It's Christmas Day, and there's also a Nintendo Download update to make the day even better. In the absence of an official press release we've pieced together details from Nintendo's official website, but be sure to jump on the eShop and see what else you can find.
Missed the European download update details? Fret not, all the information you need is right here.
Wii U eShop
Shantae And The Pirate's Curse (WayForward, $19.99) — The latest entry on this series has already graced the 3DS eShop and earned many plaudits, with the adventure now arriving on the Wii U. Boasting the same pixel-based visuals, there's been a bit of spit and polish for the HD upgrade, and will otherwise be the same terrific experience. We were big fans in our Shantae And The Pirate's Curse review.
Spy Chameleon (EnjoyUp Games, $4.99) — An arcade-puzzle game where the player must avoid being seen, using the chameleon's ability to change colours and camouflage. With five missions over 75 levels, this promises to keep you busy in quick play throughs or longer challenges. We'll sneak up to it and see what we think for a review.
Toon Tanks (Petite Games, $1.99) — A budget with 80 levels in which you attempt to blast away a lot of enemy tanks, all with a top-down perspective. Simply fun or an underwhelming disappointment? We'll let you know what we think in a review.
Wii U Virtual Console
Duck Hunt (Nintendo, $4.99) — This is being listed as a VC release by Nintendo, demonstrating that it'll be the good old Duck Hunt familiar to NES gamers with the exception of Wii Remote pointer controls as opposed to using the NES Zapper. A bit of a cult classic, and the quirky appearance of Duck Hunt Duo in Super Smash Bros. makes its arrival rather timely. We'll get shootin' for a review.
Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (Nintendo, $7.99) - Perhaps an odd arrival due to the presence of the terrific SNES original on the Virtual Console, but this version does include the original Mario Bros. as an extra, while you can play as either brother. We'll leap in for a review.
Mario Party Advance (Nintendo, $6.99) - Mario and friends bring the party to Game Boy Advance with a dizzying range of activities for single players plus their pals. Mario Party Advance also introduces Professor E. Gadd's Gaddgets: wacky toys and tricks that bring the fun outside of the game. Bowser has crashed the party and scattered all the minigames around Shroom City. Collect them all by completing the single-player game boards. Once unlocked, minigames can be played as often as you like. Earn coins to unlock Gaddgets such as the Compatibility Meter which lets you see how strong your friendships really are! We'll get the party started to bring you a review.
3DS eShop
PUZZLEBOX Setup (Bplus, $2.99) - In PUZZLEBOX setup you hold the Nintendo 3DS system upside-down, selection tiles on the touchscreen to shift downwards with the aim of creating an attractive image. This looks pretty promising, and we'll see whether it fulfils that potential in our review.
3DS Virtual Console
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (Nintendo, $5.99) — A Game Boy Color re-release of the classic NES title, it has a zoomed-in view due to pixel limitations, but also has extra challenges and visual embellishments. The limitations of the original hardware perhaps restricts its effectiveness, as we highlighted in our review, but we suspect that won't stop many from picking it up.
Special Offers
Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
- Get your holiday season started off right with LEGO! Save up to 50 percent on select LEGO games from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze, The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins and more games from Activision are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on Jan. 1 in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.
Nintendo eShop on Wii U
- Toki Tori 2+, Swords & Soldiers and more fun games from Two Tribes are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on Jan. 8.
- Stick it to the Man, Pure Chess and more games from Ripstone are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on Jan. 1.
- Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale, WEAPON SHOP de OMASSE and more games from Level 5 are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on Jan. 4.
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
- Disney Frozen: Olaf's Quest and Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay from GameMill are on sale starting at 9 a.m. PT on Dec. 26 until 8:59 a.m. PT on Jan. 20.
As it's Christmas Day this is a scaled back entry from us (please understand) but remember to check out some additional discount deals on Nintendo's eShop offers website. Have a wonderful day!
Comments 105
I thought Nintendo Life would be taking the day off XD. Definitely will pick up the vc titles some time.
They really don't want anyone to get another digital promotion $5 credit - there is nothing of value here - it looks like they are dumping some software - maybe they are getting ready for some DS games on the virtual console??
