simearthVirtual Console

SimEarth: The Living Planet (800 points)
This TurboGrafx port of a PC title allows you to experiment with a world of your own creation, setting up a planet according to your specifications and then watching the creatures evolve. Let’s get one thing straight; Spore it ain’t.

Altered Beast Arcade (900 points)
Why anybody would bother shelling out 900 points for the arcade version of Altered Beast is beyond me, when there’s already a Sega Mega Drive version available on the service for 100 points cheaper. Arcade gamers are kind of like those guys that refuse to listen to music on anything but vinyl.

Wii Ware

Water Warfare (800 points)
This rather interesting title is an first-person shooter, where traditional firearms have been replaced by non-fatal alternatives, such as water pistols and pea shooters. Water Warfare not only offers single-player modes, but also enables players to play online against up to seven others.

Whether or not you’ll actually be able to find anyone online to play with remains to be seen, but if the simplistic style doesn’t deter too many from trying it out, it could be a surprise hit. At least it’s not just another puzzle game…

Puzzle Bobble Plus (800 points)
Probably the safest release this week is Taito’s Puzzle Bobble Plus! Called Bust-A-Move Plus in America, this derivative puzzler involves shooting coloured bubbles at, well, other bubbles in order to make them pop. Everyone loves a good puzzle game, but have there been too many?

That rounds up this week’s Virtual Console and WiiWare releases. If you plan on downloading any of these titles, be sure to leave a comment and let us know!