Metroid Prime Hunters Hits Wii U Virtual Console

Meanwhile, the New 3DS gets Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Double Trouble as its latest SNES Virtual Console edition.

Nintendo continues its slow and steady expansion of its consoles’ Virtual Console libraries with this week’s Nintendo Download. The Wii U sees another addition to its DS lineup in Metroid Prime Hunters, the multi-player focused Metroid game (back when such an idea didn’t yet earn the ire of franchise fans) featuring several bounty hunters and a plethora of maps and modes.  The game was one of the best shooters on the expired platform, though it’ll be interesting to see how its controls carry over to the much larger bottom screen on the Wii U.

The 3DS welcomes another Donkey Kong Country game, making it the premiere platform for the series (missing only Tropical Freeze). 

The Wii U sees newcomer Kick & Fennick too, Jaywalkers’ platformer adventure about a boy and his floating robot fennec fox creature.  The game looks to be a step above the week’s other new releases: SSSnakes, B3 Game Expo for Bees, and 153 Hand Video Poker.

From Nintendo:

This week’s Nintendo Download includes the following featured content:

• Nintendo eShop on Wii U
  • Kick & Fennick – Kick & Fennick is an action-filled adventure about Kick, a young boy battling to help his robot companion, Fennick. Join them as they blast, bounce and bound their way through 45 challenging levels. Adding a unique twist to the gameplay, Kick’s gun not only blasts baddies, but its recoil can also be used to launch the lad through various areas of each level! Puzzles, platforms and power-ups await in Kick & Fennick. Click here to view the trailer
• Virtual Console on Wii U
  • Metroid Prime Hunters – A ferocious race, now extinct, has left behind relics of its once-powerful warrior culture. Now six fierce bounty hunters from across the galaxy will challenge Samus in a race to claim these relics in hopes of harnessing their power for themselves.
• Virtual Console on New Nintendo 3DS
  • Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Double Trouble – In the third game in the Super NES Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have gone missing! Play as Dixie Kong or Kiddy Kong and take advantage of each of their unique abilities as they throw each other into action in more than 40 levels.

Nintendo eShop sales:

• Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
  • Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U and Nintendo 3DS), DuckTales Remastered (Wii U) and more games from Capcom are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 6.
  • Jones on Fire (Wii U), Murder on the Titanic (Nintendo 3DS) and more games from Joindots are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 9.
• Nintendo eShop on Wii U
  • Stone Shire is 35 percent off (reduced from $7.99 to $4.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on Aug. 1.
  • Rock ‘’N Racing Off Road is 50 percent off (reduced from $5.99 to $2.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 23.
  • The Perplexing Orb is 50 percent off (reduced from $3.99 to $1.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 16.
  • Art of Balance is 25 percent off (reduced from $8.99 to $6.70) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 23.
  • Trine 2: Director’s Cut and Trine Enchanted Edition from Frozenbyte are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 23.
  • Epic Dumpster Bear and Puzzle Monkeys from Log Games are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 30.
  • Land it Rocket is 65 percent off (reduced from $2.99 to 99 cents) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 23.
  • Life of Pixel is 50 percent off (reduced from $9.99 to $4.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 23.
  • Explody Bomb and Hold Your Fire: A Game About Responsibility from Alkterios are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 23.
  • Astral Breakers and Emojikara: A Celver Emoji Match Game from Intropy Games are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 16.
• Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
  • Parascientific Escape Cruise in the Distant Seas and Wakedas from CIRCLE Ent. are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 23.
  • Music On: Electronic Guitar is 50 percent off (reduced from $1.99 to 99 cents) until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 12.
  • Sadame is 33 percent off (reduced from $14.99 to $9.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 16.
  • The Magic Hammer, Toy Stunt Bike and more games from Wobbly Tooth LTD are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 30.

New DLC:

• Fire Emblem Fates – New DLC Maps : V: Endless Dawn – Led by Shigure, the party storms the enemy. Part 5 of Heirs of Fate for the Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright and Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest games is now available for $1.99.
• Fire Emblem Fates – Map Pack 2 DLC – Across dimensions, other versions of the Hoshidan and Nohrian children are under attack. Born and raised in the Deeprealms, these fledgling warriors must now rise up to save themselves and their parents as they unravel the mystery of their adversaries. In this six-map series, units leveled up in the main game cannot lend support. Devise a strategy using a fresh team and reap the rewards, but only if all of your units survive. You can receive all six maps as they are released by purchasing Map Pack 2 for only $7.99.

Also new this week:

• SSSnakes (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
• B3 Game Expo for Bees (Nintendo eShop on Wii U)
• 153 Hand Video Poker (Nintendo eShop on Wii U)