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Nintendo Switch and Wii U add a Lego game and two great shmups

TuboGrafx-16 classic Super Star Soldier available now

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Charlie Hall is Polygon’s tabletop editor. In 10-plus years as a journalist & photographer, he has covered simulation, strategy, and spacefaring games, as well as public policy.

Nintendo announced today the addition of Lego City Undercover to the Nintendo Switch eShop. That game is joined by a pair of shoot ‘em ups, including a new title for the Switch and a classic TurboGrafx-16 port for the Wii U.

Lego City Undercover is a port of the 2013 title for the Wii U. It’s an older game to be sure, but it reviewed reasonably well here at Polygon and other outlets. The game follows the exploits of Chase McCain, Lego City’s top cop, in an open world adventure. Our review pointed out that it struggled to “capitalize on what makes Lego special” trading in the franchise’s creative roots for more adult themes.

Also coming to the eShop today is Graceful Explosion Machine, a two-dimensional side-scrolling shmup. This is the indie game’s debut, and it’s essentially the first of its kind on the new mobile/console hybrid platform. You can take a look at a 22-minute sample below.

Finally, there’s a Switch demo of Just Dance 2017, Ubisoft’s motion-controlled rhythm game.

For the Wii U’s virtual console, players now have access to two new ports of classic TurboGrafx-16 games. World Sports Competition includes events like shooting, archery, rowing and swimming as well as a competitive Olympics mode. But the real gem is Super Star Soldier, the classic vertical shmup first released in 1990. Players will pilot their heavily armed ship, the Neo Caesar, against Mother Brain to defend Earth for the first time on a Nintendo device, in English, since 2006.

Nintendo is also running a sale on the Fire Emblem series. Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright for the 3DS, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones for the Wii U are all 30 percent off.