Cave Story burrows onto WiiWare

It's fast approaching a full year since Nintendo said that free-to-play, independently produced PC platformers Cave Story and Super Meat Boy would arrive for the WiiWare game service. Now, one of those titles has finally made its debut, as Cave Story leads the week of additions to Nintendo's online stores.

First released for the PC in 2004, Cave Story was created by Daisuke Amaya and sees players platforming and blasting their way through a variety of subterranean environments. The remake plays out much like the original, only Amaya has teamed with Nicalis to give the game a graphical update. It is available for 1,200 Wii points ($12).

With Nintendo primed to launch the DSi XL in North America next week, the publisher has stocked the system's store with five new titles this week. Tantalus' Drift Street International has its description right in the name, as it lets gamers skid around race circuits in the US, UK, and Japan for 800 DSi points ($8). Handheld gamers can also pick up Pixel Federation's tower defense strategy game Libera Wing for 800 DSi points.

Nintendo also has a trio of titles from its Game & Watch series on tap. In Mario's Cement Factory, gamers are challenged with puzzling out how to move cement from mixers on the top of a level to the bottom without letting any spill. Chef sees players attempting to catch and flip ingredients before they splatter on the floor. Lastly, Judge is a high-low-style game, in which up to two players make quick decisions to correctly guess whether their number is big or small.

All three Game & Watch handheld titles carry a price tag of 200 DSi points ($2).