Wii-kly WiiWare and Virtual Console Update 1/5/2009 - Happy New Year Edition

Nintendo is ringing in the new year on Wii a bit slowly this week, with only a two games released today between both WiiWare and Virtual Console. For WiiWare Nintendo brings us Sandy Beach, a sand castle building game that might be awfully refreshing during these cold winter months. Although the beach experience is diminished slightly because the graphics are a little, well, bland to put it nicely. There's also a crab battle mode that reminds me of the old arcade game Rampart, which will have you building your sand castle and placing tiny cannons to defend the castle from giant enemy crabs. Attacking their weak points for massive damage is optional.

On the Virtual Console side of things Ninendo is bringing us everyone's favorite pink puff-ball in Kirby's Dream Land 3. While the Kirby games have always struck me as a bit on the easy side, they are undeniably incredibly fun platformers. Kirby's Dream Land 3 is a great one that was overlooked by many because of its late release in the SNES lifespan (a year after the N64 came out) so if you're a Kirby fan that missed it the first time around, definitely download the Virtual Console version.

WiiWare

• Sandy Beach (Konami, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone--Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): Enjoy a fun day at Sandy Beach as you build elaborate sand castles. You can work peacefully on your sand castle or enter into a battle with invading crabs in Crab Battle mode. Players will strategically build their sand castle and use cannons to defend it against an army of destructive crabs. After successfully defending your sand castle, discover beach treasures and additional cannons with your metal detector to customize your castle even more.

Virtual Console

• Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Kirby, Dream Land's resident hero (and everyone's favorite puffball), must once again save the day when the mischievous King Dedede starts causing trouble. Kirby must travel through an assortment of levels, battling an exotic array of enemies (both new and familiar) determined to stop him from completing his mission. Always armed with his trusty ability to swallow enemies and gain special attacks, Kirby can also unite with some of his animal friends and make use of their particular talents. Featuring detailed graphics, challenging boss battles and the distinct charm of a Kirby game, it's no wonder this title is considered a classic.