In this week's exciting installment of the Nintendo Download, Kirby's Dream Land is the next old school Game Boy title for the 3DS, DSiWare gets Hearts, Spades, and Euchre, and some old role-playing game hits the Virtual Console. What the hell is a Kefka?
It's a rather busy week for the Nintendo Download, with big (or at least interesting) titles hitting each of the big N's four downloadable game services. Play with the iconic pink puffball Kirby before he was pink! Deal a hand of cards! Shoot some guys in the face, beat some folks in a race, or put some balls in their place! It's almost poetic, if you force it really hard.
The only real unknown this week is this Final Fantasy III for the Super Nintendo, released on the Virtual Console service. I'm not sure what this game is. Maybe it's a prequel to Final Fantasy XIII, the greatest role-playing game of all time? It looks really primitive. You're probably better off just skipping it.
Virtual Console
Final Fantasy III
Publisher: Square Enix
Price: 800 Wii Points
Original Platform: Super Nintendo
Ages ago, evil beings created powerful creatures called Espers and unleashed them against each other. The resulting battles turned their world into smoldering rubble. Legend has it that the Espers destroyed themselves and most of humanity. Magic disappeared forever. Centuries have passed, and a rational world now exists with Espers living only in myths. Suddenly, after an ancient frozen Esper is unearthed, there are reports of magic attacks on civilians. Imperial Commandos launch raids using magic-powered MagiTek weapons. Magic is obviously alive, and the world is in danger again. Who or what is behind the rediscovery and redeployment of this legendary power? What chaotic plans will wreak havoc on this orderly world? Originally released as Final Fantasy III on the Super NES in North America, this game is in fact Final Fantasy VI from the main series chronology.
eShop
Kirby's Dream Land
Publisher: Nintendo
Price: $3.99
Original Platform: Game Boy
Someone has stolen from the inhabitants of Dream Land. It's Kirby to the rescue. Kirby's debut video game has been re-released for the Nintendo 3DS system. Dream Land is in peril. An evil king has stolen the magical Twinkle Stars. If they're not recovered, the people of Dream Land will starve. Join Kirby, our cute and roly-poly little hero, as he runs, jumps, floats and swims in search of the treasured Twinkle Stars. He'll puff his way through castles, caves, dungeons and forests. There are many wicked and greedy enemies in his path, but Kirby has a special way to defeat them. It's nonstop action all the way to the top of Mt. Dedede.
DSiWare
Hearts Spades Euchre
Publisher: Cosmigo
Price: 500 DSi Points / $4.99
Three card-game classics in one pack. Hearts Spades Euchre offers some of the most popular card games in one collection. You can modify the rules of each game and set the difficulty level of AI (from beginner to pro). Challenge your friends in a local multiplayer game – each copy of the game supports up to four players. Celebrate your victories and use the integrated speech and text chat functions. Funny graphics, varied textures and the ability to use your own photo make this a fabulous collection.
Moto eXtreme
Publisher: Chillingo
Price: 800 DSi Points / $7.99
Defy gravity, perform awesome stunts and navigate crazy courses in the most extreme MotoX biking thrill ride. Go extreme in this MotoX biking thrill ride. Defy gravity as you grab air via huge jumps and pull off awesome trials-style stunts. Guide your bike to the end of the course, and be sure to collect all the stars along the way to earn maximum points. Take your bike through a huge variety of courses over four worlds, including forests, deserts, frost-covered mountains and even lava-rich volcanic environments. In Constructor mode, you can interact with your environment by using the Nintendo DSi stylus to draw ledges, ramps and jumps. What will you create? Intuitive controls, fun-packed game play and challenging courses make this a MotoX ride you won't want to miss.
Boardwalk Ball Toss
Publisher: Skyworks Interactive
Price: 200 DSi Points / $1.99
Experience the fun and excitement of playing your favorite carnival games at the Boardwalk. Step right up and try your skill at one of your favorite boardwalk attractions. Boardwalk Ball Toss comes to you from SKYWORKS, creators of quality sports and arcade games. It combines amazing graphics, realistic physics and great game play to recreate the action and ambience of a carnival booth on the boardwalk. In Quick Play mode, you get unlimited balls to knock down as many bottles as you can before time runs out – earn bonuses for knocking down a whole stack. In Progressive Play mode, you move through multiple levels that feature six-bottle stacks and special gold, bronze and other bonus bottles. Lastly, you can win prizes based on your score.
The Lost Town - The Dust
Publisher: Circle Entertainment
Price: 600 DSi Points / $5.99
Blood, silence and fear soak this lost town. Can you make it through the night? In the year 2037, a small remote town in the South American Andes is cut off from the outside world by a mudslide. After a full week of heavy rain, a power outage causes a massive explosion at a biochemical military facility located on the outskirts of the town. A beautiful girl named Chilia with red hair and deep red eyes emerges from the darkness. Possessing incredible combat skills, you must use her abilities to find survivors before nightfall. Other objectives include setting traps, collecting items and using various weapons to defeat unknown creatures. The more you battle, the more skills you gain. The danger level increases at nighttime, so you will need the help of survivors in the camp to protect it for a course of seven days. While you wait for the rescue team to arrive, you must fight off vicious creatures that are starving for their next meal.
WiiWare
Big Town Shoot Out
Publisher: Performance Designed Products
Price: 500 Wii Points
The ultimate cowboy gun game for 1-4 players. Howdy, partner, and welcome to Big Town Shoot Out. If you're a sharpshooter with an itchy trigger finger, you've come to the right place. Big Town Shoot Out will take you through 40 increasingly challenging stages, across 10 zones and 10 different game types, all playable by up to four players simultaneously (additionally accessories required and are sold separately). Are you cowboy enough to make it through? As my old pa used to say, risk everything, fear nothing and have no regrets. It may not be the easy way, but it's the cowboy way. Game types include: Train Trouble, Saloon, Windmill, Ranch, Mine, Street Scene, Boot Hill Cemetery, Outlaw Camp, Western Diorama and Turning Cards.