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

• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King / 1500 Wii Points ($15)
• LostWinds / 1000 Wii Points ($10)
• Defend Your Castle / 500 Wii Points ($5)
• Pop / 700 Wii Points ($7)
• V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack / 700 Wii Points ($7)
• TV Show King / 1000 Wii Points ($10)

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.... Read more

Square Enix's initial WiiWare offering Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King has been updated in Japan with downloadable content, shedding some light on the platform's microtransaction structure.

The updated version of My Life as a King includes an in-game downloadable content store, which allows players to browse and purchase a variety of additions to the title.

Among the content are three new playable races for 800 Wii Points ($8), accompanied by three houses that produce quests for the new races at 300 Wii Points ($3) a piece. New outfits can be purchased for the king and his assistant at 100 Wii Points ($1).

Game|Life notes that the total cost of My Life as a King's array of downloadable content comes in at $13—just two dollars shy of the title's going rate of 1500 Wii Points ($15).

In addition to Square Enix, several other companies are planning microtransaction structures for upcoming WiiWare releases. Similar to Nintendo's online Virtual Console storefront, which provides downloads of retro releases, WiiWare will allow Wii owners to purchase and download new, original games via the Wii Shop Channel.

The serivce went live in Japan on March 25, and hits North America on May 12. My Life as a King, along with several other titles, will be available at launch.

In advance of the Game Developers Conference lecture on the title, Square Enix has released a smattering of screenshots for its upcoming WiiWare release Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King.

Set for a March release in Japan, the simulation RPG hybrid--which tasks players to excel at both city-building and traditional quests--has yet to receive a release date for North America.