Man, you guys at NA finally have Super Mario Bros. Deluxe! Took long enough, eh? Also, Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World. Love that game a bit more than the original but it's weird that it's available when the SNES game is around. Optional preference is nice to have, I guess.
This is up much earlier then usual.
@shigulicious Read the last paragraph my friend.
@Spoony_Tech oops. Thanks Spoon. I looked right past it. Merry Christmas! I will read an entire article next time
@shigulicious
There is. Please understand.
@shigulicious Back at ya!
AW YISS.
I think this is the first week I've ever picked up ALL of the current VC releases.
About to go on the eShop to see if Shantae is already available. Should be a fine metroidvania Christmas day.
EDIT: Not there yet. Oh, the wait.
Well all I want for Christmas is a decent RPG for Wii U
Wow... I actually have three Virtual Console games I want that I can snag in one day. First time in a while when I did that.
More GBA VC is good no matter the game surely the price however for a port is not
Well if they release GBA versions of SNES games they've already released, then maybe they'll release the SNES version of Yoshi's Island.
@River3636 Child of Light perhaps?
Will get Duck Hunt and I got a code for Toon Tanks, let's wait and see what else we get!
NoA finally gave us Super Mario Bros. Deluxe?! It's a Christmas miracle!
Ok I hate to complain but wasn't Super Mario Bros DX for VC free as a promotion of some sort in EU? So in NA we have to pay for it? Not to mention EU gamers also got Brain Age DS VC title for free as well and if it hits VC here it most likely won't be free. Could Reggie just step down as have someone equivalent of Nintendo EU CEO take his place? It's really unfair they give free VC games in another region and here we get them much later and have to pay for what was free elsewhere.
Merry Christmas to all! I'm sure Duck Hunt will be great for anyone who's having their first time playing this(like mii) and also to people who played it too!
Was hoping DKC or a surprise N64 title would be on this list but oh well. Will definitely be picking up Duck Hunt.
Hmm...I already have Super Mario Bros from the Ambassador Program. Tough call...
@dcast2 The eShop updates every thursday at 9Am PST. Why would today be different?
@Porky Bah Humbug I say! Spammers never sleep
List is updated now from the Ninty PR, plus the DLs should be available now. Have a great day!
Dangit, where's the poll? Duck Hunt and Shantea instant D-Load, ftr!
And they're not up yet in the eShop, grrrr...
Super Mario World Advance has it's charm. Mario and Luigi have different jump mechanics like in SMB2j and SMB2 USA, and some of the levels were slightly altered to make it easier with one brother or the other. Vanilla Star Road exit is danged near impossible without Luigi. But forget playing any Ice stages with Luigi. Also you get quircky Japanese voice acting dubbed in...
Mario Adance (SMB2) was worth it for the enhancements and saving, making it more playable than the original. World, however, just doesn't feel right with Luigi physics. Obviously get Yoshi's Island as a must since Nintendo won't release the original since it can't get the FX2 emulation right. Advance 4 (SMB3) doesn't bring much either aside from saving, better graphics, and e-reader which sadly isn't supported. You know they'll release it...
Nintendo, if you reading this, use Amiibo to unlock the bonus ereader levels in the GBA SMB3 remake. Dooo ittt!
It'll be DuckHunt and Shantae for me. Can't wait to play DuckHunt again
Looks like I'll be picking up Weapon shop de Omasse too.
@knuckles Exact same thing I was thinking.
The Hyrule Warriors DLC Skins better come out today!!!!
I hope the DLC for Hyrule Warriors comes out in America
Yeah no Lego sale in Europe but America gets it.
What Lego games are on sale?
S-Shantae?! Whoops. Forgot that it released today.
Considering the update coming out on Christmas, I expected something special, but I should've known not to expect anything nice from Ninty. Just their usual.
Just a nitpick, but the guild 01 games are on the 3ds eshop not the wii u.
@ThomasBW84 the stick it to the man and other deals at the bottom of the page seem to be available In UK too if you didn't know, I might have missed it somewhere!? Merry Christmas btw!
Guess it's some kind of Christmas miracle. The bickering about all the ways Nintendo screwed some region or specific person over is very minimal. Or are all the kiddies still under the tree unwrapping more reasons to be spoiled?
