This week in the Nintendo eShop: Endless Mario courses on the go, advanced tactical warfare in your living room, and final call for Black Friday digital deals.

Nintendo’s Black Friday Cyber Sale continues this week with up to 50% savings on a wide selection of fantastic games, from Nintendo heavy hitters to cherished indie gems. Be sure to act fast though, as the sale is set to end early in the morning on December 5th. Don’t forget, My Nintendo members also earn Gold Points for every purchase above $5, so make sure to sign up if you aren’t already a member and reap future rewards!

WII U DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE

SHOOT THE BALL (RCMADIAX, $1.49) – Missed out on the $99 deal for Black and White New 3DS systems last week? Fret not dear reader, because RCMADIAX’s New 3DS system seller SHOOT THE BALL is being ported to Wii U consoles today! Sarcasm aside, I’m pretty sure you can figure out the game’s premise from the title. This may come as a shock to anyone who follows my weekly struggles with RCMADIAX’s misadventures in game development, but I actually dig their penchant for simplistic design this time around. Launching a ball through small gaps in shapes coupled with the visual aesthetic of shifting colored backgrounds to signal the level of difficulty is actually quite clever. I just wish they would branch out into genres other than endless arcade knockoffs, or at the very least enroll in a typography class or two.

WII U VIRTUAL CONSOLE

Advance Wars: Dual Strike (Nintendo, $9.99) – Sharpen your bayonets and report in for duty: you’re being drafted to fight in the Advance Wars, and your platoon ships right now! Originally released on the Nintendo DS back in 2005, Dual Strike marks the third installment in the highly lauded Advance Wars series. Continuing the storyline of its predecessors, Black Hole has returned under leadership of a new commander seeking eternal life by draining the world’s energy. It’s up to you and your army of foot soldiers, tanks, pilots and naval captains to put a stop to his nefarious plans once and for all. Gameplay is highly reminiscent of the Fire Emblem series as two to four armies take turns building and commanding units along grid-based maps in an attempt to annihilate each other in all out warfare. Back in its heyday, Dual Strike was considered the epitome of turn-based strategy games thanks to its balanced difficulty, variety of new weapons, memorable cast of characters and intuitive use of DS-specific features. Despite the loss of multiplayer modes here on the Virtual Console, this lovingly crafted gem absolutely deserves a home in any strategy genre fan’s digital library.

WII U SPECIAL OFFERS AND DEALS

Star Fox Zero ($34.99 | 30% off) until 12/5
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD ($34.99 | 30% off) until 12/5
Jotun: Valhalla Edition ($9.99 | 33% off) until 12/5
Super Meat Boy ($11.20 | 20% off) until 12/5
Don’t Starve: Giant Edition ($5.10 | 66% off) until 12/5
Super Mario Galaxy 2 ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
FAST Racing Neo ($7.49 | 50% off) until 12/5
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Kirby Mass Attack ($4.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Mighty No. 9 ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Darksiders II ($9.99 | 75% off) until 12/5
Terraria ($22.49 | 25% off) until 12/5
Trine Enchanted Edition ($7.49 | 50% off) until 12/5
Trine 2: Director’s Cut ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Freedom Planet ($7.49 | 50% off) until 12/5
Just Dance 2017 Gold Edition ($35.99 | 40% off) until 12/5
Just Dance 2016 Gold Edition ($24.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($23.99 | 40% off) until 12/5
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers ($11.99 | 60% off) until 12/5
LEGO Jurassic World ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Skylanders SuperChargers Portal Owner’s Pack ($24.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Tumblestone ($17.49 | 30% off) until 12/5
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 ($4.99 | 75% off) until 12/8
Legend of Kay Anniversary ($6.24 | 75% off) until 12/8
Nano Assault Neo ($7.49 | 25% off) until 12/22
TRANSFORMERS: Rise of the Dark Spire ($19.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
TRANSFORMERS PRIME ($24.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
The Amazing Spider-Man Ultimate Edition (19.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($24.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Jeopardy! ($9.99 | 75% off) until 12/8
Wheel of Fortune ($9.99 | 75% off) until 12/8
Astral Breakers ($2.99 | 40% off) until 12/7
Fit Music ($11.96 | 60% off) until 12/5
Plenty of Fishies ($2.99 | 40% off) until 12/29

Check Nintendo’s website for the full list of deals available.

