Redmond (WA) - Gearing up for its first big title since the Wii’s launch, Nintendo has added a preview of the new Metroid Prime game as well as a downloadable version of the first title in the series to the Wii Shop channel.

The NES Metroid game is available from the Wii’s Virtual Console as part of today’s weekly update to the digital online store. As one of few series that has made it through the entire life of Nintendo consoles, Metroid is one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises today.

The classic Metroid game can be downloaded for 500 Wii Points ($5).

Also available is a Metroid Prime 3 : Corruption preview, from the Wii Ware section of the Wii Shop. It’s the first of its kind in the online Wii outlet, as players can download a trailer and gameplay footage from the upcoming game.

The new preview can only be viewed with an active Internet connection, and two more videos will be added today. The MP3 preview is free.