PlayStation Access: They’re coming to Motion Ramp Park in Bristol from 29th September to 1st October. All you fans out there could win the chance to play loads of games before release:

• Uncharted 3 – Multiplayer / 3D
• Goldeneye 007 – Singleplayer
• Batman: Arkham City – Singleplayer
• Dark Souls – Singleplayer
• Battlefield 3
• Resistance 3 – Singleplayer / Move / Sharpshooter / 3D
• Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
• Starhawk – Singleplayer
• Tekken Tag Hybrid – Multiplayer
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – Multiplayer

Those who do win tickets will get a goody bag, 2 free drinks and there’ll be some tournaments to enter. Head on over to the PlayStation Access Facebook page, hit Like and then enter your details in the PlayStation Access Bristol page. Entries close on the 18th September so don’t delay. They’ll be in touch if you win.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: BioWare have made an official statement on same-sex romances in their upcoming MMO.

Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature. Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options.
Stephen Reid, Senior Online Community Manager, Star Wars: The Old Republic Forums.

I actually asked this question to Emmanuel Lusinchi, Associate Lead Designer on SW:TOR during Gamescom. He told me that there were no plans to implement same-sex relationships. The reason he gave was nothing to do with any internal stance on the world. Rather, it was because they wanted to go for a teen rating and adding homosexual content might bump them into a higher category. Given that you apparently have to stick the rating you were originally given (thanks, GamerLaw), I’m not sure how moving the homosexuality option to DLC helps this. Perhaps it’s a cunning plan to scream DISCRIMINATION if any ratings bodies try to block the update on these grounds? Neither the ESRB guidelines, nor the BBFC’s make explicit reference to homosexual relationships, though the BBFC does include a nebulous “Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers” under 12/12A.

BioWare’s most famous examples of homosexual relationships, Dragon Age and Dragon Age 2, were both rated 18. However, The Sims series has allowed romances with people of your gender for over a decade and still achieved a Teen rating from the ESRB and 12+ from PEGI so I doubt homosexuality was a factor. Odd rationale, to say the least.

Nintendo 3DS: From this morning’s pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference we learned that there will be sofware update to the 3DS. This will add 3D video capability and “extra functionality” for people who have completed the current Streetpass challenges. Nintendo also announced dates for two of their most anticipated games:

• Super Mario 3D Land – 18th November
• Mario Kart 7 – 2nd December

They’ve announced a new 3D tennis game, tentatively named Mario Tennis and and a new 3D Animal Crossing games. We’re taking bets now on whether or not it will be named “Animal Crossing 3DS”. (No we’re not. We like our money to stay in our own pockets, thanks)

And probably the biggest news to gamers from the conference – Monster Hunter 4 is coming to 3DS. This explains the weird 3DS twin-stick cradle that’s been floating around for the past few days.

Given that Sony didn’t confirm Monster Hunter 4 for the Vita at their press conference this morning, could this be a 3DS exclusive?

Super Mario 3D Land:

Nick: The four level demo featured tons of classic Mario gameplay all rendered in fantastic stereoscopic 3D. The power ups available included the Tanooki raccoon suit last seen in 1988′s Super Mario Bros. 3, super mushroom (giant Mario), star (invincible Mario) and fire flower (Mario fires fireballs). I had a great time toasting enemies with fireballs. Best power-up ever. The rest of the time I spent collecting coins, trying not to fall off the many perilous platforms whilst trying to find the end of level flag before the time ran out. The occasional boss fight punctured the level exploration, all of which followed the tried and tested rule of three (i.e. three knock-downs to kill).

I was really impressed by the 3D as it added a lot of depth to the levels. Although I did find it harder to jump into floating powerup blocks on the odd occasion. The graphics were very Super Mario Galaxy like too. Bright and colourful. The demo had clearly been built to show off features rather than levels from the game but it has made me more excited to play the finished game as a result. Much like Mario Kart 7, this Super Mario 3D Land has rekindled my love of Nintendo’s mega-franchises that was on the wain during the Wii years.

