Well folks, it has been quite some time since we had a Nintendo Weekly around these parts. What had once been a staple of my coverage had been unfortunately relegated to the back burner, but like they always say, “You can’t keep a good dog down!” So what do we have in store this week? There is nothing like coming back to a triple dose of WiiWare goodness, supplemented with a duo of retro re-hashes via the Virtual Console. Here are the details:
WiiWare
Carnival King - Are you having a rough day? Have you ever had the desire to “go postal?” Well there is a much better alternative to a homicidal rampage through the Human Resources department of your office. Instead, you should spend your time taking out your aggressions on a virtual shooting gallery of inanimate digital objects on your television screen. Plus, as an added benefit, it doesn’t involve the use of grief counselors afterward!
Featuring 12 unique levels and 3 bonus stages, Carnival King is sure to keep you firing off shots for quite some time. Oh, and don’t forget that there is a 2 player mode and online leaderboards to keep your competitive spirit fed until you have gotten rid of that pesky itch in your trigger finger. If this tickles your fancy, reload your wallet and snag this for 700 Wii Points ($7.00 USD).
Here is a sample of the midway inspired mayhem below:
“Aha! I Got It!” Escape Game – In this age of senseless violence in video games, it is good to know that there are still some that strive to test your brain, rather than your twitch reflexes. Released over a year ago in Japan under a completely different name, this oddly titled game is a graphical representation of classic puzzlers from back in the text based days of PC Gaming. Expect to have your mind bended, twisted and jumbled in knots by this interesting take on styles of old.
Though it is a single player game, the puzzle aspects render itself a game that can be played with the entire family. Just be sure you can all get along for long enough to actually finish each stage, because eventually trial and error with tend to grate on the nerves a smidgen. If this sounds like a good time, it might be worth picking up for a mere 500 Wii Points ($5.00 USD).
Take a look at this preview of the brain numbing shenanigans:
Family Card Games – Alright, I need to get on my soapbox for a moment and ask, is it really necessary to release all of these different card games on WiiWare? I mean, I understand that it is an open development platform and all, but how many different solitaire clones do you really need to have on your console, Nintendo? This is just getting to be a bit much…
That said, if you are a fan of such games as Speed or Memory, then this might be right up your alley. Up to four players can engage in Hoyle based combat, all in the name of having the strongest deck. Lets face it, there have been so many horrible card games released on WiiWare that I am simply running out of creative euphemisms on the topic. Looks like it is time to bust out the thesaurus! Despite all of my warnings otherwise, if this peaks your interest, it is available for 500 Wii Points ($5.00 USD).
Check out a sneak peak at the action in this gameplay trailer:
Virtual Console
Fighting Street – You would have to be living under a rock for the last two decades to not know about the tremendously popular Street Fighter franchise. However, what most people don’t realize is that the original Street Fighter was not what you would call a “great game.” Considered decent by some, mediocre by others, the first installment in the series was ported to the TurboGrafx 16 in 1988 under the absurdly unclever re-title, Fighting Street. (Come on Capcom, you could have done better than that!)
Fortunately for the Street Fighter faithful, there is one thing that the port had, that trumped the original: a fully composed soundtrack. Whether this was a result of using the extra space provided by the TurboGrafx 16′s CD drive is unknown, but it might be just enough to tip the scales towards adding this to your vintage Virtual Console library. You can snag this classic for 800 Wii Points ($8.00 USD).
If you are curious if it is worth parting with your hard earned duckets, here is a preview of what you can expect:
R-TYPE - Nintendo has once again decided to go right into my nostalgic wheelhouse, by releasing this piece of side scrolling shoot ‘em up royalty. Originally released in Arcades way back in 1987, it has pretty much been ported to every platform imaginable since then. Being a classic game doesn’t mean it is easy though, in fact, it is very much the opposite. R-TYPE is widely revered as one of the most difficult games of all time!
As far as I am concerned, there is nothing more satisfying than navigating a minefield of bullet hell, to deliver that one perfect shot that will bring a boss to its proverbial knees. The game has tons of moments like this and will keep you on the edge of your seat for hour after frustrating hour. Do me a favor though, don’t cheat and use a Game Genie. Nobody likes a cheater! You have no excuse not to pick this up for the full sticker price of 500 Wii Points ($5.00 USD).
Seriously, you haven’t bought it yet? What are you waiting for, some gameplay video? Alright, here you go:
There should be more than enough choices here to keep you busy for quite some time, so get to it!
