PS Vita Gets European Launch Line-Up

Sony have released the official list of PS Vita titles that gamers can expect to see at launch when the new console gets its European debut on the 22nd of February 2012.

Amongst the latest sequels of some of the core Sony franchises such as Everybody's Golf,
Uncharted: Golden Abyss and ModNation Racers: Road Trip, to name but a few, there are also a couple of brand new games on the list which seem worth getting excited about.

These include Escape Plan, a puzzle-platformer in which two odd-looking characters called Lil and Laarg (or little and large - get it?) must escape from a factory in a monochrome world where they are about to be pulped into mush. The game has an air of the macabre about it but definitely has a very unique and intriguing back-story as well as refreshing and somewhat humorous gameplay.

The other new title is simply called Unit 13, and is a Special Ops type game in which players can choose one of six operatives who are then expected to complete thirty-six gruelling action-based missions in nine different locations.

As both games have been constructed from scratch to take advantage of all the console's best features including the dual analog sticks, they promise to be a very good indication of the PS Vita's capabilities and the kind of new games we could be likely to see on the console in the near future.

Does this mean that the European launch of the PS Vita will be a success? It is impossible to tell whether Sony will have definite success with the new console. The PS Vita has already been heavily criticised for its expensive memory card prices and its new NVG game cards system, which have now replaced the UMD system used on older PSP handheld consoles.

Nevertheless, the list of launch game titles definitely seems promising enough at the moment. The full list of first-party launch titles can be seen by CLICKING HERE.

Remember to check in with the Mini Gamers blogsite for more details about the launch over the next few months. For more details on the PS Vita's apparent pros and cons, please CLICK HERE.

Game of the Week: Super Mario 3D Land [3DS]

The Super Mario Bros franchise has FINALLY been given its first outing on the Nintendo 3DS. The game mixes 2D side-scrolling action, which is traditionally associated with Platformers, with new autostereoscopic 3D environments.

Although the 3D effects don't particularly aide the overall plot, the use of the 3DS gyroscope and the increased depth perception does mean that there is more of the environment to explore, and players may just find some Star Coins, (or Star Medals as they are now known,) hidden in some very unlikely places. There are three Star Medals to collect per level.

The way that the game switches with ease from 2D to 3D and vice versa really helps to keep players on their toes and is a truly refreshing way to play.

Power-ups also help to keep the game interesting. This time however, most of the minor traditional power-ups have been dropped, and only a few essential power-ups remain. The main power-ups in Super Mario 3D Land are as follows:

Super Leaf/Tanooki Suit - Turns Mario into a Tanuki type creature (Tanooki) and grants him the ability to float, fly and administer special spinning kicks etc.

The Boomerang Suit -  Gives Mario the ability to throw Boomerangs at his enemies and it can also be used to pick up Coins, Star Medals or other Power-Ups.

? Box Helmet - This item will only be found in the latter levels of the game. Although it will be disguised as an ordinary Question (?) Block, it will attach itself to Mario's body when hit and it will earn players some extra coins as Mario walks around the environments wearing it.

Poison Mushroom - This item can only be gained once you have completed the regular game and have accessed the Special Worlds portion of the game. This item will result in Mario characters losing a life if they touch it, so it is best avoided, but this mushroom can be destroyed by a fireball.

 This is a really fun game to play and can be quite challenging at times. One slight disappointment was that there are only two types of Boss fights: Aerial Fights against Boom Boom or Castle-based attacks against Bowser. Both of which are easy to overcome after a little bit of practise.

This brings us to the final criticism of Super Mario 3D Land, which is that the overall game seemed incredibly short and it would definitely not take Mario veterans longer than a day or two at most to complete the game's standard levels.

Nevertheless, it is a superb game which really does appear to have been made for use with 3D. In fact, had this game been released earlier, it would have probably single-handedly raised 3DS sales by about two-thirds. Truly a game worth owning. Overall Rating: 10/10.

Game of the Week: Zoo Resort 3D

The first set of cute 3DS games has arrived, however, despite Zoo Resort 3D being obviously aimed at a younger gaming audience, Mini Gamers was pleasantly surprised by what we found.

