Today’s Nintendo DLC: November 9, 2009

Scribbled on November 9th, 2009 by Jonathon Howard
Filed in Game Genres, New Release(s), Nintendo DSi, Nintendo Wii, Press Release, Virtual Console, WiiWare

This week, Nintendo delivers the most downloadable games with eleven items – granted, the DSiWare is all the same branded shovelware. Basically, today is Excitebike World Rally and Bomberman, and everything else coming out to day is really incidental or worse, terrible. Let’s get started.

WiiWare

Excitebike World Rally (1000 points): For those of you old enough to remember the original Excitebike for the NES, this game is it remade with 21st century design and graphics in mind. World Rally even includes a level editor so that you can design your own crazy tracks to try out yourself or with friends. This is a quality piece of software, GET IT!
Frogger Returns (500 points): Konami releases another iteration of Frogger, same old arcade action you remember with 3d models instead of sprites. Frogger never really had enough going for it in the first place to warrant all the re-makes it has seen. Frogger Returns doesn’t offer enough new game play to make it worth a purchase, IGNORE IT.
Dragon Master Spell Caster (500 points): Remember shooters on rails? Perhaps you’re old enough to remember the Panzer Dragon series? This is like the cheap version of it. You get to pick between four dragons and follow through the story mode, or you can combat your friend. Dragon Master doesn’t really have much to offer and looks like it only costs $5… IGNORE IT.

DSiWare

Bomberman Blitz (500 points): Classic Bomberman action on your DSi! Play against 8 opponents (computer or human) as you scurry around the board collecting upgrades and strategically entrapping your enemies before their blown away. GET IT.
Electroplankton Trapy (200 points) – One of five Electroplankton “games” that comes out this week. If you bought all 5 of them today you’d have half of the original game. Trapy’s make a noise depending on which direction they’re swimming. YOU DECIDE.
Electroplankton Hanenbow (200 points) – Hanenbow use leaves to escape the water, creating strange sounds as they bounce from leave to leave. YOU DECIDE.
Electroplankton Rec-Rec (200 points) – Rec-Rec absorb music and then release it in 4 second intervals…When schools of Rec-Rec swim together they release at different intervals creating interesting harmonies. YOU DECIDE.
Electroplankton Nanocarp (200 points) – Another musical fish for your Electroplankton collection. Nanocarp swim in schools and react to sounds from the DSi speaker. YOU DECIDE.
Electroplankton Beatnes (200 points) – Long and seaweed like Beatnes make different sounds according tin which section of their body you’re tapping. YOU DECIDE.

Virtual Console

Wonderboy 3: The Dragon’s Trap (500 points): Another Sega Master System release. I don’t think Nintendo is even supporting Virtual Console anymore. Wonderboy 3 is as bad a platformer as its predecessors were. IGNORE IT.
Cybernoid (500 points) – A Commodore 64 shoot-em-up. With a time limit you must navigate your shooter through planetary defenses and enemies collecting stolen supplies before you are destroyed or run out of time. Shmups have come a long way since Cybernoid and you’ll be better served picking up one of the last generation (PS2, GC, or Xbox) shooter for the same price and a greater amount of fun, IGNORE IT.

Press release:

Nov. 9, 2009

Nintendo Download

Load Up on Excitebike Action, Musical Plankton and More

Rev up your engines for a huge week at the Wii^™ Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi^™ Shop, starting with the launch of a pulse-pounding revamp for the WiiWare^™ service, Excitebike^™: World Rally. For the Nintendo DSiWare service, you’ll find five new titles in the mesmerizing Electroplankton^™ series – available at just 200 Nintendo DSi Points^™ apiece – plus the irresistible multiplayer mayhem of Bomberman Blitz. With two new classic Virtual Console^™ offerings to sweeten the selection, there’s truly something for everyone to download and enjoy.

WiiWare

Excitebike: World Rally
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points^™
Description: Prepare to face daredevil jumps, crazy obstacles and other racers in the newest installment in the venerable Excitebike franchise, available exclusively on the WiiWare service. Choose from multiple camera angles as you tilt your way to smooth landings using motion-sensitive controls. Compete in races around the world in four championship circuits. Use Nintendo^® Wi-Fi Connection to invite friends to a race. Or if you’re feeling brave, take on anyone else looking for a match. Feel like tackling a challenge of your own design? Use the intuitive Track Editor to choose from the available obstacles and put together your dream course, then share courses with friends to see whose creation skills reign supreme.

Frogger Returns
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Frogger Returns takes the heart-pounding challenge of arcade Frogger and moves it into the next dimension. Classic top-down 2-D game play is updated with colorful 3-D graphics, a new perspective, new levels, new enemies and game-changing power-ups. A local multiplayer mode lets you race a friend.

