Command your military unit and hone your strategic skills in MILITARY MADNESS NECTARIS® on WiiWare this week.

Available to download on DSiWare is the fabulously colourful Pop Island, where players will need to run, jump and spin their way around the island to collect the priceless flags, Simply Mahjong and Simply Sudoku, giving players hours of puzzling fun, and 4 TRAVELLERS™ – Play Spanish, a nifty game to have players speaking Spanish in no time. This week’s quintuple of DSiWare is completed by the card based role-playing game Elemental Masters® inviting you to a quest in the mystical lands of Elendior.

And that’s not all! Finally, it is Hanabi season again, with Virtual Console bringing you games released for the very first time in their original format in Europe. Play IRONCLAD, the classic NEOGEO side-scroller with a unique gameplay twist: You will not only take control of a mighty warship, but also command a tactical combat drone – the eponymous Iron Clad, allowing for strategies never seen before in a shoot ‘em up. Another Hanabi gem is the NES version of a classic series, Lode Runner®. You will now be able to enjoy the first Lode Runner game to ever grace a Nintendo game system. Though originally released in 1984, this version offers an astonishingly easy-to-use level editor, and a two player mode to go hunt for gold nuggets with a friend in every puzzling stage.

Follow the jump for more details of each of this week’s releases..

WiiWare – MILITARY MADNESS NECTARIS®

(HUDSON SOFT, 1000 Wii Points)

The Military is back for a new generation of recruits. The classic turn-based strategy series MILITARY MADNESS, a.k.a. NECTARIS, is exploding onto WiiWare with a platoon of new features. Coordinate strategies or taunt foes in team or multiplayer modes for up to 4 people, offline or online.

Customise the all-new commander unit by selecting from 20 unique abilities as it leads your forces in multiplayer. Command respect as you increase your rank and march up the leader boards on your mission to prove you’re the top general around. This is the maddest game yet in the series.

NINTENDO DSiWare – Pop Island

(odenis studio, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)

Discover a joyful universe where playing is always a pleasure. Colourful and fun, Pop Island is an all-action capture the flag game where you pick which team to compete on before running, jumping and spinning your way around the island in an attempt to collect the priceless flags hidden throughout it.

Become a surfing penguin, a flying fish or a waterskiing crocodile as you go all out for victory – unlocking 12 more joyful animals as you rack up points across eight different planets. You might even end up competing as a skateboarding mammoth.

Players can take up the challenge alone, but the madcap action reaches a new level when your friends get involved. By sharing the demo of the game via DS Download Play, up to seven more people can join you for some head-to-head or cooperative action. With plenty of power-ups, you’ll need to concentrate on capturing more than just the rival team’s flag to claim victory.

NINTENDO DSiWare – Simply Mahjong

(Engine Software, 200 Nintendo DSi Points)

Simply Mahjong gives you exactly what you want: pure Mahjong on your DSi. The simple game design and easy, intuitive controls make it a game that the whole family can enjoy. The game has 50 puzzles in each level guaranteeing hours of gameplay fun.

NINTENDO DSiWare – Simply Sudoku

(Engine Software, 200 Nintendo DSi Points)

Simply Sudoku gives you exactly what you want: pure Sudoku on your DSi. The simple game design and easy, intuitive controls make it a game that the whole family can enjoy. The game has 50 puzzles in each level to guarantee hours of gameplay fun.

NINTENDO DSiWare – 4 TRAVELLERS™ – Play Spanish

(AGENIUS Interactive, 800 Nintendo DSi Points)

4 TRAVELLERS™ can be played alone or together with friends, while at the same time teach you new words in Spanish. The game is suitable for both young and old, and no previous experience is necessary.

The more you play the more your Spanish vocabulary increases. You can also play and learn with the game’s unique learning mode.

Listen to pronunciations, collect medals or win achievements and monitor your language skills development with up to three other players. This game is also perfect to bring on your trip, as over 240 carefully selected words are included specifically for this occasion.

In-game languages: English, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Nederlands, Norsk, Svenska, Dansk, Suomi

NINTENDO DSiWare – Elemental Masters®

(lbxgames, 800 Nintendo DSi Points)

In this Fantasy Card Game, stand your ground in a quest full of magic and adventure, and experience a thrilling combination of strategy in this role-playing game.

Choose your character, build up your army in your card deck and fight the mystical creatures of Elendior. With thoughtful use of your cards, you can obtain the monsters of your enemy and support your attacks by using arcane spells and the rules of dark magic. Dive into this captivating story in the quest mode, or duel with your friends in multiplayer.

