Surprisingly this week's Nintendo Download has a couple of big releases...well, depends on how you view "big releases". First off is Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge for the Wii U and 3DS. Once downloaded (for free) you can tap any amiibo figure to the Wii U GamePad or New Nintendo 3DS, or tap select amiibos to guide one of eleven minis, and guide them across more than fifty levels and use their unique abilities. This kind of confused me in the press release, but I'm interpreting it to mean that you can use any amiibo, but there are eleven certain amiibos that will let you use in-game abilities, such as Yoshi's ability to eat enemies.
Next up is Sega 3D Classics Collection for the 3DS. This is a collection of nine classic Sega games including Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Power Drift, and others. One thing to keep in mind is that all nine of these games are available in the US individually on the 3DS eShop with a couple of them just released this week, so if you have most of these already it might not be worth it to pick this one up, but that's all up to you.
Rounding out the 3DS eShop this week is the ability to pre-purchase Disney Art Academy. Releasing on May 13th, it's Art Academy with Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Olaf, Woody, and more. Pre-purchasing the game will pre-load it onto your 3DS so you can play it pretty much straight away when it launches in a couple of weeks (after a small update).
The big Wii U release this week is Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii. If you've played as Shulk in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS and want to see where he first came from, now's your chance. Xenoblade Chronicles offers expansive environments and deep character customization options and is probably worth picking up as it may be getting a little tougher to find the actual Wii game these days.
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- This week??s Nintendo Download includes the following featured content:
In Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, make Minis march like never before in this free download. (Graphic: Business Wire)
Nintendo eShop sales:
Theme Shop on Nintendo 3DS:
Also new this week:
In addition to video games available at retail stores, Nintendo also offers a variety of content that people can download directly to their systems. Nintendo adds new games weekly to Nintendo eShop on the Wii U console and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, the Nintendo DSi?? Shop for the Nintendo DSi system and the Wii?? Shop Channel for the Wii console.
Nintendo eShop is a cash-based service that features a wide variety of content, including new and classic games, applications and demos. Users can add money to their account balances by using a credit card or purchasing a Nintendo eShop Card at a retail store and entering the code from the card. All funds from one card must be loaded in Nintendo eShop on either Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, but can be used in either Nintendo eShop if the systems are linked to a single Nintendo Network account.
The Wii Shop Channel offers games and applications and uses Wii Points??, which can be purchased via the Wii Shop Channel. The Nintendo DSi Shop offers games and applications and uses Nintendo DSi Points??, which can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop.
Remember that Wii U, Wii, New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage some of the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu or http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.