Two new additions to Wii’s online Shop Channel marks the beginning of this week. The new games include one Virtual Console title and a single original WiiWare downloadable game.

The WiiWare game is Magnetica Twist, a puzzle game which has players shoot marbles using a Mii to match colors and wipe them out before they reach the end of the track. It is compatible with the Wii Remote controller and features motion-sensitive controls. Designed for play by up to four players, the game costs 1000 Wii points.

This week’s retro title is a big one: Fatal Fury 2 (Neo-Geo). Released back in 1992, the game is the second installment in the long running fighting-game series. It features eight characters, stage-specific hazards, and the ability to perform desperation attacks when a character’s strength is low. All this can be had for 900 Wii points.

Kotaku reports that a LocoRoco sequel is headed for the PSP this year. Creator of the original game, Tsutomu Kouno, has announced that he is hard at work on LocoRoco 2, which he says will have “new gameplay based on physical calculation and crowd AI.”

The game is due out later this year, according to Claire Backhouse, a product manager for SCEUK. No details about the game are known at the moment.

 
Sierra Online today announced Interpol, a downloadable seek-and-find title for the Xbox 360. It is described as a family-friendly spy hunt game with solo or cooperative play for up to four players. Interpol has players going up against Dr. Chaos, who has to be tracked down by detecting clues strewn through crime scenes.

In development at TikGames, the game is slated for release on Xbox Live Arcade this Fall. No price point was mentioned.

Much like most good games that go unnoticed, Boom Blox has seen disappointing sales at retail, selling only 60,000 units during its first month at US retailers according to sales-tracking group NPD. The game was the first project that was developed as a result of a collaboration between EA LA and Steven Spielberg, the famed director.

Though the figure may be low, EA is adamant that the game’s performance matches estimates. “It has met our expectations internally,” company CEO John Riccitello said at the William Blair Investor Conference today. “It’s continued to sell well. It did break into the top 10 for the Wii, and the advertising is doing exactly what [our] team expected to: drive sales.”

Hopefully this won’t deter Speilberg from making more games. I personally hope to see more titles from the guy.

Come on, don’t tell me you weren’t expecting a Portal sequel?! Word of the followup comes from Kotaku, who cites a tipster as pointing out a job listing on a subscription-based job site Breakdown Express where Valve is looking for a voice artist to play a certain someone (no spoilers here).

The listing claims that voice work on Portal 2 will “tentatively” begin at the end of July, and that aspiring voice actors will have to have “comic timing” for the dark comedic outlook of the series.

The rest of the listing does not give out much information on the game itself, which, as one can expect, is yet to be announced by Valve. However, it can be a safe bet to assume that it may be a part of a second Orange Box (or whatever color they choose) that will most certainly contain Half-Life 2 Episode Three… whenever that launches.

Publisher Southpeak sent out word that Roogoo will be next week’s Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday release. Coming on June 4, the game, developed by SpiderMonk, has players guiding block-shaped meteors through rotating disks, saving the titular race from destruction.

It will feature 45 levels with single-player, two-player split-screen and party game modes, and will cost 800 Microsoft points.

Following Nintendo, Microsoft has revealed its releases for Xbox Live Arcade this week. The company will release Buku Sudoku and Warlords this Wednesday, hoping to appeal to puzzle and pong fans.

Being billed as the “first and only Sudoku game” on Xbox Live Buku Sudoku includes more than 1200 puzzles along with multiplayer for four offline or up to eight players online. It can be bought for 800 Microsoft points.

Warlords is a revival of the classic game that features modern HD graphics and is a “pixel-perfect” copy of the original. The game can be bought for 400 Microsoft points, letting players beat up to three opponents at once online or offline.

Hoping to appeal to family gamers and casual nuts, EA has announced Hasbro Family Game Night, a game for families to play together, for the PS2 and Wii. Launching this Autumn, the title includes six games including Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, Connect Four, Sorry and Sorry Sliders.

These are all classic Hasbro games that can be played on the television, without the fuss of having to set up the boards. To make it more interesting, each of these games have been enhanced, adding “fresh dimensions and challenges” to the already fun games. Up to four players can participate in each game.

The game includes a digital game room where families can store earned trophies, furniture and decorations for their favorite games. It also includes a party mode that offers players the chance to build a custom party game by choosing their desired games, number of players and setting a time limit.

“We’re giving families a new way to bond and play together,” said Chip Lange, Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Casual Entertainment Label. “HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT offers parents and their children a digital party experience full of classic brands they know and love. Between original and new rule settings, an easy-to-play party mode and a customizable game room feature, the variety and choice promise hours of fun family play.”