More than 100 creatures in over 15 maps are waiting for you.

VIRTUAL CONSOLE – IRONCLAD

(D4 Enterprise, NEOGEO, 1000 Wii Points)

Take control of a mighty warship alongside Iron Clad in this classic side-scrolling shoot ‘em up. Bring the fight to the Iron Mask Republic and save the Kingdom of Chop by using a huge array of weaponry.

Dish out a variety of melee attacks in close-range combat, nullify the enemy’s attacks using your bomber, or combine with Iron Clad to create even more damage. And when the dust has settled, go back and play through your favourite stages again, trying new weapon combinations and unlocking new endings.

In-game text will include some Japanese.

VIRTUAL CONSOLE – Lode Runner®

(HUDSON SOFT, NES, 600 Wii Points)

This landmark action-puzzle game has been a worldwide fixture in video games from the moment of its inception through to the present day, producing many sequels and related products along the way.

The player controls the hero, or “Runner”, who collects gold nuggets located around every stage, all the while avoiding capture by relentless enemy robots. The action itself is simple, but the stages are designed as increasingly challenging puzzles and none of the 50 stages are as easy as they seem. The Runner avoids enemies by digging holes in the floor to the right and left of his position – by doing this, he can clear a path to places that, at first glance, seem unreachable. Players must use their brains to collect all the gold nuggets in every puzzling stage if they want to advance.

In addition to the regular play mode, this version of the game features an Edit Mode that allows players to design their own stages, adding a new level of enjoyment to the game.

As the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop are continually updated with exciting and refreshing games and applications, make sure you keep checking the Nintendo Channel, Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop for all the latest news and releases on already available and upcoming Virtual Console, WiiWare and Nintendo DSiWare titles.

Be sure to also check out Nintendo of Europe’s WiiWare portal, which functions as the main hub for the latest WiiWare news and game sites, while at the same time providing the perfect entry point for newcomers to the service. Weekly and all-time Top 10 lists show which WiiWare titles the UK Club Nintendo members are currently downloading most, and which are the most popular of all time.

The portal also provides step-by-step tutorials explaining how to connect the Wii console to the Internet and how to download WiiWare games, as well as a video showing how to use Nintendo Points. Visit www.wiiware.co.uk for all the details. Downloaded games can be saved to Wii’s internal memory or SD card and added to the console’s Wii Menu or SD Card Menu for anytime easy access.

Press Release [Nintendo]

Hanabi Festival, Nintendo’s celebration of Virtual Console gaming, returns starting on 12^th March – with an all-star line-up of classics never before seen in Europe.

Named after the infamous Japanese fireworks festivals, this year’s Hanabi Festival will light up your Wii with an explosive array of games.

Hanabi Festival is a feast of gaming fun and this March there is something for everyone to get their teeth stuck into…… featuring the action adventure epic CASTLEVANIA RONDO OF BLOOD (Turbografx)

Previously available only in Japan on the PC Engine system, CASTLEVANIA RONDO OF BLOOD is the legendary and beautifully rendered tenth instalment of the famous Castlevania series.

We will continue in the following weeks with more classics appearing in Europe for the first time, including the action-packed fantasy, Milon’s Secret Castle (NES), IRONCLAD (NEOGEO) and Lode Runner® (NES).

Virtual Console is available via the Wii Shop Channel, by connecting your Wii to the internet.  It brings you classic games from a range of consoles, many of which have never been available before outside of Japan or North America.

As the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop are continually updated with exciting and refreshing games and applications, make sure you keep checking the Nintendo Channel, Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop for all the latest news and releases on already available and upcoming Virtual Console, WiiWare and Nintendo DSiWare titles.

Be sure to also check out Nintendo of Europe’s WiiWare portal, which functions as the main hub for the latest WiiWare news and game sites, while at the same time providing the perfect entry point for newcomers to the service. Weekly and all-time Top 10 lists show which WiiWare titles the UK Club Nintendo members are currently downloading most, and which are the most popular of all time.

The portal also provides step-by-step tutorials explaining how to connect the Wii console to the Internet and how to download WiiWare games, as well as a video showing how to use Nintendo Points. Visit www.wiiware.co.uk for all the details. Downloaded games can be saved to Wii’s internal memory or SD card and added to the console’s Wii Menu or SD Card Menu for anytime easy access.

Press Release [Nintendo]

Ubisoft have sent us an updated copy of their release schedule for Q1 2010, so we thought we’d share it with you!

