Bit.Trip Fate shoots up WiiWare

It's the last week of October, and while many are readying their costumes for this weekend's festivities, Nintendo has dressed up its virtual storefront with six new titles.

Leading the charge today is Aksys Games' Bit.Trip Fate (800 Wii points, or $8). The game sees the return of CommanderVideo, the blockish hero of Bit.Trip Runner fame. This time out, CommanderVideo finds himself enmeshed in an on-rails side-scrolling shooter. With the help of his companions Junior Melchkin, CommandgirlVideo, and others, CommanderVideo attempts to save the world from becoming a technological wasteland.

In the single-player campaign, gamers control CommanderVideo's movements with the use of the Wii's Nunchuk. Shooting is handled in point-and-fire fashion using the Wii Remote. The game also features a co-op mode, where a friend can help control CommanderVideo's movements.

Also hitting WiiWare today is My Planetarium (500 Wii points, or $5). From Hudson Entertainment, the title lets players turn their living rooms into a celestial body viewing area. The title sports three modes, the first of which is Observation. Here, players can view 20,000 distinct celestial bodies with stars up to the 7th magnitude. In Planetarium mode, players can embark on 11 different virtual tours of the galaxy and enjoy views of stars, nebulae, constellations, and other celestial items. Finally, players can open the Celestial Guidebook to view information and mythology surrounding the celestial objects viewed in the game's other modes.

Switching to DSiWare, Nintendo unleashed four new titles here today, the first of which is Go! Go! Island Rescue! (500 DSi points, or $5). From Connect2Media, the title thrusts players into the "worst vacation ever." Players are strapped into the boots of a squad commanding firefighter who must save the island's inhabitants, the Darwins, from disaster. The title sports 50 levels and a rewind mode, for the occasions when mistakes prove fatal.

Also hitting DSiWare today is Enjoy Gaming's Spot the Difference (500 DSi points, or $5). As its name suggests, the title sees players attempting to determine the differences between pictures presented on the DS's two screens. There are over 160 photographs in play in the title, some of which are from "established photographers."

The last two titles hitting DSiWare today are Go Series Defense Wars (200 DSi points, or $2), and Flashlight (200 DSi points, or $2). The former is a tower defense title where players are tasked with defending their base from an onslaught of enemies, and the latter is simply a flashlight. It uses both screens to project light and allows users to adjust the light's color and intensity. According to its publisher, Flashlight "could also be helpful in other situations, such as using the warning light when your car has broken down."