Could you imagine if all weekly updates offered this account of variety? So many options here for me, starting with Duck Hunt! I'm also thinking about Mario Party Advance... i love the franchise but have never played this one. Does anyone have any opinions on it?
@Captain_Gonru That promotion is still active until next week, so you'll still earn points to redeem for eShop credits with this update.
@ThomasBW84 Uh...could you look into why the Wii U eshop hasn't been updated in North America yet? It should've been updated an hour ago.
Was hoping to get some of the discounts Europe is getting for some Ubisoft games...
Considering its Christmas this is very disappointing.
Darksiders II is going for 7.99$ IIRC.
Before you make any complains about the discounts, pause for a moment and think of those poor 360 owners who's only discount today is freakin NBA 2K15 of all things....
The arrival of Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario world gives me hope that they will release the SNES version of Yoshi's Island. Come on, Nintendo!
Ooh! SMB Deluxe! I'll definitely get that one!
I most likely get super mario bros. deluxe but none of the wii u games.
At least NA got a permanent release.
and 5.99 is still a good price for a game would it be better if it was less yes but i will not complain at least we got a game on the 3ds vc we wanted
Darksiders II is also available for $7.99 until January 6th.
@AmyGrrl
They are not there! Rage!
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope every one is spending time with all that love you " and if you can't be with the one you love, love the one your with".
I just wanted my donkey Kong land. Sigh
Was hoping for a scram kitty and his buddy on rails discount like uk
@Angelic_Lapras_King I'd say not being able to connect to Xbox Live is much worse than only having NBA 2K15 on sale.
@Grumblevolcano They know how to dish out the lumps of coal...
No big sales? I was hoping they would do something because tomorrow is boxing day...
@SetupDisk
Grrr.. Why can't Nintendo just release stuff in all regions at the same time. The Hyrule Warriors DLC Skins was the only thing I wanted to buy today.
Well, UK sure got the better Xmas eShop. Would have grabbed a few of the Ubisoft discounts at those prices. Just a double dip on Shantae for me.
Duck Hunt is all mine.
Super Mario Advance 2!? Man, one of the best remakes ever made! It fixed the broken power up-system, added a proper intro, Yoshi's arms are no-longer an unhealthy orange and let you play as Luigi as a bonus!
Only problem is, I had already given up hope of this releasing and got the Super Nintendo one instead. Worst 8 bucks I've ever spent. I really hate the SNES version...
What? No poll? lol
Kinda did wish you could disable the crosshair in this Duck Hunt, the game doesn't look that hard anymore. :c
Well, if they'll be releasing the Mario advance games then I'll wait for the SMB3 remake.
@Xiao_Pai
At first, I was thinking the exact same thing. But after buying it and playing it, I have to admit I do like it better with the crosshairs. And the truth of the matter is the game wouldn't be able to work without the crosshairs, because the Wiimote doesn't always point at the same place on the screen. Unlike the old technology, the Wiimote pointer is all relative.
But anyways, the game was always insanely difficult for me as a kid. Now, with the combination of a crosshair and virtual saves, I might actually get to see the end lol. I think it provides a perfect difficulty tbh. Cause you still only get 3 shots, and the ducks get pretty fast and they zig and they zag... I still find myself missing shots here and there. Granted, the first few levels are really easy but after that, when the difficulty starts ramping up, it's perfect,
That's my opinion anyways...
Gotta keep that sex appeal even in snow, Shantae?
cough I mean, wow, what an innovative female protagonist...
Wow! Multiple good releases for the VC here in the U.S.! Glad I got some eshop credit for Christmas!
If only I had storage on my Wii U, I'd definitely pick up Advance 2. I'm trying to get all the games in the Mario Advance series. I have 1 and 3 right now.
@Xiao_Pai You can disable the crosshair, press the d-pad and it goes away.
Just found that out due to Undead in the Duck Hunt thread, lol
The Lego Movie videogame is only $15, that's awesome! And there's Duck Hunt of course. It's too bad I picked up Darksiders II when it was $20 (like a year ago) because it's now $8. That's my only complaint. Otherwise this is the best week we've had all year. Very fitting! Merry Christmas!
"Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale, WEAPON SHOP de OMASSE and more games from Level 5 are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on Jan. 4."
This is in the Wii U section. It should be in the 3DS section.
