We got 3 games this week, two for the Virtual Console and one for WiiWare. With the VC, we have Bomberman 94 and Detana Twin Bee. I will truthfully admit that I thought most of the Bomberman games were about the same. This Bomberman has graphics that would challenge the original Harvest Moon. Actually… same goes for Twin Bee. Both games are 700 Wii Points. Probably because the two games were never released in the US. If you’re a fan of either, I would definitely suggest them.

Over at the WiiWare section we have one new game: Pop’Em Drop’Em. It’s one of those puzzle games where you match the blocks. For 500 points, it doesn’t seem too bad to have something casual like this, but it seems like there could be several of these as java games online (I’m just saying) for free. This one is definitely for the puzzle people with 500 points they can spare.

More information from Nintendo below:

WiiWare

Pop’Em Drop’Em SAMEGAME (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): SAMEGAME is a simple yet engrossing puzzle game where you must clear matching blocks in sets of two or more. Score high by clearing out more blocks at once. If you manage to clear the entire grid, you can keep on playing with a whole new layout. Getting rid of all those blocks is the key to racking up points. Adjust the difficulty level in a one-player game by trying different grid sizes and multiple colors. Up to four players can face off in any one of three multiplayer modes. “Fame Game,” the most straightforward choice, is similar to the one-player version. “Shame Game” turns the tables by forcing players to go for the lowest score. “Blame Game” is a free-for-all as everyone vies for blocks on one big grid. Choose from different block styles, background graphics and music to customize your playing experience.

Virtual Console

Bomberman®’94 (TurboGrafx16, 1-5 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 700 Wii Points): Bomberman has arrived to restore peace on the planet, which has been split into five parts by an evil hand. In addition to the nine members of the Bomber Family, the character Rooi shows up to lend a hand. Jump on the eggs that appear from destroyed soft blocks and you can ride one of five types of Rooi. Each Rooi has different special abilities—use them well and you’ll ride to victory.

DETANA TWIN BEE (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Cartoon Violence, 700 Wii Points): It’s the popular vertical-scrolling shooter renowned for its cute and comical world. Here come Twinbee and Winbee on a mission to save the planet from evil alien invaders. Standing in their way are six stages full of goofy enemies. Play as Twinbee in single-player mode, or team up with Winbee in two-player cooperative mode. With powerful attacks like Big Shot, or Twin Attack and Burst Attack in two-player mode, there’s plenty of sting in their arsenal. Use your Shot to transform Bells into items with various effects. Stock up on these bad boys to expand your attack range and really have a blast.

We got two downloads for our DLC for the Wii. I’m a little trippy trying to figure out what exactly Bit.Trip Beat actually is. The visuals are really cool looking, the soundtrack sounds like fun, and the controls seem cool. It definitely looks like something to check out, and it being only 600 points (less than most WiiWare games) I would give it a shot. Summer Games II, on the other hand seems a little dated. The Olympics were last year so I doubt that any Olympic fever is even around. Here’s some more information.

WiiWare

BIT.TRIP BEAT (Aksys Games, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): BIT.TRIP BEAT is a rhythm game that brings retro action into the present, letting you use the motion-sensing Wii Remote™ controller to bounce beats. Retro visuals, classic game play, four-player multiplayer and an 8-bit soundtrack will get you in the zone and rock your world. The challenges are mighty, but if you can stay cool as the difficulty increases, you’ll discover the beginnings of the BIT.TRIP saga.

Virtual Console

Summer Games II™ (Commodore 64, 1-8 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): A thousand athletes. A hundred countries. Billions watching around the world as you enter the stadium, marching confidently among your nation’s strongest, fastest and boldest young men and women. Your gaze sweeps the crowd as you realize the scope of your achievement. You are about to compete against the world’s best athletes in a 3,000-year-old competition. This is the pinnacle of athletic achievement: the Summer Games. Summer Games II challenges your competitive skills with a series of athletic contests for one to eight players. Experience the excitement and realism of eight different events: cycling, equestrian, fencing, high jump, javelin, kayaking, rowing and triple jump. Practice each event to sharpen your skills, then choose from the 18 countries you can represent in the competition.

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• The Weekly Wii Update Has a Secret [Wii Downloadables] (kotaku.com)

There are some good music choices for the beginning of March. Here’s what we got this week:

Rock Band

We got one straggler from the No Doubt update from a few months ago:

• “New” - No Doubt ($1.99)

Our big update is a full album. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble have their full album, Texas Flood. As always the tracks individually are $1.99 and for the whole album, it’s $15.99. Here is the full list:

• “Dirty Pool”
• “I’m Cryin’”
• “Lenny”
• “Love Struck Baby”
• “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
• “Pride and Joy”
• “Rude Mood”
• “Tell Me”
• “Testify”
• “Texas Flood”

Guitar Hero World Tour

We have (i’m assuming) some European tracks this week. Each track is $1.99 and there is the European Track Pack 03 which is 5.49 and includes the three songs this week:

• “Break It Out” by Vanilla Sky
• “C’est Comme Ca - Les Rita Mitsouko
• “In the Shadows” by The Rasmus

Lips

We got three tracks this week, all three quite poppy and catchy.

• “Hook Me Up” – The Veronicas
• “Lips of an Angel” – Hinder
• “Shake It” – Metro Station

There apparently is an update to the actual game coming soon. The Lips Title Update includes song leaderboards, a mic calibration tool, and a news ticker for DLC announcements and other Lips-related updates.

