Today brings six new downloadable titles for Nintendo's various digital delivery platforms, including the release of a rare classic, the ultimate ant farm, and a completely different sort of bit tripping.
Virtual Console fans get a rare treat this week with the release of Pulseman (900 Wii points), a platform title often considered the best looking game ever created for the Sega Genesis. Pulseman was only released in cartridge form in Japan, only seeing the light of day in North America as an exclusive to the Sega Channel, Sega's short-lived, cable-television game delivery service. It's joined by the Sega Master System's Secret Command (600 Wii points), which U.S. fans might know better as Rambo: First Blood II.
WiiWare gets the bulk of the love this week, with three titles compared to the two Virtual Console titles and solo DSiWare offering. It gets the most unnecessary exclamation points as well, with JV Games tank shooter Incoming! (500 Wii Points) and Bplus' Bit Boy!! (600 Wii points) sharing three between them. Konami's ant-torturing simulator Ant Nation (700 Wii points) is sadly lacking punctuation, so from now on we'll be calling it Ant!! Nation!!.
Finally we have Brain Challenge from Gameloft for DSiWare (800 DSi points), which features 48 mini-games to help keep your brain from turning to mush.
As always, check out the official descriptions below to help you make informed purchasing decisions, or ignore them completely and go crazy.
WiiWare
Bit Boy!!
Publisher: Bplus
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Get ready for the most spectacular journey through time in the history of video games!! Accompany Bit Boy Kubi through a crazy pixellated adventure and battle hordes of nasty monsters in 4-bit dungeons, 8-bit caves, 16-bit strongholds, 32-bit labyrinths, 64-bit arenas and 128-bit worlds!! Rescue Kubi's friends!! Set off in the ultimate pursuit of fruits and high scores!! Grab a friend for even more fun in Cooperative mode!! The Wii Remote is your joystick – let the arcade adventure begin!!
Incoming!
Publisher: JV Games Inc.
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: The goal of Incoming! is to defeat your opponents by destroying their tanks using the arsenal you have at your disposal. Advanced arsenals become available at different levels of the game. Incoming! is great fun for two people to play competitively. Can you defeat your opponent's tanks before they conquer yours? Collect power-ups to give your arsenal that tactical advantage. Your firing must be quick and your aim true to claim victory.
Ant Nation
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10 + (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 700 Wii Points?
Description: The beloved childhood pastime of lazy Sundays spent with a magnifying glass and an ant farm finally arrives in its most mischievous form via the WiiWare service. You must train your colony of Super Ants using a devilishly fun toolset. Zap, torch and manipulate your ants to make them numerous enough and tough enough to survive a variety of increasingly difficult challenges.
? Zap your ants with lasers, fry them with your trusty magnifying glass, send down lightning and much more to build them to be the strongest Ants on the block.
? Send your ants into war against local bullies like spiders and ladybugs. Is your colony ready for the fight?
? 100 missions keep you busy facing a smorgasbord of fun and wacky tasks.
? Bonus mode features 20 additional challenges that allow you to get crazy with all your favorite weapons of ant destruction.
? Use your Wii Remote? controller to drop a virtual hammer on your ants, use your Wii Remote like a metal detector to find in-game gold and much more.
Virtual Console
Secret Command?
Original platform: SEGA Master System
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Play as a lone warrior, armed to the teeth, sent on a top-secret commando mission behind enemy lines to liberate your comrades at arms. Released on the SEGA Master System in Europe as Secret Command, players will battle frenzied attacks from enemy soldiers, rocket troops, tanks and other enemies doing everything they can to stop you from saving the hostages. Use your trusty machine gun and a compound bow, equipped with explosive-tipped arrows, to pave the way to victory. Let nothing stand in your path. Play it with a friend in two-player mode for double the fire power.
Pulseman?
Original platform: SEGA Genesis
Publisher: GAME FREAK
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Animated Violence
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: When noted 21st-century scientist Doc Yoshimaya fell in love with one of his C-Life artificial-intelligence creations, he uploaded himself into his computer, where her program core merged with his DNA, and half-human/half-C-Life Pulseman was born. Doc Yoshimaya's mind twisted as he emerged back into real life, and he became evil Doc Waruyama. Use Pulseman's ability to harness electricity as a weapon with his Volteccer attack as a means of rapid transport to fight Waruyama's Galaxy Gang across seven crazy stages. Find out why this SEGA Channel classic was widely regarded as one of the best-looking games for SEGA's MEGA DRIVE (Genesis) on release.
Nintendo DSiWare
Brain Challenge?
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points?
Description: Just like your body, your brain needs exercise to stay in shape. Brain Challenge is a simple, entertaining solution for stimulating your neurons that goes way beyond logic tests. Thanks to a complete range of 48 mini-games, Brain Challenge provides an exceptional variety of exercises. Not only can you train your brain for Math but also for four other categories: Logic, Focus, Memory and Visual. Plus an original Stress Mode, featuring multitasking and authority challenges, Plus, you can now personalize your profile and some exercises with your own photos.