Today, Nintendo is releasing some stellar titles for download for their DSiWare, WiiWare and Virtual Consoles services. After a hiatus, the Virtual Console is back with Kirby Super Star. Originally for the SNES, the game follows Kirby on an adventure to stop King Dedede.

Also releases is the much anticipated sidescroller Bit.Trip Runner. The game is a departure from the Pong-like Bit.Trip titles, throwing Commander Video into a fast paced 2D world.

Other titles include Looksley’s Line Up, Frogger Returns  A Topsy Turvy Life: Turvy Drops, and FLIPS: More Bloody Horowitz for DSiWare, and Blood Beach for WiiWare. For more details about this weeks titles, read after the break.

Nintendo DSiWare

Looksley’s Line Up
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Looksley the rabbit needs your assistance to finish the story he’s writing. Guide him through a world based on famous fairy tales and folk stories from around the globe, helping him to gather inspiration by finding hidden items along the way. In this unique take on hidden-picture games, you’ll move the Nintendo DSi system to change your view of various 3-D dioramas. Peer deeply into the scene as you shift the system, watching as layers within the diorama move to reveal previously unseen letters and objects. As you collect these letters and objects, you’ll meet new characters and spell words that will open additional stages with more sets of hidden items to find. Particular stages contain secret pictures, testing your observation skills even further. Scour each scene’s incredible depth and detail as you lend Looksley a hand in completing his masterpiece. Players of all ages will love this visual puzzle challenge and be amazed to see that even the same spot can look different from another angle.

Frogger Returns
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Frogger is coming to a Nintendo DSi system near you! Frogger Returns takes the heart-pounding challenge of arcade Frogger and moves it into the next dimension. Classic top-down 2-D game play is updated with colorful 3-D graphics, a new perspective, new levels, new enemies and game-changing power-ups to dodge and use. Four stages take the original journey of Frogger from highway to home through a new adventure. Use multiple modes to attack your top scores, race against the clock or just get Frogger to his home pad.

A Topsy Turvy Life: Turvy Drops™
Publisher: TECMO KOEI GAMES
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Turn the Nintendo DSi system upside down and draw blocks on the touch screen to fill spaces in this topsy-turvy take on puzzle games. Play “Endless Mode” to see just how many points you can get as the blocks on the bottom screen fill faster and faster. The more blocks you clear at once, the higher your score. Play “Puzzle Mode” to test your brain against 30 mind-bending puzzles. Clear all the blocks within the specified time and turn limits. Can you solve the puzzles before time is up?

Flips: More Bloody Horowitz
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Anthony Horowitz, the best-selling creator of Alex Rider, gives horror a whole new look in this mischievous collection of macabre tales, exclusive to the Flips series. Including three new stories – each with its own unique feature, such as illustrations and sound effects – Flips: More Bloody Horowitz finds Horowitz at his most wicked. The Flips series brings modern classics to the Nintendo DSiWare service, allowing readers to collect, solve, interact and learn as they progress through the various stories and challenges.

WiiWare

BIT.TRIP RUNNER
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Discover the fastest, most exhilarating action-platformer to hit the WiiWare service. Race across the moon, kicking down crystal walls and sliding under chomping moon-slugs. Bound through the Robotic Mines and face off against the MinerMech. Dash through the Big City on a quest to find friends and defeat the final boss together. RUNNER is the fourth entry in the award-winning and critically acclaimed BIT.TRIP series. You control CommanderVideo as he runs, jumps, slides and kicks. With exciting modern and retro challenges, you can move through more than 50 levels of addictive game play. Chiptune supergroup Anamanaguchi makes a guest appearance. Join CommanderVideo on his most epic journey yet!

Blood Beach
Publisher: Coresoft Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Blood, Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: You are hopelessly outnumbered and have no choice but to fight and win. Just you, your guns and the thin stretch of Blood Beach stand between you and the entire Japanese Imperial Navy. You have an impressive arsenal of weapons, including the M2 BMG, 40mm M1 and, of course, your Thompson SMG. But the Imperial Japanese Navy will hit you with everything they can muster – “Zeros,” “Bettys” and even Takao-class battleships – in their methodical and relentless push to recapture the Solomon Islands. High scores can be saved for Easy, Normal and Hard levels of difficulty.

