Wii-kly WiiWare And Virtual Console Update - 3/30/09

I bring sad news with this week's update, because this is to be the last Wii-kly update, ever. Yes, it's true. With the release of the DSi, Nintendo will be adding weekly updates to the DSi store in addition to WiiWare and the Virtual Console. So starting next week look for the new Nintendownloads feature, which is essentially the same as the Wii-kly update but with more handheld goodness.

But in the mean time, there are two new games for you to download on your Wii. To help get us in the mood for the upcoming Punch-Out!! for the Wii, today the SNES classic Super Punch-Out!! joins the Virtual Console. As a fan of both memorizing patterns and excessive exclamation marks this is a great download indeed. On the WiiWare side we have the first in the new "first-person-groomer" genre with Bonsai Barber, which gives you five big-eyed vegetable customers each day looking for a leaf trim. What are you downloading this week?

WiiWare

• Bonsai Barber (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The village residents are hungry for the latest in foliage fashion, and it's up to you, the new barber, to fix them up. Use the tools of your trade: scissors, clippers, spray can, and more in this humorous, first-of-its-kind "first-person-groomer" game. Bonsai Barber features a colorful cast of 12 intriguing customers, including a temperamental shallot starlet (don't call her an onion), an oddball strawberry boffin, a cactus cowboy, a daredevil carrot, and a suave banana with top-secret clearance. Each day, five customers arrive to test your stylistic skill. If the customer requests a specific style, you'll plow that furrow, or you can rely on your expertise to pick from more than 30 popular fashions. Or, why not turn over a new leaf? Be creative and see how they react. They're a demanding bunch, so if you miss an appointment, you'll hear about it-on your Wii Message Board. If you do a good job, you may receive a gift or even a postcard from an exotic destination as your happy customers travel to distant lands and show off their exquisite coifs.

Virtual Console

• Super Punch-Out!! (Super NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Featuring the tight game play and humor the series is known for, this sequel to the NES classic sees Little Mac return to the ring with the World Video Boxing Association belt once again at stake. Slug your way through the grueling, sweat-pounding matches of the Minor, Major and World Circuits as you face off against some of Little Mac's greatest rivals, such as Bear Hugger, Bald Bull and Super Macho Man. With a cast of new challengers waiting, do you have what it takes to identify their unique patterns and exploit their weaknesses? Go to your corner and come out fighting, but remember what Doc Louis would say: "It's not about brawling-it's about finesse!"