The LoadDown - 04/26/2010

Another busy week on the downloadable scene...

WiiWare -- 2 new games, or six, depending on how one counts them.  The clearly-titled 5 Arcade Gems presents five arcade-style action games -- they're not licensed, but judging from the descriptions the designs are borrowing from Timber, Warlords, and Paperboy among others.  Brain Drain is a descrambling puzzle game.

Wii Virtual Console -- Another solid Neo-Geo fighter arrives on the Virtual Console:  The King of Fighters '95.

DSiWare -- A whopping six new downloadable games arrive for the DSi this week -- it's clearly proving to be a viable platform for publishers.  Ferrari GT: Evolution is a racing game with licensed vehicles at a premium price.  DodoGo! is a Lemmings-esque action puzzler that makes interesting use of the stylus.  System Flaw Recruit is a shooter that uses the DSi camera to incorporate images from the player's surroundings.  Don't Feed the Animals is a tower defense contest with a funny backyard animal invasion theme.  Puffin: Let's Roll is a motion-control maze game a la the classic wooden Labyrinth puzzles.  And Scrabble Slam! is a multiplayer Scrabble contest where speed is of the essence.

XBox Live Arcade -- Two games last week.  Puzzle Chronicles is a puzzle/RPG game in the vein of Puzzle Quest.  Sega's After Burner Climax updates the classic arcade air combat shooter with modern graphics and the addition of ground-based targets; I found the demo a little too frenetic and unfocused, but I've never been a big fan of the original either.

Game Room -- Still quiet on the arcade front, but next week we are promised a batch of Atari 2600 titles from Activision and Atari.

PS3 on PSN -- A big week last week, with four downloadable titles arriving on Sony's console.  After Burner Climax and Puzzle Chronicles debut simultaneously with XBLA, and The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition brings more adventuring goodness to the PS3.  Hyperballoid HD is exclusive to the PS3, with gameplay reminiscent of Arkanoid and Zuma.

One item I haven't previously mentioned -- Nintendo has been releasing weekly "Big Name Games" for the WarioWare D.I.Y. platform -- they're simple, quick games created by big name developers, using the same do-it-yourself scripting tool available for everyone on the DSi.  This week's game is from the Super Meat Boy team, last week's came from WayForward, and the series is projected to continue through July 26th.  Nice to see Nintendo celebrating talented third-party developers this way.