The month of January concludes, and Nintendo's eShops continue to churn out the hits. Fire Emblem Awakening hits the 3DS eShop at midnight on February 4, and the Wii U eShop gets Puddle and a demo for The Cave. Even DSiWare and the Wii Virtual Console get some love this week! Be sure to check out your favorite Nintendo Digital storefront today, January 31, at noon ET for all of the latest games and updates.

Wii U eShop
Indie Games

Puddle - Neko Entertainment

Demos

The Cave - SEGA

3DS eShop
Retail Games

Fire Emblem Awakening (available February 4) - Nintendo, $39.99

Downloadable Games

Bloody Vampire - Agetec

Ikachan - Nicalis, $4.99

Witch's Cat - Agetec

Virtual Console

Ice Climber (NES) - Nintendo, $4.99

DSiWare

99 Moves - EnjoyUp Games

Wii Virtual Console

Metal Slug 4 (NEO GEO) - D4 Enterprise, 900 points

Source.

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@TriforceBun Metal Slug 4 is still a Metal Slug game, so it's still fun, but yeah it is kind of unremarkable in the series. Both of these don't relate to the actual gameplay, but I dislike that Tarma and Eri in particular are replaced by two other random characters (I prefer both of them over Marco and Fio D:), and the new style of music that the soundtrack has is very unappealing to me.

Posted by

X-pert74

on: 01/31/13, 22:03

My Ikachan review, for those interested.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 02/01/13, 07:40

I love Ikachan, but there is no reason to buy it if the 3DS version doesn't even have thelevel editor. Disappointing

Posted by

Pokefreak911

on: 02/01/13, 10:40

@Guillaume

If NES games had flexible pricing, Nintendo would be forced to offer credit to anyone that downloaded Ice Climber.

Posted by

Kal-El814

on: 02/01/13, 17:23

@Guillaume

Thanks. Will pass on Ikachan, which would seem to be filler only until 2.4, when my gaming life will be consumed by Fire Emblem.

Posted by

Deerock69

on: 02/01/13, 18:00

@Kal-El814

Why would that be?

It could just be priced lower for the 3DS version, why would it be necessary for a credit to be given?

Posted by

GameDadGrant

on: 02/01/13, 18:06

I actually like Ice Climber quite a bit. Once you get a hang of the loosey-goosey controls, it's fun. I'd love to see a revival.

Posted by

anon_mastermind

on: 02/01/13, 18:16

@Guillaume

Well written review, though I'm bummed to see the potential isn't there for someone looking for more magic like in cave story.

Posted by

DrFinkelstein

on: 02/01/13, 19:48

It's a charming experience while it lasts, to be fair. It's just that there is no reason to go back there once you're done. Cave Story had tons of secrets, alternate endings and paths, etc. Ikachan has none of that. Go once through the game and you've seen it all.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 02/01/13, 19:57

Puddle has weird physics. I don't know if the fluid movement is scripted in some parts, or if the game is just being played at 1/10th the speed it would in real life, but the fluid seems to have a mind of its own and frequently just climbs up inclines and defies gravity when it feels like it. It makes it feel like you can only play the game the way it wants you to play. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of "physics-based gameplay"?

The game is gorgeous and it's not entirely unfun, though. At $8 I can't really complain too much. I think I'm getting my money's worth.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 02/05/13, 21:06

@Guillaume

Puddle was also on PSN, correct? If so, I remember being disappointed with the demo. The physics seemed way off compared to something like Fluidity.

Posted by

canonj

on: 02/05/13, 21:13

Yeah, Puddle was on every system last year. This version was supposed to correct most of the beefs raised in the reviews, so I don't know how much better the game is compared to the PSN version, but I can say it's not perfect.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 02/05/13, 21:15

So did ANYONE actually buy Ice Climber? I wonder how much $$$ Nintendo actually makes on a game that old and...antiqued.

Posted by

GameDadGrant

on: 02/06/13, 01:59

@GameDadGrant
If Nintendo would lower the price on VC games they would make a lot more sales.

Posted by

Pokefreak911

on: 02/06/13, 03:10

@GameDadGrant
If Nintendo would lower the price on VC games they would make a lot more sales.

Posted by

Pokefreak911

on: 02/06/13, 03:10

@GameDadGrant
If Nintendo would lower the price on VC games they would make a lot more sales.

Posted by

Pokefreak911

on: 02/06/13, 03:10

You could say that again!

Posted by

GameDadGrant

on: 02/06/13, 04:09

Hahaha. School computer was derping up again.

Posted by

Pokefreak911

on: 02/06/13, 04:12

@GameDadGrant

Well it was an ambassador title, which most of us here are, I would guess.

I did bother to update the game, however (and the eShop as of last week didn't prompt you to do it upon visiting). Sadly, I did it too late, after I learned that my girlfriend is an Ice Climber fan. We both had our 3DS while waiting for The Hobbit to start! We could have done the Download Play thing!

Boo.

edit - I have to say, I think I've gotten used to the physics in Puddle and I'm appreciating it more, now. The varied environments, which go from lab to jungle to human digestive tract to sewers to ???, are very impressive. The gameplay changes up significantly every now and then (I just finished a section that reminded me of NightSky). It's a pretty cool little game.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 02/06/13, 04:38

Edited:

02/06/13, 04:46

Damn, now that Grant made a joke, I can't edit the posts!

Actually, making Grant look crazy wouldn't really adversely affect me...

@GameDadGrant
I'm waiting 'til it's thirty cents. Srsly, Ice Climber is actually pretty heavy on the co-op element.

Posted by

Anand

on: 02/06/13, 04:51