The Nintendo Download: Incoming Pulseman
Today brings six new downloadable titles for Nintendo’s various digital delivery platforms, including the release of a rare classic, the ultimate ant farm, and a completely different sort of bit tripping.
Virtual Console fans get a rare treat this week with the release of Pulseman (900 Wii points), a platform title often considered the best looking game ever created for the Sega Genesis. Pulseman was only released in cartridge form in Japan, only seeing the light of day in North America as an exclusive to the Sega Channel, Sega’s short-lived, cable-television game delivery service. It’s joined by the Sega Master System’s Secret Command (600 Wii points), which U.S. fans might know better as Rambo: First Blood II.
WiiWare gets the bulk of the love this week, with three titles compared to the two Virtual Console titles and solo DSiWare offering. It also gets the most unnecessary exclamation points as well, with JV Games tank shooter Incoming! (500 Wii Points) and Bplus’ Bit Boy!! (600 Wii points) sharing three between them. Konami’s ant-torturing simulator Ant Nation (700 Wii points) is sadly lacking punctuation, so from now on we’ll be calling it Ant!! Nation!!.
Finally we have Brain Challenge from Gameloft for DSiWare (800 DSi points), which features 48 mini-games to help keep your brain from turning to mush.
As always, check out the official descriptions below to help you make informed purchasing decisions, or ignore them completely and go crazy.
WiiWare
Bit Boy!!
Publisher: Bplus
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Get ready for the most spectacular journey through time in the history of video games!! Accompany Bit Boy Kubi through a crazy pixellated adventure and battle hordes of nasty monsters in 4-bit dungeons, 8-bit caves, 16-bit strongholds, 32-bit labyrinths, 64-bit arenas and 128-bit worlds!! Rescue Kubi’s friends!! Set off in the ultimate pursuit of fruits and high scores!! Grab a friend for even more fun in Cooperative mode!! The Wii Remote is your joystick – let the arcade adventure begin!!
Incoming!
Publisher: JV Games Inc.
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: The goal of Incoming! is to defeat your opponents by destroying their tanks using the arsenal you have at your disposal. Advanced arsenals become available at different levels of the game. Incoming! is great fun for two people to play competitively. Can you defeat your opponent’s tanks before they conquer yours? Collect power-ups to give your arsenal that tactical advantage. Your firing must be quick and your aim true to claim victory.
Ant Nation
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10 + (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 700 Wii Points™
Description: The beloved childhood pastime of lazy Sundays spent with a magnifying glass and an ant farm finally arrives in its most mischievous form via the WiiWare service. You must train your colony of Super Ants using a devilishly fun toolset. Zap, torch and manipulate your ants to make them numerous enough and tough enough to survive a variety of increasingly difficult challenges.
• Zap your ants with lasers, fry them with your trusty magnifying glass, send down lightning and much more to build them to be the strongest Ants on the block.
• Send your ants into war against local bullies like spiders and ladybugs. Is your colony ready for the fight?
• 100 missions keep you busy facing a smorgasbord of fun and wacky tasks.
• Bonus mode features 20 additional challenges that allow you to get crazy with all your favourite weapons of ant destruction.
• Use your Wii Remote™ controller to drop a virtual hammer on your ants, use your Wii Remote like a metal detector to find in-game gold and much more.
Virtual Console
Secret Command™
Original platform: SEGA Master System
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Play as a lone warrior, armed to the teeth, sent on a top-secret commando mission behind enemy lines to liberate your comrades at arms. Released on the SEGA Master System in Europe as Secret Command, players will battle frenzied attacks from enemy soldiers, rocket troops, tanks and other enemies doing everything they can to stop you from saving the hostages. Use your trusty machine gun and a compound bow, equipped with explosive-tipped arrows, to pave the way to victory. Let nothing stand in your path. Play it with a friend in two-player mode for double the fire power.
Pulseman™
Original platform: SEGA Genesis
Publisher: GAME FREAK
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Animated Violence
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: When noted 21st-century scientist Doc Yoshimaya fell in love with one of his C-Life artificial-intelligence creations, he uploaded himself into his computer, where her program core merged with his DNA, and half-human/half-C-Life Pulseman was born. Doc Yoshimaya’s mind twisted as he emerged back into real life, and he became evil Doc Waruyama. Use Pulseman’s ability to harness electricity as a weapon with his Volteccer attack as a means of rapid transport to fight Waruyama’s Galaxy Gang across seven crazy stages. Find out why this SEGA Channel classic was widely regarded as one of the best-looking games for SEGA’s MEGA DRIVE (Genesis) on release.
Nintendo DSiWare
Brain Challenge®
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Just like your body, your brain needs exercise to stay in shape. Brain Challenge is a simple, entertaining solution for stimulating your neurons that goes way beyond logic tests. Thanks to a complete range of 48 mini-games, Brain Challenge provides an exceptional variety of exercises. Not only can you train your brain for Math but also for four other categories: Logic, Focus, Memory and Visual. Plus an original Stress Mode, featuring multitasking and authority challenges, Plus, you can now personalise your profile and some exercises with your own photos.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
Man, I miss Sega Channel. You know Sega still has the patent and is just sitting on it? Fudgers!
Arremer
Sega Channel was so awesome. Those were good times.
Awesome. For those who don't know, Game Freak also made the criminally underrated Drill Dozer for GBA as well.
No effing way?! Pulseman! I am happy to see it, and cranky that I can't download it because I am poor...
why does nintendo not want me using my wii points?