Virtual Console

Kirby Super Star
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: That awful King Dedede is at it again – he’s stolen all the food in Dream Land. It’s up to Kirby™ to get it back and ultimately save Pop Star from being overtaken. In what may be the most diverse adventure yet for the round, pink hero, Kirby journeys through six main games and two minigames, finishing with the ultimate showdown in The Arena. Each game offers its own story and style of platforming action, as well as unique environments and an assortment of enemies. Swallowing an enemy allows Kirby to copy the abilities of that enemy, granting him the power to perform special attacks and giving him a new hat to don. In a strategic twist, Kirby can now give up an acquired ability and use it to turn an enemy into a helper. The helper will follow Kirby around and automatically fight as his ally or offer a second player the chance to join in the game by controlling it. There’s never a dull moment as Kirby dashes, flies and swallows enemies in his battle against King Dedede, Dyna Blade and Meta Knight.

Nintendo

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Rumors circulated the Internet that Nintendo would be delaying Metroid: Other M and Sin & Punishment: Star Successor. Today, Nintendo confirmed suspicious with a new press releasing, while dating other Wii and DS titles.

Metroid: Other M will now launch on August 31st, while the Sin & Punishment sequel will launch June 27th. This was definitely the right move, considering most Ninty fans will be busy playing Super Mario Galaxy 2, which launches May 23rd.

Other releases noted are Photo Dojo and Earthworm Jim on May 10th, Bit.Trip.Runner, Frogger Returns and Looksley’s Line Up on May 17th, Metal Torrent on May 24th, X-Scape and Hero of Sparta on May 31st, Flametrail on June 7th and A Kappa’s Trail on June 14th.

For a complete list of game details, read the press release below.

For Wii:

• Sin & Punishment: Star Successor (Wii, June 27): The incredible new shooter game from legendary developer Treasure, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor features nonstop action with two playable characters and international online leaderboards to track high scores. Using the Wii Remote™ pointer functionality, the game offers unprecedented precision in the shooter genre. Broadband Internet access is required for online features.

• Metroid: Other M (Wii, Aug. 31): Developed for the Wii console through a collaboration by Nintendo and the world-renowned Team Ninja, this newest installment of the Metroid saga looks at the classic franchise from a new perspective: While much of the game is reminiscent of 2-D side-scrollers, players can switch the perspective into 3-D at any time as they explore the twisting passages of a derelict space station and delve deep into a cinematic, never-before-told story of bounty hunter Samus Aran’s past. This new approach uses a new control scheme in which players use the Wii Remote controller, held sideways, to battle enemies and navigate the expansive, gorgeous environments in classic Metroid fashion, then aim at the screen with the Wii Remote pointer to blast foes in first-person and hunt the world for clues and hidden passages.

For WiiWare and Nintendo DSiWare (broadband Internet access is required):

• Photo Dojo (Nintendo DSiWare, May 10): Get ready for some seriously fun Kung Fu action – starring you! Create your own characters and record the sound effects using the Nintendo DSi system’s camera and microphone. Use your imagination to set the stage for a fun-filled fight to the finish. In a special introductory offer, Photo Dojo will be available for free download via the Nintendo DSi Shop from May 10 to June 10. Starting June 11, the game will be available for download for 200 Nintendo DSi Points.

• Earthworm Jim (Nintendo DSiWare, Gameloft, May 10): The classic action platformer is back with a never-before-seen feature, exclusively on the Nintendo DSi system. Run, gun, swing from hooks with your head, launch cows, bungee jump, rocket through speed levels and more, in crazy universes that offer huge game-play possibilities. Earn bonuses with facial expression-based challenges that track your face using the Nintendo DSi camera. Put on a smile, frown or make a variety of other faces to mimic Jim.

• BIT.TRIP RUNNER (WiiWare, Aksys Games, May 17): Marking the first character-based adventure for CaptainVideo, the newest installment in the BIT.TRIP series features rhythm-based action platforming, more than 50 challenges to complete and a pounding chiptune-inspired soundtrack.

• Looksley’s Line Up™ (Nintendo DSiWare, May 17): In this unique take on hidden picture games, Looksley the rabbit needs your help to find inspiring objects so he can finish the story he’s writing. The objects are hidden in 3-D dioramas made up of cutout layers that shift as you move the Nintendo DSi system. Unique Nintendo DSi camera-based controls let you peer deep into the game’s scenes and hunt for hidden objects just by moving the Nintendo DSi.

• Frogger Returns (Nintendo DSiWare, Konami, May 17): Frogger Returns takes the challenge of the arcade classic Frogger and brings it to the Nintendo DSiWare service for the first time. Classic top-down 2-D game-play is updated with colorful 3-D graphics, a new perspective, new levels, new enemies and game-changing power-ups to dodge and grab.