Rhythm Heaven:

Debbie: Rhythm Heaven is a quirky little Wii game whose very simplicity belies the level of concentration you need the play it well. It’s a series of mini-games that rely on sound cues for you to do well. The three that I played were:

• A viking stabbing a fork into his peas
• A samurai guarding a cave entrance from emerging monsters
• A dog in an aeroplane rallying shuttlecocks with a cat

Yes, quirky.

I don’t know if this is the case for all the mini-games but these three all involved single-button gameplay; listen to the rhythm and time your presses. It’s a nice idea that quickly becomes mind-bendingly complex when, as the defending samurai, you struggle to remember that THIS sound means a single red-eyed monster is coming to be dispatched with a one press while THAT sound indicates an incoming horde that needs six rapid blows. What more, a fog will occasionally descend, covering the visual cues and forcing you to pay close attention to the music.

Stylized cartoon graphics make the game look good on the Wii and playing it is certainly fun if you have a sense of rhythm. I like it.

Kirby’s Adventure Wii:

Nick: I’m quite into Kirby games at the moment with the excellent Kirby’s Epic Yarn and the bat-shit crazy Kirby Mass Attack dragging little ole Kirby back into my affections. Kirby’s Adventure Wii which goes by the name Kirby’s Return To Dream Land in the US and Kirby Wii in Japan is due to reach these shores just before Christmas 2011 and will probably be the last Kirby game to be released for the Wii.

Kirby’s Adventure Wii is a more traditional side-scrolling platform game. No soft and squishy quilts, patches or yarns to be found here. Instead Kirby has to scour his less squishy home planet of Pop Star in search of pieces of a crashed Spaceship. I used Kirby’s signature skill – inhaling indefinitely – as my standard attack, swallowing or propelling any enemy or object that came close to me. Kirby has a serious pair of lungs on him along with an insatiable appetite making him a tough little cookie.

Kirby had other tricks hidden deep inside in his squishy pink body. When he inhaled certain enemies he would also take on their special powers. During the game I had my Kirby spewing fire, water and even welding a giant sword. When Kirby inhaled a glowing special enemy he went completely nuts and started welding a giant ultra sword. Yeah, the ultra sword of ultra devastation! Drunk with sword-power I carved away massive chunks of the level including many unsuspecting baddie bystanders. Hehe. These special abilities were breathtakingly fun to use as well as being invaluable during boss fights.

Kirby’s Adventure Wii also supports up to 4-players on screen at the same time. When you add in the super abilities to each of the players the screen is soon filled with technicoloured carnage. I also got to play the game with one of the Nintendo reps. The 2-player game worked in a similar vein to Kirby’s Epic Yarn with simple controls making it a real pick and play type of game. I also managed to avoid throwing my team-mate to his death. Win!

Kirby’s Adventure Wii is yet another brilliant Kirby game and one you should look out for in Dec this year.

Rhythm Heaven Wii is due for release early 2012 with Super Mario 3D Land and Kirby’s Adventure Wii due out on the 25th Nov 2011 and 2nd Dec 2011 respectively.

The action starts off with the press conferences on Tuesday 16th August, a press and trade only day on Wednesday 17th August and then the show is open to the public between Thursday 18th and Sunday 21st August.

EA Press conference

• Date: 16th Aug 2011
• Time: 15:00 BST onwards (time in your city)
• Live Stream: EA @ Gamescom

EA will obviously be wheeling out the big guns at this event, so expect to see Mass Effect 3, Battlefield 3, Need For Speed: The Run, FIFA 12, SSX and Burnout: Crash and Star Wars: The Old Republic. There is talk of a new version of Bullfrog’s classic Syndicate making an surprise appearance. We shall see…

Sony Press Conference

• Date: 16th Aug 2011
• Time: 18:00 – 19:00 BST (time in your city)
• Live Stream: via Facebook

You can also watch the press conference live via the PlayStation App on iOS/Android phones, on the PlayStation Blog or within PlayStation Home which will feature a dedicated Gamescom 2011 space. If you miss the press conference then you will be able to watch video edits in the Home space later on.

