Get ready to celebrate the arrival of a bunch of fun new features on the Wii Shop Channel. This week marks the debut of the first Pokemon game for the Virtual Console: Pokemon Snap, which originally was a hit on Nintendo 64. This Pokemon photographic adventure comes with a special Wii bonus: It now includes a special feature that allows players to post pictures they take in the game to their Wii Message Board and send them to friends with whom they've traded Friends Codes.

Later in the day on Monday, Nintendo will make your holiday shopping just a little bit easier. If some people on your gift list have visions of classic video games dancing in their heads, you're in luck. Starting this week, Wii Shop Channel patrons can use a new Gifting feature to send games to other Wii owners with whom they've traded Friend Codes. It's an easy and inexpensive way to give your fellow Nintendo buffs the gift of a classic game - no wrapping paper required. And don't worry about duplication. If your friend already has the game you're trying to give, you'll get a simple message and be bumped back into the catalog to continue shopping.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. New this week is Pokemon Snap.

Pokemon Snap (Nintendo 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): As one of the most unique games in a renowned series, Pokemon Snap was the first truly 3-D Pokemon game and introduced the phenomenon to the Nintendo 64. Travel to Pokemon Island and meet Professor Oak to begin a safari, taking the best possible photographs of 63 different Pokemon as they exist in the wild, undisturbed by humans. This is not as easy as it sounds - the island has many types of climates and environments to explore, along with secret activities and hidden passages to discover. Plus, some of the Pokemon can be a little shy and won't pose for the camera unless you tease them with special items. After you're done, submit one picture of each Pokemon to Professor Oak, and he'll judge it based on size, pose, technique and number of Pokemon captured.

Source: press.nintendo.com