Shippin' Out May 12-16: WiiWare, Chronicles of Narnia

WiiWare launches today in North America, and with it comes the first rash of independently developed original downloadable games for the Wii. One of the more anticipated titles, Square Enix's hybrid management sim/role-playing game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, headlines today's offerings, clocking in at 1,500 Wii points ($15) for the single-player game. Gamers looking to extend this purchase can also pick up another 1,600 Wii points' ($16) worth of additional content, and Square Enix promises more add-ons will arrive for the game at a later date.

WiiWare has been stocked with a smattering of other titles that represent a variety of genres. XGen Studios' zany action game Defend Your Castle runs for 500 Wii points ($5), while Nnooo's bubble-exploding game Pop is available for 700 Wii points ($7). Also out are High Voltage Software's V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack (700 Wii points, $7), Gameloft's quiz game TV Show King (1,000 Wii points, $10), and Frontier Development's platformer LostWinds (1,000 Wii points, $10).

Wii games not of the downloadable ilk are in equal abundance this week as well. Though the Wii Fit and Nintendo's proprietary Wii Balance Board won't be available for another week, the first game to implement the peripheral--Namco Bandai's We Ski--is set for imminent release. Sports-themed minigames will also be on offer in Konami's Deca Sports, which packs in beach volleyball, snowboard cross, badminton, basketball, curling, figure skating, archery, supercross, soccer, and kart racing.

With Castle Shikigami II perhaps best known for its abundance of mind-bending mistranslated moments, Aksys Games will be releasing scrolling shoot-'em-up Castle of Shikigami III on the Wii this week. Nintendo's other system receives a few new releases this week in the form of Atlus' Drone Tactics, an arachnid-enthused strategy game, and Empire Interactive's Myst, a handheld edition of one of the best-selling games of all time.

The Wii's reign extends to the major multiplatform release of the week, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. A tie-in to Walt Disney Pictures' film of the same name, Prince Caspian follows the action of the films, which themselves are based on C.S. Lewis' children's fantasy novels. In addition to the Wii edition, Traveller's Tales has created the Prince Caspian game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 2. Disney's internal Fall Line Studios is handling development for the DS version of the game.

Thanks to the influx of WiiWare games, Nintendo said it would be giving its Virtual Console the week off. However, Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network will receive their regularly scheduled Wednesday and Thursday updates. On both platforms, the first expansion to Capcom and ACRONYM's overhead shooter Rocketmen--It Came From Uranus--will be available for $4.95, or 400 Microsoft points. Microsoft's digital distribution service will also be augmented with Sierra Online's top-down shooter Assualt Heroes 2, available for 800 Microsoft points ($10).

This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).

MAY 12, 2008
Defend Your Castle (WiiWare)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (WiiWare)
LostWinds (WiiWare)
Pop (WiiWare)
TV Show King (WiiWare)
V.I.P. Casino Blackjack (WiiWare)

MAY 13, 2008
Baseball Mogul 2009 (PC)
Castle of Shikigami III (Wii)
Deca Sports (Wii)
Drone Tactics (DS)
Ford Racing: Off Road (PC)
Myst (DS)
We Ski (Wii)

MAY 14, 2008
Assault Heroes 2 (XBLA)
Rocketmen: It Came from Your Uranus (XBLA)

MAY 15, 2008
Rocketmen: It Came from Your Uranus (PSN)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (X360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)

MAY 16, 2008
No new releases have been announced.