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Nintendo downloads delve into sports, the future and the furry this week

by: Tina -
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This week's additions to Nintendo's downloadable game roster do not include any blasts from the past on the Virtual Console (again). The DSi and Wii, however, will have plenty of other titles for you to play with in the meantime.

First things first: if you haven't picked up Photo Dojo, you should do so before this Friday to take advantage of the zero DSi Points it will cost you. Although I have not lived the life of a growing boy, it's to my knowledge that burning things was a common pastime. You can relive that fun in a futuristic setting in Flametail (500 points) where the solar system needs to be rid of space junk via the incinerator pod. In a different set of futuristic events, Fire Panic (200 points) will require you to direct a fire engine towards uproars of persistent flames. Don't Cross The Line (200 points) is this week's puzzle addition, which will ask you to connect lines to boxes without crossing them. Lastly is yet another Flips addition with Flips: The Magic Faraway Tree (500 points), also known as the DSi's attempt at an e-reader. Hit the jump for storyline details for this particular title.

On the Wii this week, you can fish and play golf, or role-play as a meerkat in Lead the Meerkats (1,000 points) who needs to form their own pack. Reel Fishing Challenge II (500 points) consists of 30 missions of capturing realistic moving fish. Zoo Disc Golf (1,000 points) is a spin on golfing, involving a goal of reaching the Emergency Animal Control station at each of the zoo's enclosures.

And with that, I draw a close to this week's Nintendo titles available for download. Read on for the itty bitty details.
From tidying up the galaxy to trying out life as a meerkat, this week’s new game downloads from Nintendo offer a wealth of wonderfully unusual activities. For the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, Flametail™ invites players to incinerate all manner of space garbage, while Don’t Cross The Line puts timeless puzzle-solving thrills in the palms of their hands. Also, Nintendo DSiWare users have just a few more days to download the hilarious hand-held battle game Photo Dojo™ for zero Nintendo DSi Points™. (Starting June 11, the game will require 200 Nintendo DSi Points for download.) Meanwhile, fresh additions to the WiiWare™ service include the new fishing-simulation sequel Reel Fishing® Challenge II and the furry fun of Lead the Meerkats™.

A new week also brings a new addition to the “Big Name Games” section of the WarioWare™: D.I.Y. series, which features downloadable microgames from some of the industry’s most talented figures. Nintendo Power™ magazine staffer Chris Hoffman is the creator of this week’s featured game, Power Surge, which asks players to locate and match various Nintendo Power staffers. New “Big Name Games” will be added every Monday through July 26, all available to download for zero Nintendo DSi Points to anyone with broadband Internet access and a copy of either WarioWare: D.I.Y. for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems or WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase software for the WiiWare service. Visit the Nintendo Channel on your Wii system today to learn more about these games.

Nintendo DSiWare


Flametail

Publisher: Nintendo

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: The year is 2099, and the solar system is littered with space junk. Our best hope for a tidier cosmos is to send the Flametail incinerator pod from planet to planet for a little fiery cleanup. Take control of the Flametail pod and start winding your way through obstacles, then watch as your flaming tail ignites blocks of troublesome debris and eventually eliminates them. Be careful not to work yourself into a dead end, and don’t let the hazard line that follows you catch up to your tail or reach any leftover garbage. Luckily, you can find useful items (such as bombs or score multipliers) along your path and earn special power-ups (like radar or a missile) by collecting letter panels to spell particular words. Effectively burn up the floating garbage in the game’s two modes – Space Tour and Time Limit – and earn new graphics and other surprises as you progress. The straightforward controls make it possible for anyone to take on the job of restoring space to pristine condition. Do you have what it takes to make your way to the outer reaches of the solar system?


Don’t Cross The Line

Publisher: Aksys Games

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: Don’t Cross The Line is a puzzle game in which the player must connect lines to various boxes, from one identical box to another, without crossing the lines they draw in the process. There are roughly 50 stages in all. Depending on how quickly you complete each stage, you’ll be awarded with a bronze, silver or gold award. To unlock additional stages, players must achieve a certain ranking in previous stages. Can you outwit the puzzles at hand and receive gold awards all around?


Fire Panic

Publisher: Playtainment

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence

Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: As a futuristic firefighter in Fire Panic, you face the continuous challenge of extinguishing more and more fires that keep flaring up. To do this, use your Nintendo DSi™ stylus to mark the fastest route for your fire engine to reach each blaze. The engine will follow the line you draw and automatically douse each fire it passes along the way. It’s a thrilling experience every time you play.


Flips: The Magic Faraway Tree

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Players: 1

Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Jo, Bessie and Fanny take their cousin Rick on an adventure he’ll never forget to the magic Faraway Tree, where he meets Moon-Face, Silky the fairy and Saucepan Man. They visit all the different lands at the top of the Faraway Tree, including the Land of Spells, the crazy Land of Topsy-Turvy and the Land of Do-As-You-Please, where the children ride a runaway train. The new Flips range brings modern classics to the Nintendo DSiWare service. Readers can collect, solve, interact and learn as they progress through various stories and challenges.


WiiWare


Reel Fishing Challenge II

Publisher: Natsume Inc.

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 500 Wii Points™

Description: Reel Fishing is back! This sequel to the smash-hit fishing game takes you to a pristine new freshwater environment teeming with fish that look and move just like the real thing. You’ll go after these wily lunkers with a huge variety of lures and refined controls that provide the most natural and realistic fishing action yet. You’ll need every advantage you can get as Reel Fishing Challenge II’s 30 varied missions put your angling abilities to the ultimate test. This stunning, true-to-life fishing experience will have you hooked.


Lead the Meerkats

Publisher: Lapland Studio

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Mild Violence

Price: 1,000 Wii Points

Description: In Lead the Meerkats, you are a young meerkat with a lot to accomplish. You’ve been separated from your pack, and the time has come for you to form your own meerkat pack. Are you ready for the challenge? Name your pack and its meerkats. Dig burrow networks and enlarge your territory. Forage for food and grow your pack size. Stay on guard and be ready to make quick decisions. Run to the safety of the burrows or fight your enemies. Go head-to-head with a rival meerkat pack. Lead your pack to victory and rule the savanna. Lead the Meerkats is the first game to simulate the exciting life of meerkats, offering fun game play for animal lovers of all ages.


Zoo Disc Golf

Publisher: Sonalysts, Inc.

Players: 1-4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Price: 1,000 Wii Points

Description: Each zoo enclosure is a “hole” in the Zoo Disc Golf course. The objective of the game is to get your disc into each “goal” using the fewest number of throws – the “goal” being the Emergency Animal Control station in each enclosure. A throw of the disc is equivalent to a stroke in golf and counts as one point. Available characters are the Rockhopper Penguin, Kangaroo, Panda and Meerkat. The Zoo Disc Golf course is made up of 18 holes. Each player is allowed a maximum of 10 strokes on each hole. When players reach 10 strokes, they move to the next hole with those 10 points added to their score.