Sony should be showing off more of its new PS Vita handheld console, along with many of its games like wipEout 2048, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, LittleBigPlanet and Resistance.

On the PlayStation 3 expect to see Resistance 3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Starhawk, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and maybe even the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection making an appearance.

The PS Vita

Microsoft:

Microsoft isn’t holding a press conference on the Tuesday. Instead assembled journalists and media will be getting to hands-on with their Gamescom line-up at the Xbox Play Day Event. You will be able to see clips and pictures from this event as well as keeping up to date with the rest of Gamescom 2011 via Xbox.com and Facebook page.

DotA 2

• Date: 17th – 21st Aug 2011
• Time: TBC
• Live Stream: DotA website

You will be able to watch the best Defence of the Ancients (DotA) teams in the world battling it out for the $1 million first prize live on Valve Software’s brand new DotA 2 game via the DotA 2 website. This tournament will be the first time DotA 2 has been shown in public.

Guild Wars 2

• Date: 17th – 21st Aug 2011
• Time: TBC
• Live Stream: Electronic Sports League TV (ESL TV)

NCSoft are showing off Guild Wars 2 at Gamescom. You will be able to watch the developer PvP show matches on ESL TV from the 17th Aug 2011.

Guild Wars 2 - Sylvari Race

Borderlands 2

• Date: 19th Aug 2011
• Time: 16:00 BST onwards (time in your city)
• Live Stream: 2K Games Live

2K games will be streaming a live demo of Borderlands 2 from Gamescom via its Usteam channel. This will be the first time the game will shown in public. Gearbox will also be answering questions during the live demo. If your question gets asked then you’ll get a Borderlands 2 swag bag. You can either tweet your question to @2KGames or @GearboxSoftware twitter accounts or post on the 2K Forums and the Gearbox Forums.

Nintendo:

Nintendo isn’t holding a press conference or even showing off the Wii U (as reported by Conceivably Tech). Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and most of the games shown at E3 will be playable on the show floor but Ninty isn’t showing anything that you can watch online, I’m afraid.

We’ll be reporting from Gamescom 2011. See you back here for the latest news from the show floor.

Without a rubbish steering wheel in sight and sporting some natty 3D visuals, Mario Kart 7 really looks the part. The 3D adds a lot of depth to the tracks which I felt pretty comfortable staring at for the whole time I was playing. The demo build consisted of 3 tracks along with a nice selection of karts and different tyres. However, I was restricted to only one attachment, the hand glider. Not bad. I’ll take that, thanks very much.

Now that's a mighty strong hand glider!

The karts have new updates available in order to handle the new tracks, most notably the hand glider and underwater attachments. The hand glider attachment only worked after I’d jumped off a ramp.

In fact whilst gliding around a bit of jungle track I felt like I was playing Rare’s brilliant Diddy Kong racing game. Not that this is a bad thing, just unexpected. I also developed a habit of crashing into the start/finish banner. Note to self – must glide better. The brief underwater sections found on the second track were quite fun. After jumping into the water and diving down to the sea bed my kart produced a little propeller to power it. Very effective it was too. The only real difference to driving on land was that my kart felt a bit less responsive and “floaty” light.

This was clearly a development build of the game as many of the usual Mario Kart power-ups like the dreaded lightning bolt and the blue shell (first-place seeker) were notably absent. Collecting coins in return for a temporary speed increase was back, although I was restricted to a maximum of 10 per lap and the coins regenerated on the track. I did like the tracks on offer. There was a nice variety of driving challengesavailable. You just can’t beat karting around on a beach firing shells through the waves as they gently meander onto the shore.

This is all rather picturesque

Unusually, I was able to access the full range of pickups available whilst in first place. Previous games would penalise you by restricting pick-ups to the useless ones like banana skins. This is a welcome change as I never really understood why you should be penalised for doing well.

Summary

I was hugely encouraged by this version of Mario Kart. It felt like a return to form for the franchise. I only hope that the some of the gameplay tweaks, like having access to all the weapons when you’re in first place and the coin collecting stay intact when the game is finally released. Welcome back Mario Kart, it has been far too long.

