Nucleus arrives on PSN

Kuju Entertainment's Nucleus was released on the PlayStation Network last week, selling for $9.99. A free three mission "starter pack" is also available.

Though a shooter in the same vein as Housemarque's recently released Super Stardust HD (PS3) and Bizarre Creations' Geometry Wars (PC, X360), Nucleus differentiates itself from other entries in the genre by offering a number of objective specific missions. For example, one mission requires players to pull objects into a specific location using a tractor beam, whereas another merely mandates they collect a number of orbs as quickly as possible.

Heavenly Sword demo complete

The downloadable demo for Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword is complete, according to a post by company co-founder and technical director "Ninja Mikey" on the official Ninja Theory forums. "Now it's a case of Sony deciding when they feel is the best time to release it to PlayStation Network," he wrote.

New Goblin revitalizes Spider-Man 3

Owners of Treyarch's Spider-Man 3 can now download the playable New Goblin character for $5.99. Previously exclusive to the collector's edition of the game, New Goblin permits players to explore the city using the motion controls of the Sixaxis controller.

This week on Virtual Console

Three more Virtual Console titles arrived on Nintendo's popular digital distribution platform this week. Most notable is Nintendo's long-awaited N64 RPG Paper Mario, which is priced at 1000 Wii Points ($10) and requires either a wii classic controller or a GameCube controller.

G-mode's TurboGrafx-16 first person shooter Silent Debuggers also hit, selling for 600 Wii Points ($6), as did Nintendo's button mashing NES classic Balloon Fight, which costs 500 Wii Points ($5). Both games can be played using the Wii Remote or any other Wii-compatible controller.

For more on Virtual Console, be sure to check out the Shack staff's past Virtual Console reviews.