No Hyrule Warriors pre-order costume sets for the West?
@noctowl - Wow, um, calm down? I have no part in any 'feminist agenda', I just think it looks stupid to still have this character in the equivalent of a bikini while in the snow.
This is coming from someone who enjoys a good laugh from TumblrInAction, so put down your pitchfork. There's no need to stereotype everyone you see.
@Spectra_Twilight I haven't beaten SMB either! Glad I'm not the only one. I just can't beat 8-2!
@Geonjaha I don't think belly dancing is interesting with winterclothes on plus I bet her genie half makes her not even feel a thing!
Glad the game designers fiancee (now wife) never designed her with the intention of being innovative.
As for the game... I have to wait until next year!
Was hoping for a super blowout sale to compliment the end of the deluxe promo. o well, time to get everything digital i want while i can.
@Geonjaha Half naked half genies dancing in the snow = hawtness!
Lighten up and be glad we have games like Giana Sisters and Shantea with female protagonists.
A guy with Dragon Quest monsters, nude, but with wreaths and candy canes thinks it's impractical for Shantae to go out in the snow in her recognizable costume?
I don't think they're going for incredibly sexy but cute and rather humorous.
Anyways.
Speaking of the half-genie heroine, I spent about 2 hours or so with her on my Wii U today and while 3DS advocates can bemoan a lack of cross buy and whatever else they complain about, I will support Wayforward's continued backing of the Wii U with their solid platformers and fun, modernized, throwback style.
Oh and there are definitely some sales out there.
Many of Activision's games, Knytt Underground, Stick it to the Man, in addition to other, earlier offers.
I'm certain Amazon, Best Buy and Toys R Us' Boxing Day deals would have trumped the eShop (not like half of Wii U owners don't complain about that either) and sold Nintendo a few more systems at the same time.
@TheItalianBaptist - I know it's 11 hours later so you probably already checked yourself about 11 hours ago but:
Lego Hobbit $20.99 (not a typo, $20.99)
Lego Movie Videogame $15.00
Lego Batman 3 $37.99 (I might be off by a few pennies here) Nice to see a 1 month old game on sale on eShop.
@Captain_Gonru - I'm just going to wish you a happy holiday and leave the dead horse alone today Though when I saw the Lego Videogame for $15 on eShop for a brief second I imagined you buying me a present. Happy Merry.
Although slightly more polished, why would anyone want Super Mario Advance 2 over Super Mario World?
The GBA game has a much lower resolution.
@NintyMan Character overlays are in HD on the Wii U version of Shantae over the 3DS but still great on the handheld.
Grab some great deals the past 2weeks. Ping 1.5+, nano assault, steamworld dig, rush, toki tori & stick it to the man. Have a lot of indie titles to hold me over for a bit. Still considering art of balance I wish the sale was a little cheaper. And not quite sure what I'm going to get with my $5 promotion points maybe cosmophony or on the 3sd there's liberation maiden, chain blaster or attack of the Friday monsters. So much to choose from.
Dangit, I'm tempted to cram my 32 Mbyte flashdrive into my Wii-U just for the Lego Movie discount. I don't have enough room and I was gonna wait for 128Gb drives to get cheaper before I upgraded...
Or if I wait a few more months, I can prolly get the disc version for cheaper...
total letdown
@NodesforNoids - whatever floats your boat dude.
@Porky Maybe they didn't take the day off but sure were in a hurry, they messed up bad with the Level-5 games for the 3DS. Those are just mouth-watering offers. Forget about Lego and what was the other?... Oh yeah, TMNT (Activision+Nickelodeon=Christmas dinner puking).
I hope they have a designated writer for next week, but like they insisted here, you gotta be sure to jump in the eShop.
@Captain_Gonru I think my reason to get it would be for the sake of nostalgia. SMB DX was one of my favorite games to play on High School trips. I kind of wished the original Zelda had received the same "DX" treatment, but Mario (for what it was on the GBC hardware) was sublime. The added features were a bonus like the Yoshi Egg & Red Coin Challenge and the printables (especially since I had a Game Boy Printer), but what was really awesome was a version of the Lost Levels on the cartridge. But I digress, you are right, I do have the definitive version on my 3DS already (and my Wii), so I think I can safely skip this one.