Nintendo 3DS:

Nintendo has signed a deal with The Cloud which provides free access to its 5,000 WiFi hotspots throughout the UK for 3DS owners with immediate effect. This means you can access the SpotPass service, eShop or just browse the internet for free right now. You can find The Cloud’s WiFi hotspots in shops, restaurants (e.g. Eat, Pret A Manger) and pubs. (via GamesIndustry.biz [registration required])

Gamestop are now selling the Cosmic Black Nintendo 3DS console for a super cheap £134.97 (including shipping) ahead of the official price cut on the 12th Aug 2011 which we reported on last month.

Lucent Heart:

The zodiac inspired free2play MMO Lucent Heart opens up its ‘Head Start’ Early Access at 10:00 BST on Thursday 11th August 2011. According to the press release head start players will be able to enjoy:

a myriad of competitions, exciting events and freebies galore in the build up to the commercial release, where players will be able to purchase the equipment, outfits, mounts and potions to enhance their play experience and assist them in facing the fearsome forces of goddess Cadena.

Now that's what I call a Hammer!

Driver: San Francisco:

The single-player demo is available now on Xbox LIVE for all gold subscribers and from the PlayStation store. It also features a total of 3 missions. The multiplayer demo is due for release on the 16th Aug 2011 so look out for it.

Inversion:

Here’s some a gravity defying FPS co-op action for you courtesy of Namco Bandai’s new shooter, Inversion which is due for release on the 12th Feb 2012.

(Hat tip to VG24/7 for the Gamestop 3DS price)

Following on from the success of Backbreaker Football and Backbreaker 2: Vengeance on the iPhone/iPad and the original Backbreaker Football on the consoles comes Backbreaker Vengeance on XBLA. Available now for 1200 MS Points and coming to PlayStation 3 later on this year, the aim of the game is to score touchdowns and not get splatted by the various waves of defenders and/or obstacles. The game features the real-time animation system (called Euphoria) that Rockstar Games have previously used in GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption, so according to the developers “no two tackles are the same.” Check out this Backbreaker Vengeance trailer.

Look, gazongas! Link is probably NSFW. You’ve been warned.

The PlayStation Blog has revealed the content of the welcome back package for PlayStation Home users which totals over £65 apparently:

• Anime Style Apartment
• Anime themed clothing and furniture sets
• Paris Modern Office furniture set
• nDreams Big Bash party bundle
• nDreams Fantasy Fashion and Funkster costumes
• Aurora OrbRunner Booster Bundle
• A cuddly Stitchkins Bunny Toy from Lockwood
• A Midway Green ticket (50 plays)
• Cardboard Cartel Furniture from Codeglue
• Fortune Cookie active item
• A selection of Tops, Shirts, Skirts, High-top trainers and glasses
• Go Fish – a new, free-to-play fishing game based in the Shopping Centre

Does anyone regularly log into PlayStation Home? If so, what do you think of this welcome back offering?

Activision are holding the ultimate Call of Duty event on the 2nd-3rd Sep 2011 in LA. Called Call of Duty XP, 6000 fans will have the opportunity to be totally immersed in a Call of Duty world and be:

first to witness the world premiere of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 multiplayer. Attendees will be among the first to have the opportunity to get hands-on time with multiplayer and Spec Ops. Also on display for the first time will be the full feature set functionality of Call of Duty® Elite, the innovative new online service built from the ground up to support Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3. Supporting this epic reveal is a series of real-world Call of Duty action-experiences and gaming competitions as well as an unprecedented $1 million dollar Call of Duty tournament

Tickets cost $150 and go on sale on the 19th July 2011 and then 2 minutes later they will be all sold out, no doubt. The exact time of the ticket sale will be announced on the 12th July 2011 along with the 2-day event schedule. Travel and accommodation costs are not included in the ticket price and you have to be over 18 years old to attend. You can sign up on the Call of Duty XP website to be kept up to date with the latest event news.

