DOWNLOAD UPDATE: January 23, 2008 Edition
By Shaun Hatton - January 23rd, 2008
Undertow is the deal of the week.
This week is arguably more exciting than last in terms of downloadable content available for our favourite consoles. Wii finally busts out Super Street Fighter II on the Virtual Console while Xbox 360 owners are getting the chance to get the critically-acclaimed Undertow absolutely free.
Wii
Looks like Nintendo has gone from releasing three Virtual Console titles per week to just two. But that’s okay because this week’s releases are all about quality over quantity. Nintendo Entertainment System adventure puzzler Adventures of Lolo 2 makes its debut on the Shop Channel and is available for 500 Wii Points.
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers is the latest entry in the long-running series to make its way onto the Virtual Console. While it does add four new fighters (Thunder Hawk, Deejay, Fei Long, and fan favourite Cammy) there is a sufficiently noticeable drop in speed from Street Fighter II Turbo. In addition, several of the older characters have been given new moves and some older tricks of the trade no longer work. It’s still a solid fighting game and worth a download if you haven’t checked out the previous two versions, or if you don’t own the compilation disc for PlayStation 2. It’ll set you back 800 Wii Points.
Xbox 360
Amidst public outcry over Xbox LIVE service outages, Microsoft is making good on its promise to offer gamers a free Xbox LIVE Arcade game as compensation. While some may still gripe that it’s not enough, I’m perfectly fine with this seeing as I never really play online anyway.
The game is Undertow and, as previously mentioned, it’s free! There’s a limited time window in which to get in on the offer, however. You can grab the download now till 2:59 a.m. on Monday, January 28. The game itself is an aquatic shooter with both single-player and on and offline co-op and multiplayer modes. Did I mention it’s free?
Also available for free this week is the demo for Devil May Cry 4. It introduces gamers to the new protagonist, Nero, as well as his Devil Bringer power. Rather than showcasing only the first level, the demo shows players various locales from the game.
PlayStation 3
In addition to the DMC4 demo (which actually hits tomorrow), the following PlayStation downloads have been available from Thursday of last week:
Tori-Emaki is billed as an “innovative art experience” and requires the PlayStation Eye in order to play. Gamers guide flocks of birds through artwork inspired by classical and ancient Japanese paintings by moving their bodies. Tori-Emaki promises gamers an immersive experience. Seems like a pretty cool concept and for $2.99, you can’t really go wrong.
Another PlayStation Eye title available for download this week is Mesmerize: Trace. Seems more like a tech demo or time waster rather than a game, per se. Users can manipulate visual effects by moving, clapping, or drawing in the air. It’s also $2.99.
Blast Factor Bundle, a physics-based action game, takes players into the world of microbiology as they guide a nano-machine to fight off viral swarms. The game includes a multiplayer pack as well as the Advanced Research Pack. It’s available now for $14.99.