If you’ve been enjoying Sony’s minimalistic, yet complex puzzle game echochrome, you might be itching for more levels. Satisfying said gamers is a post on the PlayStation Blog that offers new twenty new puzzle designs from various players of the game. These free levels are only available until May 21, so if you want to play them, grab them before said date.

The additional levels will appear at random in freeform mode if you set your difficulty level to 2 or 3. To recognize the work of the designers, Sony has included the PSN ID and the country of origin for each design in this Flickr set. So go ahead and congratulate them while you still can.

It’s a well known and oft lamented fact that many artists become famous after their inevitable demise. HP Lovecraft might have attained a measure of fame in his early 20th century writing career but his legacy has exploded across pop culture and the internet alike. The thought of malevolent gods of unspeakable evil sleeping deeply under the oceans awaiting the time when they will rise to dominate the earth once again is both chilling and somehow alluring at the same time.

Survival horror games are a fairly common genre and a particularly good example of the genre was released on the Gamecube. Entitled Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, the game was a Lovecraftian game in all but name. The evil entities lusting for mankinds destruction had different names, but the overall tone and style was taken whole cloth from Lovecraft’s writings. As well as being stylistic and rather horrific at points the game was generally well constructed and an enjoyable challenge. Needless to say, many gamers have been hoping for a sequel for some time now.

It seems possible that their prayers will be answered as Silicon Knights’ Denis Dyack has said that while they want to avoid being pidgeonholed into a single genre, a return to the game is a ’strong possibility’.

The Wii has given rise to casual gamers who crave nothing but casual games. To add to their lust comes Twelve Interactive, an Italian console game developer, and US publisher Detn8 Games, who announced Party Crashers, a spin-off sequel to CID The Dummy, for the Wii. Set for release in April 2009, the game will feature 25 party games, including action games, brain teasers, puzzle games and even a music-based dance game.

Familiar characters from the original CID The Dummy platform will be present alongside totally new characters. As expected, it will make use of the Wii Remote’s motion-sensitive aspects. Also, it will feature both single and multiplayer modes.

Jeff Hill, Vice President of Detn8 Games Ltd. says, “We’re delighted to work with Giuseppe Crugliano and his team at TWELVE INTERACTIVE. Party Crashers will be a fun game to make, and I’m confident that together we’ll produce a product that the Wii audience will get a big kick out of.”

Gamers of yesteryear are sure to remember the Mario branded puzzle game, Dr. Mario, which we first saw on the SNES and then again on its successor the N64. Well, Dr. Mario is back, this time as a 1000 Point WiiWare title that is expected to coincide with WiiWare’s North American launch on May 12th.

Previously thought to be titled either Dr. Mario’s Virus Buster or Dr. Mario & Bacteria Extermination, Dr. Mario Online Rx will give players the chance to revisit the almost forgotten series in the classic game play, color coordinating capsules to progress through different stages.

New to the series though, is multiplayer gameplay over Nintendo’s WFC which will allow players to go head-to-head online. Again, Dr Mario Online Rx is excepted to hit Nintendo’s WiiWare on May 12th for a slightly hefty 1000 Points.

Valve has revealed that it planned to release Portal on Xbox Live Arcade, which was shot down by Microsoft due to various restrictions.

“We’d love to do that. Right now it’s something we’d love to do. I’d love to sell Portal on Xbox Live,” said company marketing director Doug Lombardi. “[But] the platform holders aren’t doing that right now. There’s a size limit and all kinds of other things.”

He noted that despite the rejection, a downloadable Portal on consoles may still be possible.

“I think it’s a trade-off, we’ll see it one day,” the developer said. “It always happens once it’s been proven and I think it’s been proven now on Steam, so I’m sure it’ll migrate back to the consoles just like everything else does.”

Portal is currently available as part of The Orange Box and also as standalone PC title through retail and on Steam.

With the WiiWare just a few weeks away, Konami has announced plans to bring the first of several titles for the service to North America. First up is Critter Round-Up, also known as Saku Saku Animal Panic in Japan, that will hit the service as a launch title.

In development at Los Angeles, CA-based Epicenter Studios, Critter Round-Up is a puzzle game for up to four players. Players are tasked with building fences to separate different critter species into their own area, all the while avoiding predators and other mischievous animals attempting to stop the player. There will be five environments encompassing 50 levels, with gameplay modes including co-op Adventure Mode as well as special co-op challenges for up to four players.

