Jett Set Ready!

Mario and Camelot breathe some life into the Virtual Console's N64 offerings, Shin'en shows the power of WiiWare and DSiWare keeps up its flood of titles.

WiiWare

Jett Rocket (Shin'en, 1000 Points) – This platformer from the creators of the excellent Art of Balance blasts onto WiiWare this week, bringing some of the sharpest graphics the service has yet seen. But can it match in the gameplay department? Hold on to your butts and find out later this week in our review. In the meantime, check out our First Impressions of the game as well as our interview with Shin'en.

Pong Toss Pro – Frat Party Games (JV Games, 600 Points) – The second entry in the Frat Party Games series is an update of the first, this time around boasting improved aiming and a new tournament mode. We weren't too enthused last time in our Pong Toss review, so hopefully this one has improved as much as the Pro title implies.

Robin Hood: The Return of Richard (Nordcurrent, 500 Points) – Robin Hood robs from your wallet and lights it on fire in front of you in this disastrous lightgun game that originally appeared on iPhone. The one good thing about it as we mentioned in our Robin Hood: The Return of Richard review? Ridiculous music.

Virtual Console

Mario Tennis (Nintendo, 1000 Points) – Camelot's second Mario sports title reaches the North American Virtual Console. It's got a few less features than its N64 counterpart thanks to the absence of Transfer Pak support, but it's still a smashing good time as we explain in our Mario Tennis review.

DSiWare

Maestro! Green Groove (Neko Entertainment, 500 Points) – A platformer set in the jungle featuring pink bird-like things on the cheap where "everything is music"? Consider our curiosity piqued! We'll let you know how this run-and-Björk turns out.

Date or Ditch (Gameloft, 500 Points) – This hit Europe on Friday, and now those of us on the other side of the pond can partake in DSiWare's first dating game. Are you a casanova or will you die alone? There's only one developer that can reveal that secret, and its name is Gameloft.

Animal Color Cross (Little Words Studio, 500 Points) – Basically Picross with color and, uh, animals. Also already out in Europe, so scope our Animal Color Cross review to see if it's worthy of your attention.

Ancient Tribe (CIRCLE Entertainment, 500 Points) – DSiWare is now officially on a roll with prehistoric strategy games. This time, you're in charge of building up your village by collecting resources and clubbing wildlife. We'll let you know how it compares to last week's dino strategy game soon enough.

Brain Drain (Enjoy Gaming, 500 Points) – This puzzler has already appeared on WiiWare in this neck of the woods, and now it's gone rogue on DSiWare. When it was released in Europe, we found this sliding block-esque puzzler to be reasonably meaty if a bit on the cheap and cheaty side. Check out our Brain Drain review for more.

Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects – Revenge (Ubisoft, 800 Points) – Another one already out in Europe, but now goes by "Battle" instead of "Combat." Naming aside, we found it to be a fairly average fighter in our Combat of Giants: Mutant Insects – Revenge review.

Stay inside and play it safe by reading the full press release below.

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: SHOULD OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE (HALF) FORGOT?

June 28, 2010

Three ... two ... one! Happy Half Year! Well, 2010 is just about half way behind us now (or, if you're an optimist, half way ahead of us). Either way, why not make a half-resolution to try out some new downloadable games? This week Jett Rocket zooms onto the WiiWare™ service to thwart the plans of the awesomely named Power Plant Posse. The Nintendo 64™ classic Mario Tennis™ on the Virtual Console™ service reminds tennis fans that most matches last less than 11 hours. And Maestro! Green Groove on the Nintendo DSiWare™ service lets you become a virtuoso, as everything you do in the game becomes music.

We've also got new arrivals in the "Big Name Games" section of the WarioWare™: D.I.Y. series, which features downloadable microgames from some of the industry's most talented figures. This week we have some new additions from the Treehouse, Nintendo's game localization team. New "Big Name Games" will be added every Monday through July 26, all available to download for zero Nintendo DSi Points™ to anyone with broadband Internet access and a copy of either WarioWare: D.I.Y. for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems or WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase software for the WiiWare service. Visit the Nintendo Channel on your Wii™ system today to learn more about these games.

WiiWare

Jett Rocket
Publisher: Shin'en Multimedia
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Jump and run and fly. Let Jett Rocket explore the beautiful planet of Yoroppa and find out why it has been attacked by the evil Power Plant Posse. Visit tropical islands, poisonous swamps and freezingly cold glaciers. Ride the ocean on your Jet Boat, parachute from giant cliffs, speed through arctic regions on your Jet Snowboard or skyrocket with your Jet Turbine. You will need everything you've got to fight back and save Yoroppa. Just be Jett Rocket in this epic futuristic full 3D action adventure.

Pong Toss Pro – Frat Party Games®
Publisher: JV Games Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Alcohol Reference, Comic Mischief, Mild Language
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Born on college campuses, Pong Toss is the ultimate party-game favorite. Now Pong Toss Pro takes it to the next level by featuring a completely redesigned throwing system for complete accuracy and improved graphics. Also new to Pong Toss Pro is Tournament Mode. You can have a four-, eight-, or 16-team bracket play in Pong Toss & Speed Pong. Pong Toss Pro features six regulation tables and the ability to modify simple house rules. Rock it with a high-energy rock soundtrack; listen to the announcer commenting on your play. Rule the table with Fireball bonuses for consecutive shots. In Speed Pong, up to three challengers can compete at the same time. Speed and strategy are the keys to this fast-paced game. Jack up your opponents by using a slew of power-ups that will slow them down. The first one who sinks the last cup wins it all.

