1UP writes: "Konami has been slow to release games on WiiWare, but you can't fault them for making uninteresting games for the platform, especially if you're a gamer from the 8- and 16-bit days. The deliberately retro Gradius ReBirth has been quickly followed by Contra ReBirth, which was released in Japan this week (and with the release being so soon, there's no word of an American release yet). Either Konami realizes that Wii owners using the system online are hardcore gamers who get games on Virtual Console, or they just know which of their brands sell. Either way, we now have an all-new Contra game that feels all-old... but in a good way. Unlike Gradius ReBirth, there aren't a whole lot of issues this time."
Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "This past week, Nintendo announced that after more of a decade they would be shutting down the Wii Shop Channel. Many gamers (myself included) have found memories of taking our Wii consoles online, putting in our Wii Point Card numbers and downloading a whole bunch of classic Nintendo, Sega and NEC titles onto the Wii system. But the Wii Shop Channel was also home to a whole catalogue of new games that made up the system’s WiiWare service. It was here that many of the system’s smaller and more experimental titles came into being and many of the developers that brought us these games are now responsible for big indie series’ thanks to their original success on WiiWare. So as a sort of goodbye to Nintendo’s original download service, we’re counting down the Top 20 Best WiiWare games starting with numbers 20 through 11 today (check back next Friday for 10 -1)."
Chris Buffa (Modojo): Unlike so many ill-fated video game franchises, Contra managed to endure. There were the glory years in the late 80s/early 90s, when we enjoyed the original Contra (NES), Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES) and Contra: Hard Corps (Genesis). Then, the series slipped into a mini coma in the mid to late 90s with Contra: Legacy of War and C: The Contra Adventure for PlayStation One.
wasn't there a teaser before about new Contra game? I think a new one will be on 3DS
The Wii is all about getting together with other people and playing some fun video games. What are the best downloadable offerings for players to enjoy with or against their pals?
I though the multiplayer in Art of Balance would have been a minor distraction at best, but it ended up being just as fun as the single-player mode.
