The Wii’s cup runneth over this week with a whopping (yes, whopping) four games; three WiiWare and one Virtual Console. First is the eagerly-anticipated Eduardo the Samurai Toaster, a stylized sidescrolling action game, like many a Contra or Gunstar Hero before it. (It even features four player simultaneous multiplayer.) If samurai toasters throwing bread aren’t cute enough for you, there’s Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure, an update of the classic Rainbow Islands from way back in the days of the NES. Finally. the famously weird Let’s CATCH, from Sega, also makes its North American debut today. Apparently there are even special unlockables if you own Let’s CATCH and Let’s TAP. (You don’t, yet.) If you’re in the mood for something more retro, the Virtual Console has Space Harrier for the Virtual Console Arcade. Yes, it’s another SHMUP, but it’s a good one, with a fantasy theme and a 3D point of view.

Oh, and DSiWare gets a Super Mario Bros. themed clock and calculator. Better luck next week, DSi owners.

DSiWare

• Mario™ Calculator: (Publisher, Nintendo, Players: 1, ESRB Rating: N/A, Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™)
• Mario™ Clock: (Publisher: Nintendo, Players: 1, ESRB Rating: E , Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points)

WiiWare

• Eduardo the Samurai Toaster: (Publisher: Semnat Studios, Players: 1-4, ESRB Rating: E, Price: 800 Wii Points™)
• RAINBOW ISLANDS™: TOWERING ADVENTURE! (Publisher: TAITO, Players: 1-2, ESRB Rating: E, Price: 800 Wii Points)
• Let’s CATCH™: (Publisher: SEGA, Players: 1-4, ESRB Rating: E, Price: 1,000 Wii Points)

Virtual Console

• Space Harrier™: (Original platform: Virtual Console Arcade, Publisher: SEGA, Players: 1, ESRB Rating: E, Price: 800 Wii Points)

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: MARIO CALCULATES THE TIME NEEDED TO CATCH TOASTED RAINBOWS IN SPACE

June 15, 2009

Nintendo’s downloadable content this week features the first-ever kitchen appliance with martial arts training. Throw in some rainbows and a game of catch, and you have a pretty interesting WiiWare™ lineup. But that’s not all: There are Mario-themed Nintendo DSiWare™ applications and a classic arcade game for the Virtual Console™. Let’s get to the details:

WiiWare

Eduardo the Samurai Toaster
Publisher: Semnat Studios
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: Fight your way through 13 diverse locations on your own or with up to three friends in this frenetic and stylish side-scrolling action game. Play as Eduardo and his fellow toaster buddies as you fire an assortment of pastries at all kinds of dastardly food products. Hop onto laser-mounted scooters and fly across the screen in rocket packs, and learn to cooperate with your teammates or simply annoy each other in an awesomely fun way by throwing each other around the screen. The choice is up to you.

RAINBOW ISLANDS™: TOWERING ADVENTURE!
Publisher: TAITO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: In Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure!, players control the rainbow-magic-wielding Bubby or Bobby as they climb the seven seamless areas of a tower reaching the heavens while defeating enemies with their rainbow powers. Bosses controlled by the scientific genius Dr. Crescent await players at the end of every area. Race through every area within the allotted time to meet the rainbow-colored Holly’s Comet. There are three game modes: Story mode, which tells the tale of Holly’s Comet; Challenge mode, where players attempt to climb as high as they can; and Time Attack, where players select an area and see how fast they can climb it. Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure! is an exhilarating action game where you use rainbows to climb into the heavens.

Let’s CATCH™
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Play catch with friends in multiplayer party games and compete for high scores using your Mii™ character and others. Choose from six different single and multiplayer modes such as Speed Catch, which tests your ability to catch a fastball, and Bomb Catch, an elimination party game for up to four players. Select from a variety of characters or use your Mii character to play other favorite catch games. Unlock special features when you own bothLet’s TAP and Let’s CATCH.

Nintendo DSiWare

Mario™ Calculator
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: N/A
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Mario and Luigi™ take a break from their normal adventures to dedicate their heroic talents to working with numbers. Mario Calculator features the full functionality of a traditional calculator, including a Memory key and the ability to display up to 13 digits, and adds a layer of atmosphere reminiscent of the original Super Mario Bros.™ Use the Unit Converter to turn one unit of measure into another (such as length, weight, volume, age and others), or track the history of calculations you’ve performed with ease. Listen to the Mario-related sounds and watch the coins fly as calculations are performed. Now, back to adding up those high scores…

Mario™ Clock
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Turn back time and enjoy a bit of classic game play based on the original Super Mario Bros. with Mario Clock. Help Mario and Luigi collect more coins than ever (POW block anyone?) while they run through a variety of stages. Gather enough coins and you’ll be treated to another scene bound to bring back fond memories for many. Mario Clock includes both analog and digital clocks that use the system’s internal clock or allow you to offset the time however you like. Program up to three alarms (with snooze functionality for those that need it) and assign them a Mario-related sound or use one created in the Nintendo DSi™ Sound application. You’ll find yourself thinking “Just a few more coins…” in no time!