Konami also announced future WiiWare titles including Crescendo and Fresco Beach, both of which are arcade titles.

Valve today announced that music-based puzzler Lumines is now available for purchase on Steam, the company’s downloadable games platform. Originally created by acclaimed designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the game features block-dropping puzzle gameplay in which music plays a key role. It was originally a launch title for the PSP, later popping up on the PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360, among other platforms.

Similar to its Xbox 360 version, the game can be purchased as a standalone Base Pack, which includes a challenge mode with 21 unlockable skins and a skin edit mode. There is also an Advanced Pack, which adds 21 challenge mode skins, Puzzle Mode and Mission Mode. Both the packs are available on Steam right now, with players receiving a 10% discount off their purchase until April 25.

Empire Interactive sends word that it plans to revive Pipemania in a remake of the classic puzzle game that will hit PC, PS2, PSP, DS and Wii this Summer. Here’s a bit on the game itself:

Pipemania is a fast-paced puzzle game in which players lay down a pre-ordained set of pipes on a tiled grid in order to keep the Flooze, a constant flowing substance that speeds up with progression, moving through the pipes as long as possible without overflowing. Players will need to be fast with their fingers and utilize quick and forward thinking, precise coordination, and keen awareness if they plan to survive the time constraints, pressure and accuracy needed to navigate through the game. There is no chance for players to let their guard down, as complication increases with new elements as players progress through the game.

The game will feature five different modes – world, arcade, bonus, multiplayer, classic and the original Pipemania game. Players will navigate through more than 70 levels with seven different themes in order to build their Island world. It will feature enhanced visuals, new play mechanics, multiple attacks and damages, various Floozes, and an army of characters. The entire game can be played in both single and coop, as well as competitive play between two players.

The original game was released back in 1989 and was followed by Pipe Dreams in 1991. It has sold over 4 million units worldwide and is regarded as one of the most popular games of all time.

Dutch game developer Two Tribes today announced that they will release Toki Tori for the Wii through its WiiWare downloadable games service. The studio, well known for working on the Worms franchise, is working on making this game as their entry into the world of home-console games. It is based on the critically acclaimed Game Boy Color game, improving on the original by including a new look, updated content and a completely overhauled Wii Remote control scheme.

Gameplay is said to be a blend of two genres: it looks like a platform game, but it’s a puzzle game at heart. Players will have look and plan ahead carefully while using a variety of items such as the Telewarp, Freeze-o-Matic and InstantRock.

It will be a launch title on the WiiWare service, which is scheduled to go live in North America on May 12.

Game|Life have an interview up with Telltale Games’ Dan Connors, concerning the recently announced Sam and Max for the Wii, and well as other juicy tidbits, like their upcoming Wiiware episodic projects. So what’s the deal with their episodic content for Wiiware? Well excitingly, you’ll know all in about a weeks time when Nintendo holds a media summit next week. Over the next 6 weeks in particular there will be quite a few media summits, so get ready for some hopefully big announcements to start slipping into the net.

Of course, pricing, details, release dates, and yes videos should be relied upon next week, Chris did try to sneak a few hints out, but being the astute gamers Telltale followers are, Dan Connors wasn’t budging. “I’m tempted to give you a cryptic hint, but our audience is so diligent in figuring stuff out, and the audience that we’ve licensed are diligent in figuring stuff out, that they would figure it out in a second if I gave you any inkling. So all I can say is that it’s an equally attentive audience, dedicated audience, to the Sam & Max audience.”

I guess we’ll have to wait until next week.

Microsoft has announced that color-matching puzzler TiQal will be this week’s lonely Xbox Live Arcade release. It will be available starting this Wednesday at 1 AM PDT for 800 Microsoft points. The puzzle game features 120 Mayan-inspired stages, 14 different power-ups and competitive and co-op multiplayer for two players.

The company also disclosed that a free automatic update for Switchball will also be available this Wednesday, updating the game with enhanced graphics and improved leaderboards.

An expansion pack for Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords will arrive this Spring, according to an announcement from D3Publisher. The downloadable Xbox 360 version of the puzzle-RPG game will see the introduction of four new Hero professions - Bard, Rogue, Ranger and Warlock - along with 25 new quests, new monsters and bosses, 50 new spells and 40 new items.

D3 is looking to the gamers to suggest a name for the expansion, which is currently titled Puzzle Quest 1.5. There is a contest currently going on which will end on April 2.