Can video games truly be art? Find out for yourself!

If you plan on ringing in the new year with downloadable titles, you've got more than your fair share of options in this Nintendo Download update. Whether you want to adventure through the stars or read them to predict your future, play a sequel to Bejeweled or Nintendo's own take on the title's style, look back at BIT.TRIP's past or play a game that's closer to a piece of art than a traditional interactive experience, you're in luck this week. You can also see the full press release at the bottom of this article.

WiiWare

Bejeweled 2 (PopCap Games, 1000pts) – Bejeweled needs little introduction, its addictive puzzle gameplay making it one of the newest titles of its type that can arguably be considered a classic. Read why we think you should match your Wii Points to this release in our Bejeweled 2 review.

Heavy Fire: Special Operations (Teyon, 500pts) – Your mission: free a region of the Middle East from terrorist operations in this light-gun shooter that the U.S. received this past July. We experienced a bit of shellshock from it, however, as you can read in our Heavy Fire: Special Operations review.

Magic Destiny – Astrological Games (Shanblue Interactive, 500pts) – Does simply reading your horoscope no longer do it for you? If so, this game is coming to the rescue with mini-games and an encyclopaedia to entertain and inform. We'll have our resident cosmologist examine this title and tell you if downloading this should appear in your future, and you can look for our review soon.

WiiWare Demos

BIT.TRIP BEAT (Aksys Games) – While this retro-styled music-themed series is coming to a close soon, you can re-live where it all started with this free demo. See why we found this beat so catchy in our BIT.TRIP BEAT review.

DSiWare

Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology (Sabarasa, 200pts) – Roger Ebert says that video games will never be art, but you may disagree after playing this collection of alternative titles from video game artist Jason Rohrer including Passage, Gravitation and Between. We'll let you know whether or not we think this belongs in a museum when we review it in the coming week.

Space Ace (Digital Leisure, 800pts) – Don Bluth's spiritual successor to his interactive LaserDisc cartoon Dragon's Lair follows the galactic adventures of Ace as he seeks to stop the evil Borf from taking over the earth. See why we thought that this was light-years from entertaining in our Space Ace review.

Spin Six (Nintendo, 500pts) – If you don't plan on getting Bejeweled 2 for WiiWare, you can try out this Bejeweled-style puzzle game from the Big N instead. See why we thought it was worth spending your five on in our Spin Six review.

Get your grey matter and your trigger finger primed for the tantalising line-up of WiiWare and Nintendo DSiWare games, available for download this Friday!

Looking for some gaming direction this New Year? Let the stars guide you with Magic Destiny – Astrological Games, available for download from WiiWare. Heavy Fire: Special Operations and Bejeweled® 2, also available via WiiWare, will see you battling foe in the Middle East and completing a sparkling gem of a puzzle!

On Nintendo DSiWare, Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology offers philosophy and pleasure in equal measures, while Space Ace® tasks you with saving the human race and SPIN SIX™ provides devious, digit puzzling action.

Are you ready for some New Year action?

WiiWare Demo – BIT. TRIP BEAT (Aksys Games)

WiiWare - Magic Destiny – Astrological Games
(Shanblue Interactive, 500 Wii Points)
Discover the fascinating world of astrology and let the stars guide you with Magic Destiny. With highly entertaining games, such as Runeblock, Diamonds Link and Stellar Memory, Magic Destiny – Astrological Games mixes minigames with Astrology and helps you learn to read your future with seashells, numerology, tarot cards, palmistry and fortune cookies.

Players can also use the game’s vast encyclopaedia to learn about the ancient knowledge of astrology which features detailed background information on astrological symbols. So, if you’re looking for guidance from the heavens on your New Year’s resolutions, venture into this captivating, magical world if you dare…

WiiWare - Heavy Fire: Special Operations
(Teyon, 500 Wii Points)
Join the elite army unit in Heavy Fire: Special Operations. In this classic arcade shooter, players are tasked with challenging missions set in the Middle East, but be warned, you will need a quick trigger-finger to navigate the hazards of each level.

Rise through the military ranks to achieve more powerful weapons which offer assorted features and controls, and perform combos and smash things around you to get more points! The replay function enables you to review gameplay action in a bid to improve your best score, which can then be submitted to the world ranking.

WiiWare - Bejeweled® 2
(PopCap Games, Inc., 1,000 points)
Get set to play the world's #1 puzzle game, now available for download on WiiWare! Match three sparkling gems to make them explode in a shower of colours and points. Those with eagle eyes can aim to match four or more gems to create flashy ‘power gems’ that boost both scores and moods with brilliant cascades and combos!

Soar to gem-matching heights in ‘Classic’ mode, or race through matches pitched against the clock in ‘Action’ mode. For even more dazzling fun, test your trigger-finger and your brain cells with multi-faceted ‘Puzzles’, or enter the Zen state of ‘Endless’ play. Get ready for some fast-paced, high-carat fun with Bejeweled® 2!

Nintendo DSiWare - Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology
(Sabarasa Inc., 200 Nintendo DSi Points)
Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology brings three of his original creations to Nintendo DSiWare. In this compilation, award-winning game auteur Jason Rohrer’s work comes to Nintendo DSiWare, including three of his best games to date: Passage, Gravitation and Between.

Introducing players to some of the most unique experiences this medium has to offer, Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology not only provides absorbing gameplay features, but will provoke you into thinking about morality and life. Due to the deep themes contained within the game, and the manner in which they are presented, Rohrer’s work helps to blur the line between art and games, evoking thoughts and emotions rarely associated with gaming. The perfect cerebral challenge to see in the New Year.

Nintendo DSiWare - Space Ace®
(Digital Leisure Inc., 800 Nintendo DSi Points)
In Space Ace, this fully animated classic arcade game from legendary animator Don Bluth, you play the heroic Ace who must prevent the evil Commander Borf from taking over Earth and reducing humankind to infants. Only two people have the courage and strength to stop Borf and save Earth: the beautiful Kimberly and the heroic Ace.

However, as they approach Borf's stronghold, Ace is hit by the Infanto Ray, changing him into a child, and Kimberly is kidnapped by the evil madman! Make your way through bizarre new worlds and fire the laser gun at your disposal in a bid to defeat your numerous foes…

With such odds stacked against you, how will you succeed? The fate of Earth is in your hands!

Nintendo DSiWare - SPIN SIX™
(Nintendo, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)
Spin Six is a puzzle game guaranteed to bring a new twist to the genre. It’s all about rotating number panels to make horizontal or vertical lines of the same number to clear them from the board. While that sounds simple, the challenge lies in your ability to make chains of number panels to score even more points.

There are four unique game modes, each with various skill levels. Puzzle mode offers almost 200 puzzles split into ‘One-Turn’ or ‘Chain’ categories, or you can challenge your panel elimination skills in ‘Time Attack’ mode. Pit yourself against a time limit in ‘Score Attack’ mode, (using the Spinnerator to get into ‘Fever Time’ and really boost your score!), while ‘Chain Challenge’ is about making as many chains as you can in one go.

With easy to master, but deep gameplay, isn’t it about time you gave Spin Six a whirl?