As part of a hidden surprise prepped for this week’s Nintendo Week segment, Nintendo revealed that Excitebike: World Rally is WiiWare bound, a re-imagining of the original NES motorcycle racing classic.

It’s due out November 9 and will feature several modern enhancements, including the option to play with the Wiimote’s motion sensor and online multiplayer support. Those who prefer using only buttons can opt for the standard control scheme. Additionally, the game will feature a track editor component.

More details are being promised for next week’s Nintendo Week episode.

Despite the fact that Konami has yet to officially announce Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, a full-on WiiWare remake of the Game Boy title of the same name, images showing off the second take of this whip-slinging entry have surfaced courtesy of Famitsu.

Not your typical remake, Konami went the extra mile with this one, giving it a modern look. Which by all accounts is a good thing, considering the original looks horrendously dated by today’s standards. In addition to introducing new foes, level designs have been given a facelift in tune with the traditional Castlevania look, notably replacing those out-of-place ropes from the original with actual stairs.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is slated for an October 27 release in Japan. Nintendo has stamped a vague Q3 2009 date in North America, meaning there is a chance it could make it its way here before Halloween as well.

In a press release detailing its holiday lineup, Nintendo revealed that DS title The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is on track for a December 7 release in North America.

While story details are still shrouded in mystery, the title features an cel-shaded art style fondly reminiscent of Phantom Hourglass. Apart from the added element of stylus driven controls, gameplay is largely akin to traditional Zelda efforts, this time with an added emphasis on exploration as Link guides a cannon-wielding steam engine.

See Nintendo’s mammoth release schedule from first-party and third-party publishers after the break. more »

So much for Sega’s poll apparently, as Gameloft today announced that it has a inked a multi-year license agreement with Interplay to publish beloved 2D side-scroller Earthworm Jim across all current digital distribution platforms. That includes WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network. more »

Konami’s seminal run n’ gun shooting franchise is set to arrive on WiiWare next week as Contra Rebirth. more »

Cowabunga! By way of photos taken from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles road tour van roaming across America, it has come to light that a full-on 3D remake of 1991′s Konami-developed brawler Turtles In Time is in development.

As many would attest to, back in its prime, this was undoubtedly one of the most memorable co-op brawlers. Some would even go as far to label it is as the pinnacle of the genre. It had a irresistible charm that, to this day, any Turtles game released since has yet to surpass. Just seeing the off-screen shot above of Alleycat Blues manages to evoke those sweet feelings of nostalgia. more »

By way of a Gamasutra report, it has come to light that Nintendo is not compensating developers for their WiiWare efforts until a minimum sales threshold is met. While the exact requirement is unknown, it is said to fall within the “mid four-figure” ballpark.

While this condition obviously does not affect the majority, it is arising concern amongst smaller indie developers, a number of which have confirmed that there is sales threshold. The staff of one such studio mentioned in the report feels they may not make the cut.

Is this a huge issue? For most the answer seems to be no, but for smaller studios struggling to meet sales targets, the issue is compounded by the fact that Nintendo does not allow demos of WiiWare titles. Having a playable demo can increase awareness and visibility, especially if your marketing budget is tight.

There’s no word on if a similar operational stipulation is in place for Nintendo’s sister service, DSiWare.

Report: WiiWare’s Minimum Sales Threshold Affects Developers [Gamasutra]

Nintendo of Europe today released the full list of titles it plans to release over the forthcoming spring and summer months, leading up to July. Notables on the WiiWare front include Cave Story and Crystal Defenders. DSiWare has its fair share of titles incoming as well, including Mighty Flip Champs and Brain Training.

Titles on Nintendo Download are not always released on a simultaneous basis across regions, so it’s impossible to say if North America will receive all of these by July. We’ll likely be seeing at least some of them on our side of the pond soon, though.

Follow the jump for the full list. more »

Independent game developer Gamelion Studios has released the first screenshots of its forthcoming WiiWare effort Furry Legends.

The screens are from a development snapshot and as such should in no way be considered final, but do provide a look at the direction the platformer is headed in. The team hopes to deliver a quality experience rivaling the top tiers on WiiWare. While it is without a doubt too early to definitively judge, it’s looking good so far. The colorful visuals in particular are eye-catching.

Look for an official trailer to hit around GDC time, which kicks off on March 23. For the rest of the screenshots, hit the jump. Gamelion also let us know they have launched an official blog and Twitter feed for around the clock updates as development progresses.

Furry Legends Screenshots

Independent developer Gamelion today announced Furry Legends, an original WiiWare effort pegged for release later this year. Described as a casual-oriented platforming title mixing 3D visuals with 2D gameplay, players take control of a unique cast of spherical characters, each with their own special abilities and move.

Gamelion is aiming to please both casual and core gamers with easy yet hard to master gameplay, coupled with a control set that takes advantage of the Wii Remote. Additionally, the game will feature a proprietary physics system centered around puzzles

Łukasz Szczepański, Producer of “Furry Legends”: “We’re all very excited about this project. It’s our first step into WiiWare, and we’re committed to debut with a very polished, high quality title. The team shows a lot of enthusiasm for the project and I’m confident that we’ll succeed in delivering a quality title to the gamers around the world.”

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