonel Vogel – it's three times the action, all in one fully loaded game.

STREET FIGHTER II': CHAMPION EDITION
Original platform: TurboGrafx16
Publisher: Capcom
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Mild Blood, Violence
Price: 700 Wii Points
Description: This is the classic PCEngine (TurboGrafx16) version of the two-player fighting game that started it all. At the time, a large capacity HuCARD was used to allow faithful recreation of the dynamic arcade game and its features, including bonus stages and sound effects. In the game, players select one of 12 characters and face opponents in a no-holds-barred battle to decide the top fighter. Master a character's special moves and combos to defeat your rivals around the world. In "V.S. BATTLE" mode, there's a convenient handicap feature. Using this feature to adjust a character's performance, a novice player can be evenly matched against a seasoned player to enjoy an intense, head-to-head combat experience.

Nintendo DSiWare

Art Style™: DIGIDRIVE™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: It's traffic control with a twist as you try to direct identical cars down the same road in Art Style: DIGIDRIVE. This constantly moving puzzle game combines an easily understood playing field (an intersection) and a simple goal (create fuel), challenging you to properly guide a never-ending stream of cars. Stack similar cars five deep to create some fuel, then use that fuel to continue your progress in the game. Play in ENDLESS mode to see how long you can last, or compete against the computer or a human opponent in VS mode. Use combos to your advantage and see if your reflexes can handle the intensity of Overdrive mode. When all is said and done, you may never look at gridlock quite the same way again.

Arcade Bowling
Publisher: Skyworks Interactive
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: From Skyworks comes another addictively classic game, Arcade Bowling. It was designed by video game legend David Crane, one of the original founders of Activision and one of the most critically acclaimed game designers of all time. In the tradition of everyone's favorite Boardwalk bowling game, use your stylus and steady aim to flick "laser" balls down the alley and up the ramp into the scoring holes. The farther away the scoring hole is, the more points you'll get. Arcade Bowling features three futuristic sound tracks, state-of-the-art 3-D graphics and two addictive game modes, Classic and Progressive. In Classic Mode, roll up to nine balls to score as many points as you can. In Progressive Mode, enjoy multiple levels of game play with increasing score plateaus and bonus targets.

Robot Rescue
Publisher: Teyon
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Robot Rescue is a fun logic game based on a simple but entertaining concept. Your mission is to free robots trapped in 45 evil computer labyrinths while avoiding deadly traps. Sound easy? Not so fast. Each robot shares linked controls, so when you move one, you move them all. It will take clever planning and nerves of steel to pull off this electronic escape. You'll need to avoid many traps, such as mines or electrical circuits, and take advantage of special elements like glue stains. Choose one of three difficulty levels and get ready for a challenge.

Perhaps the most exciting game to come out as part of this week's Nintendo Download is Excitebike: World Rally for WiiWare (1,000 Wii points). It's not just because it is a return to the original motorbike racing title, complete with a track editor that lets you share your creations with friends, but simply the fact that this isn't Excitebots or Excite Truck. If you'd rather fear the road than own the road, you can always grab Frogger Returns (500 points), another 3D update to the classic 2D traffic-dodger.

Rounding out the WiiWare triple-play this week is Dragon Master Spell Caster by Stickmen Studios (500 points), a game that sees players doing battle on dragon back, casting spells and spewing fire in either the single player story mode or split-screen multiplayer.

DSiWare gets six new titles today, through five of those are Electroplankton mini-games available at 200 DSi points apiece. When you're done playing microscopic musical fishies, you can blow them out of the water with Bomberman Blitz (500 points), which delivers the classic Bomberman experience to the DSi with both local and online eight player multiplayer battles.

Rounding up this week's rather massive list of downloadable titles is the Virtual Console, which adds the platforming goodness of Sega's Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (500 points) and Cybernoid for the Commodore 64 (500 points) to its ever-growing lineup of classic titles.

So what's your poison this week?

WiiWare

Excitebike: World Rally
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Prepare to face daredevil jumps, crazy obstacles and other racers in the newest installment in the venerable Excitebike franchise, available exclusively on the WiiWare service. Choose from multiple camera angles as you tilt your way to smooth landings using motion-sensitive controls. Compete in races around the world in four championship circuits. Use Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to invite friends to a race. Or if you're feeling brave, take on anyone else looking for a match. Feel like tackling a challenge of your own design? Use the intuitive Track Editor to choose from the available obstacles and put together your dream course, then share courses with friends to see whose creation skills reign supreme.

