Though I’ve recently come down with a mild case of the pig cold, my love for games and my other love for writing about them knows no bounds. This polygamous relationship works in your favor, dear reader, as you get to witness all the exploits of my E3 adventure in a second-hand fashion (or at least all the exploits I post before I’m devoured alive internally by microscopic swine—that is how pig cold works, isn’t it?).

The PixelJunk games are what you get when you combine the addictive qualities a flash games with the artistic depth of an exhibit at the MOMA. While I was only a mild fan of the very well-to-do PixelJunk Eden, I still recognize it as one of the prettiest games on the PSN, with its only true competition being Flower (argue me that one, I dare ya!).

Of course, the upcoming PixelJunk Shooter is no different as far as external appearances go. PixelJunk Shooter’s glorious combination of pastel, interactive environments with simple, yet addictive gameplay is what assures me this game is going to do quite well for itself.

Like most other modern say shooters, PixelJunk Shooter relies on a dual stick control scheme—the left stick makes you go and the right changes your direction. The player floats around a cave-like environment flooded with water and molten lava while rescuing astronauts from giant bats and the crumbling geographical hazards that surround them.

Using your crane (aka a giant stickyball on a chain) and an endless supply of missile, you can destroy certain walls and barriers to unleash water onto lava—and vice versa—to gain access to your imprisoned spacesuit-wearing buddies. When the water and lava touch, destructible ground appears. This means you can now shoot your way through the dirt and access areas that were formerly off limits.

Just be careful not to drown or melt your boys. They probably wouldn’t take too kindly to that.

All in all, PixelJunk Shooter is the perfect mix of aesthetic beauty, mild shooter action, and laid-back puzzles to keep you entertained for hours. While the demo I played never provided any brain-crushing challenge, I’m sure the final version will offer some crazy spike in difficulty, forcing me to yank the hairs from my head one by one as I struggle to complete the damn thing.

Or maybe we’ll get a title that’ll just let us unwind. We could certainly use another one of those. Word on the street is that we can expect a Q3 2009 release date. Works for me.

Screenshots and video below. I’m going back to bed.

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