Nintendo are continuing to ramp up the delivery of content to the 3DS with the availability of 3D trailers for upcoming 3DS games from the Nintendo eShop.

Batch 1 (available between 1st July-20th July):

• Mario Kart
• Resident Evil: Revelations
• Star Fox 64
• Super Mario
• Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Batch 2 (coming next week):

• Animal Crossing
• Kid Icarus: Uprising
• Luigi’s Mansion 2
• Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater
• Paper Mario

Codemasters have released a Monte Carlo DLC pack for DiRT 3, adding 8 new stages and the foggy weather effect to the game. It costs 800 MS Points on Xbox LIVE and Game for Windows LIVE and on the €7.99 PlayStation Store. The video below shows just how scary driving one of these tight and twisty stages at night can be:

Microsoft’s event starts the ball rolling on the morning of the 6th June 2011 (or 17:30 BST) followed by EA, Ubisoft and Sony’s 5-hour monster press conference at 1am BST on the 7th June 2011. Nintendo has its big pre-show event on 7th June 2011, so 17:30 BST in the UK.

Rather than missing out, you can watch them all live online. Here’s where to find all the conference streams.

Microsoft:

• Date: 6th June 2011
• Time: 17:30 BST, 09:30 PST or elsewhere
• Live feed: http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/e3, www.Facebook.com/XboxUK or on your mobile via Xbox.mobi

Electronic Arts:

• Date: 6th June 2011
• Time: 20:30 BST, 12:30 PST or elsewhere
• Live feed: http://live-event.ea.com/e3/press

Ubisoft:

• Date: 6th June 2011
• Time: 22:30 BST, 14:30 PST or elsewhere
• Live feed: www.youtube.com/ubisoft (except for France, Sweden and Germany) or www.uplay.com. The Uplay website is mobile friendly too.

Sony:

• Date: 7th June 2011
• Time: 01:00 BST, 6th June 17:00 PST or elsewhere
• Live feed: Via the PlayStation blog and within PlayStation Home via a special screening room

Nintendo:

• Date: 7th June 2011
• Time: 17:00 BST, 09:00 PST or elsewhere
• Live feed: http://e3.nintendo.com/

And a Google Calender link (UK time).

We’ll also be talking to the following companies during the Expo itself:

• 2k Games
• Bethesda
• Bohemia Interactive
• CD Projekt Red
• Codemasters
• EA
• En Masse Entertainment
• Ignition
• Majesco Enterainment
• Microsoft
• Namco Bandai
• Nordic Games
• Paramount Digital Entertainment
• SEGA
• Square Enix
• Telltale Games
• THQ
• Ubisoft
• Warner Brothers

If you have any questions about their games, or want us to hunt down any other companies let us in the comments or on Twitter (Nick, Debbie). We’ll be your direct line into E3 ;)

Next stop for us is the LA Convention Centre. Woo-hoo!

Now, 13 years later, Ocarina of Time is back, but on the 3DS. I was very curious to find out if the game that is often referred to as the “greatest game of all time” still has what it takes to be a great game in 2011 or is it a classic of a time gone by. So last week, amongst the many branches of the great Deku tree and , I got some hands-on time with the game.

21st Century Link

This new 3D version of Ocarina of Time is a bit of an eye-catcher. Boasting an updated graphics engine, Zelda impresses from the get-go. It looks exactly like the game I remember playing all those years ago, which is funny as the original N64 version now looks terrible. I checked, by playing Zelda on one of the N64s in the event’s nostalgia area. Zelda 3D was like reuniting with a long lost friend; so many things were familiar and comforting, especially the music. To see Link riding aloft his horse, Epona, who was majestically galloping across the vast Hyrulian field… it brought back waves of happy memories. It even sparked the notes to Epona’s theme back to life in my brain. The very same notes that I used to play on Link’s Ocarina whenever I wanted Epona to give me a lift.

I spent a while flicking between the 2D/3D modes to see what view I was most comfortable using. The full-on 3D view really showed off the impressive depth of field. This did bring a whole new dimension, if you forgive the pun, to the battle sequences. Those pesky PeaHats that infest Hyrule field are a perfect example of this, with their spinning blades appearing as if they pop right out of the screen.