There are a few titles to get excited about here; with Red Steel 2’s release towards the end of this month and Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands sometime in May it looks like might be the start of a profitable year for the French video games publishers and developers.

Ubisoft Release Schedule – Q1 2010

It’s time for our look at the official sales charts for week 9 of this year, thanks to our friends at ELSPA.

This week New Super Mario Bros. Wii is still holding on to the top spot of the Nintendo Wii Charts, marking it’s 16th week in the top 30. On the DS, Sonic & Sega All-stars Racing has leaped from last week’s position of 8th straight to the top of the chart. Who’d have thought the once-rivals Mario and Sonic would be sharing the top spots on a Nintendo platform!

Find the full top 30 charts for both platforms after the jump..

Nintendo Wii Top 30

Nintendo DS Top 30

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C) 2010 ELSPA Ltd

Nintendo fans can trip out to an onslaught of beats and colours with BIT.TRIP VOID and save the world from virus-infected robots in Mega Man™ 10 all available to download on WiiWare this week.

On DSiWare the legendary lost project “Dark Void” by Capcom is back after 20 years, returning as Dark Void™ Zero, while players can also enjoy an interactive storybook in Flips: The Bubonic Builders.

Globulos Party is perfect for players who have some time on their hands; offering over 15 hours of fun game play and 20 games to stimulate and challenge.

For anyone wanting to give their language skills a boost, New English Training: Learn with Tempo – Advanced Edition is the perfect way to improve your command of English.

Those with itchy trigger fingers will find their pinball technique tested to the limit, as well as needing to dust off their knowledge of Greek mythology to help them succeed in Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon™.

The final offering from DSiWare this week offers a treat for football fans as Real Football 2010 returns for another exciting season.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Virtual Console’s offering has a blast from the past with an 80’s fuelled, action-packed arcade game where players will be able to live out their ace fighter pilot fantasies in Zaxxon™.

Find out more about this week’s releases after the jump..

WiiWare – BIT.TRIP VOID
(Aksys Games, 600 Wii Points)

The third instalment in the retro-arcade BIT.TRIP saga, BIT.TRIP VOID is a fun exploration of rhythm and music through gaming. Players have complete freedom to move around the screen in any direction, interacting with the music in brand new ways. The classic game play aesthetic remains, as colour – and the absence of colour – are explored to the fullest.

Trip out in 4-player co-op and get lost in the beat with a friend. See if you can survive the onslaught of Beats and further your own BIT.TRIP score.

WiiWare – Mega Man™ 10
(CAPCOM, 1000 Wii Points)

The original 2D classic Mega Man returns in Mega Man 10. This latest Mega Man title goes back to its old school roots with retro action, platform game play and classic 8-bit style graphics and sound.

In this, the latest instalment of Mega Man, the year is 20XX and a suspicious outbreak of Roboenza, a Robot Flu, has broken out – spreading across the world like wildfire and bringing down robots everywhere. To make matters worse, a month after the outbreak the infected robots go on a rampage, destroying the city and holding it hostage. It’s up to Mega Man to take on this sinister threat and get to the bottom of the mysterious virus.

Players will enjoy this fun-packed game and can rediscover the Mega Man experience courtesy of classically inspired new boss characters, each with their own unique weapons and vulnerabilities.

DSiWare – Dark Void™ Zero
(CAPCOM, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)

After 20 years, the legendary lost project “Dark Void” is back courtesy of CAPCOM, who commissioned the recreation of the original 8-bit classic, now re-titled “Dark Void Zero”, on the Nintendo DSi system.

Players take on the character of Rusty, the first human born in the Void. As Rusty, you must battle the Watchers in an attempt to foil their quest for world domination. With the aid of Nikola Tesla and a state-of-the-art rocket pack, Rusty must take down the Watchers and their minions across three intense levels of action and intrigue.

DSiWare – Flips: The Bubonic Builders*
(Electronic Arts, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)

The builders are in to replace the girls’ toilet block at St Sebastian’s, but they’re more interested in cups of tea and instant noodle snacks than doing any work. James suspects some evil intent is afoot, but Alexander and Lenny are less convinced…until a strange accident reveals the truth. How will the three best friends stop St Sebastian’s being reduced to rubble?

Flips Interactive Books – the Fun New Way for Kids to Read.

DSiWare – Globulos Party*
(GlobZ, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)

Globulos Party is a collection of fun-packed, mini-games. With a total of 20 games players will be spoilt for choice. Choose from: 4-Square, Arena, Basket, Bomber, Bomber-King, Croquet, Darts, Darts-King, Football, Funky-Football, Ice Hockey, Monster, Pétanque, Pinball, Rally, Rugby, Snooker, Sumo, Tic-Tac-Toe, Volley.

