New releases for the week of Alien Invasions and Crystal Bearing

Pallurikio

With the end of the holiday shopping season approaching, we’ve got another slow week in releases. First up, I want to show you Pallurikio for WiiWare. In this game, players control a small pinball-esque creature, named Pallurikio, as he traverses mazes and puzzle levels in 2D plat former fashion. What’s interesting about this game is the control scheme. Players use the WiiMote pointer to aim and fire Pallurikio from platform to platform. With the levels falling apart as the player traverses them, it’s important to have good WiiMote agility and quick aim to get through. The game also features collectible in-game cards and realistic physics.

0 Day Attack on Earth

In the Xbox Live Arcade this week, we’re getting 0 Day Attack on Earth. This overhead shooter has photo realistic backgrounds which depict real Earth locations, through which the player must fly and shoot invading aliens. The gameplay seems pretty typical of the genre, and allows for multiplayer over Live. If you’re looking for a new pick-up game to pass some time with your friends on Live, this may be the answer.

Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign

For the PSP, Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign has hit the shelves. This is a remake of last year’s Savage Moon for the PS3, but it’s not a port—it’s a whole new game with new levels and new insectocytes. If you are unfamiliar with the original, this game is a tower defense game in which player are faced with a belt of moons, moving toward earth, covered in insectocytes—an evil alien race which seeks to conquer. The player is tasked with building defenses on each moon, and goes through the same sequence of play found in most tower defense games—starting with simple, cheap towers and working the way up to great uber-towers which are barely adequate to stop the alien threat. The game accentuates careful management of resources over tactics, so if you’re into that sort of thing, you may want to take a look.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

Our spotlight release this week is Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for the Wii. One thousand years have passed since the events of the original Crystal Chronicles. Magic has fallen by the wayside as the world has turned increasingly toward technology. Those few who are born with the power of magic are know as the crystal bearers, and are met by the people with a mixture of awe and disgust. Enter Layle, a young Human Crystal Bearer who has inadvertently stumbled upon a plot by the long- lost Yuke Tribe, and must use his hated powers to help save the world. This game is unique among Crystal Chronicle games in that it seems to have no method of character improvement, other than items and equipment, and it also seems to be a blend of many different genres. Most of the game is an over-the-shoulder hack-and-slash style adventure, but the player will also spend a not insignificant amount of time using the Wii motion controls to fight while flying and free-falling—and using the WiiMote pointer for shooting-gallery style play. It’s also different in that it has no real multi-player mode, which has been a very important part of past Crystal Chronicles games. It does, however, have a support mode in which another player can use a second WiiMote to assist during certain portions of the game—but there are not yet many details as to how this will work.

You can purchase Crystal Bearers from Ye Olde Icrontic Gaming Shoppe, and other releases are downloadable on their respective platforms. See you in 2010!

Following is a list of announced North American releases:

PC

• Aqualux

Wii

• Eco Shooter: Plant 530
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
• Guitar Hero: Van Halen
• Happy Holidays: Christmas
• Pallurikio
• Playmobil Circus
• TV Show King 2
• Super Smash Bros. (VC – N64)

DS

• Dragon’s Lair
• High Stakes: Texas Hold’Em
• Hot and Cold: A 3D Hidden Object Adventure
• myNotebook: Green
• Uno(DsiWare)

Xbox360

• 0 Day Attack on Earth
• Guitar Hero: Van Halen

PS3

• Guitar Hero: Van Halen

PSP

• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
• Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign