Nintendo has officially launched its WiiWare service in Japan, and a total of nine out of eleven
previously-revealed titles are now available on the service - which offers originally-developed digitally downloadable titles.
Initial pricing has also
been revealed for the first available titles, ranging from the equivalent of $5 to $15. The least expensive of these is
Angels Solitaire, which is priced at 500 Wii Points. In Japan, this is the equivalent of ¥500 ($4.86) and in the U.S. would be $5.00 exactly – although there is no guarantee that Wii Point prices will be identical in the West.
The other games listed for the launch include
Okiraku Ping Pong at 500 Wii Points ($5), Hudson’s 2D shoot ‘em-up
Star Soldier R at 800 Wii Points ($8),
Saku Saku Animal Panic at 1,000 Wii Points ($10) and Scrabble style board game
Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan at 1,000 Wii Points ($10).
Puzzle game
Lonpos is also priced at 1,000 Wii Points ($10), as are key Nintendo franchise titles
Pokemon Ranch Channel (pictured) and
Dr Mario & Saikin Bokumetsu. The most expensive game is Square Enix’s
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - My Life as King. At 1,500 Wii Points ($15), it is the most expensive download of any kind so far available on the Wii.
Although the line-up of initial titles is likely to vary considerably from that in Japan, a North American launch for the service is scheduled for May, with several Western developers, including the
previously reported WayForward Technologies and
previously interviewed Frontier Developments supporting the service.
