Gaijin Games really deserves a universal round of applause for developing the insanely addictive, yet unique Bit.Trip franchise. Each 8-bit game in the series has its own properties that makes it stand out from the pack, whether that’s navigating high-speed puzzles, a chaotic shooter, or controlling the series mascot Commander Video through a sidescrolling platformer. What each game has in common, however, is rhythm, focusing on the beat to complete each level.

If you’ve missed playing any titles in the Bit.Trip series, Nintendo has added a free demo of Bit.Trip Beat for WiiWare, available on the Wii Shop Channel today. It’s absolutely worth checking out. Other WiiWare releases this week include Doc Clock: The Toasted Sandwich of Time and Urbanix. Today’s DSiWare releases are Glory Days – Tactical Defense, Animal Boxing, The Seller and Alien Puzzle Adventure.

For more information about these new releases, continue reading the official Nintendo press release below.

WiiWare

Doc Clock: The Toasted Sandwich of Time
Publisher: Stickmen Studios
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Have you fallen off a cliff? Are you burning in lava? Did your latest invention just get crushed by a frozen polar bear? Avoid these misfortunes with Doc Clock’s amazing Time Slider. Enjoy the first Doc Clock time-travelling adventure. Invent almost anything using the items you find, from catapults to incredible flying machines. Travel through time with Doc Clock as he battles mad, misguided robots to save his beloved cat and invent the perfect toasted sandwich machine.

Urbanix
Publisher: Nordcurrent
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to Urbanix, a game inspired by classic computer games. You play as Urbanix, a tiny little tractor that has to build a town on an empty field. Avoid enemies and chase away house crashers – they will try to spoil your game. Play on Earth, in the North Pole or on the moon – each location has its own unique game-play mechanics, so you’ll have to adapt your strategy. Be accurate, be quick and collect bonuses on your way. Enjoy 150 levels plus an intense multiplayer mode.

BIT.TRIP BEAT (demo version)
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 600 Wii Points
Description: The retro action of rhythm game BIT.TRIP BEAT challenges you to use the Wii Remote™ controller to bounce beats. Retro visuals, classic game play, a four-player multiplayer mode and an 8-bit soundtrack will get you in the zone and rock your world. Pay attention, though – as with most classic games, the challenges are mighty. If you can stay cool as the difficulty increases, you’ll discover the beginnings of the BIT.TRIP saga.

Note: Some demo versions do not support all game features, and players cannot save their in-game progress in demo versions.

Nintendo DSiWare

Glory Days – Tactical Defense
Publisher: odenis studio
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Howling sandstorms blaze across the barren plains. A violent storm is brewing on the horizon. Get ready to repel waves of enemies amid the finely orchestrated chaos. As the ground trembles, artillery is being massed in the distance. If you’re outnumbered, move your units to high ground for a strategic advantage. Use your AAA to shoot down enemy planes, fight off tanks with your guns and sink subs with your missile launchers. Master the battlefield by using the “Big One,” a gun that will terrify and cause devastation among all units, enemies and friends alike. Expect your units to suffer losses under enemy fire. Repair and improve them because the show must go on. When the dust settles, you may have attained glory, even if the battle is lost. Special features include 3D field management, a 60-frames-per-second 3D engine, dynamic music and up to 300 units in real time.

Animal Boxing
Publisher: Gammick Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Animal Boxing is one of the first games to require players to invert the Nintendo DSi™ system. Use the stylus for motion-based controls. Throw jabs, hooks and uppercuts with simple stylus movements. Step into the ring against 50 wild fighters with different fighting styles. Go toe-to-toe against opponents such as Lee the cat, Sauda the rhino and Fore the bull. Build your own male or female character, then step into the ring in eight unique environments. Customize fighter attributes like gloves, clothing and hairstyle. Face off against another Nintendo DSi player using a local wireless connection.

The Seller
Publisher: CIRCLE Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Once a big-time boss, you are now down and out, forced into the small time after your company was driven into bankruptcy by an underhanded competitor who stooped lower than even you would dare. Of course, revenge is a dish best served cold – over a drink at an expensive club, which is where the game takes place. Rebuild your fortune and show your competitor who’s really the boss. This is a witty card game with a few simple rules to test your intelligence. Starting with a small amount of resources, money and action cards, try to use those cards to cunningly step forward until you have sold all of your resources to others. Set strategies in motion to increase the value of your resources. Don’t forget: Your ultimate goal is to introduce your competitors to bankruptcy.

Alien Puzzle Adventure
Publisher: Mastertronic
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Alien Puzzle Adventure is a fast-paced, colorful and cartoonish puzzle game that combines Match 3 game play with a humorous and quirky storyline. The player sets out to save the world from a mysterious chemical attack. Armed with Professor Weinstein’s Pseudo-quark Generator Gun, the player must neutralize packs of differently colored quarks over the course of 35 stages by matching three quarks of the same color. Can you help stem the tide and save the world? Your adventure starts today.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

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This one’s a few days old, but it’s news to me – and exciting news at that! In tandem with their announced sponsorship of Blip Festival 2009, Gaijin Games has released the soundtrack to Bit.Trip Beat on the iTunes Store as well as CDBaby. The pricing is a little bit weird – out of the ten tracks, five are lengthier compositions while the other five are under thirty seconds long. Yet on both services, the price for any given track is a dollar, with the full album being approximately $10 on iTunes, and $6 on CDBaby. If you ask me, the ideal solution seems to be laying down a fiver and just grabbing the first five tracks individually, but it’s always good to have a little choice! iTunes has previews of all ten tracks, and they all sound great (assuming you’re into chiptunes).

Soundtrack on iTunes, on CDBaby (via NintendoLife)

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There has been a resurgence of retro styled games as of late, but none are quite as old school as Gaijin Games’ Bit. Trip Beat. The title is a music/rhythm blend of streaming colorful blips that you must meet with a paddle as they move to the left. It looks interesting as the levels get more complex, and could be a hit if priced right. The game will also feature a 4-player co-op mode (sold!), although how it will work hasn’t been revealed. Watch out for it on WiiWare soon.

Joystiq
video via YouTube

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