The Wii U release of Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath was put on ice several months ago, but that doesn’t mean Oddworld Inc. has lost all interest in the Wii U – Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty! launches on the UK eShop this Thursday with a temporary discount to boot – it’ll only set you back £11.99 until 25th February (£15.99 thereafter).
Having played the PS4 version, we can safely say that it’s a very welcome addition to the Wii U’s library.
Two other new releases are also en route – Minecraft clone Discovery (£5.99), which focuses on crafting and landscape creation rather than exploring and survival, and Jones on Fire (£4.59), a fire-fighting platformer with abstract visuals. Apparently it plays better than it looks, but we aren’t entirely convinced.
There’s a duo of Virtual Console releases to consider as well – the GBA’s Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (£6.29) and the DS’s Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (£8.99). Reviews were mixed upon original release, with both dungeon crawlers receiving a mixture of 5s, 6s, 7s and 8s.
We recall Nintendo Gamer magazine (RIP) being rather unimpressed with both, should that help your purchasing decision.
The 3DS meanwhile sees another helping of JRPGs. If you’re already done with Final Fantasy Explorers and The Legend of Legacy and are looking for another lengthy quest, then Project X Zone 2 (£29.99 with a free theme and ‘Rare item pack’ DLC) and Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight (£34.99) should be on your virtual shopping list.
Nintendo Life gave The Fafnir Knight a lofty 9/10. “Both a wonderful upgrade to the original Etrian Odyssey 2 and an impressive improvement on Etrian Odyssey Untold, Untold 2: The Fafnir Knight is a dungeon-crawling delight. With satisfying combat, endless customization, and beautiful labyrinths that are as fun to map out as they are to explore, this is a joyously engrossing adventure – and a truly accessible difficulty setting and user-friendly interface make it the easiest Etrian to dive into yet†they said.
Looks like three pieces of Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight DLC are free until 18th February. Specifically, the Yggdrasil Veteran, Hidden Hot Springs! and Highlander’s Return! pack. They must be quite exciting to warrant all those exclamation marks.
We aren’t done with 3DS JRPGs yet, as demos of Bravely Second: End Layer and Stella Glow are also due Thursday. A demo of Project X Zone 2 is already available, if you wasn’t aware.
As for other new 3DS releases, there’s the Nintendo DS first-person shooter remake Dementium Remastered (£13.49), Kemco’s Alphadia Genesis spin-off Alphadia (£8.99) and Circle Entertainment’s tiny 2D platformer The Legend of Dark Witch 2 (£5.59).
Discount highlights meanwhile include Race the Sun (£3.49), Chariot (£6.74), Teslagrad (£6.99) and Trine 2: Director’s Cut (£6.99) on Wii U and Retro City Rampage: DX (£5.48), Shin Megami Tensei IV (£8.99) and Super Street Fighter IV 3D (£7.20) on 3DS. We’ve always felt that Retro City Rampage is more of a curio than a game, but maybe that’s just us.