''Alien Crush Returns'' is a

WiiWare WiiWare was a service that allowed Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii S ...

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by

Tamsoft is a Japanese video game developer, founded on 26 June 1992. Its current president, Toshiaki Ōta, previously worked at Toaplan as one of the six original team members and head of software development.Translationby Gamengai. ).Translationby Shmu ...

and published by

Hudson Soft was a Japanese video game company that released numerous games for video game consoles, home computers and mobile phones, mainly from the 1980s to the 2000s. It was headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo ...

. It is a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

to 1988's ''

Alien Crush ''Alien Crush'' is a pinball video game developed by Compile for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. It was released in 1988. The game is the first installment in the '' Crush Pinball'' series. It was followed by three sequels, ''Devil's Crush'', '' Ja ...

'', and is the fourth installment in the ''

Crush Pinball ''Alien Crush'' is a pinball video game developed by Compile for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. It was released in 1988. The game is the first installment in the '' Crush Pinball'' series. It was followed by three sequels, ''Devil's Crush'', '' Ja ...

'' series. It was released in Japan on August 26, 2008, in North America on November 3 and in Europe on November 7.

Overview

In comparison to the original game, ''Alien Crush Returns'' features 3D graphics and controls using the

Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with ...

and Nunchuk that allow functions such as tilting the table using motion sensing. In addition, the game introduces "Action Balls", pinballs with special attributes that can be used repeatedly during gameplay.

Downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...

in the form of extra stages and additional Action Balls could be available as well. The game features a

high score In games, score refers to an abstract quantity associated with a player or team. Score is usually measured in the abstract unit of points (except in game shows, where scores often are instead measured in units of currency), and events in the ...

-based arcade mode where players can select from three tables, a six-stage story mode with gameplay goals and

boss battles In video games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled opponent. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the player has faced up to that ...

, as well as online versus multiplayer and leaderboards.

Reception

''Alien Crush Returns'' received mixed reviews from critics upon release. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the game holds a score of 64/100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

gave the game a 7.8/10, calling the visual presentation impressive but noting some slight ball physics issues and that overall the game was short, with only three tables out of the box.

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...

gave the game a score of 8 out of 10 stars, praising the game for being similar to the original game while feeling new at the same time, but also cites the game's short length.

References

External links

Japanese site
{{Crush Pinball video games 2008 video games Crush Pinball Hudson Soft games Video games developed in Japan WiiWare games Wii-only games Wii Wi-Fi games Wii games Multiplayer and single-player video games Science fiction video games Video game sequels Video game remakes Pinball video games