@chiefeagle02 SMB DX was great for the GBC because of the GB Printer and because you couldn't stick an NES cart or the FDS disk card on it. Without the printer and considering you can get the original NES and FDS games already, the only thing left are the challenges. IMO, if you really want it you should get the real thing instead or buy the already existing FC and FDS VC games (especially because they couldn't include the Worlds A through D of Lost Levels for some reason).
@shigulicious how is that? I am totally looking at that!
@OMC79 I have Super Mario Bros for Virtual Console on my 3DS and Wii, so I don't think I'll get the DX version.
@edgedino I got that on last sale... Frustratingly fun! It is challenging like old school Castlevania at first it felt like I might have purchased a mobile app, but twenty minutes later, I'm searching for my lost feline buddies! Still ain't beaten that, yet...
It wasn't like a reply, it was more like my opinion on the same subject. Sorry chiefeagle02. This forum should have a "quote" button too.
@OMC79 totally there with you on the "Acti-lodeon" titles. What gets me, is that developers/publishers claim "poor install base" every time a decent title is released, but should said company come out with a total carp title, they make sure that it is released on the Nintendo console. So in the end, aren't the devs/pubs to blame for lack interest in their titles on said Nintendo console?
Attack of the friday night monsters and the weapon shop gme's are for 3ds not wii u
Is Lego marvel super heroes 50% off? I could have sworn I saw for $10 in the eshop earlier, but now it's at $20 and not listed on the eshop as part of the deal. The website still lists it as 50% of though. Anyone know what's going on there?
Does the SMB Deluxe use the infrared multiplayer connectivity? the 3DS has it, or maybe Nintendo hates to work in optimization?
@JoakimZ If they can get the rights to the Super FX technology again, that is. Via Contract, not hardware.
@Captain_Toad Emulators have been doing FX chips for years. Nintendo has SA-1 (SMRPG, Kirby) and DSP1 (Mario Kart, Pilot Wings) in the bag, possibly the Megaman X 2/3 chip as well. No Starfox or Yoshi's Island SNES (FX) is just lazy.
I seriously doubt it's a license issue. FTR, FX was one of the last expansion chips to get properly emulated so it may be a tough nut to crack. Nintendo prolly just lost it's documentation on the FX chip and couldn't be arsed to reverse assemble it.
@JaxonH It is possible for it to work accurately without a cross hair. (House of the Dead 2 & 3 manages it if it is calibrated properly).
@StarDust4Ever If they were bothered about emulating stuff properly there would not yet have been any N64 VC at all. (That reason would be acceptable if they had done perfect emulation for the DSP in the N64 but they didn't they used the same technique that up until very recently was used for Super FX).
@unrandomsam what technique?
This is how the wii u eshop should be every week with multiple choices both indie & vc!
Every week Nintendo! You hear??
Now how bout somebody grabbing the bull by the horns and bring those 20+ TURBOGRAPHX games to the states???
Konami?? Cmon fellas!! And SEGA when you gonna start vc?? Talk about a ton of classics sitting around waiting to be purchased by hungry wii u owners!! I don't get it at all!!!😡
@Mr_Trill281 lol dude you post that every week!! Lmao!!
@OneBagTravel furthermore why would Nintendo post it when there are sooo many other classics waiting!?!?!? Especially knowing the snes version is in there!
C'mon SEGA!!! Outrun- afterburner- fantasy zone- quartet- carnival- crazy taxi- house of the dead- virtua cop- sega rally- power drift- jet set radio- nights into dreams- Daytona USA- shenmue- streets of rage 2- golden axe - turbo- virtua fighter- virtua tennis- World Series baseball- virtual on- Baku Baku- columns- gunstar heroes- space harrier- thunder blade- sonic games- sega casino- and a ton more I can't think of at the moment!!!
Wait.... Shantae is really Mrs. Claus!? O-o
@unrandomsam Well, you're in luck because you can turn the crosshair off apparently. Press any direction on the D pad of the Wiimote. I tried it myself and, ya it works as long as you see where it's at between shots. Even then though, little too difficult for my blood...
Resident Evil Revelations for $9... I may have to pick it up at that price.
Isn't she a bit cold with that outfit on?
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