It’s Monday and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to get excited about this week’s eShop releases. This week we have a lot to look forward to, from a huge Wii U release, to some excellent Virtual Console treats, and a new Mario adventure on the 3DS, all complimented with discounts and Home themes to further sweeten the deal.

Check out the full list of releases below, and let us know which games will be taking up space on your hard drives this week.

Wii U Retail Download

  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft, €59.99 / £49.99 or €49.99 / £40.99 until 18th December for those that have downloaded Xenoblade Chronicles on the same Wii U) – after hitting Japan last April, it’s finally time for the West to embark on this impressively complex RPG, the follow-up to the 2011 Wii game. This time you’ll find yourself on Planet Mira, as a colony of humans strives for survival. Check for our review of this demanding game shortly – you will be rewarded for the many hours of time invested in this deeply immersive game. Note: available from 4th December.

Wii U eShop

  • Human Resource Machine (Tomorrow Corporation, €9.99 / £8.99) – another interesting puzzle game from the creators of World of Goo and Little Inferno. Each level sees you play the role of a corporate drone who automates programming your office. Success leads to promotion, working on the next level of the corporation for another year.
  • Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Capcom, €14.99 / £13.49 until 18th December, then €19.99 / £17.99) – one of the most underappreciated gems from the Wii era, this quirky, point-and-click adventure was released in 2007 (2008 in Europe). There’s some tricky puzzle solving to be done, with the innovative use of Wii Remote making this one of the standout Wii titles.

Wii U Virtual Console

  • Kirby Mass Attack (Nintendo, €9.99 / £8.99 or €4.99 / £4.49 until 10th December for those that have downloaded Kirby: Power Paintbrush on the same Wii U) – this Kirby spin-off was released on the DS in 2011. Here you control up to ten Kirbys through the touch screen, using stars to lead your Kirbys to attack enemies and obstacles. There’s puzzles to solves and items to collect, making this another fun entry in Kirby’s long-running series.
  • Kirby: Power Paintbrush (Nintendo, €9.99 / £8.99 or €4.99 / £4.49 until 10th December for those that have downloaded Kirby Mass Attack on the same Wii U) – this is the DS predecessor to the Wii U’s Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush, and utilizes the touch screen to draw lines, allowing Kirby ro roll along through levels.

Wii U eShop Temporary Discounts

  • Wicked Monsters Blast! HD PLUS (Corecell, €2.99 / £2.69 until 31st December, normally € 7.99 / £7.19)
  • EDGE (Two Tribes, €0.79 / £0.71 until 17th December, normally €1.99 / £1.79)
  • RUSH (Two Tribes, €0.79 / £0.71 until 17th December, normally €1.99 / £1.79)
  • Swords & Soldiers (Two Tribes, €1.19 / £0.99 until 17th December, normally €2.99 / £2.69)
  • Toki Tori (Two Tribes, €0.79 / £0.69 until 17th December, normally €1.99 / £1.79)
  • Toki Tori 2+ (Two Tribes, €2.99 / £2.49 until 17th December, normally €14.99 / £12.99)

Wii U DLC

  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (Disc version): Basic High-Speed Data Loading Pack – Impact: High (Nintendo, free)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (Disc version): Enemy High-Speed Data Loading Pack – Impact: Medium (Nintendo, free)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (Disc version): Player High-Speed Data Loading Pack – Impact: Medium (Nintendo, free)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (Disc version): Skell High-Speed Data Loading Pack – Impact: Medium (Nintendo, free)

3DS Retail Download

  • Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. (Nintendo, €39.99 / £34.99) – the quirky RPG series continues with this cross-ever entry, joining forces with the Paper Mario series. When the brothers team up with Paper Mario, the developers are open to playing with new ideas and approaches, making this yet another strong entry in the franchise. Available from 4th December.

3DS eShop

  • Pokémon Picross (Nintendo, free) – the latest free-to-play Pokémon game is a Picross-style puzzle game, where you create images of Pokémon by filling in squares based on numbers. You’ll then utilize their skills in follow-up puzzles.

3DS eShop Temporary Discounts

  • AeternoBlade (Corecell, €4.99 / £4.50 until 31st December, normally €14.99 / £13.50)
  • 3D MahJongg (Joindots, €3.99 / £3.59 until 17th December, normally €4.99 / £4.49)
  • Gardenscapes (Joindots, €5.99 / £4.49 until 17th December, normally €7.99 / £5.99)
  • Pazuru (Joindots, €4.49 / £2.99 until 17th December, normally €5.99 / £3.99)
  • Darts Up 3D (EnjoyUp Games, €0.99 / £0.89 until 31st December, normally €2.99 / £2.69)
  • Football Up Online (EnjoyUp Games, €1.99 / £1.79 until 31st December, normally €3.99 / £3.59)

3DS eShop DLC

The following ‘Picrites’ options are available with Pokémon Picross:

  • 200 Picrites (one-off price) – €0.99 / £0.89
  • 200 Picrites – €1.49 / £1.39
  • 1000 Picrites – €6.99 / £6.29
  • 2000 Picrites – €12.99 / £11.69
  • 4000 Picrites – €24.99 / £22.49

3DS HOME Themes

  • The Winx at Alfea – A fairylicious school (Rainbow, €1.99 / £1.79) – Available from 4th December.
  • Mia and Me – A Centopic friendship (Rainbow, €1.99 / £1.79) – Available from 4th December.