Frogger Returns
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: 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. A local multiplayer mode lets you race a friend.

Dragon Master Spell Caster™
Publisher: Stickmen Studios
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: The Dragon Lords have returned to the magical world of Nakiha, bringing ultimate power to whoever controls them. Choose your champion, then master amazing magic and fierce dragon attacks to defeat the rival Champions and their Dragon Lords. Choose from four different paths and decide the fate of the world in the fantastic story mode. Battle your friends in two-player split-screen arcade mode and tailor your tactics with different dragon and rider combinations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Marvel at the effects of mind-blowing spell collisions. Mix spells and unleash their ultimate power. Control your Dragon Lord and crush, bite and burn your way to victory.

Nintendo DSiWare

Bomberman Blitz
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Bomberman makes his downloadable debut on Nintendo DSiWare with Bomberman Blitz. Dive into a classic multiplayer Bomberman experience with eight-player local or online multiplayer using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Hone your skills and learn the maps, then take the battle online. Change map and item preferences for enhanced customization. Delivering unparalleled multiplayer excitement, Bomberman Blitz lets Nintendo DSi users enjoy the addictive fun of Bomberman anytime, anywhere.

Electroplankton Trapy
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Trapy plankton make sounds as they swim over graceful lines made up of linked triangles. The creatures follow the lines you trace along the water. There are six types of Trapy in all, each with a unique color and sound. All Trapy plankton produce different tones depending on the direction they swim. They produce the lowest-pitched sounds when they swim to the right and produce higher-pitched sounds as their path veers to the left.

Electroplankton Hanenbow
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Normally aquatic creatures, Hanenbow sometimes use floating leaves to launch themselves out of the water, creating strange sounds and melodies as they bounce off the leaves. Entire schools of Hanenbow have been known to launch out of the water, one after another. As a leaf is repeatedly hit by flying Hanenbow, it gradually changes color. This also alters the sound made by bouncing Hanenbow. When all the leaves turn red, a flower will bloom. It remains unclear why the Hanenbow display this curious behavior.

Electroplankton Rec-Rec
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Rec-Rec are fishlike plankton that feed on sound waves. They absorb sound waves transmitted through water and use them as a form of nutrition. The sound waves that the Rec-Rec eat are then stored inside their bodies until they have been digested. Once the digestion process is complete, they play back the sounds in perfect four-second intervals. While these sounds are playfully emitted, wave patterns can be seen pulsating on their bodies. Rec-Rec always swim side by side in schools of four. When they swim at different speeds, the frequency with which they emit sounds also changes.

Electroplankton Nanocarp
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Nanocarp have very sensitive hearing. Using their two ears to sense vibrations coming through the water, these plankton can distinguish sound quality and frequency. They display very interesting reactions to the sound of humans clapping or breathing. Nanocarp are also excellent swimmers. They have a tendency to swim in formations of 16 and react together when they detect sounds. These plankton emit sounds on their own when they sense waves on the water's surface. When this happens, the pitch of sounds they produce changes depending on where the Nanocarp is located.

Electroplankton Beatnes
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Beatnes are curious plankton with geometrically shaped heads that form vertical strands like seaweed. Their bodies are made up of eight sections, each featuring a distinctive diamond-shaped tail. The sound of a Beatnes can vary wildly depending on which segment of the body is tapped. However, all of the sounds closely resemble the short-wave and triangular-wave sound effects from a Nintendo Entertainment System™ sound chip. When Beatnes are tapped in time with a rhythm, they continue to repeat the sounds in perfect time for a short period.

Virtual Console

Wonder Boy™ III: The Dragon's Trap
Original platform: MASTER SYSTEM
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence, Tobacco Reference
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap is widely considered to be one of the best games produced for the SEGA MASTER SYSTEM. The direct sequel to Wonder Boy in Monster Land, it starts in the final lair of the previous game. This game is the first in the series to allow Wonder Boy to roam freely by using various animal forms, but as with previous games in the series, Wonder Boy can also buy various weapons, armor and items to help him in his quest.

Cybernoid™
Original platform: Commodore 64
Publisher: Commodore Gaming
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Federation storage depots have been raided by pirates, who've taken valuable minerals, jewels, ammunition and the latest battle weaponry. You have been commissioned by the Federation to retrieve the cargo and return it to storage within a specified time limit. The pirate craft have activated all planetary defense systems, which you must negotiate along with the pirates themselves. If you fail to reach the depot within the time limit, or if the value of your retrieved cargo is insufficient, you must forfeit one of your Cybernoid ships.

