Mini Marios march onto Nintendo DSiWare, and Pilotwings takes flight on Virtual Console!

18 August 2009 – This week marks the start of gamescom – a new videogame expo in Cologne, Germany – and to celebrate, we’ve lined up two eagerly awaited titles for Nintendo DSi and Wii gamers.

From Friday August 21, players can download Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! for Nintendo DSiWare – the unique puzzle-action game that lets users create their own levels and share them online – while retro fans can take to the skies with the classic Super Nintendo flight sim Pilotwings for Virtual Console.

But if you can’t wait until Friday – and you’re lucky enough to visit gamescom – then get down to the Nintendo stand where you can try both these titles before they’re available to download!

Further new titles will also be available in the Nintendo DSi Shop and Wii Shop Channel, to be announced soon.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! has all the well loved features of the Nintendo DS title Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis plus all-new levels and other major gameplay enhancements.

After Donkey Kong goes ape at the re-opening of Mario’s theme park Super Mini Mario World, you must guide a group of Mini Marios – tiny clockwork Mario toys – across perilous platform levels to rescue Pauline, making a comeback after her debut role in the original Donkey Kong arcade game.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! features fiendishly designed levels that will task your puzzle-solving and platforming skills. But if you think you can do better, then enter the Construction Zone where you can design your own levels, try them out and then unleash them on other players across the world via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, or share them with friends by local wireless connection. And by downloading levels from other players worldwide, there’s always a fresh challenge awaiting you!

Also available to download this week, from the Wii Shop Channel, is a true classic from the Super Nintendo era: Pilotwings, making its Virtual Console debut.

Produced by the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto, Pilotwings wowed audiences in 1992 by putting a fun new spin on flight simulation.

Pilot a range of flying machines as you earn your wings and advance through the ranks. Jump into a biplane and soar through the floating rings, before bringing it in for a pinpoint landing. Perform a precision skydive on to a distant ground target. Soar silently from a hang glider and catch the thermals – you can even test the experimental Rocketbelt!

If your flying skills are up there with the best, you can unlock bonus stages for extra challenges. With Pilotwings, the sky’s the limit!

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! will be available on August 21 from the Nintendo DSi Shop for 800 Nintendo DSi Points. Pilotwings will also be available on August 21 from the Wii Shop Channel for 800 Wii Points. Make sure you keep checking the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo Channel for all the latest Virtual Console and Nintendo DSiWare news and releases, as well as keeping an eye here on Nintendo.co.uk.