Frogger Returns now on WiiWare

Konami Digital Entertainment’s Frogger Returns is now available on Nintendo WiiWare. The latest game in the classic arcade game series starring the road crossing frog now comes in a downloadable format and challenges players to safely deliver Frogger to his destination in a new 3D world.

In Frogger Returns, players must employ dodge-and-run techniques in order to help Frogger out of the busy city and back into the marshland. Gamers must also avoid the hectic streets, sewers and subways that obstruct Frogger’s path home. By utilizing new power-ups including time freeze, invincibility and time reverse, players can manipulate the various environments to make it home alive. How Frogger got these powers is a complete mystery, but hey maybe it will save him from becoming a red and green splotch on a busy city street.

Frogger Returns is available now for download on Nintendo WiiWare for 500 points, and will be available later this month on the PlayStation Network for $4.99.

A Boy and His Blob Returning This Year

Proving the old adage that everything old is new again, Majesco and developer WayForward Technologies have announced officially that they are resurrecting the classic NES title, A Boy and His Blob, and updating the game for a new generation of gamers and a new generation of consoles, bringing the title to the Nintendo Wii later this year. WayForward is no stranger to handling classic characters, having previously developed the DS titles Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck! and Contra 4. This time around, the developer will be feeding gamers’ sweet tooth, bringing the jelly bean powered Blobert back with new animations, new abilities, and new gameplay options.

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Punch Out!! in May

Nintendo of America will release Punch Out!! for the Wii on May 18, according to an announcement by the company this morning. The Punch-Out!! series has been dormant since the release of Super Punch-Out!! (SNES) in 1994, so fans of that popular game have reason to celebrate. Not too many details have been revealed other than the promise of all of the fun of the beloved classic NES. Using the Wii Remote, players battle as iconic hero Little Mac, fighting their way through a cast of new and familiar boxing opponents in bid to win the WVBA (World Video Boxing Association) Championship Belt.

Nintendo also announced that Excitebots: Trick Racing, an arcade racing game based on the classic Excite Bike franchise, will be released for Wii on April 20; a remake of the GameCube game, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, will hit shelves on May 4.

Splatterhouse Developers Go Bust

Rumors move faster than the speed of light on the Internet. As developer Bottle Rocket’s new game, a remake of Splatterhouse was being shown off at New York Comic-Con over the weekend, rumors were circulating that the company had closed its doors. Today that rumor becomes more of a truth as a report on VG247 confirms that the new game’s development has been moved in-house to publisher Namco Bandai Games.

The development team behind Afro Samurai has apparently taken over development of the game and the Bottle Rocket staff is being paid what its owed and let go. The Carlsbad, California-based development studio was formed in 2002 from the core team behind the PS2 hit Mark of Kri.