Shippin' Out August 14-20: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

Last week's new release slate was decidedly short, with Fruit Ninja Kinect leading all-new releases. This week's offerings are heartier, with Ignition's action adventure game leading the way next to Travis Touchdown's first outing on the PlayStation 3.

El Shaddai lights up the PS3 and Xbox 360 this week.

First out of the gate this week is El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. El Shaddai takes its premise from the apocryphal Old Testament Book of Enoch. When a group of seven angels betray heaven to build the Tower of Babel, God appoints the mortal Enoch to set things right or else condemn the world to a great flood. Assisting Enoch along the way will be Lucifel, the angel who would later become Lucifer.

As Enoch, players will jump into a series of visually distinct levels, each one with a style reflecting a specific angel's ideal world. The premise allows for levels to vary not just in appearance but also in gameplay, as players will find themselves exploring 2D as well as 3D worlds. Development on the game was led by Sawaki Takeyasu, one of three lead character designers on Capcom's Okami.

Also due out this week is AQ Interactive's adaptation No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise for the PlayStation 3. The game's protagonist, Travis Touchdown, is tasked with ascending the ranks of an assassin's guild by murdering all of his competition. In addition to becoming the world's greatest assassin, Travis hopes his efforts will win the affections of his beautiful and mysterious benefactor.

No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise arrives for the PS3 this week.

Along with a distinctive visual style, the game features motion-sensing controls to slash with Touchdown's Jedi-esque lightsaber or perform pro wrestling moves on foes. Whereas these controls were handled by the Wii Remote in Nintendo's version of the game, Heroes Paradise will make use of Sony's Move motion-controller setup.

Move controls aren't the only addition made by AQ. The studio has also added more boss characters to the game, as well as tweaked the artificial intelligence of No More Heroes' enemies. Players will also be able to face off against previously defeated bosses in the newly added Rebout mode. Lastly, Viewer mode lets players watch the cutscenes without playing through the game.

PC gamers hoping to get their hands on Supergiant Games' Bastion can pick up the action role-playing title this Tuesday. Initially, Bastion for the PC will be available only on Valve's digital distribution warehouse Steam. Its availability will expand later in the month when the game is released on other PC download hubs.

Like its Xbox Live Arcade counterpart, Bastion for the PC will cost $15. On Steam, the DRM-free game will leverage the service's Steamworks functionality, support cloud saves, and let gamers track their progress via leaderboards and achievement records.

Another high-profile PC game out this week is Microsoft's Age of Empires Online, which will be available at retail and online on Tuesday. The historical real-time strategy game will be available to play for free, but gamers can also purchase Premium Content Packs, which include booster packs and additional game modes, for a fee.

The free version of Age of Empires Online is in development at Gas Powered Games. The gameworld is described as "evolving and persistent," blending the real-time strategy elements for which the franchise is known with massively multiplayer qualities.

For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16
Age of Empires Online--PC--Microsoft Game Studios
Bastion--PC--Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron--PS3, X360--Ignition Entertainment
Get Up Family Game Sports--Wii--O Games
Jerry Rice and Nitus' Dog Football--Wii, PC--Judo Baby
Junior Island Adventure--DS--Maximum Family Games
No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise--PS3--Konami
Puzzler World 2--DS--Ubisoft

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17
From Dust--PC--Ubisoft
Toy Soldiers: Cold War--X360--Microsoft Game Studios