X-Scape makes it to DSiWare

Nintendo has returned with another healthy infusion of content to the Wii's and DSi's online stores this week. DSi gamers in particular have something to look forward to, as Nintendo's own highly stylized far-future shooter X-Scape joins Gameloft's fantasy adventure Hero of Sparta on the handheld device.

First shown during Nintendo's Q1 Media Summit, X-Scape sees players control the versatile VIXIV battle tank. The war machine's battle prowess extends to land and air engagements, and players pilot the tank through touch-screen controls. The 800-DSi-point title ($8) also features retro-style graphics in the vein of the 1980 classic Battlezone.

The battle tank genre is alive and well on the DSi.

Hero of Sparta also costs 800 DSi points and sees gamers assuming the role of a marooned King Argos on an adventure to defy the gods and return to his people. Along the way, gamers will battle a variety of mythical beasts, such as the Minotaur and the Cyclops, as well as wield enchanted, upgradable weapons against the gods themselves. Elsewhere on DSiWare, gamers can pick up the arcade shooter A Topsy Turvy Life: The Turvys Strike Back and the puzzler Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro, which cost 200 DSi points ($2) apiece.

This week's WiiWare lineup is led by Konami's Ben 10 Alien Force: The Rise of Hex. Available for 1,000 Wii points ($10), the side-scrolling action platformer lets gamers metamorphose Ben into 10 different alien breeds to complete 15 levels. Also this week, Ubisoft has on tap Voodoo Dice for 1,000 Wii points. The puzzle game involves clearing a level of dice by matching sides with a die controlled by the player, as well as finding creative ways to dispatch enemies.

Vogster delivers the final original game to WiiWare this week in the form of Robocalypse - Beaver Defense. Built in the tower defense tradition, Beaver Defense features an off-kilter storyline from the writer of SpongeBob SquarePants as well as hordes and hordes of lethal robots that must be decimated. The game costs 600 Wii points ($6).

Lastly, Natsume's third-person shooter Wild Guns, first released for the Super NES in 1995, has been added to the Wii's Virtual Console. Available for 800 Wii points ($8), Wild Guns accommodates play for up to two, as gamers take control of either Clint or Annie as they shoot their way through the Old West.