The aim of Zoo Resort 3D is to stock and maintain a Zoo which has been left to you by your (in-game) late grandfather. You must unlock different breeds of animals, from simple birds, to large land-and-sea predators, and the majority of the game is centred around the players abilities to feed and display the animals to growing crowds of visitors.

The more you feed and interact with the animals in your care, the more visitors you attract and the more money you gain, which will allow you to develop your zoo and unlock more animals.

The first thing you gain access to after your initial animals have been placed in the zoo, is the 'Animal Dispenser'. This allows you to randomly create animals in exchange for some coins. The more popular your zoo becomes, the more types of Animal Dispensers you can use. Nevertheless, the latter dispensers are very expensive and can cost up to 8000 coins a time to use.

In order to gain access to the various unlockable items that the game has to offer, you must first bond with the animals through feeding them and taking a selection of top quality photographs or video for your apparent zoo blog, and trying to gain the maximum popularity for each animal group in turn.

If you have managed to gain the maximum bond with your animals, fulfilled the total number of appearances to members of the public, and also happen to have the correct number of each animal in their individual enclosures, (this info can be found on the information card displayed on the animal selection screen), you will be treated to a stunning animated 3D cutscene showing the animals in their daily life at the zoo. These visuals are truly breathtaking most of the time and really help to bring each animal to life. The cutscene can then be replayed at any time.

As the game is primarily aimed at younger gamers, it is very easy to pick up and play, with simple tasks that will help the zoo to run smoothly.

Nevertheless, the game will sometimes throw up random challenges such as 'displayed animals will become sick today', which means that you won't be able to display those animals for a few in-game days, or 'elephants at another zoo have become more popular', in which case you must try to raise the popularity of your own elephants etc.

These challenges help to lower the visitor count and therefore alter the amount of money that you earn on that day and the subsequent day, making your progress through the game slightly slower.

However, if you wish to miss the challenge altogether you can simply select the End The Day/Journal tab and you will recieve a summary of how much you earned the previous day and your progress will be saved. Please note, however, that your subsequent earnings will decrease for each day that you choose to miss.

If you are successful in making your zoo popular, you will also earn the right to expand your territory, which will open up more land and new animals for you to care for. You will also gain access to certain Special Commands, which can then be purchased in order to increase the popularity of the zoo.

Once you have unlocked over 75 different species of animal and gained access to the last of the Animal Dispensers, the main story of the game comes to an end and you are free to add to your zoo as you see fit. You will also uncover the secret of the mysterious gentleman you meet at the beginning of the game.

In conclusion, Zoo Resort 3D is not as lame as it might first appear. The 3D graphics are amazing and players can survey the whole of the animal enclosure by simply using the circle pad. All the environment and animals are extremely lifelike.

Nevertheless, this game is aimed more at younger gamers between the ages of eight and fourteen, and is therefore quite simplistic in its actual gameplay, so it is unlikely to keep adult gamers entertained for hours.

However, for a sweet and uncomplicated little game that you can play for a spare five or ten minutes whilst on the train, this title does very nicely, and we can see this one being a winner with the kids at Christmas. Overall rating: 8/10

Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 - What Can We Expect?

The final installment of Lego Harry Potter (Years 5-7) is about to land onto the PSP and Nintendo DS/DSi and 3DS consoles. What can we expect from the game, and will Harry's 3DS debut be as popular as the other Lego titles before him?

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 promises to be an family-fun, action-packed game from start to finish. Players can play through a total of twenty-four different events spread across the remaining titles of the Harry Potter books - Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and of course, The Deathly Hallows.

The game will also seek to build upon the various spells and incantations learnt in Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4  and will teach players to master more advanced magic including the Unforgivable Curses. in the fight against the evil Lord Voldermort and his army of Death Eaters.

The game will also introduce new locations including Godric's Hollow, The Ministry of Magic and Grimmauld Place, amongst others.

Although the gameplay varies very little between the various platforms, the 3DS version of Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 has the advantage of greater depth and stunning visuals to add to the adventure, and Mini Gamers sees no reason why this game shouldn't be as brilliant as the previous 3DS Lego titles - Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean

Official UK Trailer

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is set to launch in the UK on Friday the 18th of November 2011. Look out for the full review of the game shortly afterwards.

