The LoadDown -- 07/19/2012

The weather is hot here in Michigan, USA -- it's a good time to stay inside and play video games.  You don't even have to go outside to buy them!

WiiWare --  Nothing at all on the Wii or the Virtual Console this week.

DSiWare -- Two new titles for DSi and 3DS:  Rabi Laby 2 is yet another game inspired by v. dentata Alice in Wonderland, a sequel to the original Rabbit Labyrinth, again sending Alice and her pet rabbit through a series of dangerous puzzles which they must overcome with teamwork.  Petit Computer is an odd but interestingly retro idea -- it presents a virtual, BASIC-driven computer that lets users create their own programs and games; the sprite capabilities are a bit beyond what most actual 8-bit computers could handle, but otherwise it seems like a forgotten 80s platform.  I'm not sure about typing in programs using the stylus on a virtual keyboard, though, and I doubt we'll see any magazines full of type-in listings for this quirky throwback.

3DS eShop --  New titles here, plus a few old ones.  The Phantom Thief Stina and 30 Jewels is an action/strategy game -- players can play as the jewel thief Stina or security chief Sara, as Stina tries to steal jewels while avoiding security droids; it sounds like a stealthier game than it is but is a fresh idea for a real-time strategy title.  Nikoli just keeps pumping out new, vaguely dissimilar puzzle titles, with Masyu by Nikoli, kind of a pipe-fitting Sudoku variant  And Nintendo's 8-Bit Summer continues with the Game Boy sequel, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, and Tumble Pop, which borrows from Ghostbusters a bit as its boy hero sucks up various monsters with his backpack vacuum weapon.

XBox Live Arcade -- Two new games in the past week.  Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD brings the original skateboarding game up to speed graphically, while inadvertently highlighting how stagnant the long-running series has become.  Dungeon Fighter Live: Fall of Hendon Myre brings the popular Korean PC title Dungeon Fighter Online's multiplayer dungeoneering and light RPG elements to XBLA, though the 2-D gameplay resembles Golden Axe more than Rogue or Dungeon Master.  The subtitle implies there will be more of these released as time goes on.

PS3 on PSN -- One new game arrives this week: Dyad, a psychedelic, symbolic, fluid arcade sort-of-racing game with musical elements -- it calls late Jeff Minter and SEGA's Rez to mind, but is definitely its own critter.  Sony's always been a little more adventurous with its online content than other platforms, and PS3 owners will want to check this one out.

PSOne Classics -- Nothing new here this week.

Notable on Steam -- New releases are nonexistent while the Steam Summer Sale is going on, but there are good deals on PC games new and old afoot.  My backlog is growing, but I'm not really complaining.