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Japanese Nintendo downloads: Phoenix Wright, Zaxxon, Photo Fighter X

by JC Fletcher { Dec 15th 2009 at 4:15PM }

The release list for the Japanese Wii and DSi Shops are a bit more restrained than the last couple of weeks, offering a much more manageable (read: smaller) selection of downloadable titles. On Virtual Console, for example, Sega's isometric arcade shmup Zaxxon is the only offering. Similarly, there's just one WiiWare game, but it's Phoenix Wright!

DSiWare gets the cool Photo FIghter X, which lets you build fighting game characters from DSi camera snaps. More Paint By DS joins it, this time all about dogs; and in the requisite "puzzle game" positions are a new G.G. series entry and a Jupiter-developed game about rotating blocks to match colors.

Zaxxon (Arcade, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (WiiWare, 1 player, 900 Wii Points)
Shashin de Kakutou! Photo Fighter X! (DSiWare, 1-2 players, 200 DSi Points)
G.G. Series Vertex (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Kanji Practice First Grade (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Artist ni Narou! Minna no Nurikai Inu-hen (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Atelier Deco La Doll (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Castle of Magic (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Panewa! (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)

Gallery: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (WiiWare)

Japanese Nintendo downloads: Kappa Michi, Final Fight 3, more

by JC Fletcher { Dec 8th 2009 at 3:45PM }

Another ridiculous overload of content today on the Japanese Wii and DSi Shops. Not so much in WiiWare, whose only release this week is The Incredible (and incredibly avoidable) Maze, but Virtual Console and DSiWare are absolutely stuffed with games!

Weirdly, there are two map-based puzzle games on DSiWare. One, Map Map! is a series of puzzle, and the other, Sekai Tanken Kokki World Map, is a quiz game. Also available: a cute puzzle game from the G.G. Series, in which you drop blocks to build a path for a character, a mini version of Paint by DS, more Jake Hunter, and a really cute game from Mother 3 developer Brownie Brown about leading a kappa along paths of coins.

Chokkan! Balance Labyrinth (WiiWare, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Final Fight Tough (Super Famicom, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Yie Ar Kung Fu 2 (MSX, 800 Wii Points)
Namco Quester (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Valkyrie no Densetsu (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Metal Gear (MSX, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
G.G. Series: Black x Block (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Sekai Tanken Kokki World Map (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Map Map! By Gotouchi Kentei DS (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Artist ni Narou! Minna no Nurikai (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
UNO (DSiWare, 1-4 players, 500 DSi Points)
Kappa Michi (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Tantei Saburo Jinguuji: Chained Curse & Mystery Case (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)

Japanese Nintendo downloads: King of Fighters '95, Kamenin Merchant

by JC Fletcher { Dec 1st 2009 at 1:15PM }

Today, for those Japanese gamers who like King of Fighters games but didn't purchase the Orochi Collection disc -- or the Neo Geo Online Collection Complete Box sets, King of Fighters '95 is available on the Virtual Console. SNK Playmore's business model is so strange -- these Virtual Console releases seem to actively compete with the company's retail collections.

Also available: two cute Namco arcade games, including Rompers, an obscure game about pushing walls over on enemies. DSiWare features a Tales of Graces spinoff, a calendar that lets you mark upcoming events, and a Picross variant with surprisingly nice sprite work.

The King of Fighters '95 (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points)
Ordyne (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Rompers (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Ponjan Wii (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
Ato Nannichi? Kazoeru Nintendo DSi Calendar (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Kamenin Merchant (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Kaiten Illust Puzzle Guruguru Logic (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)

Japanese Nintendo downloads: MSX games, Eco Shooter, and 16 more

by JC Fletcher { Nov 24th 2009 at 1:01PM }

There's an incredibly diverse selection of games on the Japanese Wii and DSi Shops today -- 12 different games on Wii, and 6 on DSi. Think of this as Nintendo's online version of the holiday rush.

Most interesting among the multifarious offerings: a few forgotten Konami MSX games on VC, and 530 Eco Shooter on WiiWare. That's ... an Intelligent Systems-developed shooting game about shooting cans. The cans are alive and move around. It's weird. Also weird: Nintendo's Neratte Spot! for DSiWare, which is about throwing bombs into the mouths of fish.

The whole list is after the break, because it's crazy long.

Continued →

Japanese Nintendo downloads: Trial edition

by JC Fletcher { Nov 17th 2009 at 3:30PM }

The WiiWare demo program arrives in Japan today, offering many of the same demos found in North America. Bit.Trip Beat and NyxQuest are out, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is in. Oddly, the Japanese site for the demo program mentions a January 31 end date, which the North American page doesn't. We don't know if that's the end of the whole demo thing or just the expiration date for this set of demos.

