Filed under: Downloads

Club Nintendo and its assorted freebies may not be the only service Nintendo of America intends to import from Japan. During its megaton-filled Media Summit last week, the big N briefly discussed "Nintendo Zone", a new service that will appear soon at "DS Station" download kiosks in Japanese stores and fast food restaurants.

Nintendo Zone will be compatible with both the DS Lite (remember that?) and DSi, will offer demos and one-off content, and looks like it will make the trip to North America, after the above trademark was spotted in the USPTO database. While we're still short of an official confirmation, Siliconera notes that this was registered on October 2nd with Club Nintendo, Sin & Punishment, and Rhythm Heaven.

[Via Siliconera]

While it's likely to be the same demo featured before (meaning there's no paddle support), it doesn't deserve to be ignored. Those of you who didn't check out Taito's revival of the classic on the DS should be heading over to your Wii (or, if you fail to own one, a friend's house) to give the demo a download now. Seriously, we thought it was a pretty decent game.

Head past the break for the details on all of the demos available this week.

Another week means another dose of demos available on the Nintendo Channel. If you've got a Wii, you're in luck. If not, then we suggest you cruise past the break to see one of the many reasons why you should own one.

For most of us, Band Brothers DX is just one of many unattainable titles in the Japanese market. We want to play it and love the crap out of it, but our inability to understand the Japanese squigglies keeps us from realizing just how great the game is. Thanks to Spencer at Siliconera, we can keep up with the most beloved content for the title.

You can see the top 100 downloads yourself right here. It's not going to mean much to a majority of you, but if you're looking for the top downloads of this week, then peep this:

1. Shuchi Shin (Shuchi Shin)
2. Gake no Ue no Ponyo (Miyazaki movie theme?)
3. Nakanai de (Shuchi Shin)
4. Kiseki (GReeeeN)
5. Nando mo (Aoyama Thelma)* created by Nintendo

[Via Siliconera]

For those of you looking to play something brand new this week, you're out of luck. Instead, Nintendo offers us a chance to catch up with some demos me might have missed in the past, allowing folks to download these up until next week. So, if you missed out last time, get on it!

Remember that video that showed you how to skin your Guitar Hero: On Tour peripheral? Well, you might want to put that knowledge to work, as the official site for Guitar Hero: On Tour has updated with some badass skins you can print out and use to customize to your little rocker heart's content.

All you have to do is head over here. Each of the skins comes in a PDF file, so once you click on it and print it, it should be a snap to cut out and insert into the peripheral.


[Via Go Nintendo]

It's Monday again, which means it's time to check out what the Nintendo Channel has in store for DS demos. Like last week, we don't get much in the way of new stuff to play on our DS, but it's not about quantity here, it's about quality. And, this week's lone demo has that in spades:

• Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2

According to Spencer over at Siliconera, the DSVision store isn't all it's cracked up to be. The launch of the service has left him wanting, considering there are only 30 items available in the online store, with users expecting much, much more from the launch of the service.

He does admit that the pricing is favorable, however. Episodes of television shows are only $2, with digital manga fetching $3 per chapter. The books on available on the service range from free for a trial to $6 for a 1,000-page novel.

Did any of you bother to import it?

It's Monday, which means the Wii's Nintendo Channel is due to unleash some new DS demos for us to enjoy. Following last week's offerings isn't easy, that's for sure. Actually, it might be impossible. We're talking about one of the most awesome DS games available, after all.

So what's available this week? Head on past the break for the details.

Following word that the UK would be receiving some new download stations, as well as some new DS Lite models, we now hear that this new switch is driving sales in the region. It's pretty much a winning combo.

Despite the success, don't bet on more DS Lite models being released anytime soon. "There are now seven different DS colours available, so we have no plans to release more colours at this time," said a Nintendo spokesperson. The new download centers, however, will be rolling out in a "steady and consistent manner," so expect new demos on a regular basis.

It's Monday, again. Usually, we'd frown and mope about all day, what with it being the beginning of another week of tirelessly blogging and all, but Mondays are turning into more of a celebration for us. We get new gaming content every week on this day!

Nintendo has updated the Everyone's Nintendo Channel on the Wii to include some sweet demos this week, so if you're in the mood for something new to play, you'll find it here. Aside from last week's demos, you'll also find several new ones. Head on past the break for the list of new demos available.

Remember that story we ran about McDonald's recently? No, not the one about no more free Wi-Fi, the other story. The one about the download service in Japan. Got it? Good.

Well, Inside Games recently checked out the service and did a nice little write-up. Of course, some of you knew what the service looks like because you checked out our gallery of screens (below, if you're late to the party), but if you're looking for some additional screens depicting the service at work, hit up Inside Games.

Pokémaniacs, take note: between now and the end of June, the Nintendo World Store in New York will be offering Darkrai as a free download. That means you've got precisely twenty-seven days to save up for and book a flight/ferry/coach ticket to the Big Apple to scoop one of the more elusive thirteen Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Diamond or Pearl (note: there are certain other methods to obtaining Darkrai that lack scruples).

If you were looking for a perfect excuse for a break in The City That Never Sleeps, this could be it. Just don't forget to send us a postcard.

Until recently, the UK supposedly had 600 DS Download Stations dotted about its high streets. Exactly where these were located will probably forever remain a mystery -- this blogger resides in one of the largest UK cities, yet still hasn't seen a single Download Station in the wild.

Fortunately, that could be about to change, and soon. The latest issue of Official Nintendo Magazine reveals that Nintendo has plans to launch a bunch of new 'DS Download Center' stands to UK retailers and supermarkets, including chains such as GAME, Gamestation, HMV, and others.

These aren't just any old DS Download Centers, either. With the old style of Download Center now extinct in British stores, this new breed will come equipped with a DS Lite for trying out demos (we give the styluses a week before they're swiped by ne'er-do-good street urchins), along with a video screen so that annoying curious passers-by can peek in at what's happening on your screens. Nintendo is also promising that many demos will be downloadable, and will feature some of the latest games; which should make a change from the drab offerings we currently have here on the Nintendo Channel.

If you don't get the "L'eggo" reference, let us just say that it's a short form for saying "let go."

Okay, so what are we getting on about? Well, sure enough, in checking to see if there any new DS demos from the Everyone's Nintendo Channel (which has become customary as of late), we found absolutely nothing. What's the deal, Nintendo? If there were any day we could've used some fresh demos, yesterday could've been it.

You think we should be getting demos every Monday? Of course you do! So, let us know what demos you'd like to see hit the service! Want to try a demo for that hot new game? Let us know! What do you want to see?