NintendoWare Weekly: My Life as a Darklord
by David Hinkle 
{ Jul 20th 2009 at 10:15AM } 
DSiWare
- Art Style: ZENGAGE (Nintendo, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Another puzzler in the Art Style series. The focus of this entry in the series is to slide pieces of a puzzle to match their color with the corresponding bead on the game board. It's pretty much just matching colors, and features 100-plus stages of color-coordinating action. Think of it like picking out outfits with your mom at the mall when you were a kid. The object is to survive.
- My Life as a Darklord (Square Enix, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points): Things are a bit different for a Darklord than a King, as the second entry in the My Life as a series from Square Enix has you playing as one devious daughter. You travel throughout her tower, installing traps and destroying wave after wave of ne'er-do-evils.
- Battle Poker (Left Field Productions, 1 - 4 players, 800 Wii Points): As opposed to real Poker, where players battle one another, the enemy in this iteration of the classic card game is more timeless: it's the clock! Players take on a ticking timer in an attempt to make the best hand possible. Okay, you play against the other players too, but leading off with that would've ruined our poorly constructed joke!
- 5 Spots Party (Cosmonaut Games, 1 - 4 players, 500 Wii Points): It's all about spotting the differences in two near-identical pictures with 5 Spots Party. It's like those games you always see at the bar, except you probably aren't drunk in your living room playing this. If you are, you have a larger set of problems to worry about than the differences between two photographs.
- Nothing (Nintendo, 1 player, 0 Wii Points): Seriously, there's absolutely nothing on the Virtual Console this week! We have no idea how we're going to do VC in Brief now ...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
captainprotonx @ Jul 20th 2009 10:18AM
I think it is very safe to say Nintendo has completely abandoned the VC.
They shot some wads with a few big titles. But this is going to end soon with focus on the Ware platforms.
Long live the HBC.
Tacoman @ Jul 20th 2009 11:05AM
I think it is safe to say that the DSi Store content sucks. The DSi Store is the reason that I purchased my DSi. I thought that Nintendo would release some cool games, instead it is just Art Style this, Animal Crossing Clock that. They need more games like Mario vs Donkey Kong, or even better a Game Boy VC. That would be extremely awesome. I think Nintendo needs to take advantage of this. Please Nintendo no more Masters of Illusion.
captainprotonx @ Jul 20th 2009 11:25AM
Part of me understands.
The Wii is still very much an experimental place with a growing audience, regardless of a billion Wiis sold. Nintendo probably just doesn't want to dive into their catalog when there are untold moneys to be made from new ventures.
I am stoked for Wii Motion Plus. It's the "gotta have them all" gene that Nintendo has permeated in society.
The Ware stores are ass for the most part. I got Lost Wind. That's it.
Roto13 @ Jul 20th 2009 12:01PM
You both need help. Last week had a great Virtual Console game and this week has what is probably a great DSiWare game. "Oh, no, they don't care about DSiWare! They keep releasing these Art Style games that everyone loves! How dare they?!"
Elranzer @ Jul 20th 2009 11:59AM
Nintendo really needs to add Gameboy, GB Color and Advance games to the DSI download store.
Hell, they need to add NES, SNES, N64 and other CONSOLES to the DSI store. People who never bought VC roms for the Wii will FLOCK to the DSI for the ability to (legally) play portable console games.
I don't know what Nintendo's waiting for.
Guinea Rabbit @ Jul 20th 2009 12:27PM
Before Nintendo does anything else with either download service for the Wii or DS, they need to do a complete revamp of how the accounts are set up.
I think it's seriously screwed to expect people to repurchase content once for each system they own, even if they have already purchased it once before for a previous console.
They need to adopt a system similar to the Sony's PSN Store that lets you create an account and download something that you've bought on up to five different systems.
Otherwise, they will just keep forcing their loyal customers to repurchase the same content every time they buy a new system.
Moptimus Slime (The Return of Princess Griffin) @ Jul 20th 2009 12:29PM
yes, Im sure the people who have no idea of the VCs existence would suddenly become enlightened if it showed up on DSi...
waynski1457 @ Jul 20th 2009 10:24AM
Are you sure it's not just an announcement fail?
If it's not, then wow. I never thought that would happen, especially when there are a lot of good games that haven't been released yet.
David Hinkle @ Jul 20th 2009 10:30AM
I'll be sure to check after 12pm. :)
captainprotonx @ Jul 20th 2009 10:33AM
If there is even a sliver of a chance of a VC game, my money is on another Wonderboy game.
Nope, can't get enough Wonderbread.
David Hinkle @ Jul 20th 2009 12:55PM
Sorry, folks. Nothing!
Mr Mobius - the wandering artist @ Jul 20th 2009 10:30AM
Maybe it's because they're not long after running the Hanabi festival (at least on European VC).
I'm surprised they haven't released NyxQuest yet in America. It's been out a month or longer in Europe, and it's a shame that America isn't able to try it yet.
nintendo1889 @ Jul 20th 2009 10:47AM
Gee, and Nintendo wonders why people like me "illegally" hacked the wii in the first place Was it to spite them for the downright refusal of their not releasing Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, Megaman X/X2, Final Fantasy V and VI on the Virtual Console? Yes, that's the primary reason why I installed emulators on the wii. Sure, it's up to them to decided what to release and when to release it, but no games whatsoever this week, huh? Now that's just plain asinine. They can keep releasing System Updates all they want, since they won't be able to completely stop the so-called "illegal" use of HBC altogether. Illegal my butt, those hackers do what Nintendon't want to do. Don't get me wrong, I've liked Nintendo since 1993 and will continue to do so, but if they don't care about the fans' desire to place real classic games on the VC, well, that might pose a problem or two.....
