Hailed as the “best game ever”, Nintendo has announced that Super Mario Bros. 3 is now available on the Wii Shop Channel. It has also made available two other classic titles - Alien Soldier and Power Golf. Scoop:

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Remember when no one had ever heard of a Tanooki Suit or knew that Bowser™ had a clan of Koopalings? The game that made these things common knowledge is also considered by many to be one of the best ever made. Bowser and the Koopalings are causing chaos yet again, but this time they’re going beyond the Mushroom Kingdom into the seven worlds that neighbor it. Now Mario and Luigi™ must battle new enemies, returning favorites and a new Koopaling in each unique and distinctive world on their way to ultimately taking on Bowser himself. Luckily for the brothers, they have more power-ups available than ever before. Fly above the action using the Super Leaf, swim faster by donning the Frog Suit or defeat enemies using the Hammer Bros. Suit. Use the brand-new overworld map to take the chance to play a minigame in hopes of gaining extra lives or to find a Toad’s House where you can pick up additional items. All this (and more) combines into one of gaming’s most well-known and beloved titles-are you ready to experience gaming bliss?

Alien Soldier (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older -Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points): As Epsilon-Eagle, you are an alien soldier who has been genetically engineered to produce maximum intelligence and strength. You were once a member of the criminal organization Scarlet, but when you decided to break from the group, you were forced into a showdown with Scarlet’s new leader Xi-Tiger, who kills a hostage in his attempt to destroy you. Now it’s up to you to take revenge against the bad guys in this side-scrolling action game! Choose from six different weapons and battle the bosses of Scarlet until you reach the final confrontation with the ultimate secret weapon!

Power Golf (TurboGrafx16, 1-3 players, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Power Golf sports a perfect combination of simple-yet-realistic controls and beautiful graphics. Swing away on 18 lush holes in one of three different game modes: the single-player STROKE PLAY mode and the multiplayer MATCH PLAY and COMPETITION modes. Enter tournaments as one of three different characters-beginner, intermediate and advanced. Wind strength and the slope of the green add extra challenges to each hole. Compete against other players in the standard NORMAL MATCH or ante up one of your clubs in the unique CLUB MATCH. Up to three players can play in COMPETITION mode, and a handicap feature is included to help novice players pull off breathtaking shots just like their advanced rivals.

The legendary animated arcade game Space Ace has been re-released in high definition. Video from the game has been transferred directly from the original film source, resulting in sharp images and vibrant colors which are said to be better than the original laser disc release.

Dubbed Space Age HD, the game will also feature a completely new five channel surround sound audio mix and more. Here’s the deal on the story:

In Space Ace you play the heroic Ace who must stop the evil Commander Borf from taking over the Earth! Borf plans to reduce all of humankind to infants and take over the planet. Only two people have the courage and strength to stop Borf and save Earth: the beautiful Kimberly and the heroic Ace. But as they approach Borf’s stronghold, Ace is hit by the Infanto Ray, changing him into a child, and Kimberly is kidnapped by the evil madman! The fate of Earth is in your hands!

The game will be available later this Fall on PC. It will also be released on Blu-ray and HD-DVD sometime next year.

Rising Star Games has announced Rainbow Islands Evolution, a remake of a Taito classic, for the PSP. Third in the company’s Evolution series, which includes updates to Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands will also see “innovative, original extrapolations of classic game designs whilst harnessing the 3D power of the PSP.”

Set once again in the titular Rainbow Islands, Bub and Bob are now under the shadow of an evil record company who is polluting the ecosystem with a constant, mass-produced musical dirge. With this cacophony causing the flora to wilt and the fauna to mutate into aggressive enemies, only Bub and Bob have the experience to take on the record company and its seven bosses, setting the stage for an entirely new adventure.

The game environment itself is receiving a major overhaul. The strict vertical ascents of the original have been expanded and extrapolated into three dimensions, with each level’s building-block platforms now following perspective and disappearing into the distance. As Bub and Bob negotiate the levels, these platforms will scroll to the forefront as they become accessible. This literally opens up a new dimension for the classic Rainbow Islands gameplay and forms just one of a host of new features, which will be detailed as Rainbow Islands Evolution nears its early 2007 release date.

Rainbow Islands Evolution is set for release sometime next year. Further details are expected to be announced shortly.

Giving even more incentives to stick with its premium online network, Microsoft has announced Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays, a new program that will let gamers enjoy a new classic retro game each week for a whole month. It has already started - July 12 saw the release of Konami’s 1981 classic Frogger which will subsequently be followed by these titles:

• 19th July - Cloning Clyde
  
• 26th July - Galaga
  
• 2nd August - Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting
  
• 9th August - Pac-Man