Also on the Wii today in Japan: two Namco arcade games which are personal favorites: free-scrolling shooter Bosconian (with fantastic "ALART" voice samples), and Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani's weird Libble Rabble. Genterprise continues its budget series on DSiWare, with a top-down racer and a VR-looking action game:

Bosconian (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Libble Rabble (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
G.G. Series Tetsubou (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
G.G. Series Drift Circuit (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Art Academy (First and Second Semester) (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points each)

Demos: Pokemon Rumble, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord & World of Goo

Japanese Nintendo downloads: Street Fighter II', Panel Connection

by JC Fletcher { Nov 10th 2009 at 11:45AM }

There's no WiiWare this week in Japan, but there is the best 8-bit adaptation of Street Fighter II ever. Not that the PC Engine version has much competition outside of pirate Famicom cartridges and the terrible Game Boy port. But the PC Engine's SF2 holds up respectably against even the Genesis and SNES versions. It's joined on Virtual Console by a pair of tank games from Namco.

DSiWare offers a Chinese vocabulary learning tool and a new puzzle game by Intelligent Systems. Panel Connection involves setting panels into a grid to create an uninterrupe\ted exhaust path for a rocket.

Street Fighter II': Champion Edition (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Grobda (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points
Tank Force (Arcade, 1-4 players, 800 Wii Points)
ACT Series: Chinese-Japanese Vocabulary (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Panel Connection: 3 Minute Rocket (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)

[Image credit]

Japanese Nintendo downloads: Neo Geo, Art Style return

by JC Fletcher { Nov 3rd 2009 at 11:15AM }

This week marks two major events (sort of) for the Japanese Wii and DSi download services. First, both Wii and DSi downloads now go up on the same date. In this case, it's November 4, which is today in Japan. Second, the Neo Geo is back! The last Neo game came out in Japan in July 2008.

On DSiWare, there's more mahjong, more calendar apps, and more Art Style. Digidrive is a remake of one of the original Bit Generations games. It's been released as Intersect in Europe.

Fire Emblem Gaiden (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Fatal Fury Special (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points)
"Aha! I Got It" Escape Game (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
Kyoto Students Taishi Higashida Thought Puzzle Inspiration Signed Painting (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Handy Mahjong (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Daily Growing Journal Calendar (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Art Style: DIGIDRIVE (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)

Japanese Nintendo downloads: WiiWare ReBirth

by JC Fletcher { Oct 27th 2009 at 12:44PM }

WiiWare is officially back in Japan, with one of the most content-rich updates we'd ever seen. Just Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth would be enough to make this week remarkable, but Game Arts' Shadow Walker and Bit.Trip VOID are available as well, along with an oddity from D3!

Not enough? How about four Virtual Console games, including a Sonic & Knuckles with the lock-on feature intact? Or a budget DSiWare game about blowing up asteroids to save the Earth?

@SIMPLE Series Vol. 5: THE Judo (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 700 Wii Points)
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth (WiiWare, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)
Bit.Trip: VOID (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
Shadow Walker (WiiWare, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)
Championship Lode Runner (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Sonic & Knuckles (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Face Off (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Rolling Thunder 2 (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Earth Saver (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Puzzle Selection Monthly Crossword House vol. 6 (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Hills and Rivers Remain (DSiWare, 1-4 players, 800 DSi Points)

Japanese Nintendo downloads: Bravo for Bunnies

by JC Fletcher { Oct 6th 2009 at 1:15PM }

Okay, so the two WiiWare games this week were actually released last week. Once again, no WiiWare games are out this week, allowing us the luxury of highlighting the content that didn't make it to the site previously. And how could we let a NEVES sequel or a game based on Toei Animation and Sanrio's Sugarbunnies go by without mentioning them? The Sugarbunnies game manages to out-cute Cooking Mama by setting its cooking minigames in a cartoon bunny world.

As for Virtual Console, we're really beginning to tire of the standard 800 point price for arcade games. Bravoman is cool, but New Rally-X? Really? You shouldn't even pay eight bucks for a New Rally-X arcade machine.

