The Nintendo Download goes big on Mario this week

Plenty of Italian plumber-themed titles hit the eShop this week, along with some solid sales.

I have to be honest here, I’m kind of feeling a little deja vu this week with all the Mario stuff. It does’t feel like it was all that long ago that the eShop was the beneficiary of a bunch of new Super Mario releases… maybe it’s all the Mario Kart stuff as of late, what with last week’s addition of the 200cc mode and all. I don’t know.

Anyway, this week brings two more Super titles to the store, with a third in the new Amiibo Tap feature, that’ll let you play snippets of a bunch of Nintendo titles from years gone by- Marioi among them. If you’re not following along and don’t know what that means, it’s Nintendo’s way of letting you get a little more out of your figures without having to make you buy anything. Actually, it’s kind of cool too, as long as you’re not expecting too much.

All you do to take advantage, is tap your Amiibo on the Wii U GamePad, and you’ll get treated to a little segment from a classic SNES or NES title. You can only play for a bit, but you can tap again to reveal another title. Nintendo says the method of play is supposed to bring back that feeling of swapping carts in your old console, something that rarely happens today with discs.

Actually, it’s kind of accurate. I distinctly remember, especially when on Summer vacation, playing a Nintendo game till I got bored (or killed too many times) and then popping it out and plugging in a new one. That’d make up a while day’s play for me, which is in stark contrast with today where (even when I do have time) I usually play one game till it’s done.

Even more of the older stuff- Paper Mario comes to the Virtual Console this week. This is a true classic of the Mario franchise and started off the ‘alt’ vibe that Nintendo has brought to other games in its stable, albeit in different ways (like Kirby’s claymation Rainbow Curse and Yoshi’s Wooly World).

If you’re not in the mood for nostalgia, Nintendo has you covered with the demo for Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Edition on the 3DS. This free look at the reskinning of the popular mobile puzzle game has Mario and crew solving puzzles and playing out one of the more unique takes on RPGs in recent memory.

There are also some sales this week, as usual, and some additional stuff like the new Star Wars Pinball DLC. Have a scroll down the page to see the full listing and make your picks for the weekend Nintendo fans.

• Nintendo eShop on Wii U
  • amiibo tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits – Discover definitive moments from classic Nintendo games. Download the free amiibo tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits application in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U and tap any amiibo figure to the Wii U GamePad controller to unlock scenes from select NES and Super NES Wii U Virtual Console games. At least one amiibo figure (sold separately) is required to use this software.
• Virtual Console on Wii U
  • Paper Mario – After Bowser steals the Star Rod and kidnaps Princess Peach, Mario plots to rescue the seven Star Spirits and free the Mushroom Kingdom from the Koopa’s rule. The turn-based battle system of this classic Nintendo 64 RPG will make fighting Bowser’s baddies equal parts strategy and timing.
• Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
  • Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition Demo – Download the free demo version of Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition before the full game launches in stores and in the Nintendo eShop. Intuitive drag-and-match puzzle game play and classic Mushroom Kingdom characters combine to create one of the most unique puzzle/RPG games ever. The full version of the Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition game, which gives you two complete games in one package, launches May 22.

Nintendo eShop Sales:

• Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
  • Shin’en Spring Sale – Big savings on select games from Shin’en for spring! Check out these great deals in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS and Wii U beginning at 9 a.m. PT on April 30 until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 21. Visit http://www.nintendo.com/eshop/offers for more details.
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2 on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, Monster High: 13 Wishes on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, Young Justice: Legacy and more titles from Little Orbit are on sale beginning at 9 a.m. PT on May 1 until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 31.
  • Kung Fu Rabbit on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS is 70 percent off (reduced from $4.99 to $1.49 each) until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 7.
• Nintendo eShop on Wii U
  • Pentapuzzle, Toss N Go and other titles from RCMADIAX are up to 50 percent off until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 24.
  • Zacisa’s Last Stand is 65 percent off (reduced from $1.99 to $0.69) until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 14.
  • TNT Racers – Nitro Machines Edition is 37 percent off (reduced from $7.99 to $4.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 14.
• Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
  • Castle Conqueror Defender, Demon King Box and Quell Memento from Circle Entertainment are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 21.
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV is 50 percent off (reduced from $29.99 to $14.99) beginning at 9 a.m. PT on May 4 until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 11.
  • 3D Game Collection, FunFair Party Games and Murder on the Titanicfrom Joindots are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 14.
  • Tiny Games – Knights & Dragons is 50 percent off (reduced from $2.99 to$1.49) until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 14.
  • AeternoBlade is 46 percent off (reduced from $14.99 to $7.99) beginning at 9 a.m. PT on May 1 until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 17.
  • Winter Sports: Feel the Spirit is 40 percent off (reduced from $9.99 to $5.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on Oct. 1.

Activities:

• Mega May Starts Next Week – Voting is now over. Check back on May 7 to see which classic Mega Man game fans decided should be released first. For the entire month of May, Nintendo and Capcom are celebrating everyone’s favorite blue bomber with six game releases in the Virtual Console on Wii U. The Game Boy Advance versions of Mega Man Zero 2, Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue, Mega Man Battle Network 3 White, Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun, Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moonand Mega Man & Bass will land in the Nintendo eShop throughout the month.

Theme Shop on Nintendo 3DS:

• New themes this week include:
  • Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Hunter’s Weapon Gallery (Available May 1-July 1)

Also new this week:

• Star Wars Pinball – New DLC (Nintendo eShop on Wii U)
• Adventure Bar Story – Demo Version (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
• Heart Beaten (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
• KAROUS – THE BEAST OF RE:EDEN (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
• My Horse 3D – Best Friends (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)

In addition to video games available at retail stores, Nintendo also offers a variety of content that people can download directly to their systems. Nintendo adds new games weekly to the Nintendo eShop on the Wii U console and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, the Nintendo DSi^™ Shop for the Nintendo DSi system and the Wii^™ Shop Channel for the Wii console.

The Nintendo eShop is a cash-based service that features a wide variety of content, including new and classic games, applications and demos. Users can add money to their account balances by using a credit card or purchasing a Nintendo eShop Card at a retail store and entering the code from the card. All funds from one card must be loaded in the Nintendo eShop on either Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, but can be used in either Nintendo eShop if the systems are linked to a single Nintendo Network account.

The Wii Shop Channel offers games and applications and uses Wii Points^™, which can be purchased via the Wii Shop Channel. The Nintendo DSi Shop offers games and applications and uses Nintendo DSi Points^™, which can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop.

Remember that Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage some of the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu or http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.