The N64’s controls have translated fairly well to the 3DS, with the LB taking the place of the must used Z-trigger for locking onto items/enemies. The touch screen allows you to quickly navigate between your items, the world map and your weapons. After all these years, Nintendo have finally sorted out how to quickly switch between the longshot and the iron boots. This one simple change makes the whole Water Temple an infinitely nicer place to be as you need to use both items almost all the time. On the original, it was a bloody pain. Just ask anyone whose completed it.

The circle pad on the 3DS takes the place of the N64’s joystick and is a very poor replacement, to be honest. Whilst the pad is nice enough for making Link walk and run around, it’s bloody awful for aiming when using any ranged weapons – bow, catapult, longshot. It’s not sensitive enough. But using the in-built gyro and physically moving the 3DS console around to aim in first-person view is far more accurate way of doing things. However, this can get a bit tiring after a while. It’s also best to use the 2D mode as it’s very difficult to maintain the correct alignment between your eyes and the screen for the 3D effect to work properly.

Same dungeons, different puzzles

Happily, there is more to discover in this 3DS version of Ocarina of Time. For starters the Master Quest add-on is included. In this add-on, the basic game play, locations and events of Ocarina of Time are the same, but once you get into each of the dungeons things are different. Each dungeon has been comprehensively redesigned to make them much more of a challenge. For Ocarina of Time veterans like me, these new puzzles are a very welcome addition.

There is also a new boss challenge mode which allows you to refight any boss you’ve already defeated. Either on their own or as a series of continues battles. Modes like this have never been much of an interest to me. I’m usually quite happy to see the back of most boss battles. I really don’t want to have to fight them again, especially by choice.

Thankfully, Nintendo have addressed one of the major flaws of the original – what the hell to do next? We’ve all been there. You’ve just completed a dungeon with your shiny new weapon and then you have absolutely no idea where to go next. Instead you waste loads of time wandering around the world map before stumbling on the next area/event. This new version includes various Sheikah Stones dotted around Hyrule which give you hints and tips to help you with your adventure.

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, but as I mentioned from the start, it frequently suffers at the hands of reality. The 3DS version of Ocarina of Time avoids this problem to a certain degree by updating the visuals, adding new challenges to the existing dungeons (via Master Quest) and providing help to lost adventurers. However, the tedious adventure sections in-between dungeons and painfully slow conversations between Link and the numerous NPCs still blight the game. In fact, the game would be substantially better if Nintendo just linked all the dungeons together. That maybe a blasphemous statement to legions of Ocarina of Time fans out there but the game play outside the dungeons has not aged well at all. In-game narrative and character interaction has come a long way in games since 1998. Ocarina of Time’s stilted dialogue and clumsy plot exposition match up very poorly to modern games like Heavy Rain, Mass Effect and Portal 2.

Summary:

The graphical lick of paint and the prospect of solving a whole new set of dungeon puzzles are probably just enough to tempt veteran players back to Hyrule. For new players, this is the best version of Ocarina of Time to date and is worth seeing what all the fuss is about, even with the flawed and slightly dated adventure sections.

Screenshots:

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is released on the 17th June 2011 for the 3DS.

The main design challenge the developers faced was how to top their first two MotorStorm games without just making yet another racing game. There are still tracks but, to take it another stage further, the world is falling apart. In a break from the previous games, you are actually racing in a city for a change. The twist is that this city is slowly being destroyed by natural disasters. These cause roads to drop, buildings to collapse and general mayhem while you are trying to beat other players. As you can imagine this makes for interesting racing and directly influences your play style. Rather unfortunately, the original release date was the same week as the well-known Japanese earthquake. You can see why Sony chose to postpone the release, hey?

Besides the environmental changes, there was also an interesting addition for multiplayer gameplay. While there’s the usual 4-player split-screen and online playing, they have also introduced the ability to bet on the outcome of races. You can bet against others, but also yourself. So if you know you are outclassed, you can still get ahead by betting that another player will win.