Virtual Console

Space Harrier™
Original platform: Virtual Console Arcade
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Animated Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: “Welcome to the Fantasy Zone. Get ready!” This is the greeting given to you as you start Space Harrier, but you don’t have much time to take this advice. Even as the words are being spoken, your Harrier warrior is already charging into battle. Toting a huge laser gun under his arm, the Space Harrier can either run along the checkerboard ground or freely fly through the sky. Either way, he’s always heading forward into the hostile 3-D world. As you progress, hordes of strange creatures and robots fly toward you. Fast reflexes are required to dodge their incoming fire. Environmental hazards can be a problem, too. Take care not to run into any trees or stone structures. If you need a bit of a morale boost, just defeat a boss, and the narrator will remind you that “you’re doing great!”

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.

Related Posts

• Weekly Nintendo Shop Update for June 27th, 2009
• Weekly Nintendo Shop Update for June 29th, 2009
• [UPDATE] Weekly Nintendo Shop Update for June 1st, 2009

The offices of Sega of Europe and Sega of America both got a special treat today. Five original pieces of Let’s Tap art by Yuji Naka himself. Each piece features the Tap Runners, the adorable blue people from the Let’s Tap running game, hand drawn by Yuji Naka (including the Let’s Tap logo). Sega of America even got some Tap Runner figurines and a copy of the Let’s Tap soundtrack! Lucky them. Or possibly lucky us, since it sounds like some of it is going to be given away somehow. We’ll keep you posted.

Let’s Tap is still coming to North America at some point, but there haven’t been any new details lately. We’ll keep you posted on that, too, because we’re cool like that.

Sega of America

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Yuji Naka’s quirky Wii game Let’s Tap has been confirmed for a North American release. Let’s Tap is a collection of minigames based on tapping on a cardboard box with the Wii remote lying face down on it. There’s a game that involves tapping along to the rhythm of a song, a game that somehow incorporates tapping into Jenga, and even a mode that let’s players just wing it, letting them shoot fireworks over a dark cityscape, or splatter paint in a blank canvas.

Let’s Tap is planned for a June release for the budget price of $29.99.

1up

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  Okamiden coming to North America and Europe

Japan gets a pretty heavy update this week. 

Virtual Console
—

Earthworm Jim (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): We have this already, and it hasn’t aged well. Then again, 600 points for a game this focused on cow launching is a pretty good deal.

Jigoku Meguri (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): You may know it as Bonze Adventure. It’s a platformer where you play as a cute little Buddhist monk. I kid you  not.

WiiWare
— 

Let’s Catch (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points): Yuji Naka’s first game from his spiffy new studio. It is, as the name implies, a game of catch.

Sorcery Blade (1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points): WiiWare gets an RPG. It’s not even a puzzle game with RPG elements. It’s a full-on RPG. But is it any good? 

1 Meke! Dasshutsu Game My Home-hen (1 player, 500 Wii Points): If you’ve ever played a room escape game (think Crimson Room) before, you have an idea about what to expect from this. Except this is probably much cuter.

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• Japanese WiiWare/Virtual Console update for December 9th, 2008
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Yuji Naka, creator of Sonic the Hedgehog (back when his games were still awesome), has announced a game called Let’s Tap. The game is played by placing your Wiimote face down on a cardboard box, and tapping the box to cause responses in the game. Who knew the Wiimote was even sensitive enough to pick up those vibrations?

There will be several modes of play. The one being given the most attention so far is called “Tap Runner.” In Tap Runner, the player, of course, taps the box to run. To jump, stop tapping the box. It’s that simple! Several modes are shown in the official trailer, one of which looks suspiciously like Donkey Konga or Taiko Drum Master. 

“But wait!” I hear you saying. “I don’t own a cardboard box for some reason! What am I supposed to do? My life is over!” Well, luckily for you, the game will come packaged in an extra large box (shown above) that’s just perfect for tapping. Lucky you! It’s always nice to see developers coming up with weird new ways to play Wii games, isn’t it?

Giant Bomb

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