3DS RETAIL

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo, $39.99 | available 12/2) – Last year’s love child of Super Mario All-Stars and Mario Paint makes its portable debut this week, cramming a near-infinite number of side-scrolling 2D Mario courses snuggly into the backs of gamers’ pockets. While perhaps not the definitive Maker experience thanks to the omission of online course sharing, notable new features like earning challenge medals through 100 built-in stages, collaborating on courses between friends, and sharing creations via StreetPass are sure to keep players stomping Goombas and Parakoopas well through the holiday season. Keep it plugged in to Nintendo Wire for our full review in the coming days to see how Mario’s latest foray in course construction stacks up to its Wii U counterpart, written by none other than yours truly.

NEW 3DS DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE

Hyperlight EX (CatfishBlues Games, $5.49) – Bullet hell arcade madness at its finest, Hyperlight EX is a frantic, psychedelic drug trip through space as you pilot a ship at the speed of light through hordes of evil alien monsters. Stunning graphics full of vibrant, neon colors and special effects make this one of the prettier titles to hit the eShop in a long time, only made more alluring by the mere thought of how gorgeous the high-octane action must look in stereoscopic 3D (not to mention that bargain bin price). With three game modes spanning 50+ levels, eight mid-boss stages and four final boss battles, there’s plenty of content to keep fans of the genre hooked in this addictive looking high score chaser.

CUP CRITTERS (RCMADIAX, $1.49) – Second this week in titles that angrily shout at you is the latest bafflingly New 3DS exclusive by everyone’s favorite eShop developer RCMADIAX. CUP CRITTERS is a simple arcade game about manipulating gravity to keep balls with googly eyes in cups. Apparently it missed its target release date a few weeks ago, meaning I once again have the illustrious honor of wasting valuable brain cells to come up with some clever way to share my relentless disdain for the kings of eShop shovelware. The best part? We all get to do it again come January 5th when the Wii U port goes live! Oh joy!

3DS SPECIAL OFFERS AND DEALS

Hyrule Warriors Legends ($27.99 | 30% off) until 12/5
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX ($3.59 | 40% off) until 12/5
The Legend of Zelda ($2.99 | 40% off) until 12/5
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes ($23.99 | 40% off) until 12/5
Fire Emblem Awakening ($19.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Monster Hunter Generations ($23.99 | 40% off) until 12/5
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team ($19.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
7th Dragon III Code: VFD ($29.99 | 25% off) until 12/5
Project X Zone 2 ($19.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma ($27.99 | 30% off) until 12/5
Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward ($12.49 | 50% off) until 12/5
Kirby Fighters Deluxe ($3.49 | 50% off) until 12/5
Kirby’s Star Stacker ($1.49 | 50% off) until 12/5
Azure Striker GUNVOLT ($9.99 | 33% off) until 12/5
Azure Striker GUNVOLT 2 ($13.49 | 10% off) until 12/5
SteamWorld Heist ($11.99 | 40% off) until 12/5
Terraria ($14.99 | 25% off) until 12/5
Mega Man Legacy Collection ($7.49 | 50% off) until 12/5
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($17.99 | 40% off) until 12/5
LEGO Jurassic World ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers ($7.99 | 60% off) until 12/5
The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins ($14.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze ($14.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ($14.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ($14.99 | 50% off) until 12/5
Disney Frozen: Olaf’s Quest ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/15
Goosebumps: The Game ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/15
Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? ($7.50 | 74% off) until 12/15
Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay ($9.99 | 50% off) until 12/15
The Amazing Spider-Man ($14.99 | 50% off) until 12/15
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($14.99 | 50% off) until 12/15
TRANSFORMERS PRIME The Game ($14.99 | 50% off) until 12/15
TRANSFORMERS: Rise of the Dark Spire ($14.99 | 50% off) until 12/15
Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH! ($2.24 | 25% off) until 12/22
Soccer Up Online ($2.99 | 25% off) until 12/8
Luv Me Buddies Wonderland ($9.96 | 50% off) until 12/05
Luxor ($0.99 | 83% off) until 12/29
Hidden Expedition Titanic (83% off) until 12/29
4 Elements ($0.99 | 83% off) until 12/29
Azada ($0.99 | 83% off) until 12/29

Check Nintendo’s website for the full list of deals available.

AMIIBO

8-bit Link: The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, $12.99 | available 12/2)
Link: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, $12.99 | available 12/2)
Toon Link + Toon Zelda: The Wind Waker Dual Pack (Nintendo, $24.99 | available 12/2)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf Welcome amiibo Card Pack [Wave 5] (Nintendo, $5.99 | available 12/2)

What games will you be downloading this week? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

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