Mr Khan is over 9000 @ Jul 20th 2009 11:03AM
The only one you can properly blame them for out of that is EarthBound, everything else you listed is third party...
samfish (uses the Joystiq Comment-Kill filter!) @ Jul 20th 2009 11:29AM
According to Capcom, it's up to Nintendo when those games go up, though.
It's pretty clear that for some reason, NOA thinks is A-OK to just sit on VC games.
Meanwwhile, Japan continues to get 3-5 games per week >:(
nintendo1889 @ Jul 20th 2009 10:49AM
Error correction: "but if they don't care about the fans' desire to play real classic games on the VC, well, that might pose a problem or two....." This is really bugging the he** outta me!
TwEE @ Jul 20th 2009 11:13AM
Why dose that bother you when you just steal the games anyway?
samfish (uses the Joystiq Comment-Kill filter!) @ Jul 20th 2009 11:14AM
"We have no idea how we're going to do VC in Brief now ..."
You should just play Mario Kart or Smash Bros 64 or some other game that Europe and Japan already have and be like, "This is a game that you COULD be playing RIGHT NOW if NOA didn't have their damn heads so far up their ass on the VC!"
Mr Khan is over 9000 @ Jul 20th 2009 11:04AM
Methinks they just skipped it in order to give better attention to My Life as a Darklord (which costs over $50 with all the DLC packed in, btw)
Roto13 @ Jul 20th 2009 12:01PM
$67, actually. >_>
Bowser Rogozhin: Death of a Ladies Man @ Jul 20th 2009 11:13AM
The VC has been dead for a long time, people are only now starting to notice.
captainprotonx @ Jul 20th 2009 1:16PM
Agreed.
And today, it hit me.
nintendo1889 @ Jul 20th 2009 11:18AM
Even so, the third parties responsible for not releasing them is inexcusable. I mean, how many bloody variations of Wonder Boy are they gonna release (next week of course) and/or other obscure Megadrive imports no one cares about? How about two or maybe even THREE VC releases next week? That in itself would more than make up for the laziness in Nintendo's/3rd parties' not wanting to listen to their fans' requests, right?
Bowser Rogozhin: Death of a Ladies Man @ Jul 20th 2009 11:28AM
You haven't made an argument, a coherent one at least. Leave the feigned outrage to the professionals, ya heard.
jimmygotsmack @ Jul 20th 2009 11:23AM
So did they just mix Dungeon Keeper with Disgaea?
Dash @ Jul 20th 2009 12:59PM
Yeah, they sure did, dood.
TwEE @ Jul 20th 2009 11:23AM
No VC game? Weird. Not that I can complain considering how much gaming content there is already on the vc, and if you factor in the wiiware games its the best..
Cody @ Jul 20th 2009 3:54PM
Very true!
Shiaoran @ Jul 20th 2009 11:25AM
What a cute darklord...
Which is bad. Damn Square and their weird designs.
Dopple Boppler @ Jul 20th 2009 11:26AM
No Virtual Console game on top of no Cave Story? This week is breaking my heart; where am I supposed to get my retro fix now?
nintendo1889 @ Jul 20th 2009 11:30AM
I'm on a tirade, and I know my argument isn't valid, but I'm telling people how I feel. The whole thing is asinine.
Gabriel Lamarre @ Jul 20th 2009 11:49AM
I just can't understand Square Enix's character design...
CJC @ Jul 20th 2009 11:51AM
Is anyone else getting a SimTower vibe from that video?
Elranzer @ Jul 20th 2009 12:00PM
Great. Just what the world needs... another Tower Defense game.
Mabui @ Jul 20th 2009 12:06PM
I have to admit, they could have just re-skinned my life as a king - instead they made something seemingly different! Though, one person said there was 40 dollars worth of DLC?! Wow.. That's um - very retail of them.
The previous game was worth 15 I suppose - though it is more addictive then enjoyable.
No Virtual Console is sort of strange but they have been running 3 Wii ware's lately.
Nick @ Jul 20th 2009 1:10PM
Tonberries are the new Prinnies, apparently.
mv209 @ Jul 20th 2009 2:18PM
What happened to the Neo-Geo games on the VC. It's been about half a year since an SNK game was released.
captainprotonx @ Jul 20th 2009 2:39PM
SNK is touring the retro circuit.
Release some compilations, the occasional old ass game for an online distributor, and then start with the XBLA. Same deal. Release some old games, let them fester, maybe release a retail game. (KOF XII).
All this leads to a potential once every 3 month release schedule. Hence we now have Garou on the XBLA.
Companies that once produced dozens of games a year are now living on 15-year-old code to elongate any possible revenue.
Hardcore indeed.
Argnoth @ Jul 20th 2009 3:41PM
makes me wish that the wii had demos of wiiware titles, I'd like to try out this "my life as a" game. The other one left me kinda bored.
Mr. Fister @ Jul 20th 2009 6:13PM
That girl in the video image reminds me of Miss Von Karma from the Phoenix Wright games.