Wii-kly Shopping List: Nobody ever expects Genghis Khan II

by: Cyril - posted: 6/10/2009 5:09:00 PM

Last week I was carping on the fact that Nintendo's downloadable line-up felt a little soft for E3 week.  After all, when they were at the Game Developers Conference they announced (and uploaded) the Virtual Console Arcade.  Last week all we got was a so-so Commodore 64 release and a bunch of DSiWare and WiiWare games that nobody can remember.  Is this week any different?  No, not really.  One of the games was announced at E3, so we already knew it was on the way.  The rest may be surprising, but not necessarily in a good way.

Let's start off with the Virtual Console, which hasn't had a must-own game for quite awhile.  This week continues the trend of niche releases with Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf.  It is one of Koei's Super NES strategy games, and like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition, it's not made for the casual player to sit down and enjoy.  These are extremely complicated strategy games, which is perfect if you're the type of guy who wants to simulate taking over land and learn about the crazy history associated with Mr. Khan.  Like most Super NES games, Genghis Khan II will cost you $8 and is available right now.

Moving on we have Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again for the Nintendo DSi.  This should come as no surprise to anybody that watched Nintendo's press conference last Tuesday.  This is a colorful and customizable take on the classic Donkey Kong gameplay, allowing you to develop your own puzzles, upload them and even check out some of the best user-created content online.  And how much is all this content going to cost you?  Well, it looks like this DSiWare title comes at a premium, as it's a staggering $8.  That's a far cry from the $2 you spent on the Photo Clock a couple of weeks ago.

Rounding out our list is the WiiWare, which offers two brand new games.  The first release is Swords & Soldiers, an exciting (and expensive) game where you get to rewrite history and run the world using brutal Vikings.  This two-player game will run you $10, making it the most expensive download game of the week.  If using swords to kill soldiers isn't your thing, them maybe I can interest you in the weirdly titled Fish'em All?  You play a couple of fishermen in a fantasy world who one day ... zzzzzz .... oh, I'm sorry, I think I fell asleep while talking about fishing.  Why was I talking about fishing again?  I think I need to get back to those Minis.  This little game will run you $8.