After a series of weeks where nothing worth playing has come to Nintendo’s download service, this week comes as a pleasant surprise. In addition to a highly anticipated WiiWare title, a true classic from the SNES era has finally been released on the Virtual Console.
World of Goo is the obvious highlight of the selection, and at 1500 points, so it should be. It plays out in a similar way to the PSP game LocoRoco, with you controlling the titular Goo this time round. The developers refer to it as a physics-based puzzle/construction game, which not only sounds interesting, but also looks to fit perfectly on WiiWare.
The retro game of choice however is the uber rare multiplayer RPG Secret of Mana, which was one of the first games in the popular Mana series. The game was much more action packed than the usual turn based RPGs that the SNES was known for, and the multiplayer element only made that bit more essential. And at 800, it’s a steal compared to the $80 you’ll pay on Ebay.
But that’s not all; the Genesis version of Street Fighter II is coming to the VC too, along with Cubello, another WiiWare puzzler, which makes this the most content packed week we’ve had in ages. World of Goo and Secret of Mana would make a week great on their own, never mind together. Hit the jump for the full press release.
Oct. 13, 2008
Armchair physicists rejoice! The hotly anticipated award-winning World of Goo™ makes its WiiWare™ debut this week, inviting players to build infinitely fascinating structures out of Goo and uncover the mystery behind the World of Goo Corporation. Other cool additions to the Wii Shop Channel™ this week include Art Style™: CUBELLO™, the second installment in Nintendo’s Art Style series, and a pair of classics for the Virtual Console™: SECRET OF MANA™ and STREET FIGHTER™ II’: SPECIAL CHAMPION EDITION. Fun offerings like these are sure to heat up your October, no matter how low the autumn temperatures may go.
Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
WiiWare
World of Goo (2D Boy, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 1,500 Wii Points): World of Goo is an award-winning, physics-based puzzle/construction game made entirely by two guys. Grab living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins and giant tongues. The millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore—but they don’t know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious. World of Goo Corporation is contractually obligated to state that everyone is a winner, and is enthusiastic to celebrate everyone’s Goo building opportunities equally.
Art Style: CUBELLO (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Art Style: CUBELLO mixes the strategy and feel of a traditional puzzle game with the precision and reflexes required in a shooter. As each stage begins, various colored cubes form into one large object called a Cubello, which floats and rotates as you play. Launch additional cubes from your magazine and try to connect four or more of the same color, removing them from the Cubello and eventually leaving only its core. Take on the challenge of either Stage or Endless mode and watch what happens when Bonus Time is activated. The straightforward controls and goal ensure that anyone can play, while offering enough depth that even advanced players will find themselves quickly addicted to the unique world of Art Style: CUBELLO.
Virtual Console
SECRET OF MANA (Super NES™, 1-3 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 800 Wii Points): Good and evil battle for a young warrior’s heart. There is one force in the universe that keeps good and evil in perfect balance. It is called the tree of Mana. But a magic sword has tricked a young warrior into upsetting this balance, spreading evil throughout the land. Thus, the warrior must undertake a dangerous journey to find the seeds of the Mana tree, which have been hidden for centuries. Only then can perfect harmony be restored. In this incredible adventure, things are not as they seem. Magic swords release evil as well as fight it. Treasure chests hold booby traps. Monsters are friends and friends are enemies. Potions give power, black magic takes it away. Dragons fly, weapons change. It’s a world turned upside down that you must help the warrior make right. And the only way to succeed is to solve the Secret of Mana.
STREET FIGHTER II’: SPECIAL CHAMPION EDITION (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen—Violence, 800 Wii Points): STREET FIGHTER II’: SPECIAL CHAMPION EDITION was the first STREET FIGHTER game released for the Sega Genesis console. The STREET FIGHTER series can be considered one of the first fighting games to popularize competitive video game fighting. This version of the game contains both the CHAMPION and HYPER rule sets, from the two editions released in the arcades. It also introduced an exclusive Group Battle mode that is now a general feature in most fighting games. Play as one of 12 different characters, each with their own distinctive fighting style. Try single-player mode or challenge a friend in this legendary, classic fighting game.
