It's the end of an era, ladies and gentlemen, as Super Punch-Out!! and Bonsai Barber mark the death of the Weekly Wii Update and the beginning of the Weekly Nintendo Download.
With the Nintendo DSi releasing this coming Sunday, Nintendo's weekly list of Wii downloadables will be expanding, as weekly DSi downloads join the mix, so this isn't only about the Wii any longer. It's a new age, where the shovelware is smaller and more portable. I kid, of course. I'm sure that shovelware on the DSi will be as rare as shovelware on the Wii.
Bonsai Barber (1,000 Wii points) is your WiiWare selection this week. It's a first-person plant grooming game, with demanding customers who send you Wii mail if you miss an appointment. See? This isn't shovelware...it's hedge clipperware, which is totally different.
And what better way to get people excited about an upcoming sequel than to release the original on the virtual console? Super Punch-Out!! for the Super Nintendo (800 Wii points) isn't just one of the best games in the Punch-Out!! series to date...it's also damn fine marketing.
As always, checking out the official descriptions below for more information, and stayed tuned next week, when everything changes.
WiiWare
Bonsai Barber (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The village residents are hungry for the latest in foliage fashion, and it's up to you, the new barber, to fix them up. Use the tools of your trade: scissors, clippers, spray can, and more in this humorous, first-of-its-kind "first-person-groomer" game. Bonsai Barber features a colorful cast of 12 intriguing customers, including a temperamental shallot starlet (don't call her an onion), an oddball strawberry boffin, a cactus cowboy, a daredevil carrot, and a suave banana with top-secret clearance. Each day, five customers arrive to test your stylistic skill. If the customer requests a specific style, you'll plow that furrow, or you can rely on your expertise to pick from more than 30 popular fashions. Or, why not turn over a new leaf? Be creative and see how they react. They're a demanding bunch, so if you miss an appointment, you'll hear about it-on your Wii Message Board. If you do a good job, you may receive a gift or even a postcard from an exotic destination as your happy customers travel to distant lands and show off their exquisite coifs.
Virtual Console
Super Punch-Out!! (Super NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Featuring the tight game play and humor the series is known for, this sequel to the NES™ classic sees Little Mac return to the ring with the World Video Boxing Association belt once again at stake. Slug your way through the grueling, sweat-pounding matches of the Minor, Major and World Circuits as you face off against some of Little Mac's greatest rivals, such as Bear Hugger, Bald Bull and Super Macho Man. With a cast of new challengers waiting, do you have what it takes to identify their unique patterns and exploit their weaknesses? Go to your corner and come out fighting, but remember what Doc Louis would say: "It's not about brawling-it's about finesse!"