WiiWare Launches with 6 Games in North America: Final Fantasy, LostWinds, Pop, Blackjack, More

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Staying true to its long ago promise, Nintendo today launched WiiWare, its storefront for original downloadable Wii games, with six titles:

Accessible from the Wii's online Shop Channel, WiiWare joins the platform's Virtual Console service, which offers downloadable retro classics. Due to WiiWare's arrival, there will be no Virtual Console release this week.

As has been the case with Virtual Console, new WiiWare titles will release on Mondays. Upcoming games include Dr. Mario Online RX, Tetris, and Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People.

Keep reading for more details of today's releases, including screenshots.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Square Enix
1500 Wii Points ($15)
1 Player

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King takes a legendary franchise and launches it into the realm of simulation gaming. Players are challenged to rebuild a kingdom, leading its young king on a path of discovery through an adventure bristling with mystery and intrigue.
LostWinds
Frontier Development
1000 Wii Points ($10)
1-2 Players
A fresh, enchanting platform adventure that puts the power of the wind in the palm of your hand - from raging tornados to the gentlest breeze. You'll wield your Wii Remote controller to power Toku's jumps and glides, suspend and smash enemies, meet friends and solve puzzles using LostWinds' novel, intuitive and playful control system.
Defend Your Castle
XGen Studios
500 Wii Points ($5)
1-4 Players
Defend your Castle takes place on a grassy plain surrounded by invaders. You are the commander of your castle, and it is your duty to fling the invading enemies sky-high, watching them plummet to their demise. As you progress, add powerful spells and upgrades to your arsenal for repelling the attacks. How long can you hold them off?
Pop
Nnooo
700 Wii Points ($7)
1-4 Players
Pop bubbles to score points and stop the timer from running out. Pop can be enjoyed by anyone - casual gamers can simply play to pop bubbles and keep the game moving, whereas advanced players will need to pick their shots rapidly and accurately and generate combos to maximize their score.
V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack
High Voltage Software
700 Wii Points ($7)
1-4 Players
V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack re-creates the casino experience, with fully animated players and a realistic Las Vegas dealer. Single players can increase their bankrolls, while multiple players can engage in a head-to-head mini-blackjack tournament.
TV Show King
Gameloft
1000 Wii Points ($10)
1-4 Players
TV Show King transforms your living room into a real TV quiz show studio where you'll face the challenge of answering more than 3,000 questions across six different categories. Compete against family and friends and use your Wii Remote controller in original ways to make it to the finals to see who can win the greatest amount of cash in one final, deciding duel.

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    May 12, 2008 7:18 AM

    [deleted]

    • reply
      May 12, 2008 7:22 AM

      I agree, hopefully we will see some reviews soon. I never worried about reviews for Live Arcade games because the demos usually gave me a good impression of the game and led to a purchase or not. Nintendo needs to put demos up for these games.

      • reply
        May 12, 2008 11:12 AM

        Why not go to the Nintendo channel and watch gameplay videos, interviews, demonstrations, etc.?

    • reply
      May 12, 2008 8:55 AM

      Yea, I been looking at it for awhile. I still am not sure if I should buy it though.

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