Why Making Gaming Accessible To Disabled Can Really Have a "Special Effect"...

 As most of you would agree, Gaming can be a really enjoyable pastime, but for people with severe physical disabilities - especially children and teenagers - gaming can also provide a window to social interactions with peers, an engaging activity that can aid motor and balance skills, and a sense of achievement that they may not be able to attain in other areas of their lives.

According to current figures by the website Accessibility, approximately 7% of the population suffers from a severe physical disability such as full or partial paralysis of the limbs and body, and another 5% from a mild physical handicap, including (amongst others) Repetitive Strain Injuries, which restrict the mobility of the arms or wrists and make movement painful.

Nevertheless, for gamers who have physical disability, gaming can often come with extra challenges such as difficult controllers, or games which need fast reactions or good balance and physicality in order for players to win.

Nintendo's Wii console has been both praised and criticised for its benefits and disadvantages to the disabled gamer. On the plus side, the Wii titles like Wii Sports emphasise things like good posture, balance and movement, which can be beneficial to people with brain injuries or impairments such as Cerebral Palsy.

Nevertheless, the overall high degree of physicality, and fast reactions needed for many Wii games has also been proven to be isolating to disabled players, especially when playing against able-bodied competitors.  A recent letter to the Kotaku website from a Muscular Dystrophy sufferer highlighted the problems that can be faced by gamers with a limited range of motion, including the amount of physicality required to move the Wii-mote successfully.

Microsoft's Xbox Kinect has similarly been both praised and criticised for its controller-less style of gaming, which on the one hand removes the barrier of difficult controllers for people with limited hand or finger movements, but on the other, seems incapable of registering movement from players who are in a stationary position in wheelchairs because of the need to track movement with the sensor in many of the games.

However, there are a few specialist companies out there who are looking to improve life for disabled video gaming fans, through specially adapted controllers, motion-tracking headsets and one-switch/one-handed controllers and remotes.

One company in particular who are endeavoured to making gaming a pastime that can be accessible to everybody is Special Effect, who provide special equipment to youngsters so that they can enjoy gaming just as much as their able-bodied counterparts.

Special Effect founder, Dr. Mick Donegan, claims that gaming can be an important part of the recovery and treatment process for youngsters with disabilities. He says: "If a child can't play we should be as worried as if they can't sleep or eat." [sourced from: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-11-08-something-special-editorial]

However, just because there are companies out there who are trying to aide disabled gamers does not negate the responsibility of games' companies themselves to create software and hardware which can be truly universal, and which can come with adaptable options, so that it can be used by people regardless of their abilities or limitations, only then will gaming be considered to be a truly equal entertainment platform.

3DS Games Are Set To Get Cute This November...

It has long been suggested that the reason why the Nintendo DS range of handheld console was so popular in the years after its release was its selection of easy-to-play, family-centred titles, which were typically aimed at the younger gamer and female audiences.

This could explain why Nintendo have chosen to release several casual gaming titles which seem set to capitalise on the 'cute' factor in the run up to Christmas 2011 Amongst those on the cute list for release throughout the coming month are:

Coral Pink 3DS console (release date: 18th November 2011).

The new console will reportedly be bundled with the Nintendogs + Cats 3DS game for that extra 'Awwwww' factor. The pink console will also be joined by an Ice White 3DS console on the 2nd of December 2011.

Puppies World 3D (release date: 11th November 2011).

In an obvious attempt to build on the success of Nintendogs + Cats, Ubisoft plan to release their first pet simulation for the 3DS, entitled Puppies World 3D. As you might expect, the game has several little dog-shaped companions for players to play and interact with.

Alongside the usual feed, bathe, groom, train and play routine associated with this type of game however, does come one or two surprises, including the ability to snap a 3D photo of any room in your actual house and turn it into a virtual playroom for your puppies, which does sound rather intriguing.

Zoo Resort 3D (release date: 11th November 2011).

Ubisoft have also chosen to release Zoo Resort 3D (AKA Animal Resort). a kind of Zoo Tycoon for the 3DS. The aim is to set up and manage your own zoo full of exotic wild animals, including tigers, elephants and polar bears.

