Although eleven new releases are lined up for the UK Nintendo eShop this week – well, twelve if you consider Inazuma Eleven Thunderflash/Wildfire to be separate games – it’s debatable as to how many of these will be of interest to the majority. Our reckoning is four, and that’s at a push.
Trine Enchanted Edition on Wii U is the undeniable highlight, even if it is a mere remake of an adventure barely five years old. As we’ve mentioned recently though, there’s clearly demand for remakes, remasters, revamps and whatnot.
In a nutshell, it’s Trine remade using Trine 2’s superior engine, complete with an all-new three player online mode. £10.99 is the asking price unless you already own Trine 2 on Wii U, in which case it’ll only cost £8.79.
For a second week running there’s just one new Virtual Console release. This week – the GBA’s Mega Man Zero 3 (£6.29) on Wii U. A quick glance at eBay reveals it to be one of those GBA titles that’s worth a tidy sum nowadays, and so we’re confident in saying that more than a few gamers out there will be glad to see it granted a re-release.
Another new release of note is Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stones: Wildfire/Thunderflash, both of which are also heading to retail this Friday. Review scores for Nintendo’s latest soccer RPG have mostly been around the 7/10 mark, with praise handed out for the pleasingly surreal – if occasionally confusing – time travelling storyline. Word has it though that this isn’t aimed at franchise newcomers. There’s still no online play either.
Other premium priced 3DS downloads include movie tie-ins SpongeBob HeroPants (£19.99) and LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin (£29.99), plus Best Friends – My Horse 3D (£24.99). We’ve seen some footage of SpongeBob HeroPants – it resembles a broke man’s Super Mario 3D Land. It’s probably best to wait for reviews of LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin to surface too.
Going back to Wii U releases for a moment, Suspension Railroad Simulator (£5.99) is making a surprise stop. Over 82,000 German citizens use the Wuppertal Suspension Railroad per day. Here’s your chance to drive it. Over on PC this was granted a retail release. Nothing remarkable about that, though.
Now back to 3DS releases to round the week off. Jet Dog (£7.19) sounds like it’s another Flappy Bird varient, and an expensive one at that, while Excave (£4.49) is an apparently dull – but not massively flawed – 2D RPG. Oddball cooking/RPG hybrid Adventure Bar Story (£3.99) would appear to be a far better way for fans to spend their cash. It bagged 7/10s from both Nintendo Life and Nintendo Enthusiast. There’s also Titanic Mystery (£4.49) on DSiWare (£4.49). We’re willing to bet our last fondant filled egg that it’s another one of those hidden object things.
Skimming down the list of this week’s discounts, Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars (£13.49 – 3DS), Shin Megami Tensei IV (£8.99 – 3DS), Paper Monsters Recut (£2.79 – Wii U) and Zen Pinball 2: South Park Pinball (£1.99 – Wii U) stand out as highlights. Movie tie-in Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods on 3DS is also being cut to £16.99. We bet it can’t even hold a candle to good old Asterix on the Master System.