Image courtesy of IGN

PEGI listed the game with a content indicator for "depictions of violence." There is no ESRB rating as yet. The negotiations to republish this game must have looked like Red Rover played by 24 lawyers.

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Coming to Virtual Console? [Nintendo Life via Go Nintendo]

Well, a port of the original Street Fighter. It's been awhile since we've seen any games from the TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM hit the Virtual Console, so Capcom's Fighting Street (800 Wii points) is a welcome sight indeed. Choose from Ryu or Ken and battle your way through a horde of unplayable enemy characters, reliving the frustration that Capcom would soon rectify with Street Fighter II. If the frustration of only being able to play two fighters gets to be too much, you can wind down with the original R-Type for the Sega Master System (500 points), the side-scrolling shooter that launched...several more side-scrolling shooters.

WiiWare gets three games this week, though none of them are what you'd call high-profile. You've got the mini-games of Carnival King (700 points), the puzzling adventure of Ateam's "Aha! I Got It!" Escape Game (500 points), and Aksys' Family Card Games (500 points), none of which seem tailored to the demographic of the guy writing this post.

Not like Nintendo's Sparkle Snapshots for DSiWare (500 DSi points), an application that takes the DSi's already impressive set of photo editing tools and makes them 500 points more impressive. It's joined by tower defense game Viking Invasion (800 points) and Ubisoft's Battle of Giants: Dragons – Bronze Edition (800 points), the latter of which includes dragon battles for 2-4 players, which is perhaps the most exciting thing I can say about the games coming to both DSiWare and WiiWare this week.

We'll just go ahead and declare the Virtual Console the winner and move on to the official descriptions.

Nintendo DSiWare

Sparkle Snapshots
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Take photos and embellish them to your heart's desire with Sparkle Snapshots. Choose from a large variety of fancy frames, backgrounds, stamps and funny outfits to decorate your photos, or use the powerful paint program functions to manipulate them in detail. Want to take a new photo and add it to your collection? Adjust the lighting conditions and lens type to match your subject and even use a shutter timer to allow yourself some extra time to get everything perfectly in place. Save your favorite snapshots in your Nintendo DSi Camera album and use Nintendo DS wireless communications to send your masterpieces to your friends. It's all the fun of a photo booth – and more – in the palms of your hands.

Viking Invasion
Publisher: BiP Media
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: They come from the North, and they're about to invade your Nintendo DSi system. Beware of Olaf the Viking and his motley crew. Even now, their drakkars are sailing up the rivers to attack your castles. It's up to you to construct fortifications to prevent them from pillaging everything you own. The more you defend yourself, the more ferocious they'll become. Before you know it, they'll be invoking legions of fantastic creatures straight out of the mythical land of Asgard. Fortunately, the experience you gain will help you to build even more powerful defenses. Thwart all your assailants' ruses and unlock new kinds of buildings: tornado-blowing windmills to repel the ships, monoliths that strengthen your fortifications or canons that shoot studded shells. Discover more than 10 levels, tons of units, a Campaign mode, a Survival mode and three difficulty levels. There's even a little surprise at the end. Can you rise to the challenge and stop Olaf from taking your treasure home to his sweetheart Olga?

Battle of Giants: Dragons – Bronze Edition
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: As last of the noble and rare Bronze Dragons, you must defeat the evil SALMU dragons and reclaim the 25 exclusive bronze gems they stole. Explore 10 maps and travel through the great jungles of Earth, the scorched grounds of Fire, the frozen wastelands of Ice and the floating islands of Wind. Customize your dragon's appearance by changing its body, wings, tail shape and colors – even add stripes. Test your dragon's fighting skills against your friends in head-to-head combat or four-player tournaments.

WiiWare

Carnival King
Publisher: Incredible Technologies
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 700 Wii Points™
Description: Carnival King is a fun-for-all-ages video game that brings the spirit and energy of competitive carnival games to the screen. Players compete for top scores and prizes while visiting three different amusement parks: Arcadia, Dreamland and Lagoon Park. Each park has four sets of games and a Bonus Round to test players' speed and accuracy. For novices or sharpshooters, the games are continually challenging, and the difficulty level can be adjusted to match each player's growing confidence.

"Aha! I Got It!" Escape Game
Publisher: Ateam Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Play alone or with family and friends to solve this puzzling adventure game. Today is Milo's birthday, and he just got an amazing present from his dad: a room full of puzzles. Milo needs to solve all the puzzles to escape from the room. Shake, push and twist the Wii Remote™ controller to collect and use in-game items. There's plenty to solve – see if you have what it takes to figure it all out.