During the night, the main cinema screen was open for anyone to try the game out, with the highest scores being entered into a competition. Now, there’s something amazing about seeing any game on a screen the size of 4 double-decker buses however, MotorStorm suited this even more than I expected. With the massive screen and the amazing sound system, it was hard not to swerve in your seat trying to dodge the virtual cars.

To ensure people were not left out, Sony provided some more consoles to try the game on, but this time in 3D. I’ve always wondered if 3D would actually bring anything to a game and in this case it definitely does. The perspective gives far more visibility of the obstacles ahead of you, helping you plan where you are going to go. Since the whole environment is falling apart around you, this really does help avoid the collapsing city.

Getting in on the act was Nintendo as well; they had a large area marked off to demonstrate the new 3DS. This proved to be more popular than the Sony area, with a queue outside to get in. Once inside, there were plenty of 3DS handheld consoles to try out. I only spent some time playing Star Wars, and will admit the 3D did work quite well. The problem I have is that I can’t see a use for purpose built handhelds in this day and age. Sony have at least thought this through and released the Xperia PLAY.

The event as a whole was a good night, but it did lead to a thought: what are the best games suited to the cinema screen? Clearly racers are pretty good, but what else would work? I know a lot of people would suggest first person shooters, but I’m not so sure if a game like Call of Duty would work very well on a screen that size. Now, survival horrors strike me as a really good game to play on this type of screen. Imagine playing Dead Space 2, or even the original Silent Hill games on a dark, large screen and very good surround sound to freak you out.

If you could rent out a cinema screen for gaming, what would you want to play?

Ok, the plot to this game is incredibly silly, but once you’ve had your epic task explained to you by the wonderfully named Prince Fluff, it’s time to save the world.

OMG, it’s so fluffy

The overwhelming cuteness hits you as soon as you enter Patch Land. Things look cute, act cute, move in a cute way and are enveloped in a world where everything is all soft and squishy. As you move around, whatever is underfoot gently sags under your weight like a big comfy pillow. Fish wear snorkel masks, enemies run away in fear when you steal their weapons and get dazed when they accidentally run into walls. Everywhere you look there’s something to bring a smile to your face. Kirby even makes a little angry face when attacking enemies. Grrr! I love it when the snowmen freeze Kirby into a tiny ice block if he gets too close to their freezing breath. His little eyes peering back at you inside his temporary icy coffin. It is these little details that make the game a joy to behold. I haven’t been this captivated with the look of a Nintendo game since the magnificent Yoshi’s Story on the N64.

Then almost immediately you’re jumping, floating and bashing around Patch Land under your new moniker bestowed upon you by Prince Fluff – Lord Kirby. You also have a vast assay of skills available, mainly because Kirby’s now made of yarn, like everything else in the world. He can float, bash through walls, lasso enemies and their weapons and turn into a car or a sledge to speed around levels. If you fall/jump into water you suddenly become a submarine. A cute one at that, complete with smile. And then there’s the big transformations. Many of the levels feature a zone in which Kirby can turn into a UFO, train, giant robot, spaceship, shark….Oooh, shark, I loved being a shark. Sharky Kirby was so fast and nimble to control, a bit like Ecco on speed.

Underneath Kirby’s impossibly cute exterior beats the heart of a classic platformer. A simple premise – get to the end of each level using the various platforms, collect gems along the way and look for hidden items. There are 7 areas on offer (Patch Land plus Yin-Yarn’s gaff) each complete with their own boss battle. There’s nothing frenetic about the core gameplay. It’s a nice, relaxing platform game in the mould of Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Galaxy. Jump from platform to platform, gawp at the luscious scenery, smile at the cuteness of everything and then amble to the end of the level. Even the music and sound effects wouldn’t be out of place in those games. It’s all very Nintendo.