Never thought I would see Pulseman mentioned one day on Kotaku , its really one of the best games I ever played and really defines what a hidden gem really is.
Daxtinator
THANK GOD! I have been waiting for Pulseman ever since the days of playing it on Sega Channel. It is such a good game... I'll be downloading it the instant I get home.
[insert obligatory comment about total lack of anything worthwhile for the dsi]
One day, maybe something will come out that justifies my DSi purchase. At least I like the slightly larger screens and the nice sky blue color.
ach77
those out there thinking of getting pulseman, dont sleep on it. its a pretty cool game and by the same folks responsible for the pokemon games.
@KylenX: Pulseman and the Sega Channel both came out in 1994. Pulseman uses Japanese text descriptions with English voiced dialogue. You may want to check your facts before calling people idiots. :/
@freakservo:
You sir, are an idiot.
This game was in English before wayy in the days of the Sega Channel, as noted by my younger childhood and by Mr. Fahey. Hell. I've even downloaded the ROM which was in English.
Another old Genesis title that consumed many hours of my life was Landstalker. :D
Best.
Game.
Ever.
.... Well... for it's time. But I still love the shit out of it.
@gold163 (° д° ): Well, Nintendo's rewards program keeps track of both your linked Wii and DSI. That could definitely be the start of infrastructure for such a project.
I'd be far more likely to pick up Pulseman on the Wii if I could also play it on the DSI.
seishino
@MrGone1980: The import is essentially in English and playable regardless. I'm pretty surprised to see Pulseman getting a US release on a Nintendo system no less. I gotta wonder if this release is in any way inspired by the success of inFamouse. Regardless, it's an excellent game, but the backgrounds are seizure inducing and the game desperately needs more enemy encounters.
@spiderweb1986: Gotcha...what I meant to say is I'D love to see it in English, as I never got to experience the Sega Channel...I just emulated the game. It was like an awesome bonus track to a Megaman game, which I mean as high praise.
@MrGone1980: Officially, it was never in English. The Sega Channel version was the original Japanese game, and so is the VC version.
There is, however an unofficial translation for the ROM-types out there. I won't say more in fear of breaking some forbidden cardinal rule.
@Matt Liparota: I'm with you. I bought the DSi specifically for the DSiware, and while I know it takes a little time for people to adjust to developing for a new platform and make some compelling stuff, the stuff we've been getting is practically an insult. How many calculators and clocks has Nintendo tried to charge us actual MONEY for by now? On weeks when I see more worthless crap like that pop up in the DSiware shop I just want to give Reggie the finger.
Mister Jack Wants Blazblue Challengers
Pulseman is fun. =D
The Amazing Exploding-Man
@tehdorkz: No it's not. That might actually force me to buy a new DS, even though I desperately need one. >.>
I think we have enough Sega Genesis games now, thank you.
What we need now is more N64 games.
I want Mario Tennis 64.
@gold163 (° д° ): That would really help. The Dsi is just begging for its own virtual console, instead of these stupid overpriced minigames and clocks. So far the only DSiware that I've found to be fun was the Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake. It's also sad that there aren't and DSi exculsive games out yet.
@MrGone1980: It was released on the Sega Channel service, so I'd assume it is in English.
If it isn't, though, the Wii Shop channel notes it, like they did with Sin and Punishment.
spiderweb1986
Need to get some points so I can download Pulseman (& Alien Soldier).
Bit Boy is AWFUL. NoThankYou.gif.
UnkleBuck
@Matt Liparota: They should do what PSN did and allow you to play your Virtual Console games on the DSi. The problem is that there's nothing to identify your purchase on a Wii other than the physical console itself. It would have really helped for Nintendo to have created some sort of persistent account system.
The Sega Channel was the last great gaming invention.
Rozzlit
@Matt Liparota: That's the biggest thing that I enjoy doing on my DS/Cyclo card. Load up NED games, GBA games, ect.
The hardware CAN handle it, but it's probably just a licensing nightmare. Also, with the crappy economy it probably isn't practical for Nintendo to have coders make emulators for their systems. With free ones created by people, they don't always have flawlessly working emulators. Nintendo would have to have every game in their library, working flawlessly, and then have future games able to work on it as well.
Mike Daly
@noesmano: That's because it IS awesome. It really makes me sad that people only know GAME FREAK for Pokémon.
Concerning DSi....
Bueller? ... Bueller? ... ... Bueller?
Pulseman? From GameFreak? This'll be the first time in a while I've gotten a VC game. Last one was Sin & Punishment.
ShimodaNexus
Whoa, Pulseman's description sounds awesome!
I was hoping we would get Monkey Island, but this week doesn't seem so bad. Hopefully next week.
DylanGallagher
@Matt Liparota:
My thoughts exactly! Why include it if you are not going to take advantage of it?
I am becoming genuinely frustrated that the DSi is getting almost nothing in terms of DLC. Brain Age and Master of Illusion mini-games are all well and good, but would it be so hard for some of these Virtual Console games to be retooled to work on the DS?
Matt Liparota
Come one GameFreak. Stop doing Pokemon sequels and bring back Pulseman.
[ZTF]NSF Operative
Awesome, but somehow I feel quite sad that the Dsi isn't getting in on the action.
Everybody better get on board with Pulseman. That game was fantastic! I'd love to see it in English...
Hey it seems like I could be going back to buying games on the VC and Wii Ware, its been long since I bought one and I like how its been getting some nice games.
@Arremer: As if Sega could do something with it now? Even if Sega was still in the console business, Internet digital content would negate any need for a costly access channel.