And so, as you already know: WiiWare gets Star Soldier R (Hudson Entertainment, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone -- Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points), which will entice shooter fans by challenging them to get the highest scores within a two- or five-minute time period. The weakness here is that you can't even play it two-player with a friend over, which sucks as shooters are best shared, but considering my excitement over WiiWare in general I'll probably pick it up regardless.

Next up is Critter Round-Up (Konami, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points), a puzzle/action title that keeps you corralling feisty farm animals through fifty levels including the Outback and the Arctic. What you're doing corralling animals in the middle of the North Pole is beyond me, but you'll just have to use your imagination on this one.

If you're uninterested in innovative, pretty new games, you can always have a taste of retro with SKYKID (NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points), this week's Virtual Console release, in which you play the role of the infamous Red Baron in a side-scrolling shooter title. I don't remember this one from my NES days at all, so I can't comment, but I think I'd spend my points on one of the WiiWare titles rather than this relic.

Press release after the jump, where you can reread everything I just said!

Wii-kly Update

Two WiiWare Games and One Virtual Console Game Added to Wii Shop Channel

Today begins a new phase for the Wii-kly Update. From now on, we'll have all the information about the arrival of both WiiWare^™ and Virtual Console^™ games. So basically you're getting access to the best games of the past and the coolest creations of the present. With this week's releases you can blast space-based enemies with your starfighter, fly the not-always-friendly skies or even corral some cute critters in the barnyard.

Nintendo adds new and classic 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:

WiiWare

Critter Round-Up (Konami, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The critters have escaped, and the barnyard is in chaos! It's up to you to quickly corral the animals in this puzzle-action challenge. You'll have to mend fences in a hurry to keep all the critters safe and satisfied. But the fun doesn't stop with the farmland; more than 50 challenging levels take you to several exotic locations, including the outback, the icy Arctic and more. There's even a series of minigames for when the critters get you down: Snowball Soccer, Predator Rampage, Chicken Catch and Fence Trap. Up to four players can compete or cooperate as the critters run wild. So roll up those sleeves and grab a friend—those critters won't catch themselves.

Star Soldier R (Hudson Entertainment, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Star Soldier R is a new kind of shooter where players aim for the best scores within a two- or five-minute time limit. Develop various scoring strategies, and pump out those points within the breakneck time frame. Assembled in record time to counter the advance of a powerful enemy, the mysterious Brain Forces, the "Caesar" starfighter takes off to fight for the very future of mankind. Shoot down countless enemies, upgrade your ship to the max with power-ups hidden throughout the levels and wage an all-out assault against the core of the enemy fortress. Combining the excitement of shoot-'em-ups with in-depth scoring strategies, this state-of-the-art competitive shooter will keep you coming back for more. Upload your best scores with Nintendo^® Wi-Fi Connection, and pit your skills against the world's best fighter pilots from the comfort of your living room. Hone your skills and show the world who's boss.

Virtual Console

SKYKID^™ (NES^®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Red Baron, from the freedom- and peace-loving nation of birds, Bird Land, faces off in the skies with his rival Blue Max in this side-scrolling shooting game. Defeat the many enemies that await you as you complete your mission, using moves like the loop-the-loop to shoot down enemies from behind. Fly low to pick up bombs placed in the stage and drop them on command posts, warships or other designated targets to destroy them. Then land safely at base to proceed to the next mission. Beware of enemy fire, though—it will cause you to crash, unless you're able to recover by rapidly pressing the buttons. You can even play with a second person and fly simultaneously, sometimes helping each other and other times competing against each other. Prepare yourself and take to the skies, but make sure that the catchy background music (which became an instant classic when this game was originally released) doesn't distract you from your goal.