Robin Hood: The Return of Richard
Publisher: Nordcurrent
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: While Richard, the true King of England, is absent from his throne, his country rages in chaos. England has been invaded, and enemies burn and destroy local towns and villages. After the house of expert archer and hunter Robin Hood was burned down, he, together with a group of free archers like himself, hides in Sherwood Forest and begins his fight for justice. The fate of the people now lies in your hands. Help Robin to defeat the villains and restore peace in this shooting game.

Features:

  • Complete 12 levels, defeating numerous enemies and visiting different locations in medieval England
  • Search for hidden objects to get bonus points
  • Fight with super villains, such as the Sheriff of Nottingham
  • Replay the game to improve your score in the High Score Table

Virtual Console

Mario Tennis
Original platform: Nintendo 64
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: The Mushroom Kingdom welcomes another sport to its lineup in the Nintendo 64 smash Mario Tennis. In addition to the bright graphics and intuitive, but incredibly tight, controls that all Mario™ games are known for, a cast of 16 Nintendo characters (including the first introduction of Waluigi™) is ready to take to the court. Along with the ability to unnerve an opponent by varying shots and precisely target their destination, each character has specific attributes in categories such as speed, power and control, all of which combine to offer multiple play styles to choose from. A variety of game modes ranging from a standard tournament to the crazy, item-filled Bowser Stage will keep you – and up to three of your friends – running around the court for quite some time. Whether trying to unlock all the secrets in single-player mode or challenging friends with some intense fun in multiplayer mode, this is a game that definitely holds its serve.

Nintendo DSiWare

Maestro! Green Groove
Publisher: Neko Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Animated Blood, Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Hello. Do you like music? Do you like platforms? Do you like pink bird-like things? Do you like the jungle? You'll love Maestro! Green Groove edition! So jump in and enjoy this wonderful feeling of being a virtuoso using your heart, stylus and voice. Everything you do is music – EVERYTHING! Hit the spiders to play some drums, shoot the fruit to bring out the melody, pinch the strings to play the tune and so on. Challenge the mischievous Staccato the Spider in a melodious battle in which the most talented one will win. For those of you who have no fear, once you have finished the adventure, you can activate the SING/WHISTLE mode to bug everyone around you with your precious talents. And for the talented ones, there is an improvisation mode in which you'll play the levels with the instruments and at the speed of your choice. Enjoy, Maestros from all around the world!

Date or Ditch
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Think you're a real Casanova? Let's see how you act in real-life situations when you face a whole gamut of dates, from romantic to wild. Date or Ditch is an absorbing dating adventure for both guys and girls, testing you through an evolving scenario. Discover unique game play mixing social simulation, hilarious face-to-face conversations and fun quizzes. Randomly meet someone at a party, go to the movies together, invite your date to dinner and more. And a surprise visit from your ex may spice up your love story a bit. Enter even deeper into the game thanks to the exclusive camera feature: Add your photo within the game and change your face according to your feelings. In real life, make sure you are compatible with your date by taking the Love Test: Based on your names and appearance, are you made for each other? Love has always been a game. We just made it more fun.

Animal Color Cross
Publisher: Little Worlds Studio
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Get hooked on colorful puzzles. The goal of the game is to reconstruct a mysterious animal image that lies beneath the grid. You just need to fill in each square of the grid with one of the appropriate colors available. To solve the puzzle, you can simply deduce the right color by using the numbers written around the grid. Don't worry, a short tutorial shows you the basic rules within a minute. Puzzle-solving champs, sudoku fans or even kids can enjoy the game. You can play 72 individual grids in up to 50 hours of game play. Players can select among eight levels presented as geographical zones including Europe, Oceania, North Pole, Pacific, North America and South America to discover local fauna. Enter a new world filled with fancy colored pixel art.

Ancient Tribe
Publisher: CIRCLE Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In the ancient world of Savage, you play the god of an ancient tribe in this real-time strategy game. Expand your village by guiding its inhabitants on the hunting grounds to find food and resources. Use them to upgrade your village and increase its population. When the primitive tribe develops to a certain level, they will build a temple to pay tribute to your mightiness. You can recruit new troops and research new classes of tribal people by upgrading the existing tribe's equipment and technology. Besides improving your tribe you can improve your godly powers by sacrificing some of your tribesmen and resources. On the hunting ground your tribe will explore forests, deserts, volcanoes and frozen lands. They will meet various kinds of beasts such as boars, elephants and even dinosaurs. You can help trap and tame them so your tribe can ride on them as part of your army and hunting troop.

Brain Drain™
Publisher: Enjoy Gaming
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Brain Drain is a funny and challenging puzzle game. You have to place the elements of a scrambled puzzle according to a given model. Select four elements at a time with the stylus and spin them to move the elements to the right positions. Some puzzles may feature malicious game effects that will slow you down during your puzzle solving. There are three game modes to choose from:

  • Challenge: 200 fixed puzzles with preset best times to solve and beat.
  • Race: A stream of puzzles and best time tables to beat in four difficulty levels.
  • Random: Relaxed, random puzzling that continues endlessly.

Battle of Giants™: Mutant Insects – Revenge
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: After the defeat of the Mutant King, the Mutant Queen rose up from the core of the Earth and forced the remaining giant insects into submission. Now it is your job to locate and free the Scorpion Champion, the only giant insect with the ability to defeat the Mutant Queen. Complete 10 new missions, defeat your enemies and liberate the Scorpion Champion! Customize your giant insect with tribal stripes, equip it with special powers and enhance your abilities. Challenge your friends to duels of supremacy on the Nintendo DS™ system. Are you strong enough to win this Battle of Giants™?

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.