Nintendo Details First Japanese WiiWare Titles

Author: by Leigh Alexander, Brandon Boyer

Nintendo has officially launched a Japanese web site for WiiWare, detailing a total of eleven titles anticipated for the service, which is scheduled for a March launch in Japan. The list of titles includes Square Enix's RPG Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Hudson's shooter StarSoldierR and a version of Namco's import-only Word Puzzle Mojipittan Wii. The service will also see the addition of Everyone's Pokemon Channel, an interactive Pokemon Box-like holding pen for Diamond/Pearl Pokemon, a version of popular first-party puzzle franchise Dr. Mario, and Mindware's multiplayer puzzler Marubou Shikaku. Finally, Nintendo has shown off a WiiWare version of Mitchell's DS title Magnetica, Hudson's Bomberman, as well as Okiraku Ping-Pong Wii, Angels' Solitaire, and Joysound Wii. The WiiWare service is expected to provide a platform for smaller, more accessible titles, and has also been billed as an arena for independent developers to more easily enter the space. Nintendo of America has yet to officially launch its companion site for Western games, which is known to include LostWinds, the recently reported platformer from Elite and The Outsider developer Frontier, Mastiff's just-announced Major League Eating, and 2D Boy's IGF award winning previously featured World of Goo.