I actually had some Mario Kart music stuck in my head yesterday, though not from Super Mario Kart… it was the credits music to Mario Kart 64. Hmm… so I guess that’s only sorta relevant. Moving on…

Super Mario Kart headlines the list of Virtual Console releases today in Europe! It’s actually the only VC release – if you want to be picky – though we all know that it’s more than enough to keep you busy. On Nintendo’s other download services, a total of six games are available, including a DS port to the Wii and a Wii port to the DS. Have a look at this week’s offerings!

Virtual Console
Super Mario Kart (SNES, 800 points)

WiiWare
Chronos Twins DX (EnjoyUp Games, 700 points)
Family Mini Golf (Aksys Games, 500 points)

DSiWare
AiRace Tunnel (QubicGames, 200 points)
Oscar in Movieland (Virtual Playground, 800 points)
Puzzle to Go Diddl (Tivola Publishing, 500 points)
Spaceball Revolution (Virtual Toys, 500 points)

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Nintendo is bringing the original kart racer, Super Mario Kart, to Europe this Friday, and it’s kind of a big deal. So much so, a trailer was created to celebrate the release.

How awesome is that? A minute and a half commercial just for the re-release of an old school favorite on the Wii’s Virtual Console. Just watching it gets me amped, and I already have it downloaded!

The SNES gem will be available for 800 points this Friday.

NintenDaanNC
via GoNintendo

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Oh, Europe. We love to tease you for the long waits you endure for game releases. But eventually it comes to a point where it’s just not funny anymore. We actually do feel for you (sometimes).

This Friday, April 2nd, the European Virtual Console service will finally serve host to the SNES classic, Super Mario Kart. For only 800 points, Wii owners will be able to download a game that was available on the Japanese service last summer and in North America this past fall. Thankfully, this is the kind of game that’s worth the wait.

Official Nintendo Magazine

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I really hope Nintendo isn’t so foolish as to pull a stunt like this. But you never know.

While some may have been quick to blame third party developers for their lack of titles on Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console, it seems that’s the least of the problems. Forum chatter indicates that the lackluster content and slow releases might have a more sinister origin: Nintendo themselves.  A user on NTSC-UK forum says there are bigger issues at hand:

I was working for a company last year who submitted a SNES game to the VC which got turned down.

Nintendo said it was because it was direct competition to one of their upcoming games which they were struggling to emulate for the VC. My prediction was Super Mario Kart and it looks like I was spot on.

The poster later was asked, and confirmed, that the title was Street Racer, by Ubisoft. Now, provided that the rumor is true, I can kind of, sort of, maybe see why Nintendo would feel threatened by having a competing game put on VC while they struggle to transfer over their own. But wouldn’t it be in the best interest of the Virtual Console service in general to have as many old favorites as possible? I guess Nintendo doesn’t see it that way. Perhaps with some negative fan pressure, Nintendo will stop…well, being so insecure.

NintendoLife
via GoNintendo

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Someone must have spoken with Nintendo about their string of poor digital download offerings because the last two weeks have been truly exceptional.  On WiiWare today, we will receive Bit.Trip Void, the third installment in the hectic pong-like rhythm title. For farming enthusiasts comes Harvest Moon: My Little Shop. For the strategic battle fan comes Little Tournament Over Yonder.  Lastly for WiiWare is the brain training game for children ages 3 to 6, Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1.

This week’s Virtual Console is what it’s really all about.  After being released in Japan ages ago, Super Mario Kart finally makes its debut stateside. Also released is the original NES classic, A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia.

For DSiWare we’ll receive Castle of Magic, myNotebook: Blue, Electroplankton Luminarrow, Electroplankton Sun-Animalcule, Electroplankton Lumiloop, Electroplankton Marine-Crystals and Electroplankton Varvoice. For the full Nintendo press release, view below.

WiiWare

BIT.TRIP VOID
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points™
Description: The third installment in the retro-arcade BIT.TRIP saga is a synesthetic exploration of rhythm and music as they pertain to our everyday lives and moods. With a control scheme that’s new to the series yet wholly familiar to gamers, players have complete freedom to move about the screen wherever they desire, interacting with the music in brand new ways. The classic game-play aesthetic remains as color – and the absence of color – are explored to the fullest. Trip out in four-player co-op and get lost in the beat with a friend. See if you can survive the onslaught of Beats and further your own BIT.TRIP.

Harvest Moon: My Little Shop
Publisher: Natsume, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,200 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to Clover Town, where you’ve just taken over your grandparents’ farm and shop. The town has fallen on hard times, though. People are leaving, businesses are struggling and the magic of the Harvest Sprites is gone. Can you turn Clover Town’s fortunes around and restore its missing magic? Raise crops and animals, then use what you farm at your shop. Keep your customers happy by making wild fruit juices, towering ice cream cones and extravagantly decorated eggs in a series of fun and fast-paced activities that use the Wii Remote™ controller to its fullest potential. Chop vegetables in midair, shake your Wii Remote controller to match your cow’s moves, roll eggs through tilting mazes and more. Use your hard-earned money to buy new crops and animals or expand and decorate your shop. Along the way, you’ll meet and befriend lots of new and interesting characters, as well as several familiar faces from the Harvest Moon series.

Little Tournament Over Yonder
Publisher: Gevo Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: In the world of Little Tournament Over Yonder, play as a young Prince or Princess and lead your team through numerous battles. Plan and deploy your units to gain strategic advantages. Launch real-time battles between units and fight hard, fast and smart. Build your team, hire new units with different powers, then groom them with battle experience to gain level. With strategic planning and real-time, fast-paced fighting, this game is for the complete warrior – one who works his mind and his muscles. Go for Single-Player Tournament glory or challenge your friend in a 2-Player Versus match.

Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1
Publisher: Lexis Numérique
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: EC (Early Childhood)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to the world of the PooYoos, the first fun, poetic brain trainer for children aged 3 to 6. With the PooYoos, a merry band of adorable baby animals, children will have fun while learning the developmental basics: numbers, letters, lateralization, shapes, colors and more. Children get to dance with their new friends and enjoy lovely interactive rewards. There are two levels of interactivity, so children can play according to their age and level. This game has been designed for use by children who have not yet grasped reading.

Virtual Console

Super Mario Kart
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Get in, sit down, buckle up and experience frantic kart racing in the game that started it all. Select one of eight characters from the Mario series – offering a variety of driving styles – and take on three championship cups in three different kart classes. Win enough and you’ll unlock a fourth circuit: the ultra-tough Special Cup. Crossing the finish line in first place isn’t an easy task, though, as each track has unique obstacles to conquer. Racers can obtain special power-ups that boost them to victory. For a different kind of challenge, take on a friend in multiplayer races or go head-to-head in a Battle Mode arena, where the object is to pop your opponent’s balloons before you lose your own. With more than 15 tracks to master and nearly endless replay value, Super Mario Kart is classic gaming with some banana peels thrown in for good measure.

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia
Original platform: NES™
Publisher: Majesco Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Blob has come from the distant planet Blobolonia in search of an Earth boy to help him save his world. Join him on this fantastic adventure, searching for treasures in mysterious caverns beneath the earth, then traveling to Blobolonia to battle the evil emperor. Discover Blob’s amazing appetite for jellybeans and the different transformations that occur with each flavor. Use these shapes to overcome even the most outrageous obstacles. A Boy and His Blob is a fantastic journey filled with constant surprises and humorous characters.

Nintendo DSiWare

Castle Of Magic
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Be prepared for anything as you try to save your friend from the clutches of the horrifying magician Nefastax. Stand up to wild monsters in environments that directly influence your movement. As you navigate this universe, the ground will make you stick, slide, sink, swim, levitate and even walk on the ceiling when gravity disappears. A never-before-seen use for the Nintendo DSi Camera application lets you transform yourself into powerful new forms. Visit an in-game Photo Cabin and search for a real-life object that matches the color of the character you want to transform into. Take a picture of a blue object with your Nintendo DSi system and…presto, you’re transformed into a swordfish. You can customize game items – from coins to enemies – with pictures of your choice. Our cute hero’s adventure is just too big and immersive for one screen, so he’ll have to jump between the top and bottom screens of your Nintendo DSi system. Ready to dive into the adventure?

myNotebook: Blue™
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off or play your favorite pen and paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don’t like. With five ink colors, you’ll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.

Electroplankton Luminarrow
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Luminarrow plankton are famous for their habit of perfectly following arrow-shaped formations. The plankton spin as they move, changing directions as soon as they come in contact with an arrow that’s pointing in another direction. The pitch of the sound they make will change depending on where the arrows are positioned. There are four types of Luminarrow: red, yellow, green and blue. Each type floats at a different speed and makes a distinctive musical tone. The four types of Luminarrow drift together to create beautiful melodies. Completely alter the direction of the arrows to change their sound dramatically.

Electroplankton Sun-Animalcule
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Sun-Animalcule plankton get their name from their tendency to emit light in a sphere around them. The plankton begin as eggs and gradually grow, emitting light and fascinating sounds throughout their entire life cycle. The sounds they make will change as they grow from infancy to maturity, growing very quickly until they disappear completely. Sun-Animalcule plankton only emerge in the morning, noon and evening. They lose strength as the night wears on; that’s when the crescent-shaped Falcato plankton take their place. The pitch of the plankton changes depending on where they grow.

Electroplankton Lumiloop
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Lumiloop plankton are curious, donut-shaped aquatic creatures. While stationary, they have the ability to spin at a very high rate of speed. As they spin, the Lumiloop emit unique sounds and a fascinating ring-shaped glow. Lumiloop plankton seem to always grow in clusters of five. They produce sounds at different pitches as they spin together, creating a beautiful harmony. This is called a pentatonic scale. Depending on where they live, Lumiloop plankton that produce several different sounds have been identified.

Electroplankton Marine-Crystals
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Resembling delicate snow crystals, Marine-Crystal plankton float elegantly on the surface of the water. The plankton get their name from their distinctive snowflake shape. They grow in clusters of 35 and line up in very orderly formations. When stimulated, Marine-Crystal plankton spin and produce vibrant sounds. While the plankton do grow in size if they are repeatedly tapped, they gradually return to their original size over time. They are born in four polygonal shapes: triangle, square, pentagon and hexagon. The ends of the crystalline protrusions also take on the same shapes. The tone of the sound they make will change depending on the shape of the Marine-Crystal plankton’s body.

Electroplankton Varvoice
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Varvoice plankton memorize the sound of human speech and repeat it over and over. They accomplish this amazing feat by oscillating the long flagellum that extends from their heads. By resonating the vibration with their water-droplet-shaped body, the plankton produce sounds that closely resemble the human voice. The body can expand and contract at will. By changing shape, they can easily manipulate the sound of the voice. Words that the Varvoice memorize and play back in reverse have a particularly strange ring to them. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as Varvoice inversion.

Nintendo

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Why Nintendo waited so long to put these two games on Virtual Console, I’ll never know, but better late than never. The original Super Smash Bros. and Super Mario Kart are both headed to the Wii Shop Channel this upcoming Monday, November 23rd. Super Mario Kart will drift in at 800 points. The price for Super Smash Bros. has not been announced. SNES classic Pilotwings will also be available, price also not yet announced.

GameSpot
via GoNintendo

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