ClaDun: This is an RPG
First up, is another RPG parody ClaDun: This is an RPG. A strange red door on the Island of Arcanus Cella leads to an infinite number of dungeons. Exploring them is dangerous and profitable, and a small community has built up around the door to cater to the needs of the adventurers. There are nine protagonists to choose from, each of which can be customized via the in-game pixel editor. Each character has their own reasons for adventuring and their own story, but it seems as if everything is going to be a bit silly and intentionally campy.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABC's
Also on shelves this week, The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s ABCs will help players learn to read and figure alongside a character that nearly everyone should recognize. The Very Hungry Caterpillar first appeared in a surprisingly popular children’s picture book published in the late sixties, in which the protagonist eats through the food on each page and eventually turns into a butterfly. The story saw a burst of new popularity in the nineties after an appearance on Sesame Street, and a subsequent cartoon was produced. The new game is designed to help young children with recognition of letters and very basic reading skills.
Final Fantasy XIV Online
Final Fantasy XIV Online will be available this week, though only the collector’s edition. The regular version will be available next week. In this new MMO, players will be adventuing through the world of Eorzea, which, unlike the last Final Fantasy MMO, is not a world we’ve seen in any of the games previously, although it seems visually very similar to Vana’diel (cat-girls instead of bunny-girls, but otherwise…). While the last game was mostly focused on players who wanted to play in parties, and who played fervently, this game is an attempt to strike a balance, so that casual players who want to play by themselves may also be accommodated. Unfortunately, a monthly charge is still the planned revenue model, so don’t expect a huge uptake in popularity beyond the current Final Fantasy XI audience.
Sid Meier's Civilization V
The Icrontic spotlight for this week glitters across the shimmering art-deco tech tree of Sid Meier’s Civilization V. Okay. It’s Civilization. You know what that is (Start with a single dude in 4000 BCE, and build a civilization to stand the test of time, defeating your enemies through military power, science, diplomacy, or through sheer coolness factor), but this week’s release represents a major shift for the series in many ways. The greatest, and most visible of these being the combat mechanics: Past Civilization games have run combat mostly as a numbers game—whichever player builds the most (and most advanced) units wins the war, as gigantic “stacks of doom” clash on an unadorned battlefield. This time, the combat has been completely crafted from the ground up to be more tactical and board game-esque. Each unit may only occupy one board space, and terrain and rage play huge factors. You still don’t want to bring a Swordman to a Tank fight, but an increased level of tactical possibility make more varied combat possible, and each map becomes a different defensive and strategic challenge. In addition, going from a square to hexagonal grid makes for the most apparent change. This version has also removed the religion and corporation mechanics introduced in Civ IV, and drastically changed the multi-player experience. While the matchmaking will all be done through Steamworks (finally, good Civ matchmaking!) hot-seat, play-by-e-mail, and PTBS (play one turn per day on a central server) modes have all been removed in favor of a more fluid simultaneous turn mode. How this will sit with long-time fans is yet to be seen, but Sid has been working on Civilization Network for some time, which is supposed to be designed from the ground up with long-term, turn/day-style Civ games in mind. There are lots of other changes and additions as well, so you really should just go play it. That’s what I’m gonna go do…
Following is a full list of this week’s announced North American releases.
Windows
- Alien Breed 2: Assault
- Darksiders
- F1 2010
- Final Fantasy XIV Online (Collector’s Edition only)
- Patrician IV
- Sid Meier’s Civilization V
- The Great White Destroyer
- World Golf 2011
Wii
- Aero the Acro-Bat 2
- Club Penguin Game Day!
- Gormiti: The Lords of Nature!
- New Carnival Games
- Swords
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s ABCs
- Triple Throwing Sports
- Zany Golf
DS
- 10 Second Run
- Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
- Dreamworks 2-in-1 Party Pack
- Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
- Everyday Soccer
- Farm Frenzy: Animal Country
- Florist Shop
- Gormiti: The Lords of Nature!
- Jewels of the Tropical Lost Island
- Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy
- New Carnival Games
- Nintendo Countdown Calendar
Xbox 360
- Alien Breed 2: Assault
- DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue
- F1 2010
- Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter
PS3
- DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue
- F1 2010
- High Velocity Bowling (Move Edition)
- Planet Minigolf: Stronghold Island
- Sonic Adventure
PSP
- Cladun: This is an RPG
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