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Every Thursday, Nintendojo discusses the week’s video game releases in Now Playing. As long as there’s a game on a Nintendo console, it’ll show up here– so come by every week and don’t miss a thing.
Wii
September 13, 2011
Chuck E. Cheese’s Party Games 2 (Tommo)
Chuck E. Cheese’s Super Collection (UFO Interactive)
The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns– Again! (THQ)
WiiWare
September 8, 2011
Liigth (Demo Version) (Studio Walljump)
Paint Splash (KnapNok Games)
3DS
September 9, 2011
Star Fox 64 3D (Nintendo)
September 13, 2011
Balloon Pop 2 (UFO Interactive)
Bit.Trip Saga (Aksys Games)
Puzzler Mind Gym 3D (Ubisoft)
Thor: God of Thunder (Sega)
eShop & DSiWare
September 8, 2011
DotMan (Agetec)
Golf (Nintendo)
Puzzle Rocks (CINEMAX)
DS
September 13, 2011
Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures (Majesco)
Pucca Power Up (UFO Interactive)
One needn’t look hard at the list above to see that 3DS is the clear winner this week, receiving not only the most titles of all the Nintendo consoles but also the biggest. Foremost among them is Star Fox 64 3D, the first major autumn release for the fledgling handheld. A remake of the most critically-acclaimed entry in the space-furrie space-faring series, 64 3D marks the anticipated return of the Star Fox franchise, which has been conspicuously absent from a Nintendo platform since 2006’s Star Fox Command. While not exactly a new installment, 64 3D does boast a number of changes, most notable being its improved visuals and gyroscopic controls. Fans who have played the original to the point of exhaustion may not be inclined to purchase this rather conservative remake, but everyone else will undoubtedly find much fun to be had with the game.
In addition to that, 3DS will also play host to Bit.Trip Saga, a stereoscopic compilation of the entire Bit.Trip series. The games in this handheld collection boast a number of enhancements like touch controls, and their pixelated graphics will likely benefit from the console’s 3D capabilities.
Beyond those two titles, however, things are a bit sparse. Wii, as usual, continues to see more shovelware blight its library, and its digital subsidiary WiiWare proves that it, too, has been all but forgotten, with only a single new release (and not a Virtual Console game in sight) this week. The eShop is faring slightly better, receiving one Game Boy “classic” and a couple of DSiWare titles, but it is also markedly devoid of new content, suffering from the same problem that mired its console sibling all throughout its life. Granted, early adopters are only a week removed from receiving the first half of their Ambassadors package, but seeing eShop’s catalog expand at such a slow rate is certainly frustrating, especially considering the wealth of titles from which it could draw. A single Virtual Console game every seven days is almost torturous, and one can only hope Nintendo picks up the pace some time in the near future.
DS, like Wii, is receiving nothing particularly noteworthy this week (unless you are a fan of the multitalented Mama), but this can simply be taken as the calm before the proverbial storm– not only is Kirby Mass Attack set to hit the console in a little over a week’s time, but Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 is also scheduled to drop on the very same day. Both will undoubtedly prove to be excellent additions to anyone’s handheld library when they do finally launch, so we just have wait a little bit longer until then.
