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Nintendo cordially suggests that you use this week's Virtual Console lineup as an opportunity to "try plunging your soul into the mind of a twisted demon," which is such a bizarre combination of words for a press release that I'm unable to fully process it. I'll have to think about it later, after I have breakfast and wake up a little more.

You'll do the bulk of your mind-plunging this week with Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16, 600 Points), a sub-average horizontal shooter that rakes its twisted, demonic fingernails against the bottom of the barrel of the TurboGrafx's back catalog. A better option would be Kirby 64 (N64, 1000 Points), a delightful 2.5D side-scroller that suffers only a little for its lack of a description that reads like it was written by American McGee.

Which game will you be plunging your soul into this week? I might give Kirby another look, even though some people say it's the weakest of the series. Maybe it gets better after the first few levels.

WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Feb. 25, 2008

This week's additions take players on a psychedelic trip down memory lane. Kirby® is back and armed with a bunch of new talents, including the option to combine abilities. Curious to find out what mixing the Burn and Cutter powers gives Kirby? We won't spoil that for you here. If the colorful landscapes in the pink sphere's world are too much for you and you're looking for straight firepower instead, then try plunging your soul into the mind of a twisted demon. We'll just see how you fare against wave after wave of bizarre enemy creatures in that kind of environment.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Kirby's first 3-D adventure is also his Nintendo 64 debut, and it finds the always-versatile hero battling a new enemy called Dark Matter. Dark Matter is after a distant land's powerful crystal, but a young fairy named Ribbon attempts to save it by escaping with the gem to Dream Land. Now the crystal has been broken, and it's scattered around the world. Take control of Kirby and help him journey across six worlds, battling a wide variety of enemies and challenging bosses, as he tries to collect all 100 pieces of the shattered crystal. Along the way, you'll use Kirby's trademark copying ability to use enemies' strengths against them. Not only that, but try combining any two abilities to create a brand-new one that is usually stronger than the original. Throw in three exciting multiplayer minigames, and you've got a package of which even King Dedede would be proud. Fans of Kirby and action games with bright, colorful graphics should vacuum this one up.

Psychosis (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone  Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): This is a side-scrolling shooter played in a world created from the mind of a twisted demon. Your soul has suddenly wandered into that evil world that exists in every person's heart. The only way out is to blast your way past the grotesque creatures that block your path in five "causes" (stages). You must face the dangers of this psychedelic world by making full use of three shot types and the satellite option. With power-ups, you can change your shots to a wide-coverage beam, a satellite-generated laser and more. Each shot type can be powered up to three levels. You can also block enemy fire by rotating the satellites to a desired position. How you use these features will be the key to successfully escaping this strange and surreal world.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

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