crystal-defenders-r1
Latest
VC Friday: The adventure begins
Sigh. Enjoy playing Adventure Island: The Beginning this week, PAL Wii owners. We know we'll see it in the US eventually, but it's not today. We've waited so long for a new Master Higgins/Takahashi Meijin game, and we guess we can wait a little longer, but it's pretty painful. Just thinking about rolling around in the jungle on a skateboard, with the wind against our grass skirt and a stone axe in our hand ...Also available today: Crystal Defenders R1, the Final Fantasy tower defense game, and a DSiWare sports game from Gameloft.WiiWare: Adventure Island: The Beginning (1000 Wii Points) Crystal Defenders R1 (800 Wii Points) DSiWare: Real Football 2009 (800 DSi Points)
ESRB rates Crystal Defenders R1 & R2 for Wii
The ESRB has left the vault door wide open, revealing a rating for the long rumored North American WiiWare release of Crystal Defenders R1 and Crystal Defenders R2. Taking place within the Final Fantasy Tactics universe, Crystal Defenders is a Tower Defense style game from publisher Square Enix that takes place after the events in Final Fantasy Tactics A2.Originally a mobile phone title -- and soon to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Store -- Crystal Defenders will see an episodic release for the Nintendo Wii. Being history buffs we can see that the Japanese release of each episode clocked in at 1000 Wii Points ($10 USD) apiece, and since history often repeats itself, it's a good chance those prices will remain the same in North America. Let's hope history is ignored this time.
VC Tuesday: Japan's Theater
On the Japanese Virtual Console this week: two games we'll never see outside of Japan! Aw. Neither Konami's NES side-scrolling action game Getsu Fuuma Den nor Falcom's sidescroller/action RPG Legend of Xanadu II were seen in the West, and they're a bit too low-profile to warrant a release as an import. Of course, we thought that about Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, as well, and look how that turned out (hint: it turned out with Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa on the VC in the West). Getsu Fuuma Den (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu II (PC Engine, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) WiiWare this week holds significantly more promise for those of us speculating for future US/PAL releases. The video streaming service Minna no Theater Wii is launching with an already-impressive lineup of anime (including free episodes!), live-action sentai shows, and variety shows. Fujisoft has already expressed interest in releasing this service in the US. We can safely assume Crystal Defenders R1 from Square Enix will appear worldwide (and on every platform). And we are absolutely certain that Aksys will release every single Family series game Arc System Works puts out, even if it's based on a Japanese dice game nobody's ever heard of.The only game in the group unlikely to see the world is Popple and the Magical Crayon, a children's adventure game. Oh, well. Okiraku Sugoroku Wii (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Crystal Defenders R1 (1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) Popple and the Magical Crayon (1 player, 800 Wii Points) Minna no Theater Wii (0 players, 500 Wii Points) Source -- Virtual ConsoleSource -- WiiWare
Crystal Defenders R1 site opens with screens and trailer
Just one day after the WiiWare version of Crystal Defenders (now Crystal Defenders R1) was revealed by (early) Famitsu scans, Square Enix has opened the official Japanese website for the iPhone/mobile remake. Not since Lock's Quest have we been ... even slightly excited about a tower defense game!We saw blurry, small screens of the game in those scans, but the website features pixel-perfect screens, highlighting the colorful, somewhat retro 2D style and cute sprites. Even better, larger screens can be found at Famitsu. The official site also features a trailer and a rather large selection of wallpaper images -- all of which seems delightfully lavish for a WiiWare game! But, then, this is only the second (non-Taito, internally-developed) WiiWare game for SE. They can afford to put a nice website together for each one.[Via Famitsu]
Crystal Defenders prepare to protect XBLA, PSN, WiiWare
Crystal Defenders, Square Enix's mobile and iPod* tower defense game, is ready to make the move to consoles. Japanese mag Famitsu reveals (via IGN) that the WiiWare version will be known as Crystal Defenders R1. Aside from the fact that it'll offer "Wi-Fi connection support," little else is known about the title. Crystal Defenders R1 will be ready to protect the Wii in Japan on January 27 for 1,000 Wii Points. The XBLA and PSN versions, which will allegedly be updated forms of the original game, currently have no price nor release date. Check out a trailer of the mobile game here.*Regular version costs $8, Lite version is free.
New for WiiWare: Bubble Bobble, Crystal Defenders, Pole's Big Adventure
The latest issue of Famitsu reveals three awesome new WiiWare games from Square Enix, Taito, and Sega. Square Enix's Crystal Defenders R1 is a WiiWare version of their mobile/iPhone game Crystal Defenders. The tower defense game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network soon too, but Japan's WiiWare gets it first (well, first after cell phones and iPhone) on January 27.Bubble Bobble Wii, due this month in Japan for 800 Wii Points, is a 16-bit-style remake of Taito's arcade classic, featuring play for up to four players in old stages, "arranged" stages, and expert versions of both, for a total of 400 stages. Additional new stages will be available as DLC. We have been waiting to see this game since we first saw the title!Finally, Sega's Chindouchou! Pole no Daibouken (Eventful Journey! Pole's Big Adventure) is the retro-style game at which they've been hinting with a countdown page. The Famicom-esque game, releasing on February 3 for just 500 Points, seems to be riddled with jokes about other games -- the mushroom item seen on the countdown page actually comes out of bricks and increases the character's size just like in Super Mario Bros., but in this game it enlarges the character far beyond the limits of the screen.
