Wii DLC for the Week of 3/16 Taking the path down to Retro-land has many twists and turns...some more expensive than others.  Another Commodore 64 game was released this week on the Virtual Console and it is a good one: Summer Games II.  I very fondly remember going over to my friend Jason's house and booting up the C-64.  Not as fun to me as Winter Games, Summer Games II gave you the thrill of sport on an international level we had hardly seen before.  I have some great nostalgia for this game, but I'm not paying 500 Wii Points for it.  You hear Church, G-Nitro and I talk about pricing of games constantly and I just can't see paying $5 for those games.  I'm thinking 250 ($2.50) to 300 ($3) Wii Points easily constitutes a purchase of something so grand as Summer Games II.  In truth, the real reason is that Nintendo refuses to go lower than the 500 point price point in fear that other games will be expected to be priced lower than 500 Wii Points.

Enough of the soapbox today because on the other hand from the land of Wii Ware, a retro-looking rhythm game that from the videos looks like a cross between Pong! and Audiosurf.  Wacky and wild, it was nice to see a more reasonable price point out of the Wii Ware releases after the last few very disappointing efforts they expected 1,000 Wii Points to be spent.  Tune in next week when you'll be bowled over by more refridgerator-cleaning releases by Nintendo.


Old-school action is the main attraction at the Wii Shop Channel this week. With a wealth of underground buzz already surrounding it, a brand new WiiWare title uses vintage-looking graphics and 8-bit sounds to create a rhythm-based game that's loaded with retro cool. Find out if you have enough skill to create order from chaos in a game that is as mesmerizing as it is challenging. Meanwhile, the latest addition to the Virtual Console lineup brings a Commodore 64 classic to the Wii console, proving that fans of international sports events needn't wait until 2012 to get their track-and-field fix. Even if you're too young to remember the original days of 8-bit gaming, these awesome titles provide timeless kicks.

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
BIT.TRIP BEAT (Aksys Games, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): BIT.TRIP BEAT is a rhythm game that brings retro action into the present, letting you use the motion-sensing Wii Remote controller to bounce beats. Retro visuals, classic game play, four-player multiplayer and an 8-bit soundtrack will get you in the zone and rock your world. The challenges are mighty, but if you can stay cool as the difficulty increases, you'll discover the beginnings of the BIT.TRIP saga.

Virtual Console
Summer Games II (Commodore 64, 1-8 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): A thousand athletes. A hundred countries. Billions watching around the world as you enter the stadium, marching confidently among your nation's strongest, fastest and boldest young men and women. Your gaze sweeps the crowd as you realize the scope of your achievement. You are about to compete against the world's best athletes in a 3,000-year-old competition. This is the pinnacle of athletic achievement: the Summer Games. Summer Games II challenges your competitive skills with a series of athletic contests for one to eight players. Experience the excitement and realism of eight different events: cycling, equestrian, fencing, high jump, javelin, kayaking, rowing and triple jump. Practice each event to sharpen your skills, then choose from the 18 countries you can represent in the competition.