This week's VC releases: Pac-Attack and Riot Zone!

8:00 AM on 01.14.2008   |   Nick Chester

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For the second week in a row, Nintendo is delivering two -- not three -- games to the Wii Shop Channel. Not a huge deal, as Nintendo has done a great job of consistently offering new content each week. If memory serves me correctly, Nintendo haven't missed a single week since the Wii's launch, which is more than Sony and Microsoft can say about their respective services. 

But when I have absolutely no emotional connection to either of the titles, that's when it makes my job difficult. What can I possibly say about Pac-Attack (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)? It's a puzzle game featuring everyone's favorite pellet-chomping yellow ball thing. And Riot Zone (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) looks to be one of the many generic (yet fun) side-scrolling beat 'em ups that flooded the market in the early 90s. How generic? Hudson Soft's brawler features enemies with names like "Johnny," which you'll pummel in such settings as the harbor, an abandoned warehouse, and the ghetto.

Both games will be available on the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. PST.

WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Jan. 14, 2008

This week you can spend your time carefully planning puzzle strategies or rescuing a damsel in distress. Help one of the most iconic characters in all of video gamedom eat some troublesome ghosts or set off to defeat an evil organization using only your furious fists. The choice is yours. What are you in the mood for?

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Pac-Attack (Super NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Pac-Man makes a rare appearance outside of a maze environment in Pac-Attack, a fun and quirky puzzle game. This unique entry in the genre puts its own twist on established conventions and adds one of gaming's most iconic characters to the mix. The goal is simple: Keep your screen clear of falling blocks and ghosts by lining up blocks horizontally, causing them to disappear. Clearing the ghosts, though, requires the help of a hungry Pac-Man (who just happens to swing by every so often for a snack). It's up to you to get all of the ghosts lined up for him, because Pac-Man will keep eating them until he is stopped by a block or he runs out of ghosts. In addition, his range of movement on the playing field is limited to horizontal or downward—thus adding further strategy. There are three game modes to choose from: 1 Player Normal, 2 Player VS., and the challenging 1 Player Puzzle. Feel like gobbling up some ghosts?

Riot Zone (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Tobacco Reference, Violence, 800 Wii Points): Riot Zone is a side-scrolling fighting game that follows two heroes as they fight to take down an evil organization. The crime syndicate Dragon Zone has kidnapped Hawk's girlfriend and it's up to him and his partner detective, Tony, to get her back. Join them as they jump "fists first" into the grim Kowloon district. Play as Hawk or Tony and fight through all five stages in the deadly Kowloon district. Smash down the Dragon Zone goons in areas like the Harbor, Abandoned Warehouse and the Ghetto. Both characters have unique skills and attacks. Hawk is a master of karate, while Tony is a hard-hitter. That being said, both guys are massive and possess killer techniques. The hard-boiled action is enhanced by the game's realistic sound effects.