It’s a snow day for me and how do I celebrate? One of my favorite childhood games has come out on the Virtual Console. I doubt that many people played Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen. It’s a great game that reminds me of Populous, probably the reason I like it so much. It’s mostly an RTS, with some Japanese-RPG elements, and I’m not just talking about the anime style. I almost beat the game, but some of those enemies are hard. Quite hard. I also took a long time on each level, so I probably would have gotten the “Really Bad” ending. Eh, it’s okay. Even more of a time warp, I realized the game was originally rated “K-A” wow. I miss confusing age ranges.
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Rock Band

We get a whole bunch of stuff this week for Rock Band DLC. A 5-pack of alternative country style music, and a 3-pack of Jimmy Eat World songs. I’m a fan of Neko Case and never knew how to categorize her. I had her under independent. “Alt Country” is actually an interesting phrase.

Alt Country 5-Pack

• Drive By Truckers: 3 Dimes Down
• Lucinda Williams: Can’t Let Go
• Neko Case: People Got a Lot of Nerve
• Old 97s: Time Bomb (LIVE)
• Steve Earle: Satellite Radio

Jimmy Eat World 3-Pack

• Jimmy Eat World: Futures
• Jimmy Eat World: Lucky Denver Mint
• Jimmy Eat World: Sweetness

Each track is $1.99 or 160 Points. The Alt Country pack is $8.49 or 680 Points, and the Jimmy Eat World pack is $5.49 or 440 Points. I’m almost floored in the fact that they have a 5-pack out, which is great to see. Especially since all five are different.

Wii players will get the following songs from The Cars this week.

• Good Times Roll
• My Best Friend’s Girl
• In In Touch With Your World
• Don’t Cha Stop
• You’re All I’ve Got Tonight
• Bye Bye Love
• Moving In Stereo
• All Mixed Up

Guitar Hero: World Tour

I’m almost floored because I never noticed that the song that they use in their commercials. Finally “Old Time Rock & Roll” and two other Bob Seger songsare available. The Bob Seger Track Pack, priced at $5.49/440 Points, includes these songs:

• Old Time Rock & Roll
• Her Strut
• Get Out of Denver

Each song is also available individually for $1.99/160 Points each.

Lips

Here is the list of Lips songs available. The first three are up for 160 MS points each. I’m not sure about the next three, especially with the prices wavering between 160 and 180.

• How To Save A Life by The Fray
• Swing Life Away by Rise
• Speed Up by Funkerman
• The Adventure by Angels and Airwaves
• Amber by 311
• In The Shadows by The Rasmus

So it turns out that the cryptic clues that Nintendo sent out were actually clues about the Commodore 64, Earthbound fans have to wait another day. We have three classics from the Commodore 64, each 500 points. The three 8-bit games are: The Last Ninja, International Karate, and Pitstop II. I’m just hoping that the controls are somewhat responsive, from what I recall the controller only had a joystick and two buttons which seems perfect for the Wii. But really is 500 points worth it when one could buy those cheesy “25 Games in one” plug-ins for a better price? I may be cynical because the game quality just doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Over on WiiWare, there finally is some form of First Person Shooter. There is wi-fi usage and aliens. I’m assuming that any fan of the FPS should consider. Granted, the Wii still has the age and reach problems (younger, and Nintendo seemly wants more females) and this game may be lost in the shuffle.

Here’s some more information:

WiiWare

Onslaught (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated T for Teen—Animated Blood, Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): Onslaught is an FPS that puts you in the middle of a futuristic war between humans and insectoid aliens. Become part of the Elite Interstellar Strike Force and fight against an overwhelming onslaught of alien life forms. Enjoy the rush of mowing down wave after wave of aliens with machine guns, grenades and more. Feel your heart pound as you battle gigantic boss aliens. Beyond the normal game, Onslaught includes additional modes that let you play with rivals from around the world using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Team up with as many as three other players in Free Battle mode, or compete on special maps to see who can get the most points by killing enemies before time runs out in Ranking Battle mode. (Router and broadband access required for online play. For more info, go to www.nintendo.com.)

Virtual Console

The Last Ninja™ (Commodore 64, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Animated Blood, Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): The evil Shogun Kunitoki has long envied the powers of the Ninja brotherhood and would do anything to acquire their knowledge. To this end, he has sworn an oath to their total destruction. Once every decade, all Ninja must travel to the Island of Lin Fen, where they pay homage to the Shrine of the White Ninja and receive further teachings from the Koga Scrolls. Seizing the opportunity, Kunitoki summoned forth all the spirits from the depths of the Nether World and flung their full force against the amassed Ninja. None escaped the wrath of Kunitoki. Word of this unnatural disaster soon reached Armakuni, the last Ninja. Gathering all his courage, he has sworn to wreak a terrible revenge on the Shogun and all his followers. What unforeseen hazards await him?

INTERNATIONAL KARATE™ (Commodore 64, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): INTERNATIONAL KARATE is a simulation of a karate tournament in which one person can play against the computer or two players can compete against each other. During the game, you’ll fly to various locations around the world. In all stages of the game, a wise old judge will watch over you and award you either a half-point or a full point, depending on how successful a hit has been.

Pitstop II™ (Commodore 64, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Pitstop II was the first game that brought serious auto racing action to the computer screen—the thrill of battling an opponent, the excitement of fighting for the lead out on the track, and the suspense of struggling to be the first out of the pits. Third-person graphics and a split-screen display allow one or two players to experience the challenge of car racing head-to-head. Six of the world’s toughest tracks are waiting, from Brands Hatch and its hairpin turns to the mile-long straight of Vallelunga. You can practice against the computer, but nothing will compare to the fun of racing against another person. Indeed, Pitstop II proves that car racing was never meant to be a solo sport.