It’s been almost 6 months since I have bought Microsoft’s motion tracking gadget and aside from playing Kinect Adventures and occasionally inviting family and friends over so they can see me wave at my X-Box, I was beginning to wonder if I should keep it or not.

So with Kinect sitting above my TV collecting dust for the last few months, Ubisoft and Q-Entertainment have come to rescue and released what many have dubbed the prequel to Rez.

Developed by legendary games designer, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Child of Eden is a rhythm action game set in a virtual world in the far future. The objective of the game is to Project Lumi from a virus attack.

Seperated into five different sections, each one has it’s own unique identity with areas of the game looking like lakes, underwater caves and a section that appears to be the insides of a computer.

The game is essential an on the rails shooter with a good bit of music rhythm thrown in. Execute your attacks on the right beat and you are rewarded with bonus points and various unlockables.

Playing the game using Kinect can take a little while to get used to, but once it clicks the experience is quite immersive and almost becomes second nature.

Visually, the game is very pleasing – with graceful animation and vibrant colours, the game reminds me of an up-to-date version of that not-so-classic 90s film, The Lawnmower Man.

Musically everything hit’s the right note. While the trance inspired soundtrack may not be to everyone’s taste, it fits the proceedings like a glove.

The game can be finished in under an hour but thankfully the developers have included a few mechanics that will keep the player coming back for more, including new difficulty settings and a hidden challenge mode.

Overall, Child of Eden is a worth checking out, especially if you are a Kinect owner looking for something that might be a little different. Visually and audibly arresting, Child of Eden is unlike any other game you’ll play this year.

Verdict: 8 out of 10

The Good
Very pretty
Nice music
Unique

The Bad
Kinect controls can take a while to get used too
Not to everyone’s taste

Avatar - Xbox 360

I have not yet seen the film (which by all accounts looks quite good) but having just played the game it’s got to be said that good ol’ Jimmy Cameron has let his imagination run wild and created an amazing world, with a level of detail that hasn’t been seen since Peter Jackson decided to put some hairy feet on Elijah Wood and film the results.
 
To avoid upsetting the Cameron faithful, the plot of the game is wisely set up before the events of the film, thus avoiding any accusations (and possibly, loss of sales) to those wishing to avoid spoilers.
 
The game is essentially an over-the-shoulder shooter, much like Gears of War and Resident Evil 5.
 
Controlling the character of Ryder (who can be either male or female depending on your choice), you are assigned to help the RDA on the planet of Pandora. 
 
Upon arrival you find yourself doing a few missions, such as defending the base from viperwolves and setting up a few defence perimeters, ensuring the safety of the camp.
 
Pandora is a vast and tropical world, and your mission objectives can be some distances away. Fortunately, there are various vehicles available to Ryder, including a car that can only be described as Warthog-lite.
 
After you have completed a few missions, Ryder is required to enter his/her avatar for the first time – a moment that should hold much wonder, but sadly feels hollow and dare, I say it, clunky. All that happens is that your character changes and then some general tells you to go and do a mission. The only thing that does happen is that the creatures and plants of Pandora are less aggressive to your presence (mildly).
 
Along the way, Ryder has to chose a side – the Na’vi or RDA – a decision that will naturally decide the plot and nature of the game.

Being 12 ft tall and essentially lanky versions of the Smurfs, the Na’vi run a lot faster than their human counterparts. They also nip around from place to place by using trees that can teleport you from one place to another. Go figure….
 
Graphically Avatar is very impressive. At first the lush world of Pandora is a little overpowering and it’s only upon second inspection that you can appreciate the level of detail that has gone into creating this game.
 
It’s a shame then that the production level is brought down by some rather weak voice acting, which gives the impression that it was recorded by the same enthusiastic bunch that voiced Resident Evil back in the late 90s. This is particularly noticeable when interacting with the NPCs – try to shoot them and they’ll just say “who gave you a gun?”, with about as much panache as bucket of magnolia paint.
 
The controls are also rather questionable. There is no option to zoom in with your weapon, and on too often an occasion the camera will waywardly position itself to your disadvantage.

Kudos should be given to the developers for making use of the 3D technology that is also present on certain screenings of the film – should you have a 3D-ready tv, this adds a whole new perspective to the game. However who these days has a 3D-ready tv?
 
No doubt two or three years down the line when they are readily available (and affordable), Avatar will be seen a giant leap forward for 3D technology, but until then most of us will have to enjoy it in all its 2D glory.

Despite being a graphical and technological triumph, Avatar is ultimately flawed by its controls and repetitive gameplay. It’s by no means a bad game, especially by film tie-in standards, but neither is it a great one. If you enjoyed the film and are looking to learn more about the universe, it’s worth checking out.
 
Verdict: 6.5 out of 10
 
The Good
Good graphics
3D technology is great, if a little ahead of its time
 
The Bad
Repetitive
Poor voice acting

Assassin's Creed 2 - Playstation 3

I love this game.

There, I said it.

While the last Assassin’s Creed was a disappointment, its successor is a triumph of immersive entertainment, taking the gamer through the highs and lows of life in renaissance Italy, crammed with action at every turn and (prepare yourself) it has a thrilling plot.

Truly, Assassin’s Creed 2 is un brillante gioco al computer, as our hero, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, would say.

Set in the 1400s, Assassin’s Creed 2 continues the parallel storyline started in the previous game, detailing the secret war between the order of Assassins and the power-hungry Templars, who are now hiding behind the front of Abstergo Industries – a multinational company. In the modern day, our eponymous hero, Desmond Miles, escapes from Abstergo and joins the Assassins, who stick him in an Animus machine (a tool which allows the user to relive the lives of one’s ancestors through DNA), and allows him to play the life story of Desmond’s ancestor Ezio, an Italian nobleman, in order for him to learn the Assassin’s art.

So, while playing as Desmond playing as Ezio, the gamer is plunged into Ezio’s world, as he has to face off against the Templars and take his revenge on the betrayers of his family, while unravelling a mystery as old as time itself.

Despite what you might think, the two parallel storylines are clearly separated and make sense. The two even collide in some ways, as a previous test subject (who was tortured at Abstergo before Desmond) has left clues in Ezio’s memories for you to find, which in turn unlock the truth of both conspiracies – it’s a multi-layered plot which I found to be completely engrossing, unlike the last game’s plot, which was bland and disappointing.

I’m not going to say much more, other than to say to find a game plot of such depth is a rare thing indeed.

Ezio’s world is one of great change. At the time of the renaissance, Italy was moving into an age of technology and commerce, when great inventors like Leonardo da Vinci (who acts as one of Ezio’s mentors in Florence) were expanding their minds.

Into this new world comes Ezio, now an Assassin, and he has free run all over Italy to chase down the conspirators.

Locations on offer include the massive city-state of Florence, Venice’s network of waterways, the huge open countryside of Italy (complete with bandits) and the Auditore family’s city retreat, Monteriggioni, which Ezio can upgrade with his hard earned money in a side quest and restore to its former glory, as well as a money-maker and a great place to stock up on the tools of the trade.

And speaking of tools, unlike his predecessor, Altair, Ezio can have more than four weapons. A huge number of swords, maces, axes, throwing knives, smoke bombs and even a small pistol are up for grabs, provided you have the money. Ezio can also eventually wield two of the Assassin’s hidden blades, allowing him to off two enemies at once in a stylish attack, which is even better if executed from a rooftop.

And there is a lot of assassinating to be done. While the main campaign is engrossing enough, many side jobs are available to Ezio, ranging from assassination contracts to courier work, races, collecting any one of a number of different chests, eagle feathers or pages of ancient knowledge (which in turn open up even more of the plot) – the opportunities seem endless.

There’s even an opportunity to commission a painting to decorate your villa, or dye your robes, or you could go hunting for the tombs of legendary Assassins to unlock even more armour or weapon choices. Basically, unlike the previous title, you aren’t likely to get bored with Assassin’s Creed 2.

The gameplay is smooth and simple to grasp. As with his predecessor, Ezio is as skilled at climbing as a cat, and can climb, swing and jump his way across the rooftop with ease. Combat is also simple, but this time round Ezio can disarm his enemies and use their own weapons against them – a useful tactic when your enemy is a massive brute armed with a war hammer.

