North America – Today’s WiiWare/DSiWare/VC updates
From pulse-pounding action to mind-bending puzzles and beyond, this week’s lineup of new downloadable games offers a dizzying variety to satisfy players of all stripes. New additions for the WiiWare™ service include the sci-fi adventure of BLASTER MASTER™ OVERDRIVE and the speedy fun of Tomena Sanner, plus a pair of family-friendly games to help parents and their kids brighten up the dog days of winter. For the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, new attractions include the rocket-powered puzzles of Link ‘n’ Launch™ and the tower-defending thrills of Fieldrunners. And lest you should think cucumbers are only good for snacking, the Virtual Console™ debut of Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom lets Wii™ owners enjoy a quirky classic from the NES™ era.
WiiWare
BLASTER MASTER OVERDRIVE
Publisher: SUNSOFT
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: BLASTER MASTER OVERDRIVE is an action-adventure game that takes place on an Earth infected by an aggressive, polymorphic virus. Poor, defenseless animals worldwide have been turned into flesh-eating, hemoglobin-swilling terrors. Fortunately, the world has Alex, who happens to be one of the world’s foremost biologists and specializes in viral mutation profiles and genetic manipulation. Every studious biologist facing imminent global annihilation needs a sweet ride, and Alex is no exception. He has S.O.P.H.I.A., a shape-shifting, gas-guzzling, projectile-spewing paean to destruction on four wheels. Things look grim, but with Alex and S.O.P.H.I.A. on the case, the world just might have a chance.
Hanafuda Times Podcast Episode 20: Sonic Spectacular

How would have though talking just about Sonic the Hedgehog 4 would take the entire show? There’s alot covered, we dissect Sonic news and Rumors this week for your listening pleasure. Sorry about not answering questions, we’ll get to them next week I promise. Send any new questions to questions@thehanafudatimes.com! See you guys next week!
Blaster Master Overdrive – Trailer
Looks pretty sweet! It’s out on WiiWare tomorrow. Looks like we need to stock up some more points!
Rumor – Sonic Playable in Super Mario Galaxy 2

Recently Tweeted by UK Magazine NGamer
We’ve just had some shocking news from an inside source at Nintendo: Sonic will be a playable character in Mario Galaxy 2! Wha?
Please don’t let this be some cruel joke. Dear lord, would this not be the most amazing thing ever? I’ve always wanted my two favorite characters to team up…ad now they will! News as it develops.
Source
Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing – Roster Vehicle Breakdown
Race cars
Sonic
Amy Rose
Beat
Zobio & Zobiko
B.D. Joe
Jacky Bryant & Akira Yuki
Bonanza Bros.
*Mii
*Avatar
Off-Road
Knuckles
Dr. Robotnik
AiAi
Amigo
Billy Hatcher
*Banjo-Kazooie
*Forklift Ryo
Bike
Shadow
Big
Ryo Hazuki
Alex Kidd
Hovercraft
Tails
Ulala
ChuChus
Opa-Opa
*Represents exclusive and/or DLC character
Source
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Site Open…..Run by Sakurai?!

There are a few timers on new info. This might be the Super Smash Bros. Brawl website all over again! I loved that. Any news is good news, we’re still practically in the dark with this game. And yes, Sega can still ruin it, but as far as I’m concerned, so far, so good.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Confirmed for 360, PS3, and Wii!
The announcement of a new Sonic the Hedgehog game is always news, but with the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, the folks at Sega are taking a novel approach by marrying old-school Sonic gameplay and new-school delivery. Sonic 4 will be a 2D game with 3D visuals for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii and will be distributed as a downloadable game upon its release this summer. To learn more about what to expect from the game, we spoke with Sega associate brand manager Ken Balough.
Phew. I half expected to see Wii left out of this all together. Thank you Sega, for not ignoring Nintendo. And thank you also for not screwing it up this time…..I think. This whole episodic thing…not sure if like.
Source
Aonuma Would like to Present a Playable Zelda Wii at E3
“I’d like to show something playable….We’ll work hard in order to get you playing it as soon as possible.” -Eiji Aonuma
I don’t need anything playable. Just show us some screens, damnit! A video, a music sample, something! We still know so little about this game, to the point where I don’t even know if I’m going to like it. Never have I ever felt indifference towards a Zelda game, but I have no other alternatives. Show. Us. Something.
Source
Project Needlemouse – Intro Music
Sounds just like the old Sonic music we knew and loved. The best part: No Crush 40. It will be refreshing to play a Sonic game devoid of a rock band who makes Nickelback sound like the Rolling Stones.
Project Needlemouse – New Concept Art, Site Opens Thursday


Does this Flora look familiar? It should. It’s high time we see some Fauna….looks like we’ll have to wait till Thursday for that.
Thursday, Feb 4th: The big day! Project Needlemouse’s actual title revealed, and an extra Bonus…
I hope by “Extra Bonus” they give us some sort of downloadable demo. I’d settle for them revealing whether it’s going to be on the Wii or not, since most sources point against it. Thursday needs to hurry up and get here.