Blaster Master rework shoots up WiiWare

The Wii will be getting a shot from the past this week, but it won't be coming exclusively from the Virtual Console. Leading the week's Nintendo Store update is Sunsoft's Blaster Master Overdrive, a redux of the classic NES action adventure. Available for 1,000 Wii points ($10), the new game revisits the original's mix of tank- and solider-based gameplay, as biology wunderkind Alex pilots the volatile war weapon S.O.P.H.I.A. to defeat a humanity-consuming virus.

Joining Sunsoft's WiiWare title will be Konami's Tomena Sanner. Available for 500 Wii points ($5), the madcap side-scrolling adventure game sees businessman Hitoshi Susumu sprinting through levels populated by, among other obstacles, samurais, dinosaurs, and cowboys. Hands-On Mobile's balloon-popping puzzler Bloons and Teyon's minigame compilation Hubert the Teddy Bear Winter Games also arrive on WiiWare this week for 500 Wii points ($5).

Nintendo's DSiWare shop is in for an equally busy week, as five new downloadable portable titles have been added to the service. Virtual Playground will provide the pricey offering with Oscar in Movieland, which sells for 800 DSi points ($8). A continuation of Oscar in Toyland, the platformer sees the titular hero navigating brightly lit levels while collecting balloons.

Subatomic Studios' Fieldrunners, Nintendo's Link 'n' Launch, and 4Pockets' Sudoku all come in at the 500 DSi points ($5) level. Fieldrunners offers tower-defense-style gameplay on the go, while Link 'n' Launch is a puzzle game in which players align tiles in an effort to feed fuel into their space-faring rocket. 4Pockets' Sudoku offers 3,600 number-based puzzles. Lastly, Gamelion's Extreme Hangman brings the classic hidden-word guessing game to the DSi for 200 points ($2).

This week's Virtual Console addition is Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom. Originally released for the NES by Hudson, the adventure game follows the exploits of Sir Cucumber, who attempts to rescue Princess Tomato from the sinister clutches of Minister Pumpkin. The game is available for 500 Wii points ($5).