DSi. This ultimately indicates another first party cash-in for
Nintendo. A rumor I had heard and spoke out about on Total
Meltdown, Episode 26, that Nintendo would use their first party
mascots/characters to sell little applications on the DSi has come to
fruition.
A pair of applications are new to the DSi Ware shop.
Featuring the Animal Crossing license and each costing 200 DSi Ware
points, Nintendo released a calculator and a clock. The caculator is,
well, just that, a calculator. Only slightly more impressive than
Donkey Kong Jr. Math, the Animal Crossing calculator is a wonderfully
delicate blend of digital abacus and franchise sell-out. Not to be
outdone, the Animal Crossing clock has a clock, specialized alarms and
a special sticker you can wear that indicates you were a sucker for
paying two dollars for this product.
I think the addition of these
Nintendo-licensed applications is a great idea. Nintendo is pushing
the concept that the DSi is the essential asset you must carry around with
you as you live your life. Fun games, downloads and applications, the
Nintendo DSi is positioned to do it all for you. What is bothersome is
the price point they have set for this revolution. Once again, the
omnipresent monolith of Nintendo attempts to squeeze every last penny
out of its consumers. What they should have done is bundled the
calculator, clock and a scheduler and sold it for 250 DSi Ware points.
Of course, Nintendo does not have to cater to the whims of the
people since they will buy anything the Big ‘N’ releases. Pikmin Swine
Flu Remedy confirmed and only 7,000 DSi Ware points with surgical mask
peripheral.
titles. On Wii Ware is Gammick Entertainment’s Penguin&Friends
Hey! That’s My Fish! A board-game style competition, you collect fish and attempt to steal from your opponents. Watching the videos, it looks intriguing but for 800 Wii points, it’s still a little out of my price range. Also included yesterday was another Commodore 64 title Tower Toppler. While I still believe 500 Wii points is thievery for the system, the description does interest me.
Look for this feature next week as I delve into the weekly released Nintendo DLC.
Fans of the popular Animal Crossing series can enjoy a pair of
downloadableand practicaldebuts this week via the Nintendo DSiWare
service. Whether you’re telling time or doing arithmetic, these handy
applications will give your daily number-crunching a critter-friendly
boost. A new WiiWare game also takes a fun peek into the animal kingdom,
while the latest Virtual Console release sends players underwater for
classic Commodore 64 action.
Nintendo DSiWare
Animal
Crossing Calculator (Nintendo, 1 player, 200 Nintendo DSi Points):
Need to figure out what you owe Tom Nook or the amount in your savings
account? Animal Crossing Calculator features the full functionality of a
traditional calculator, including a Memory key and the ability to
display up to 13 digits, adding a layer of atmosphere unique to Animal
Crossing. Use the Unit Converter to turn one unit of measure into
another (such as length, weight, volume and age), or track the history
of calculations you’ve performed. Listen to the Animalese pronunciation
of numbers when you press them, and watch for a favorite Animal Crossing
character to appear when your result meets certain criteria. Get ready
for an inventive and practical way to experience the charm of Animal
Crossing.
Animal
Crossing Clock (Nintendo, 1 player, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): Enjoy
the atmosphere of Animal Crossing in a whole new way with Animal
Crossing Clock. Select from either an analog or digital clock and set up
to three alarms (with snooze functionality for those who need it). Make
your own Town Tune or use sounds created in Nintendo DSi Sound, then
assign them to the alarms you’ve set. Use the system’s internal clock or
offset the time however you like. Then sit back and watch as different
characters from Animal Crossing appear and the color of the sky changes
as time passes. You’ll never miss an important appointment with one of
your Animal Crossing friends again.
WiiWare
Penguins
&Friends – Hey! That’s My Fish! (Gammick Entertainment, 1-4
players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): The penguins are hungry
and need your help. Catch all the fish you can before someone steals
them from you. Strategy is fundamental in this exciting game. Keep
moving ahead of the other penguins so you don’t get trapped, and try to
get to the ice floes that hold more fish. One to four players can play
Penguins&Friends at the same time, provided they can handle the polar
cold. The board is made up of ice blocks with a set number of fish under
them. The ice blocks are hexagonal and form a structure like a beehive.
The starting position of the ice blocks can change, creating different
game boards.
Virtual Console
Tower
Toppler (Commodore 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii
Points): Weird things are happening on Planet Nebulus. Someone or
something has begun building huge towers on the sea floor without a
construction license. Your mission is to ascend each of the eight
cylindrical towers, passing various obstacles along the way, and to
trigger the tower’s destruction mechanism to demolish the evil threat.
Praised upon its original 1987 release for its graphical innovation,
this is considered to be the most outstanding game from Hewson. Don’t
miss out on this classic favorite.
Nintendo adds new titles to
the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on
Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or
Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased
in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the
Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card can be purchased at retail
locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in
either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not
transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.