Globulos Party has been elected “best game of the year” for handheld consoles by the Milthon French Awards jury who particularly appreciated playing the game in multiplayer.

Providing over 15 hours of solo fun and an unlimited lifetime with the 3 multiplayer modes – you might want to put in some solo practice first – you don’t want your friends to beat you in multiplayer mode.

DSiWare – New English Training: Learn with Tempo – Advanced Edition*
(Nintendo, 800 Nintendo DSi Points)

New English Training: Learn with Tempo brings you a series of fun exercises that will help you learn words and phrases in English which you’ll find useful in everyday situations.

In this Starter Edition you will learn common phrases by speaking aloud (using the Nintendo DSis built-in microphone) and following the vocal rhythm of native speakers. By following chapters of a story you will practise pronunciation, listening and rhythm; and by repeating the lessons, you will quickly master the basics of vocabulary and sentence construction.

The Advanced Edition also includes an Auto-listening feature enabling you to listen to English phrases on the go, by closing the Nintendo DSi and using headphones. With just a little training each day, you can learn new English skills or improve existing skills, and gain confidence in real-life situations.

DSiWare – Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon™
(Nintendo, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)

Rise to Zeus’s challenge and become a high-score champion in this Greek mythology pinball game. Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon™ brings you all the lights, sounds and features of a real pinball table but on your Nintendo DSi.

Choose between Regular Game or Daily Game modes, and begin your odyssey on the quest for an almighty score. Collect tributes to boost your points – these are gained via modes based on Greek legends – The Golden Fleece, the Flight of Icarus and Medusa, who has the power to turn your steel ball into stone.

Enjoy high-speed pinball action across both screens of the Nintendo DSi, complete with an authentic dot matrix-style animated scoreboard and realistic ball physics. Keep your ears tuned for the rousing soundtrack and character voiceovers, including Brian Blessed as the voice of Zeus. For pinball fans, this is truly a gift from the gods.

DSiWare – Real Football 2010
(Gameloft, 800 Nintendo DSi Points)

Real Football – the Number 1 football game on Nintendo DSiWare – is back for the most exciting season yet. With over 245 clubs in eight leagues, nearly every player, plus three new stadiums: Bavaria, Republic & Cathedral players will be spoilt for choice. Perform flip-flaps, step-overs and more with effortless Touch Screen controls. The TV commentary adds to the realism and players can take pictures on their Nintendo DSi to customise their ball, flag or even their players. Why not challenge your friends to a tournament via DS Wireless Play to see which of you is the God of football.

Virtual Console – Zaxxon™
(SEGA, Virtual Console Arcade, 500 Wii Points)

Travel back to a time when everyone was wearing high-tops, leg warmers and had big hair. This was the early 80’s, when video game fans were wowed by the cutting edge graphics and sound effects of the first pseudo-3D intergalactic arcade shooter – Zaxxon.

Touted as the first isometric shooter, Zaxxon featured the looks and sounds of an actual aircraft flight, allowing the player to command their ship – diving, climbing and banking just like a real fighter pilot. Today, players will fly through heavily armoured space fortresses, zapping fuel tanks, dodging walls and blowing up enemy missiles. Your mission is to take the fight to the enemy fleet and destroy the aggressor ships. Blasting pixels has never been so much fun.

Press Release [Nintendo]

We’re currently seeking some help with keeping the site up-to-date with the latest Nintendo news, reviews and gossip. If you think you’ve got what it takes, and would like the chance to work for one of the UK’s top Nintendo news resources, get in touch!

We currently have the following positions available:

News Editor

As a news editor for WiiDS.co.uk, you will be expected to post regular news updates from the wonderful world of Nintendo. You will rely on official press releases and media sources, news tips from our readers together with various other gaming websites via browsing and RSS feeds.

You will be posting on a multitude of topics including gaming industry, culture and gaming media, together with being involved with writing original feature articles whenever possible.

Feature Editor

Feature editors are expected to write exclusive features for WiiDS.co.uk on a multitude of current topics. These will range from comparison and opinion pieces to organising and conducting interviews with gaming industry insiders, game developers and publishers.

You will also be expected to throw in the occasional news post, and and help organise the WiiDS.co.uk podcast content when it launches.

Review Editor

Review editors for WiiDS.co.uk will be expected to write reviews for the current releases on the Wii and DS platforms, including WiiWare and Virtual Console titles. Reviewers will be provided with review copies of various titles and expected to play through the game and write up a review to a strict time frame.