• Metal Torrent™ (Nintendo DSiWare, May 24): Compete with players around the world for the highest score in this new action game inspired by classic arcade shoot-’em-ups. Convert enemy bullets into score-generating cubes. Continuously absorb cubes to create score-accelerating combos. Download replay videos from top players via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, or if you make the top five scores, upload your own video.

• X-Scape™ (Nintendo DSiWare, May 31): Take on an epic space adventure in X-Scape. As captain of the VIXIV, a highly advanced space tank, you’ll roam the surface of dozens of alien worlds, battling the forces of an empire that is out to destroy you. The touch screen makes controlling your vehicle a snap, and your helpful robot companion is there every step of the way to help you with advice and weapon upgrades.

• Hero of Sparta (Nintendo DSiWare, Gameloft, May 31): Battle like the fierce Spartan warrior you are to avoid a tragic death as you journey through mythical lands and even probe the depths of the Underworld. You will fight the most phenomenal monsters from mythology, defy Minotaurs and the Cyclops, and challenge the gods themselves!

• Flametail™ (Nintendo DSiWare, June 7): Clean up the space lanes of floating garbage with the starship Flametail. As you wind your way through the mind-bending obstacle course, your flaming tail will ignite the piles of rubbish to eliminate them. But be careful to not get caught in a dead end, or let the barrier that’s following you reach your tail. This puzzle action game is easy for anyone to pick up and play.

• A Kappa’s Trail (Nintendo DSiWare, June 14): Guide a little mythical river spirit to the human world with your Nintendo DSi stylus in this puzzle adventure. Draw a trail, and the little “kappa” will follow. It’s up to you to ensure he makes it through the gauntlet of enemies and treacherous paths of the Kappa Trail.

Nintendo

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This tenacious little frog just never quits, does he? Or at least, not until he’s roadkill. Frogger, a classic nearly as old as video gaming itself, has kept up with the current generation with iPad iteration and XBOX Live re-releases. Now our froggy friend is putting his best webbed foot forward on DSiWare in Konami’s first-ever release for the DSi, Frogger Returns. President of Konami Shinji Hirano promises they’re giving the game a “new look for the Nintendo DSi with colorful graphics, updated gameplay, new obstacles and much more.” This is refreshing news to those who have already played Frogger Returns‘ WiiWare version.

Expect Frogger Returns to make the leap to DSiWare this spring, and check out screens from the DSiWare version in our gallery below.

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[View with PicLens]

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This week Nintendo is kickin’ it old school, giving you a taste of the retro while bringing a lot of new content.  WiiWare will receive Excitebike: World Rally, an update of the side scrolling racer which was only revealed a few weeks ago. Keeping in line with revived retro titles comes Frogger Returns, also for WiiWare.  Lastly for the service comes Dragon Master Spell Caster, where you’ll control your Dragon Lord in a battle for victory.

For DSiWare Bomberman Blitz debuts, offering a classic multiplayer experience.  Similar to what Nintendo did with the release of several Domo titles, five Electroplankton titles are also being released today.

And finishing off the retro flavor, for the Virtual Console today comes Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap and Cybernoid.

For complete game descriptions, read the official press release below:

WiiWare

Excitebike: World Rally
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Prepare to face daredevil jumps, crazy obstacles and other racers in the newest installment in the venerable Excitebike franchise, available exclusively on the WiiWare service. Choose from multiple camera angles as you tilt your way to smooth landings using motion-sensitive controls. Compete in races around the world in four championship circuits. Use Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to invite friends to a race. Or if you’re feeling brave, take on anyone else looking for a match. Feel like tackling a challenge of your own design? Use the intuitive Track Editor to choose from the available obstacles and put together your dream course, then share courses with friends to see whose creation skills reign supreme.

Frogger Returns
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Frogger Returns takes the heart-pounding challenge of arcade Frogger and moves it into the next dimension. Classic top-down 2-D game play is updated with colorful 3-D graphics, a new perspective, new levels, new enemies and game-changing power-ups. A local multiplayer mode lets you race a friend.

Dragon Master Spell Caster™
Publisher: Stickmen Studios
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: The Dragon Lords have returned to the magical world of Nakiha, bringing ultimate power to whoever controls them. Choose your champion, then master amazing magic and fierce dragon attacks to defeat the rival Champions and their Dragon Lords. Choose from four different paths and decide the fate of the world in the fantastic story mode. Battle your friends in two-player split-screen arcade mode and tailor your tactics with different dragon and rider combinations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Marvel at the effects of mind-blowing spell collisions. Mix spells and unleash their ultimate power. Control your Dragon Lord and crush, bite and burn your way to victory.

