The Nintendo Download – 4/21/2016

It’s a small batch this week, but a pretty packed one. In addition to the return of Star Fox, Mario is ready to party, and there’s even free pinball and solitaire/horse racing! What more could you ask for?

(Don’t answer that, it was purely rhetorical.)

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Star Fox Zero for Wii U – Available Friday, April 22nd: In this reboot of the Star Fox team’s original adventure, you’ll have to master new ways to pilot the sleek Arwing and its new all-terrain Walker formation, the mighty Landmaster tank (now with hover conversion), and the hovering Gyrowing flight drone in order to stop Andross’s armies from invading Corneria and conquering the Lylat system!

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Star Fox Guard for Wii U – Available Friday, April 22nd: Star Fox team member Slippy Toad’s uncle Grippy is in the mining business, and as the founder of Corneria Precious Metals Ltd., he needs your help! Man a dozen turret-mounted cameras across each facility and keep the invading robots at bay!

Unlike the retail version of Star Fox Zero, it and Star Fox Guard are sold separately in the Nintendo eShop. However, purchasing one game allows you a $9.99 CAD discount on the other, bringing the total price for both to $64.99 CAD. (Edit: Whoops, my mistake — looks like the two together are $74.99 CAD.)

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Mario Party DS for Wii U – Bowser has shrunken Mario and seven of his friends down to pocket-size! Pick one and take control in four game modes as you triumph in 70 mini-games across five game boards to foil the Koopa King’s latest scheme!

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Blockara for Wii U – It’s a competition that happens only once every 12,000 years as the September Dragon awakens to grant one wish to the best alchemist in the land. Are your puzzle skills sufficient enough to claim the prize? Choose from ten characters, each with their own story, and find out!

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Dreamals for Wii U – Three animals have been summoned to the Dream World, and are now searching for a way home. Each can move in only one direction, so teamwork is the key in this puzzle/strategy game.

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Pinball Arcade for Wii U – Touted as “the most realistic and comprehensive pinball game ever created,” this free download will soon see updates featuring tables based on various hit movies, TV shows, and more, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Twilight Zone, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Monster Bash, Medieval Madness, Funhouse, Attack from Mars, Circus Voltaire, and Big Shot. Plus, online tournaments and extra modes will allow you to challenge yourself and compete against your friends.

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Pocket Card Jockey Demo Version for Nintendo 3DS – Is this mixture of solitaire and horse racing for you? Find out in this free card-stacking demo before the full game is released in May.

New DLC

Fire Emblem Fates – New DLC Map – Witches’ Trial – For $1.99 USD, you can test your skills in the Fear Mountain stage from Fire Emblem Gaiden. You can also purchase Map Pack 1 to get everything released through April 21st for less than you’d pay individually.

Theme Shop on Nintendo 3DS

This week’s new themes are “Fire Emblem Fates : The Men” and “Fire Emblem Fates : The Women.”

Nintendo eShop Sales (Taken directly from Nintendo’s press release; prices in USD)

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For more information, screens, and videos for each of this week’s releases, click on the corresponding links above.

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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Nintendo has announced twelve new additions to its budget line of Nintendo Selects titles, the successor to their previous Player’s Choice line of best-sellers.

On March 11th, four games each will be re-released for the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U at a price of $29.99 CAD. These include Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Pikmin 3, and NES Remix Pack for the Wii U; The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Yoshi’s New Island, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, and Mario Party: Island Tour for the Nintendo 3DS; and Super Mario Galaxy 2, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and Super Mario All-Stars for the Wii, which are also playable on the Wii U.

“Whether you just picked up a new Wii U or Nintendo 3DS system over the holiday season or want to expand your ever-growing game collection, Nintendo Selects are a great, affordable option,” Nintendo of Canada’s General Manager and Senior Director, Pierre-Paul Trepanier, said in a press release. “Not only are these games easier than ever to enjoy, but they also represent some of our highest-quality offerings in recent memory.”

Having had the privilege and pleasure to review several of these titles over the years, here are links to those relevant reviews:

In addition, I have an old review of Animal Crossing: City Folk that I’ll see about publishing ahead of this release.

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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In a move many have been saying the company should make, yet few ever actually expected them to actually do, Nintendo announced today the release of the new Nintendo 2DS: A new, more cost-effective version of the Nintendo 3DS which dispenses with the somewhat controversial stereoscopic 3D and clamshell design in favor of a form which should be more appealing to– among others– children, and moreover, the parents who buy things such as video game systems for them.

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Another new announcement among the updates provided by today’s Nintendo Direct was that of a new, as-yet unnamed Mario Party title for the Nintendo 3DS.

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