Nintendo Store Update: Qix hits 3DS

July is an exceptionally light month at retail for the 3DS, with Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions (July 26) the only boxed game expected to launch for the system. It's already considerably busier on the downloadable front, as Nintendo's first weekly update for its digital storefront includes two new Game Boy Virtual Console titles and four more eShop/DSiWare originals for the handheld.

The Virtual Console debut of the 1990 Game Boy puzzler Qix leads the way with a $3 asking price. The game puts players in control of a tiny line-drawing spark on a blank playfield and requires them to box off 75 percent of the screen to pass each level. The ostensibly simple task is complicated by a number of dangerous sparks that cruise around the playfield outline, threatening to destroy any in-progress boxes. Qix also includes a multiplayer mode.

The 3DS gets a second retro release this week in the form of Jaleco's 1991 action game, Fortified Zone. The shooter lets players switch between two characters as they storm a four-level fortress to destroy the secret weapon of an enemy force. Fortified Zone is available now for $4.

As for the quartet of new releases playable on either the DSi or the 3DS, they are headlined by the cascading gem puzzle game Jewel Keepers: Easter Island and Agetec's graffiti-themed side-scrolling platformer Roller Angels, which sees a trio of heroines restore a world sapped of color by alien invaders. Rounding out the selection of new releases is Make Up & Style, which lets players use the stylus to apply cosmetics to 3D models, and Alawar Entertainment's arcade-style sim game Farm Frenzy. All four of the DSiWare/eShop titles sell for $5, or 500 DSi points.

The final new game in Nintendo's weekly roundup is Just Jam, a new music game available on WiiWare. Billed as a creation tool, Just Jam lets players use the Wii Remote to cue up guitars, drum beats, sound effects, and vocals in 16 different tracks. Just Jam is available for 800 Wii points ($8).