In addition to the leaping about platforms there’s tricky little gem collecting game which rewards you with a gold medal if you collect enough of them on each level. In true platformer fashion the gems are scattered far and wide across each level. The main problem you encounter is that every time you get hit by an enemy or fall off the bottom of the level you haemorrhage gems everywhere. Once set free, these gems are a pain to retrieve as they seem to have an affinity for spikes/enemies or holes in the level floor. Easy come, easy go as they say. Losing gems is the only real penalty in the whole game as Kirby can’t actually die. Even when you have no gems at all Kirby will just re-materialise within the level. However, losing all your precious gems is quite a heartbreaking experience when it happens, especially right at the end of a level. Gem collecting aside though, playing Kirby is a remarkably relaxing and happy experience.

There’s even a bit of Animal Crossing in the game in the form of flat furnishing. Using the many items you pick up on your travels you can pimp out Kirby’s very own flat. In my game, Kirby’s flat features a giant dinosaur slide, with a circuit board rug taking pride of place in the room :-) Also if you find selected items amongst the levels you can also decorate some of the neighbouring flats. If you get board of exploring then there are hide and seek games your mate Zeke to entertain you. Finding hidden items, decorating flats or finding all of Zeke’s friends has no bearing on the main plot. It’s all just for fun.

A Kirby shoot-em-up. Really?

Later on you come across a couple of shoot-em-up sections. You can’t miss them as they are part of the core levels that you must complete to finish the game. In them Kirby transforms into a cute looking spaceship and takes on the evil hordes in side and vertical scrolling levels. This is proper old school gaming at its best. Evoking memories of both R-Type and Gunhed, the action is frenetic, bullet-soaked and accompanied by some really cheesy music. Screw the rest of the game, Nintendo should release a Kirby shoot-em-up! I’d totally buy it.

That’s not cute

The only thing particularly wrong with Kirby’s Epic Yarn is the unforgiving boss battles at the end of each world. There’s one boss in particular which requires ninja speed reactions to kill. I must have spent about 20 minutes trying to defeat him. Most of this time was wasted waiting for the nano-second during his cycle of attacks during which I could inflict some damage. Whilst none of the boss battles are particularly difficult as you can’t die, they still manage to be both frustrating and time-consuming.

If you are really trying to nit-pick then the level design can be a little uninspiring on occasions and you can complete the game in under 8 hours, which is a bit short. There’s also no real feeling of peril or risk in the absence of a lives system. Almost all the levels are easy to finish as you rarely come across difficult sections. However, there is a decent amount of replay value to the game as there are additional levels to unlock and not forgetting all the gems to collect.

Lord Kirby and Prince Fluff

In what appears to be a dying feature in games, Kirby includes an off-line co-op game. Before you start each level, you are given the choice of 1 or 2 players. In the 2-player mode, one player controls Lord Kirby and the other gets Prince Fluff. With 2 players on the screen it does feel a little like playing Little Big Planet – you have to pay attention to each other. If one player drops off the screen they “die” and are transported back to where the other player is located. This happens as soon as either player drops off the screen, there’s no waiting like Little Big Planet.

You also have the ability to pick up and throw each other around the level. Whilst this is really handy in trying to reach the higher platforms or kill enemies, you do end up chucking your mate into trouble or worse to their death. Most of the time this happens accidentally as you are trying to kill a baddie or jump to another platform. Personally, I found the game harder to play with 2-players, especially during the boss battles as there’s so much going on.

With some of the larger transformations, like the giant robot or the surfer, each player gets to control a different part. In the case of the robot, one player fires and steers the rockets and the other player drives the robot. The rockets can be steered by tilting the Wii remote, which leads to all sorts of crazy rocket trails. Unsurprisingly when two people are controlling the same thing it gets hectic, chaotic and results in a lot of fun as you both try to keep each other alive. Certainly one of the highlights of the whole game for me was the first time I came across the giant robot. Big smiles all round!

Summary:

One of the cutest games I’ve ever played in my life and one that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face; the perfect platform game for children and adults alike. You can also play the game together via the 2-player offline co-op mode, but be prepared for a few accidental killing-your-partner moments. This is definitely a game worth buying.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn is out now for £30, only on the Nintendo Wii