Wow, not much from Nintendo this week. The highlight of the week is... uh... UNO?
Yeah, I guess...
You needn’t be bilingual to appreciate the first of this week’s
fantastic downloadable game offerings. Like the classic card game upon
which it’s based, the new UNO™ game for the WiiWare™
service is all about inclusive, social fun that anybody can pick up and
enjoy. Other fresh WiiWare fare includes the inventive puzzle title bittos+
and the hidden-object game “Aha! I Found It!” The Nintendo DSiWare™
service welcomes a trio of diverting hand-held delights this week: the
strategy-based NUMBER BATTLE™, the arcade-style AiRace:
Tunnel and the action-packed Escapee GO! Last but not least,
Virtual Console™ fans should prepare to vanquish spooky
specters with the arrival of a true Super NES™ classic, Ghoul
Patrol™.
WiiWare
UNO
Publisher: Gameloft
Players:
1-6
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii
Points™
Description: Get ready to call “UNO” on
your Wii™ system! The world-famous card game is faithfully
reproduced for the Wii console with some exciting new rules. Thanks to a
multiplayer mode (additional Wii Remote™ controllers
required) that’s playable on one Wii console or online via Nintendo®
Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required), UNO has never
been so fun and easy.
bittos+
Publisher: MACHINE
Players:
1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description:
The next big thing in casual gaming, bittos+ is all about
rotating, moving and placing game pieces onto a game board to make
squares and, more importantly, squares within squares. Playing bittos+
provides hours and hours of entertainment for the whole family, with
boatloads of challenge and replay value for even the most avid gamer.
With luscious environments, multiple modes to unlock, game styles to
suit every mood, multiple real-time reactive control methods, in-game
Awards to collect and high-score boards for the entire your household, bittos+
is a new game-play experience that will sweep you away.
“Aha! I Found It!” Hidden Object Game
Publisher:
Ateam Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price:
500 Wii Points
Description: A hidden-object game for
everyone has come to the WiiWare service. Try to find 12 particular
items among a crowd of on-screen objects as fast as you can, from big
fish to tiny earrings, easy-to-find items to well-hidden ones. Unlike
most other hidden-object games, this one lets you play along with
friends and family (additional Wii Remote controllers required) and
compete to see who’s best at finding the hidden objects in each stage.
With 10 stages and more than 277 different items, there’s plenty of
searching fun to enjoy. Also, with items changing position each time you
play, you can enjoy each stage again and again.
Nintendo DSiWare
NUMBER BATTLE
Publisher: Nintendo
Players:
1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500
Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: From Japan
comes NUMBER BATTLE, a board game that invokes the ancient art of
feng shui while challenging players to clear the playing field. Take
turns against human or computer opponents to reach a target score by
placing numbered tiles on the board and linking the arms of each tile in
various ways. Watch for the Winds of Change to possibly blow over the
board during a battle, resulting in special squares that will score
bonus points or affect game play in new ways. Items that aid you in your
pursuit of points can also be found, but they’ll cost you points and
must be placed strategically. Go it alone in the main Story or Puzzle
modes, or battle against up to three opponents from around the world via
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required). You can
even learn from your past with History mode, which shows the moves
recorded during previous contests. This unique combination of puzzle and
strategy elements results in an exciting battle of wits. Can you guide
your Warrior to victory?
AiRace: Tunnel
Publisher: QubicGames
Players:
1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo
DSi Points
Description: AiRace: Tunnel is an
invitation to the newly started Project Tunnel. It was created to
examine the quickness and attentiveness of aviation rookies. Think
you’ve got the skills? Put your reflexes to the test and see how swift,
precise and predictive you are. Maneuver your aircraft safely through
specially created tunnels that are full of traps. Be careful: Your plane
will speed up with every second, making each turn and each barrier
harder to navigate. It’s not just a game, it’s a challenge.
Escapee GO!
Publisher: Gevo Entertainment
Players:
1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price:
200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Escapee GO!,
players take on the role of Claire, who awakens with no memory of who
she is. Save for her name, all information about her has been destroyed.
In its place, something within her has changed. Hunted down by an
unknown enemy, she must find a way to escape her pursuers using her
newfound powers. Will she be able to survive? Using her heightened
senses, Claire is able to detect enemies before they come into visual
range. During her daring escape, Claire will find mysterious items that
can temporarily enhance her abilities, allowing her to level the playing
field.
Virtual Console
Ghoul Patrol
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher:
LucasArts
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+
(Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800
Wii Points
Description: The main attractions at the
library’s Goblin exhibit have come to life! As the Ghoul Patrol, you’ll
go back in time and de-spook an encyclopedia of zombified historic
dudes. Vaporize garbage-can ghosts and ninja spirits, rescue bug-eyed
librarians and wigged-out pirates, dodge flying books and
adolescent-eating plants, and ultimately put the beastly spirit back in
the history books.