WiiWare launches in Europe with six original titles

After arriving in North America last week, it’s now Europe’s turn to be treated to some WiiWare action for the very first time. The launch line-up differs slightly to our friends across the pond too, with a total of six titles released to start the service off with a bang. Check out all the details below.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King (1 Player, 1500 Wii Points):

My Life as a King is a fantasy city-building simulator in which the player creates a kingdom from the ground up. Starting with a a barren town consisting of a lone castle and a large power crystal, by using the crystal’s power the player can magically place a variety of buildings to populate the settlement and draw in residents. To continue using the crystal to build up the settlement, the player must accumulate spirit power which must be obtained from smaller crystals found in the dungeons and caves that surround the town.

According to legend, a deserted town now serves as the lifeless reminder of a once powerful kingdom. The young son of an exiled king reaches this land after a long journey, finding only an abandoned castle – and a magic crystal. Though tarnished by years of neglect, the crystal has maintained its luminous glow and bestows upon the boy the power of architek, the ability to manifest memories into reality. With the help of loyal servants and audacious adventurers, the new king dutifully prepares to rebuild his people’s homeland in this new realm.

LostWinds (Frontier, 1 Player, 1000 Wii Points):

LostWinds is a platform/adventure video game in development for WiiWare. It stars a young boy named Toku tasked with saving his homeland from the vengeful elemental Balasar with guidance from fellow wind elemental Enril. The player controls Toku, but simultaneously uses the Wii Remote to draw directional paths on-screen that control the wind. Wind is used to enhance Toku’s jumps, defeat or immobilize enemies, and solve puzzles.

Built with Frontier’s in-house 3D game-engine technology LostWinds puts “the power of the wind in the palm of your hand” as you wield the awesome powers of Enril the wind spirit - from raging tornados to the gentlest breeze – to guide and protect Toku, a young boy who is the only one who can help you release the curse placed upon the world of Mistralis by evil Balasar. Mistralis is a stunningly presented, magical land full of wonder and intrigue that bursts to life with your every action and exploration. The game’s novel, playful control mechanism lets you use Enril’s elemental powers to help Toku in your quest to overcome Balasar – powering his jumps and glides through Mistralis’ different regions, buffeting and smashing enemies, and solving puzzles.

Star Soldier R (Hudson Soft, 1 Player, 800 Wii Points):

Star Soldier R is a futuristic scrolling shooter video game developed by Hudson Soft, and is the twelfth installment in the Star Soldier series. The game features classic Star Soldier gameplay combined with 3D graphics. Star Soldier R retains classic gameplay features from the Star Soldier series, such as the vertical-scrolling shooter style, three adjustable speeds for the player’s ship, and score bonuses once the player has achieved a score of 50,000 and 80,000 points.

This tournament-style outer space shooter challenges players to achieve a high score in either a 2-Minute or 5-Minute Mode. In 2-Minute Mode, players have just enough time to battle through one action-packed stage and one giant boss. In 5-Minute Mode, they also have enough time to fight their way through a second level with its own boss. Additionally, players can play Quick Shot Mode to see if they have the fastest trigger fingers around! Once gamers have their scores, they can go to the online leaderboards to see how they compare with other players in their region and can keep playing to improve their ranking. There’s also significant depth and replay value to this challenging game, as players can keep practicing to learn all of the different strategies to achieve bonus points in both 2-Minute and 5-Minute Modes. If they discover them all, players might have a shot at having the top score in the world!

TV Show King (Gameloft, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points):

Up to four players, represented by Miis, compete against each other in a three round trivia contest. The 3000 trivia questions cover a wide range of subjects, ranging from geography and general knowledge to pop culture, with a number of region specific questions.

Players are given timed multiple choice answers, with players selecting the correct answer on their screen with the Wii Remote, with the fastest selections resulting in greater prize money. Players can also take their chances for greater rewards by spinning a wheel with both good and bad outcomes between rounds. At the end of the game, the two highest scoring players are pitted against each other to determine the winner.

TV Show King transforms your living room into a real TV quiz show studio where you’ll face the challenge of answering more than 3,000 questions across six different categories. Compete against family and friends and use your Wii Remote controller in original ways to make it to the finals to see who can win the greatest amount of cash in one final, deciding duel.

Toki Tori (Two Tribes, 1-2 Players, 900 Wii Points):

Toki Tori marks the entry of developer Two Tribes into the world of home console games, and promises that Toki Tori WiiWare improves on the Game Boy Color original in every way - most noticeably in its overhauled graphics, which are now brighter, sharper and full of detail. Players will use the Wii Remote to guide the little yellow fella through the game’s various environments, on a mission to save his siblings from their un-hatched eggs.

Toki Tori for Wii marks the entry of Two Tribes into the world of console games. Based on the critically acclaimed Game Boy Color game, this update improves the original on every front.

Sporting a new look, updated content and a completely overhauled Wii Remote control scheme, the game offers players of all ages a classic gaming experience while making the most out of the Wii console.

The gameplay in Toki Tori is a blend of two genres. While it looks like a platform game, it’s a puzzle game by heart. Players will have to look and plan ahead carefully while using a variety of items, such as the Telewarp, Freeze-o-Matic and InstantRock to name but a few.

Dr. Mario & Germ Buster (Nintendo, 1-4 Players, 1000 Wii Points):

Dr. Mario & Germ Buster is a puzzle video game starring Dr. Mario and is the latest installment in the Dr. Mario series. As with other Dr. Mario games, players must manipulate pills to destroy colored viruses in the game area.

The all-time puzzle classic returns for the Wii generation, featuring online gameplay and a new Germ Buster mode! Destroy all the viruses trapped in the bottle by dropping and slotting capsules to create lines of matching colours. The more viruses you clear, the faster the capsules drop.

In Dr. Mario, challenge the computer in One Player mode, go head-to-head with a friend in Two Player mode or prove your skills against the world via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You can also send a demo version of the game to a friend (within your region) using WiiConnect24.

In Germ Buster (based on the relaxation game in More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima), up to four players can use their Wii Remotes to grab, spin and slot capsules as their Miis try to keep the nasty bugs at bay. Who thought that catching germs could be so much fun?

Happy with the first pick of the WiiWare crop? Let us know in the comments section below.