Westerners on WiiWare; Samurai on VC; Exotic Farms, Mahjong and Acoustic Guitars on DSiWare

Today might be a national holiday in United States but that doesn't mean the Nintendo Download is taking a day off, with five releases including the return of Virtual Console in the form of Samurai Shodown III.

WiiWare

Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner (Revistronic, 1000pts) – Take the role of cowboy Fenimore Fillmore in this adaptation of a long-running series of PC point and click adventures. The press release makes it sound less of an action-packed Western romp and more of a diplomatic mission to reunite farmers and cattle ranchers, but we'll get to the bottom of it all in our upcoming review.

Virtual Console

Samurai Shodown III (Neo Geo, 900pts) – SNK's revered feudal fighter returns. Haohmaru, Amakusa and more classic characters appear, with the alternate Bust and Slash versions of characters making their first appearance. Have a read of our Samurai Shodown III review to see why this slasher is a cut above.

DSiWare

Simply Mahjong (Engine Software, 200pts) – Another week, another take on the matching tiles game hits DSiWare. This one is from the developers of Simply Solitaire and Simply Sudoku, so if you've played either title you'll have a fair idea of what to expect. You'll have an even clearer idea by reading our Simply Mahjong review, of course.

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So we start again. Let's hope this week beats The Great Nintendo Press Site Refreshing of last week

Debut at #12 for bounty hunter

Despite getting off to a flying sales start elsewhere around the world, Metroid: Other M has faltered in its first week on sale in the UK, coming in at number 12.

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Full of audio treats you simply will not believe

The Nintendo Life podcast is taking a break for a little while, but this final-for-a-while show is crammed full of quality items. Terrible accents, anonymous listeners pretending to host talk shows about genitals – yes, really – and the culmination of Sean Aaron's interview with Gaijin Games's Chris Osborn, there's never been a more varied or bizarre episode of the Nintendo Life podcast.

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Will controls be fair for both?

With the recent confirmation that Killzone 3 will support the Move controller in online play as well as offline, discussion naturally arose about whether gamers using the super-precise motion controller will have an advantage or disadvantage when playing against opponents using dual analogue controls. Steven Ter Heide of Guerilla Games revealed at PAX that the studio has yet to make a decision on whether the two control schemes will be mixed online.

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Blasts from the past

Once upon a time, on-rails shooters ruled the arcades, and arguably no company did the genre better than Sega. Whether blasting criminals in Virtua Cop, gunning down zombies in House of the Dead or taking down dinosaurs, aliens or whatever else strays in front of your barrel, Sega brought a rich collection of shooters to arcade cabinets everywhere. Now the company's ported the chopper-tastic pair Gunblade NY and LA Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack to Wii at a budget price to try to convince you that the genre's not quite dead.

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Just recruited Vyse to my squad in Valkyria Chronicles, making it the best RPG since Skies of Arcadia. FACT.

Let your virtual you have a look

There are already some pretty oddball ways to interact in PlayStation Home, but dressing up as a PlayStation Move controller to take part in team tasks probably takes the biscuit.

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Zallag zooming around on September 10th

European publisher Zallag, the same company behind the upcoming Gods vs. Humans, is set to launch its first WiiWare title in Europe next week with the release of Racers' Island: Crazy Racers.

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Valkyria Chronicles is about a young man who talks to fish. Finally an RPG hero I can believe in!