Ezio is capable of taking on ten or more enemies at once, and though the combat controls can take a bit of getting used to, once you’ve mastered them, countering, disarming and taunting enemies becomes second nature, and the game all the more enjoyable for it.

Alternatively, if fighting would not suit the assassination, Ezio can hire thieves, mercenaries or a small bunch of courtesans (ladies of the night to you or I) and task them with distracting the guards. Or you could blend in with the crowds and strike suddenly as you pass. Or you could poison one guard, watch him go nuts- distracting the enemy- do the deed and disappear, how you complete the missions is up to you, and it’s this freedom which is so engrossing.

Speaking of freedom, though the controls for getting about are simple, with the free-running aspect still playing well, the controls can occasionally be very unforgiving, particularity during a frantic escape or in the middle of a particularly difficult climbing section – one slip up, one joystick push in the wrong direction, and it’s a plummet to the streets of Venice and a swift restart, but with practice, getting about is not a problem.

Graphically the PS3 version of Assassin’s Creed 2 is superb. The game makes full use of the PS3’s hardware to produce a living, breathing environment with no slowdown and excellent texturing close-up.

The cutscenes are also well animated, though there is the occasional lip-synching problem, but this is a marginal issue

The sound is also well thought out. The musical score ranges from Italian harp to surprisingly good mixes of rock music and orchestral score, and it flows and rises with the action on screen.

The voice acting is also excellent. Ezio’s character is well rounded and believable, and listening him go from noisy teenager to stonehearted Assassin is another high point for the game.

Even the NPC’s have believable characters as you move through the crowds – knock over an old man and he will raise his fist at you, yelling “Bastardo!” at the top of his lungs- and attracting the attention of the guards- you have to watch how you approach the targets in Assassin’s Creed 2 – everyone could be a troublemaker.

Assassin’s Creed 2 is a massive improvement from its predecessor in every way. There’s more to do, a decent plot, dozens of targets to plan and assassinate, better graphics, voice acting and environments- it’s a brilliant game in all respects. Though the controls can be a little frustrating, once you learn the nuances of the system the game that keeps on giving, and if you spend some time finding every hidden glyph, riddle, feather, mission and jewellery box, it’s extremely fulfilling as well.

Stick it on your Christmas list.

Score: 9/10

Good Stuff:
Great plot
Fantastic gameplay
Loads to see, do and stab in the back with your hidden blade

Not So Good Stuff:
Occasionally frustrating and difficult controls

Surrounded by hundreds of costumed manga fans, my counterpart and I checked in, grabbed our shiny press passes and hit the expo floor.

First on the agenda was Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, which was being shown in action by a Ubi rep.

The action on screen seemed faster than previous titles, with an increased feel of playing ex-Third Echelon agent Sam Fisher as more the aggressor than sneaky spy. The rep quickly grabbed one enemy, before using the ‘mark and execute’ trait to shoot two others in the head, breaking his captive’s neck and shimmying up a nearby pole.

It remains to be seen whether any of the earlier title’s stealth-based sneaking has remained intact in Ubi’s interesting reboot of the series, but I’ll certainly be happy to see Sam’s return in early 2010.

Right across from the Splinter Cell zone another rep was showing off a build of Avatar: The Game.

Avatar

Donning a pair of 3D glasses I studied what appeared to be a decent recreating of the upcoming movie’s lush worlds and brutal firefights, with the rep starting out in a helicopter-hunter-killer-flying-thing before hitting the ground and burning the hell out of a massive, slavering beastie.

The 3D effects were excellent, but I was assured by Ubi rep Phil Brannelly that the effects could be turned off for those of us without a 4,000 inch TV screen. Appearing to be a decent cross of Cameron’s world with a Gears of War-style shooter, it remains to be seen whether Avatar will break the trend of rubbish film tie-in games.

Bayonetta

Across a busy street of massive sword-wielding manga fans I spied the raven locks of Bayonetta, Sega’s latest slice-em-up, which features a witch who carries a sword, user her hair and clothing as a weapon, can conjure up a giant boot to kick anything into the distance and has a gun strapped to each limb.

Playing very similarly to Devil May Cary, I was quite drawn with Bayonetta’s outlandish attacks and artistic style, but I fear the game is too similar to Devil May Cry to really stand out on its own. But, from what I played, it hasn’t ruined the simple ‘slice things, shoot things, repeat’ method of the DMC games, and so will no doubt be a riot of action in early 2010.