Sugarbunnies Wii: Welcome to Bunnies' Field (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
Hamekomi Lucky Puzzle Wii Return (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
Fighting Street (PC Engine CD-ROM, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
New Rally-X (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Chouzetsu Rinjin Bravoman (Arcade, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
atShogi Challenge Spirits (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Ichimoudaijin! Neko King (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Sleep Timer: Mezamashi Clock (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
6 in 1 Dictionary with Camera Function (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Itsudemo Bomberman (DSiWare, 1-8 players, 500 DSi Points)
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points)

Japanese Nintendo Downloads: Galaxian heads to the Tecmo Bowl

by David Hinkle { Sep 29th 2009 at 3:45PM }

Following last week's drought due to the public holiday, Nintendo has turned the download faucet back on in Japan. It's another week free of WiiWare, but there's certainly enough Virtual Console material to make up for it. Outside of a trio of VC Arcade titles, we've got a Super Famicom tactical RPG classic:

Bahamut Lagoon (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Galaxian (VC Arcade, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Tecmo Bowl (VC Arcade, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points) [VC in Brief]
Märchen Maze (VC Arcade, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points)

Japanese Nintendo Downloads: Goemon is a hot-blooded man of Edo

by David Hinkle { Sep 22nd 2009 at 2:15PM }

First of all, it's a holiday in Japan this week, so there are no new games for September 22. However, since we failed to update you guys on the releases for September 15, we figured we should probably do that. Sorry for the delay!

Despite the lack of releases this week, we think most Japanese gamers are happy because they totally get to play some Ganbare Goemon. Known in The States as Legend of the Mystical Ninja, the series has had a long affair with Japanese gamers -- which now continues on the Virtual Console!

Ganbare Goemon 3 (Super Famicom, 1 -2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Dragon Saber (VC Arcade, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Dragon Buster (VC Arcade, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points)

Japanese Nintendo downloads: The Soldier of Argos

by JC Fletcher { Sep 8th 2009 at 2:30PM }

Two weeks in a row and no WiiWare in Japan. Did Nintendo of Japan hire someone on from Nintendo of America's WiiWare team? Whatever happened, the total absence of WiiWare throws attention on the two Virtual Console Arcade titles available today.

Rygar finally arrives on Virtual Console, giving gamers the opportunity to try the original, much more linear version of the classic NES game. It's joined by Dragon Spirit, the epic tale of a warrior who is transformed into a dragon, and then transformed again into a two-headed dragon, while being shot at by hundreds of flying monsters.

Argos no Senshi (Rygar) (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Dragon Spirit (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)

[Image credit]

Japanese Nintendo downloads: The worm returns

by JC Fletcher { Sep 1st 2009 at 2:15PM }

After last week's massive update in Japan, WiiWare is taking some time off. That means that the spotlight falls directly on the okay Virtual Console lineup for this week. Earthworm Jim 2 arrives as an import, which demonstrates two really wonderful things about Japan's Virtual Console -- first, that Mega Drive games only cost 600 Wii Points in Japan, and second, that imports don't cost any extra. Nor should they, as they aren't localized and they cost the same to put on a server as anything else.

Also available this week: the arcade version of Xevious, and one of those ridiculous Koei strategy games, this one about Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Taikou Risshiden (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Earthworm Jim 2 (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Xevious (Arcade, players, 800 Wii Points)

Japanese Nintendo Downloads: Escape from Various Locations

by JC Fletcher { Aug 25th 2009 at 5:45PM }

Marvelous's distinctively drab, enticingly bizarre adventure game Discipline launched today in Japan. We're eager to hear if the You Fluid weirdness overpowers the interesting puzzle-adventure concept. Also available on WiiWare: a couple of educational games, one of which is based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar; a haunted-house-themed minigame collection from Gameloft, and D3's room-escape adventure game.

On Virtual Console, Activision's Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is now available, along with Finest Hour, a jetpack-enhanced run-and-gun from Namco.

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Finest Hour (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
@Simple Series Vol. 4 THE Locked Room Escape (WiiWare, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Ghost Mansion Party (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
Kodomo Kyooiku Terebi Wii Aiue Oomuzu (WiiWare, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Discipline (WiiWare, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Harapeko Aomushi no ABC (WiiWare, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

Japanese Nintendo downloads: Nothing this week, arcade classics next week

by JC Fletcher { Aug 11th 2009 at 12:00PM }

This week, there are no updates on the Japanese Wii Shop, due to the Obon holiday. Now we know why last week's update was so massive -- it more than compensated for a week off! The Virtual Console, at least, will return next week with four new games. No announcement has been made for WiiWare yet, but we thought we'd share the VC releases.

It's going to be a good week for arcade games! Knuckle Heads, a silly-looking post-Street Fighter II fighting game from Namco, will be available, along with the arcade versions of Bomb Jack and Solomon's Key, two (unfortunately priced) total classics from Tecmo.

Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey-bu! Subette Koronde Dairantou (Famicom, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
Solomon's Key (Arcade, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Knuckle Heads (Arcade, 1-4 players, 800 Wii Points)
Bomb Jack (Arcade, 1-4 players, 800 Wii Points)

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