WiiWare Demo service hits Shop Channel TODAY!

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Nintendo’s new WiiWare demo service hit European and Australian Wii consoles early this morning – and Nintendo soon followed with an official press update, indicating it will be available today for North American consoles as well:

This week, Wiiâ„¢ owners who connect their Wii consoles to the Internet can enjoy demos of five exceptional games for the WiiWareâ„¢ downloadable game service for zero Wii Pointsâ„¢: BIT.TRIP BEAT, FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: My Life as a Darklordâ„¢, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, World of Gooâ„¢ and a brand new entry in the Pokémonâ„¢ game series, Pokémonâ„¢ Rumble. To get a taste of any or all of these tremendous titles before downloading the full versions, go to the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel and search for “Demo.” For more information, please visit www.nintendo.com/wii/wiiware/demo.

Hit the jump for Infendo’s pre-press release coverage of this news as well as the full Press Release.

Old Coverage:

European Wii owners were given the first look at the Wii Shop’s “WiiWare Demo Service” early this morning, according to Nintendo Life:

You lucky European and Australian Wii owners can access Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord, BIT.TRIP BEAT and NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, but hurry as they’re only available for a short period of time, expiring at the end of January 2010.

Author James Newton speculated we might see the same in North America, but warned that we would have to wait until the Wii Shop Channel updates to find out.

This service comes shortly after Satoru Iwata mentioned it in a Q&A session, stating that while he didn’t have high hopes for Demos to promote WiiWare sales, he was willing to let the test market decide.  Hopefully the “test market” has already made it’s decision, and we’ll be seeing WiiWare demos in North America in only a few hours – otherwise it’s up to Europeans and Australians to vote with their dollar and decide the fate of Nintendo’s first real “demo program.”

Press Release:

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: NINTENDO OFFERS 5 GAME DEMOS TO GUIDE HOLIDAY SHOPPERS

There’s never been a better time to check out the extraordinary lineup of downloadable games from Nintendo. This week, Wiiâ„¢ owners who connect their Wii consoles to the Internet can enjoy demos of five exceptional games for the WiiWareâ„¢ downloadable game service for zero Wii Pointsâ„¢: BIT.TRIP BEAT, FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: My Life as a Darklordâ„¢, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, World of Gooâ„¢ and a brand new entry in the Pokémonâ„¢ game series, Pokémonâ„¢ Rumble. To get a taste of any or all of these tremendous titles before downloading the full versions, go to the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel and search for “Demo.” For more information, please visit www.nintendo.com/wii/wiiware/demo.

This week’s launch of Pokémon Rumble for WiiWare delivers more than just a fun-packed new addition to the beloved Pokémon universe. Anyone who joins Club Nintendoâ„¢ ”“ or is already a member ”“ will have the opportunity to unlock an exclusive Toy Pokémon character that can be used in the game. Simply connect your Wii Shop Channel account to your new or existing Club Nintendo account, use Wii Points to download Pokémon Rumble and watch for an e-mail containing a special password that lets you access the character in the game. More information about this offer can be found at us.wii.com/wiiware/pokemonrumble/register. The offer is available only through April 30, 2010.

In addition to the WiiWare demos and a new Pokémon adventure, visitors to the Wii Shop Channel this week will also find a pair of classic Virtual Consoleâ„¢ games ”“ one offering irresistible action with the iconic Indiana Jones® series, the other featuring the timeless thrills of Capcom’s Street Fighterâ„¢ series. Meanwhile, Nintendo DSiWareâ„¢ users can visit the Nintendo DSiâ„¢ Shop to discover an eye-popping new Art Styleâ„¢ game, a fun, arcade-style bowling title and a robot-themed logic game, all available for easy download and playable anytime, anywhere on the hand-held Nintendo DSi system.

WiiWare

Pokémon Rumble
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) ”“ Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 1,500 Wii Points
Description: Available exclusively for the WiiWare service, Pokémon Rumble is an action game in which you control Toy Pokémon (referred to as “Pokémon”) and take on wave after wave of other Pokémon in a variety of stages. You can befriend some of the defeated Pokémon along the way, which lets you add them to your collection and grants you the ability to use them in battle. Switch between collected Pokémon at any time, taking advantage of the fact that the amount of damage you deal depends on the type of move used and the type of Pokémon hit. Be the last one standing to gain the right to compete in the Battle Royale and test your skills against many Pokémon at once. You can also team up with three people for some multiplayer action (additional Wii Remote controllers required), working together to take down tough Bosses and earning points that can be used toward recruiting or training Pokémon. You can even save your favorite Pokémon to your Wii Remoteâ„¢ controller for exchanges with friends. Combining beautiful cel-shaded graphics and exciting game-play features, this is one rumble you won’t want to miss. Note that a demo version of Pokémon Rumble is also available for zero Wii Points.

BIT.TRIP BEAT Demo
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: BIT.TRIP BEAT brings retro action back as you use the Wii Remote controller’s motion sensor to bounce beats in this rhythm game. Retro visuals, classic game play, four-player multiplayer and an 8-bit soundtrack will get you in the zone and rock your world. Pay attention, though: As with most classic games, the challenges are mighty. If you can stay cool as the difficulty increases, you’ll discover the beginnings of the BIT.TRIP saga.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord Demo
Publisher: SQUARE ENIX
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) ”“ Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: Step into the royal shoes of the Darklord’s daughter as she installs traps and monsters inside her tower to fight back the endless waves of invading adventurers in this world-conquest role-playing game. Filling your demonic tower with monsters and traps called Artifacts is your only hope to keep the adventurers from destroying the Dark Crystal on the top floor. Fly your tower across the land and conquer every stage on your way to dominating the entire world.

NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits Demo
Publisher:
Over The Top Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) ”“ Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits is the awesome story of Nyx, an enigmatic winged girl who must descend from heaven in search of her missing friend, Icarus. Fly over the ruins of ancient Greece and avoid falling into blazing sands or perishing in the claws of cruel harpies and hydras. You’ll need the help of Zeus and other benevolent gods from Olympus to summon their powers. They will let you cast rays, modify the scenery and control winds at will. Fly, aim and shoot using the Wii Remote controller. Play with a friend and maximize your abilities: While one player controls Nyx, the other will control the powers from the gods.

World of Goo Demo
Publisher: 2D BOY
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) ”“ Comic Mischief
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: World of Goo is an award-winning, physics-based puzzle/construction game made entirely by two guys. Use living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins and giant tongues. The millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore, but they don’t know that they are in a game, nor that they are extremely delicious.