Nintendo DSiWare

Bomberman Blitz
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Bomberman makes his downloadable debut on Nintendo DSiWare with Bomberman Blitz. Dive into a classic multiplayer Bomberman experience with eight-player local or online multiplayer using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Hone your skills and learn the maps, then take the battle online. Change map and item preferences for enhanced customization. Delivering unparalleled multiplayer excitement, Bomberman Blitz lets Nintendo DSi users enjoy the addictive fun of Bomberman anytime, anywhere.

Electroplankton Trapy
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Trapy plankton make sounds as they swim over graceful lines made up of linked triangles. The creatures follow the lines you trace along the water. There are six types of Trapy in all, each with a unique color and sound. All Trapy plankton produce different tones depending on the direction they swim. They produce the lowest-pitched sounds when they swim to the right and produce higher-pitched sounds as their path veers to the left.

Electroplankton Hanenbow
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Normally aquatic creatures, Hanenbow sometimes use floating leaves to launch themselves out of the water, creating strange sounds and melodies as they bounce off the leaves. Entire schools of Hanenbow have been known to launch out of the water, one after another. As a leaf is repeatedly hit by flying Hanenbow, it gradually changes color. This also alters the sound made by bouncing Hanenbow. When all the leaves turn red, a flower will bloom. It remains unclear why the Hanenbow display this curious behavior.

Electroplankton Rec-Rec
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Rec-Rec are fishlike plankton that feed on sound waves. They absorb sound waves transmitted through water and use them as a form of nutrition. The sound waves that the Rec-Rec eat are then stored inside their bodies until they have been digested. Once the digestion process is complete, they play back the sounds in perfect four-second intervals. While these sounds are playfully emitted, wave patterns can be seen pulsating on their bodies. Rec-Rec always swim side by side in schools of four. When they swim at different speeds, the frequency with which they emit sounds also changes.

Electroplankton Nanocarp
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Nanocarp have very sensitive hearing. Using their two ears to sense vibrations coming through the water, these plankton can distinguish sound quality and frequency. They display very interesting reactions to the sound of humans clapping or breathing. Nanocarp are also excellent swimmers. They have a tendency to swim in formations of 16 and react together when they detect sounds. These plankton emit sounds on their own when they sense waves on the water’s surface. When this happens, the pitch of sounds they produce changes depending on where the Nanocarp is located.

Electroplankton Beatnes
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Beatnes are curious plankton with geometrically shaped heads that form vertical strands like seaweed. Their bodies are made up of eight sections, each featuring a distinctive diamond-shaped tail. The sound of a Beatnes can vary wildly depending on which segment of the body is tapped. However, all of the sounds closely resemble the short-wave and triangular-wave sound effects from a Nintendo Entertainment System™ sound chip. When Beatnes are tapped in time with a rhythm, they continue to repeat the sounds in perfect time for a short period.

Virtual Console

Wonder Boy™ III: The Dragon’s Trap
Original platform: MASTER SYSTEM
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence, Tobacco Reference
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap is widely considered to be one of the best games produced for the SEGA MASTER SYSTEM. The direct sequel to Wonder Boy in Monster Land, it starts in the final lair of the previous game. This game is the first in the series to allow Wonder Boy to roam freely by using various animal forms, but as with previous games in the series, Wonder Boy can also buy various weapons, armor and items to help him in his quest.

Cybernoid™
Original platform: Commodore 64
Publisher: Commodore Gaming
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Federation storage depots have been raided by pirates, who’ve taken valuable minerals, jewels, ammunition and the latest battle weaponry. You have been commissioned by the Federation to retrieve the cargo and return it to storage within a specified time limit. The pirate craft have activated all planetary defense systems, which you must negotiate along with the pirates themselves. If you fail to reach the depot within the time limit, or if the value of your retrieved cargo is insufficient, you must forfeit one of your Cybernoid ships.

Nintendo

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Frogger the Frog is returning in Frogger Returns.  If that isn’t a tongue twister, I don’t know what is.  The game will feature the classic Frogger gameplay you know and love.  You take a frog and get him to cross the road without getting obliterated.  Although quite honestly, there is nothing funnier than watching a frog get flattened into a pancake.

The game promises to be 12 times the size of the original arcade staple.  Frogger Returns is available for WiiWare and PSN later this fall.

Joystiq

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