Family Card Games
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy are back for some good ol' card game action. Try your hand at one of three card games: Daifugo, Speed or Memory. Family Card Games offers appealing cel-shaded graphics, endearing music and friendly, competitive match-ups. You can play one-player Daifugo or play against up to three other random players in an online match. You can also view your ranking and see how you match up with players around the world. Test your reflexes against another player in Speed and see who truly has the fastest hands. Memory will test your mental capacity as you try to remember where cards and their respective matches are.

Virtual Console

Fighting Street
Original platform: TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM
Publisher: Capcom
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Blood, Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: A port of the arcade version of STREET FIGHTER, the legendary fighting game that started it all. Players control RYU or KEN and battle against unique fighters from all over the world. The first fighter to knock out an opponent and win two rounds is the winner. Power up your attack to three different levels – the longer you hold a button, the stronger your attack. Input commands to perform special attacks and deal serious damage to your opponent. Combine your normal and special attacks effectively to fight your way to victory.

R-TYPE™
Original platform: SEGA Master System
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: R-TYPE is a classic, side-scrolling arcade shoot-'em-up that was developed by Irem in 1987. It's the 22nd century, and you are humanity's last hope against the evil Bydo Empire. Your ship is called the R-9a "Arrowhead" and comes with a standard gun, but power-ups and upgrades are available in each mission. Navigate through eight challenging levels that will test even the best gamer's reflexes. The SEGA Master System version features an exclusive secret level not found in any other release.

WiiWare gets the bulk of the spooky in this week's additions to WiiWare, DSiWare, and the Virtual console. Each of the three gets two new games each, but with Gameloft's Ghost Mansion Party (1,000 Wii points) and the continuation of Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island series (1,000 points), WiiWare takes the razorblade-laden cake. Ghost Party is like Mario Party, only with Mario and friends replaced with ghosts trying to enter a spooky mansion. Meanwhile, Tales of Monkey Island chapter three sees Guybrush swallowed by a giant manatee, which he obviously must escape from if he hopes to end the Pox of LeChuck and save Elaine from certain doom.

The Virtual Console gets the arcade version of Golden Axe (900 points), which really needs no description, along with LucasArts classic Zombies Ate my Neighbors (800 points), which should be perfect for those of us who really hate our neighbors.

DSiWare completely fails to be spooky this week, however, delivering the strategic PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff (500 DSi points) and EA's Sudoku (200 points), which is only scary if you are arithmophobic.

As always, check out the official descriptions below to learn more about the games you will or will not be spending your Nintendo points on this week.

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.

All you have to do is dust off your Wii and update the Shop channel. A little button saying "One Free Title" should appear after you've done so and then you'll get the goods. Hurry up, though, the offer expires on 11:59pm PST on 12/31/2009.

So now, after updating my Wii for what feels like the first time ever, the only question is which NES game should I get? I was thinking to get a game I haven't played before like Kirby's Adventure or the original Final Fantasy. But half the fun of Virtual Console is nostalgia, right? So maybe I want Galaga or Donkey Kong...

Thanks for the tip, Nightwheeldot!

It's a Domo invasion on DSiWare today as five titles starring the adorable whatever the hell it is show up for 200 DSi points apiece. We've got your Crash-Course Domo, Hard-Hat Domo, Pro-Putt Domo, Rock-n-Roll Domo, and White-Water Domo, because that little bastard really loves his hyphens. Just remember, every time you download a Domo DSi title, god kills a kitten.

On WiiWare we see the triumphant return of Frontier with LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias (1,000 Wii points), the follow-up to their excellent WiiWare launch title. This one has wind and weather, so not only can you blow, you can freeze and melt. LostWinds is joined by Hudson Entertainment's Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem (500 Wii points), a side-scrolling shooter in which your character and his weapons devolve and evolve as you progress. It actually sounds rather interesting.

Oh, and there's also the arcade version of Rygar on the Virtual Console (600 Wii points).

Check out the full descriptions below for more information about all things Domo and non-Domo related.

