NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: FINS, FUR AND FABULOUS PUZZLES POWER THE LATEST  DOWNLOADS FOR WII AND NINTENDO DS

July 19, 2010

The selection of downloadable games for the WiiWare™ service  and the Nintendo DSiWare™ service keeps on growing, this time with a  zoological twist. AquaSpace lets Wii™ owners transform their  television into a mesmerizing aquarium filled with fascinating fish. Petz®   Kittens provides Nintendo DSi™ users with lovable feline companions they can carry everywhere they go. Furry Legends features a cast   of unusual creatures who dwell in an eye-popping 3D world. And for   those who prefer a more human-oriented challenge Scrabble™ Tools gives puzzle fans a great way to show off those big brains and opposable   thumbs.

We've also got new arrivals in 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. This week we have some new additions from the Treehouse,   Nintendo's game localization team. New "Big Name Games" are being 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.

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WiiWare

AquaSpace
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points™
Description: Turn your television into a  virtual aquarium with AquaSpace. You can simply relax and watch  the fish or take the opportunity to read detailed information about  them, such as scientific names and habitats, using the illustrated  encyclopedia. If you want to get up close and personal with the fish,  you can send your Mii™ character on a dive to swim with them, feed them  or hunt for trivia icons to discover fish-related facts. Choose from  eight aquarium themes and spruce them up with dozens of different fish  and a variety of decorations, wallpaper and plant life. You can also  change the background music by taking your pick from a selection of  songs or using the sound of water. Then, once everything is set up, you  can view your aquarium from a variety of camera angles (including a  fish-eye view). Visit every day and watch your aquarium change – your  fish will grow, and new fish may be born. Life continues in your  aquarium even while the Wii console is turned off.

Furry  Legends
Publisher: Gamelion
Players: 1
ESRB  Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief, Mild Language
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: The legend starts here. Furry  Legends is a dynamic platform adventure with the most fur ever seen  in games. Solve fun, physics-based puzzles in a fantastic 3D world  called Furland. It's a humorous and weird place populated by funny  creatures you've never seen before, including five-eyed crabs, round  cows, crazy rabbits and the lovely Furballs. Players control fluffy  characters, each with a different set of special skills, such as the  ability to manipulate time. Save the Furballs from their doom and keep  Furland safe from Lord Squarie. Are you ready for a crazy adventure? Can  you save Furland and its lovely Furballs? Try the furriest game of the  century!

HoopWorld™
Publisher: Virtual Toys
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Long ago, a lost civilization called the Elders, who worshipped the   magical power of Nature, built a network of sacred temples around the   world. Millennia have since passed, and the temples now lie in ruins.   But their energy still resonates from the land, attracting adventurers   from distant lands. Drawn by the unknown force, friends have begun to   rebuild the ruins into ball courts, knowing only that they must relive   the time-honored test of the spirit of the Elders: the game now known as   basketball. HoopWorld is a three-on-three basketball game with an arcade twist. Unique characters and beautiful natural locations set the stage, while fighting and random power-ups keep the game fast and   rough. Choose your favorite team and basketbrawl across the globe to   become the undisputed world champions. Play on your own or with a friend   and see if you can beat the leaders of the HoopWorld global   ranking.

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I may have to retract my ealier comment about this being a bad week for WiiWare. I just popped onto YouTube and watched some of the videos for Furry Legends. It's not a bad looking game at all. It looks like they blatently stole Lost Winds level design and put the gameplay of Night Sky (a rolling ball solving puzzles) in place of flying around with Toku the leaf boy.  

It looks like this game's biggest crime is just having one of the worst names any game has had since the Munchables.  It may be worth waiting to see some reviews.

God I hope that's not the case. That would suck.

I'll be the first to admit that they've probably put out 80% to 85% of the eligible rerelease library, with the rest of the games being stuck in ownership limbo or with devs who think the game is too valuable to put out (ie Square-Enix with the DQ games). But between 7 consoles there should still be enough to let one or two VC games out each week.