bit trip fate
WiiWare Demos! FINALLY!
It's no secret that Nintendo is the underachiever in console features
this generation, especially in the online space. While Xbox Live and
PlayStation Network both started strong and have been continually
updated with emerging content, Wii's only online feature at launch was
the Virtual Console, and only the bare minimum has been added since then. Even now,
Wii's online service looks downright antiquated next to what Sony and
Microsoft provide. Perhaps that's why Nintendo tries its best to keep
its meager online offerings a secret.
Case in point: game demos.
Both PlayStation Network and Xbox Live offer hundreds of free, playable
sneak peaks at retail and digitally distributed games. And Wii? Most of
the time, that number is zero. Almost a year ago, to the day, an
experimental batch of WiiWare demos were made available through the Wii
Shop Channel. A few months later, they were no longer available.
A year after the experiment began, it seems Nintendo's going to start giving WiiWare the
demo support it deserves...sort of. On Monday, November 22nd, Nintendo
released a second batch of WiiWare demos and promised that more would be
made available on Mondays. The following games are currently available:
And Yet It Moves, BIT.TRIP FATE, Jett Rocket, ThruSpace, and Cave Story.
If you have a Wii, you should download them all right now, though:
they'll only be available for a limited time, assumedly replaced by new demos. Read on for my brief
impressions of each, or head to the Wii Shop Channel and download them
right now. You'll find them in the WiiWare section, under New Releases.
Or you can find a Demos category when sorting by Genre.
