Finally, the WiiWare service for the Nintendo Wii has gone live. The first region to get their hands on the nine games available at launch is Japan, but the US and Europe will (hopefully) follow in May this year.
The list of launch titles for the WiiWare service is as follows :
- Dr. Mario & Virus Buster
- Star Soldier R.
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
- Tenshi no Solitaire
- Okiraku Ping Pong
- Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Wii
- Saku Saku Animal Panic
- Pokemon Farm
- LONPOS
Before you can use the WiiWare service, you first need to update the Wii system to the latest version, which will add the WiiWare service (when it’s live in your region) to the Wii Shop channel. Also, judging by the screenshots and information available, buying WiiWare games will be like buying Virtual Console games, using the same familiar interface.
At the moment, the prices will range from 500 Wii points to 1500 Wii points. One thing that raised concern is the fact that judging by the filesize of the games and the limited internal memory of the Nintendo Wii, it’s very possible you’ll soon run out of available space, especially if you also have some Virtual Console games installed.
Probably the coolest thing of WiiWare games (compared to Virtual Console games) is that they offer online functionality like online multi-player gaming, leaderboards etc (if supported by the game).
Some games can also be extended with additional downloadable content through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play service. At the moment, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Wii and LONGPOS are the only games which support this functionality.