WiiWare

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias
Publisher: FRONTIER
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is a sequel to the award-winning WiiWare launch title LostWinds. Enril the Wind Spirit returns to protect and guide young Toku by powering his jumps, aiding his glides and smashing his enemies. An evil adversary binds the fate of Toku's mother, Magdi, and the ancient Melodia civilization. To save Magdi, Toku and Enril must face new foes, enlist friends old and new, and wield incredible new powers - including the ability to switch the very seasons themselves - as they explore the diverse, richly interactive Chilling Peaks and Melodia City areas of the magical land of Mistralis. This enchanting, exhilarating, explorative game play experience is bursting with new ideas that make exceptional use of the Wii Remote™ controller. The awesome power of the Wind is back in the palm of your hand.

Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Crude Humor, Mild Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Battle for the future in a world governed by the law of the jungle. As you move through the stages, your character evolves and your weapons and shooting abilities change. First, throw weapons by hand, then proceed to use tools and different types of projectiles. A cooperative two-player mode is also available. The controls are simple: Move the character with the control stick, adjust the crosshairs with the Wii Remote controller and shoot down targets while dodging enemy attacks. Getting hit by an enemy bullet or touching an enemy close to you will count as a miss. With each miss, you'll lose one heart; losing all hearts will end the game.

Nintendo DSiWare

Crash-Course Domo™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: In Crash-Course Domo, you'll guide Domo across the finish line in six increasingly difficult bicycle races. Steer Domo around other racers and patches of rough terrain, pedaling as fast as his stubby legs will allow.

Hard-Hat Domo™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Hard-Hat Domo, Domo is a construction worker trying to get to the top of a building. Match ladder colors to floor colors - using cans of paint, if necessary - to earn points and continue climbing higher. Reach the top floor to clear each of the four levels of difficulty.

Pro-Putt Domo™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Pro-Putt Domo, Domo hits the green in an effort to win the world putt-putt golf championship. Domo competes to finish with the lowest number of strokes in either the nine-hole Small Classic or the 18-hole Big Open tournament. Along the way, he'll collect coins and earn bowls of meat-and-potato stew while avoiding bunkers and water hazards.

Rock-n-Roll Domo™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Rock-n-Roll Domo, you'll control Domo as he takes the stage in search of fortune and fame. Hit the right notes in rhythm (using the touch screen, if desired) to rock the house. If your timing needs work, use the mixer to practice songs. Complete five different songs at a series of increasingly larger venues to help Domo become a superstar.

White-Water Domo™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Take control of Domo as he hops into his kayak and races the river rapids in White-Water Domo. Jump and paddle as you steer Domo through the treacherous rapids in an effort to cross the finish line as quickly as possible. Finish with one of the top three times to proceed to the next stage.

Virtual Console

RYGAR™
Publisher: Tecmo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: The year is 19XX A.D. and the human race has been brought to its knees by the resurrected ancient Beast Lord. The people have brought legendary warrior Rygar back to life in order to save the human race. Armed with Diskarmor, a weapon that extends, you'll also make full use of your jumping abilities to venture through and clear all 27 stages. Appearing at arcades in 1986 as a side-scrolling action game, RYGAR received high acclaim for its beautifully rendered graphics, including waterfalls and a setting sun. As extra features, players can collect the five Powers of Indra to obtain special bonuses or gain 1,000,000 bonus points for finding hidden items. Also, the number of lives and the level of difficulty can be altered.

Asked in the latest RARE Scribes mailbag why Donkey Kong 64 isn't on the Wii Virtual Console, the guy delegated to answer this gave a throw-up-your-hands questions that sounds like earlier answers regarding Goldeneye and whether we'll ever see it again.

I have no idea why DK64 hasn't shown up yet, and whether Jetpac would still be in there or they'd replace it with Mario's Cement Factory (which ate about three years of my life as a child) or something. Or maybe a single-screen 2D shooty version of Jet Race would be more appropriate. Who knows? Not us, obviously, or we wouldn't be sitting here pitching clueless alternatives.

Sounds like a "don't ask me, I just work here," type of response. And who can blame 'em?

Final Fight 2 for the Super Nintendo (800 Wii points) is the only recognizable title in the Nintendo download this week, pitting Haggar, Maki, and Carlos against the re-emerged Mad Gear Gang, traveling the globe in a quest to wipe them off the face of the Earth once and for all, rescuing Guy's master in the process. It's one of the best moving left to right while hitting people simulators of all time.

WiiWare scores a game called Gravitronix from Medaverse Studios (500 Wii points), a multiplayer game in which players do battle in the Gravitronix arena, which looks something like the screenshot above. I'm not sure what's going on up there, but it certainly looks...blue? The game features a campaign mode for 1-2 players, or multiplayer battles for up to 8 players on a single Wii. You can visit the game's official website to try and figure out what's going on up there.

