Today Nintendo of Europe (and Australia) added new classic games to the popular Wii Shop Channel. The games went live at midnight CET. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at stores like Amazon UK (Card).
In September 2007 Nintendo Europe introduced the Virtual Console Hanabi Festival. A season of classic games that had never been released in Europe before. Named after the Japanese holiday season famous for its firework displays, the Hanabi Festival now returns with a bang!!
Hanabi Festival 2 brings more Japanese and American exclusives to the Wii Shop Channel, this this time courtesy of Konami, Hudson Soft and Sega. It begins with puzzler Columns III: Revenge of Columns for the Sega Mega Drive, and shoot ’em ups Gradius II: Gofer No Yabou and Final Soldier for TurboGrafx (PC Engine); and there are more special releases to look forward to in the weeks ahead.
We’ve included videos of the games so you can see if it’s for you. This week’s new games are:
Gradius II: Gofer No Yabou (priced 900 Wii Points = €9 / £6.75 / AU$13.50): The second Hanabi Festival blasts off with the TurboGrafx (PC Engine) version of Gradius II from 1992, never previously released outside of Japan. Originally a CD-Rom title, this legendary single player shoot ’em up was the first Gradius to include different selectable weapon combinations; now a standard in Konami’s series.
This shooter is the sequel to the masterpiece Gradius. Two years after its last epic battle, the Gradius army recommissions the Vic Viper super-dimensional warplane to combat the invasion of a new nemesis known as Gofer. Piloting the latest model of the Vic Viper, players can select between multiple weapons and shields to tackle the varying stages and enemy attack patterns they come up against. With a total of 9 stages, this perfect port of the original boasts one of the longest adventures in the series and also features more trademark fast-paced music to accompany the intense action! In-game text will include some Japanese.
Final Soldier (priced 700 Wii Points = €7 / £5.25 / AU$10.50): Following on from the release of Super Star Soldier and Soldier Blade on Virtual Console comes another in Hudson Soft’s Soldier series from 1991. Final Soldier boasts seven levels of intergalactic single player shooter action and, for the first time, the ability to set up different weapon options before each mission.
A vertically scrolling shooter from the well-known Star Soldier series. In the 23rd century, invaders from the future suddenly attack Earth. Controlling a fighter created by the world’s best scientists, you rise to meet the enemy. Collect and equip power-up units to launch a variety to attacks, such as lasers, flamethrowers and missiles. Each weapon has three different attack types. Anticipate enemies’ strikes and deftly switch between weapons to defeat the invaders! In addition to “Normal Game”, there are also “2 Minute Game” and “5 Minute Game” score attack modes. The most perfectly balanced game in the series Final Soldier is a title you don’t want to miss. In-game text will include some Japanese.
Columns III: Revenge of Columns (priced 900 Wii Points = €9 / £6.75 / AU$13.50): Previously unavailable outside of Japan and the U.S., Columns III: Revenge of Columns adds frenzied multiplayer for up to 5-players to Sega’s jewel-matching puzzle action game from 1994. Play against the computer or up to four friends, using magical jewels to spice up the gameplay and add an extra layer of strategy.
This single player or multiplayer experience expands upon the gameplay of the first two Columns titles by giving players extra attacks to spring on their opponents during gameplay. As in the original Columns, jewels fall into a bin and you have to twist and manipulate them to match three or more jewels in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line to keep them from stacking hing the top. In Columns III, you can get special magical jewels that can do things like raising your opponent’s crush bar or lowering yours, adding an extra element of strategy to the game. Supports Wii Component AV cable Interface Mode.
I hope someone loves me for writing these, because they sometimes take ages to get all the info together. 😛