Hidden away in a nearby metal container was a build of Valve’s necrotic flesh-em-up Left 4 Dead 2, which will offer more missions, more guns, and more of the brilliant co-op action the series does so well.

Though I didn’t get to play it (there was a large queue of spiky-haired ninja in the way) it looked like as much fun as the last game, and a representative promised me it will lay fan’s fears to rest after the ‘boycott Left 4 Dead 2’ campaign took root in a disappointed fanbase.

The queue for Left 4 Dead 2

Leaving the zombiefied remains of new Orleans, we swung by Lego Rock Band’s stall, where a team of confused-looking people dressed as anime animals were trying to pull off the Kaiser Chief’s Ruby while little Lego versions of the Chiefs danced on the screen – this is just more of the same old Rock Band I fear, just with Lego – it will be interesting to watch the sales figures for yet another Rock Band title, and whether or no the public have cottoned on to the money making scheme yet.

2K was up next, who were showing the E3 video of Bioshock 2 – in all its art deco loveliness – on one wall, and had about 30 gamers blowing enemy after enemy away on Borderlands on the other four.

Though reviews for Borderlands have been overwhelmingly positive, I took the time to ask PR director Alex Bickham why the 2K team decided to do away with the realistic feel of the game and instead replace it with a cel-shaded, cartoon style for the wasteland shoot-and-loot experience.

“It was an insurrection.” He told me, furiously handing out posters to the game’s many fans, “the team took the build and went off and added the cel-shading behind the developer’s back, then they came back, showed it to the team and the bosses and they were like ‘wow’, so we decided to go with that.”

Not one for cel-shading myself, Colin thinks it’s sure to be a fun title to play, and was wondering if the wasteland scavenger approach (which brought back memories of the excellent Fallout 3) might have had something to do with Borderland’s makeover? Either way, the game looked like a fast-paced shoot-em-up with a decent co-op experience tagged on, and we’re sure to have a review of that for you soonest.

Wandering amongst the katanas and bunny ears, we came across the final gem MCM had to offer us – Star Trek Online, the MMORPG sensation which has got every Trekkie jumping up and down at the chance of becoming a starship captain – including Colin.

Star Trek Online

While I settled in to play a decent build of the space combat section, happily blowing away Klingon ships with my starship’s weaponry in a very pretty space theatre, Colin asked an assistant (whose name he forgot to write down…) a few Trekkie questions:

Who can you play as?
“You can play as a federation officer, a Klingon, Vulcan or a Romulan.”

What about the Borg?
“You can’t play as the Borg yet, but we are considering that for DLC.  The Borg are definitely going to feature in the game – in a mission you will have to defeat them in a space battle.  They are going to be huge and it will take about 20 players to defeat them”.

What is the plot?
“It’s set 30 years after the movie Star Trek: Nemesis, and there is a big political struggle around the Neutral Zone.  It’s an endless universe and there will be various missions for you to check out.  It will be presented in episodic form to give the player that typical weekly TV impression”

Does the JJ Abrams vision of Star Trek feature in that at all?
“There’s a funny story about that.  The development team went to see the film last summer, by which point the game had been in production for 3 or 4 years.  As we watching it we all gasped in horror when Vulcan was destroyed – but by the end of it we all like ‘oh ok, this is a new timeline, so it shouldn’t affect anything. But yeah, since the game is a MMO there is plenty of scope for sending players to different timelines – a recurring theme in the Star Trek series”.

Personally I found the space combat bit to be a little tricky to master, with a difficult and unruly camera that was, I was told, able to be clamped to the rear of the starship – I just couldn’t find the option to do it. Other than that it was great fun, shooting phasers and firing torpedoes into wave after wave of Klingon ships. The ground section, which was a ‘rough build’ (in the assistant’s words), was a bit jagged around the edges, but judging by the commitment the team have put into the game I’m expecting Star trek Online to be something special – so watch this space.

And so, our business done, Col and I made for the Jubilee line, dodging dozens of manga fans, people clutching signs offering ‘free hugs’ (what’s all that about? Answers on a postcard please), and made our escape.

Expect a report from next week’s Eurogamer event soon!