Together with reviewing the games provided by us and games sourced by themselves, reviewers will be expected to keep the site up-to-date with game release news and keep our release calendar up-to-date so we don’t miss anything out!

To apply for any of the above position, you must meet the following requirements:

• Must demonstrate at least a college-level writing ability.
• Basic photo editing skills are necessary, such as cropping. Advanced photo editing skills are a plus.
• Be able to submit at least 3 news articles in our 5 day week, Monday to Friday.
• Basic HTML knowledge is helpful, but not essential.

Applicants who meet these requirements will be expected to submit at least two writing samples to help us gauge their ability. All samples must be written in Microsoft Word, HTML or already be available on the web. Samples must also be related to the position you are applying for, so if you’re planning on applying to be a game reviewer, an essay about the life cycle of a frog isn’t going to help us!

To apply, send your details (name, age, location) and writing samples to writers@wiids.co.uk.

We hope that we can find some like minded Nintendo fans to help keep the site alive and current, and are looking forward to reading all applications that we receive!

Not content with releasing videos featuring the weapons and special moves found in Red Steel 2, Ubisoft have released a series of ’speed art’ videos showing off some of the unique art style the game has adopted.

Speed art is a video capturing the artist’s development of a piece of art, speeded up to show you how a picture is made up. In these speed art videos we can see artwork for the Hero, Tamiko and Shinjiro and they all look amazing!

Find the videos after the jump…

The Hero

Tamiko

Shinjiro

Red Steel 2 – Hero Speed Art [YouTube]
Red Steel 2 – Speed Art #2: Tamiko [YouTube]
Red Steel 2 – Speed Art #3: Shinjiro [YouTube]

Seems our friends at Ubisoft have gone a bit trigger-happy by releasing another video featurette, this time focusing on the various weapons found in Red Steel 2, which is due for release on 26th March here in Europe.

Hit the jump for the video..

Game With Dual Modes of Play For Nintendo DS is a Whirlwind of Fun for Kids

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Galactic Taz Ball, a new videogame for the Nintendo DS starring Taz, the frenetically fantastic Looney Tunes character beloved by all. The game will be available for Europe in May 2010 and for North America in Autumn 2010.

“Taz is one of the most popular characters in the Looney Tunes family, and with Galactic Taz Ball kids can have fun for hours with action, exploration, platform challenges and puzzle solving,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “This creative game packs all of the wild fun that everyone loves about Taz into a handheld experience with two unique modes of play.”

In Galactic Taz Ball, Taz is accidentally kidnapped by Marvin the Martian, who is stealing the Earth’s landscape to make Mars more scenic. Taz must spin his way across pieces of Earth floating in space to stop Marvin from destroying the planet and get back home.

The game contains two worlds with completely different gameplay mechanics. The “Overworld” is an action-style 3-D game playable on the Nintendo DS’ top screen with unique track ball controls using the Nintendo DS-stylus on the bottom screen. When Taz moves fast enough he becomes a tornado that can destroy objects and enemies. The “Underworld” is a side-scrolling puzzle game played on the bottom touch screen in which Taz navigates a maze of active machinery and gadgets. Both worlds combine for a uniquely fun and frenetic journey, perfect for Taz’s wild style.

Galactic Taz Ball is being developed by WayForward Technologies. For more information, check back soon!

This week sees the launch of the new Nintendo DSi XL. With bigger screens and a wider viewing angle, you will be able to experience your favourite games like never before when the Nintendo DSi XL, which has already been enjoyed by many people in Japan, launches across Europe on 5th March 2010.

The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL are 93 percent larger than those of the Nintendo DS Lite model and the wider viewing angled screen enables you to share your game play with friends and family.

The new Nintendo handheld is launching in two colours – wine red and dark brown, with a glossy sheen on top and matt finish on the underside that provides excellent grip when resting on a table or other surface during gameplay.

The new console also comes pre-loaded Nintendo DSiWare software: A Little Bit of…Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: Arts Edition and Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function, as well as the Nintendo DSi Browser, which enables you to easily access the internet where ever a wireless Internet connection is available. Nintendo DSi XL will also come with an additional larger pen-like stylus that allows for a more comfortable grip and enhanced ease of use when playing games that utilise the Nintendo DS touch screen

To truly understand the difference Nintendo DSi XL makes to your favourite games, you need to get your hands on it. This week you can do just that – let us know if you plan on picking one up!

Press Release [Nintendo]