Finally, DSiWare gets a dose of the silver ball in Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon (500 DSi points), a pinball game based on ancient Greek myths. Collect the favors of the gods, battle the Medusa, and visit the Oracle for help. I like pinball. I like Greek mythology. I'll most likely give this a go.

Anything tickle your fancy? You might want to see a doctor about that. As always, the official descriptions follow.

Nintendo DSiWare

Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Pinball takes on mythological proportions in this Nintendo DSiWare exclusive. Choose from two modes of play (Regular Game or Daily Game) and begin your journey to becoming a pinball champion. Conquer mythic quests, collect gifts from the 12 Olympians, and push your skills to the limit by facing Medusa, the Sirens and more. Your portable pinball table will give you a quick adrenaline rush as you watch the steel ball fly through ramps and carom off bumpers all over the playing field. Rack up combo points, open specific game modes and enlist the Oracle for some help. Will you accept Zeus's challenge?

Virtual Console

Final Fight™ 2
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: It's been several years since peace settled in Metro City. With Cody and Jessica on vacation and Guy resuming his training out of town, everything seems to be in order. But Haggar is feeling uneasy after learning that Mad Gear was not completely destroyed. Once again, the Mad Gear Gang has emerged, and this time they want revenge. They've kidnapped Guy's master, Genryusai, and Genryusai's daughter, Rena. Now Haggar must travel the globe in search of Genryusai and Rena. Hopefully, with the help of Maki and Carlos, the reign of the Mad Gear Gang will be destroyed.

WiiWare

Gravitronix
Publisher: Medaverse Studios
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: It's time to claim your rightful place as the champion of the Gravitronix arena, but get ready to deal with up to seven other players who are all shooting for the same title. Vanquish your opponents with four different projectiles and the powerful beams of your gravity platform. Intercept attacks and take careful aim at exposed vulnerabilities. Deflect incoming projectiles or capture and charge them with energy for devastating explosive attacks. Team up with a friend and battle through campaign mode, or recruit up to eight players on a single Wii™ system in versus mode for an all-out battle. Customize your matches with a variety of different options, such as flooding the arena with projectiles or making the game insanely fast. No matter how you like to play, grab your friends and have a blast.

I hope I didn't just spoil a major plot point of Final Fantasy for you guys, but after playing it on the Nintendo DS, PlayStation, NES, PSP, and Gameboy Advance, I'm prepared to burn a few bridges, secure in the knowledge that the king will just rebuild them when the next set of nameless orphans wanders through town. That's part of the charm of the original Final Fantasy, which is available today for the Wii Virtual Console (500 points). The Four Warriors of Light are coming. Everybody look busy.

Two unfortunate titles share Final Fantasy's spotlight this week. Big John Games brings a horde of Thorium beasts to the DSi in Thorium Wars (1,000 points,) a first and third-person shooter for Nintendo's handheld, while Digital Leisure delivers Word Searcher to WiiWare (500 points,) with 100 themed word-search puzzles. Check out the official descriptions below while we wait to purchase Final Fantasy for the umpteenth time.

FINAL FANTASY
Original platform: NES
Publisher: SQUARE ENIX
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: The world lies shrouded in darkness. The winds die. The sea rages. The earth decays. But the people believe in a prophecy, patiently awaiting its fulfillment. "When darkness veils the earth, four Warriors of Light shall come...." After a long journey, four young travelers did at last appear, and in the hand of each was clutched a crystal.

Nintendo DSiWare

Thorium Wars
Publisher: Big John Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Thorium Wars, you must stop the Thorions, a super species of Thorium-based machines, from destroying mankind. Blast through waves of Thorions by controlling an arsenal of tanks, skyfighters, hovercrafts, gunboats and starfighters with either the standard or touch-screen controls. In 12 exciting missions, navigate through a variety of combat environments while viewing 360 degrees of the battlefield, fully rendered in 3-D. Toggle between first- and third-person views to destroy the terrifying army of Thorium beasts, from swarms of Redeye Drones to the bone-crushing Manticore Walker. This man-versus-machine battle proves to be the ultimate test for the survival of the fittest.

WiiWare

Word Searcher
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: You'll need a sharp eye and a quick mind to complete 100 themed word-search puzzles. Word Searcher contains fun words from multiple categories including anatomy, world cities and U.S. presidents. With a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there's sure to be a puzzle for everyone to enjoy. Help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with these engaging puzzles. Track and try to beat your own play-through times again and again-words are scrambled every time you play.