Dragon Master Spell Caster^™
Publisher: Stickmen Studios
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: The Dragon Lords have returned to the magical world of Nakiha, bringing ultimate power to whoever controls them. Choose your champion, then master amazing magic and fierce dragon attacks to defeat the rival Champions and their Dragon Lords. Choose from four different paths and decide the fate of the world in the fantastic story mode. Battle your friends in two-player split-screen arcade mode and tailor your tactics with different dragon and rider combinations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Marvel at the effects of mind-blowing spell collisions. Mix spells and unleash their ultimate power. Control your Dragon Lord and crush, bite and burn your way to victory.

Nintendo DSiWare

Bomberman Blitz
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Bomberman makes his downloadable debut on Nintendo DSiWare with Bomberman Blitz. Dive into a classic multiplayer Bomberman experience with eight-player local or online multiplayer using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Hone your skills and learn the maps, then take the battle online. Change map and item preferences for enhanced customization. Delivering unparalleled multiplayer excitement, Bomberman Blitz lets Nintendo DSi users enjoy the addictive fun of Bomberman anytime, anywhere.

Electroplankton Trapy
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Trapy plankton make sounds as they swim over graceful lines made up of linked triangles. The creatures follow the lines you trace along the water. There are six types of Trapy in all, each with a unique color and sound. All Trapy plankton produce different tones depending on the direction they swim. They produce the lowest-pitched sounds when they swim to the right and produce higher-pitched sounds as their path veers to the left.

ElectroplanktonHanenbow
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Normally aquatic creatures, Hanenbow sometimes use floating leaves to launch themselves out of the water, creating strange sounds and melodies as they bounce off the leaves. Entire schools of Hanenbow have been known to launch out of the water, one after another. As a leaf is repeatedly hit by flying Hanenbow, it gradually changes color. This also alters the sound made by bouncing Hanenbow. When all the leaves turn red, a flower will bloom. It remains unclear why the Hanenbow display this curious behavior.

ElectroplanktonRec-Rec
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Rec-Rec are fishlike plankton that feed on sound waves. They absorb sound waves transmitted through water and use them as a form of nutrition. The sound waves that the Rec-Rec eat are then stored inside their bodies until they have been digested. Once the digestion process is complete, they play back the sounds in perfect four-second intervals. While these sounds are playfully emitted, wave patterns can be seen pulsating on their bodies. Rec-Rec always swim side by side in schools of four. When they swim at different speeds, the frequency with which they emit sounds also changes.

ElectroplanktonNanocarp
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Nanocarp have very sensitive hearing. Using their two ears to sense vibrations coming through the water, these plankton can distinguish sound quality and frequency. They display very interesting reactions to the sound of humans clapping or breathing. Nanocarp are also excellent swimmers. They have a tendency to swim in formations of 16 and react together when they detect sounds. These plankton emit sounds on their own when they sense waves on the water’s surface. When this happens, the pitch of sounds they produce changes depending on where the Nanocarp is located.

ElectroplanktonBeatnes
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Beatnes are curious plankton with geometrically shaped heads that form vertical strands like seaweed. Their bodies are made up of eight sections, each featuring a distinctive diamond-shaped tail. The sound of a Beatnes can vary wildly depending on which segment of the body is tapped. However, all of the sounds closely resemble the short-wave and triangular-wave sound effects from a Nintendo Entertainment System^™ sound chip. When Beatnes are tapped in time with a rhythm, they continue to repeat the sounds in perfect time for a short period.

Virtual Console

Wonder Boy^™ III: The Dragon’s Trap
Original platform: MASTER SYSTEM
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence, Tobacco Reference
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap is widely considered to be one of the best games produced for the SEGA MASTER SYSTEM. The direct sequel to Wonder Boy in Monster Land, it starts in the final lair of the previous game. This game is the first in the series to allow Wonder Boy to roam freely by using various animal forms, but as with previous games in the series, Wonder Boy can also buy various weapons, armor and items to help him in his quest.

Cybernoid^™
Original platform: Commodore 64
Publisher: Commodore Gaming
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Federation storage depots have been raided by pirates, who’ve taken valuable minerals, jewels, ammunition and the latest battle weaponry. You have been commissioned by the Federation to retrieve the cargo and return it to storage within a specified time limit. The pirate craft have activated all planetary defense systems, which you must negotiate along with the pirates themselves. If you fail to reach the depot within the time limit, or if the value of your retrieved cargo is insufficient, you must forfeit one of your Cybernoid ships.