This game may not sound too impressive at first, but one look at a 2D version of the trailer for this game and we were really excited. A perfect gift for budding zoologists this Christmas.

Cooking Mama 4 (3DS) (release date: 11th November 2011).

Yes, Mama is back, and this time she is cooking up a storm in an entirely new dimension! With brand new recipes to try out all displayed in full autostereoscopic 3D, this seems like the perfect game to turn kids into the next generation of super-cooks.

So, with all this extra cuteness, will hardcore 3DS fans be ignored this month? The answer is no, there are some great November titles for hardcore gamers too, including the release of the long-awaited Super Mario 3D Land.

However, the fact that the 3DS is finally starting to branch out into other areas of the gaming market, and target different audiences, is a good sign, which could actually enhance the 3DS' popularity in the long run. 

Stay tuned to the Mini Gamers blogsite for more news and reviews of 3DS titles this November.

Netflix Comes To The UK - What Does This Mean For Our Consoles?

Netfllix, (the American DVD movie rental and video streaming company), has announced today that it plans to bring its resources to Britain. Nevertheless, instead of a DVD rental service, Netflix will be offering a video streaming service to TVs, PCs and videogame consoles for a small monthly fee.

It is thought that Netflix  has decided to extend its services to the UK after problems with the DVD rental portion of its business led to the loss of around 800,000 subscriptions to the American version of its business.

Nevertheless, it is thought that the Netflix video streaming service will have a positive impact on UK video game consoles, including the 3DS, which has tried to forge its own links to the American version of Netflix already, and which is already geared to showing 3D videos via its own video streaming service.

It is thought that the Netflix service may also be offered on the upcoming PS Vita console, however, we must point out that there are no direct plans for this at the moment.

No commencement date for the UK version of Netflix has been announced yet, but it certainly seems as though Netflix is determined that its launch should attract as many potential customers as possible.

Remember to check in with Mini Gamers over the coming months for more news on this exciting development.

The Adventures of TinTin: The Secret of the Unicorn Review [3DS]

Movie tie-ins have gained a rather notorious reputation for not being very good, and we have to say that unfortunately, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn does very little to improve this reputation.

The game starts (rather oddly) with a mini-game. Players must try and fly an aeroplane through a thunderstorm whilst avoiding several random lightening strikes.

However, as there are no instructions for this portion of the game, players could find themselves with a 'Game Over' screen before they've even properly started! Nevertheless, once past this early section, a set off clear on-screen instructions helps players to know what to do next.

The game is divided into chapters and the main plot is told in a series of animated 3D comic-strip stills, which are very entertaining and look graphically stunning in 3D.

Nevertheless, as with other games of this type, the actual playable missions contain a set of very easy and unexciting tasks such as 'ESCAPE' or 'FIND TINTIN' or 'FOLLOW ALLAN' etc.

In fact, the only portions of the early levels that we found remotely interesting was when we were able to play as Tintin's pet dog, Snowy.

Snowy has the ability to dig at soft earth in tunnels and to climb up walls using his paws. He can also sniff out other characters, which adds a refreshing extra dimension to what would otherwise be a very repetitive game.

The game seems to be marketed at gamers under the age of ten, but this is at odds with the game's 12+ rating (for violence).

However, even the apparently 'violent' comical fighting scenes are aimed at a younger intelligence. For example, the majority of bad guys face away from Tintin, which means that they can be easily defeated with a quick blow to the back of the head. Occasionally one or two enemies will come bounding across and attack Tintin first, but again, this is a rare and refreshing experience.

One area in which the game does temporarily redeem itself is with the end-of-level Boss characters, including Allan Thompson. These 'Boss' fights really do require ingenuity on the part of the player and help to lift this otherwise stagnant game.

In conclusion, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a good game for younger gamers, but would fail to impress an adult audience overall.

Although the 3D graphics do look amazing, there is not enough clear plot or in-game action to make this game a worthwhile purchase except to the most die-hard of Tintin fans, and perhaps not even then... a total disappointment. Overall rating 5/10.

PS Vita: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - What Do We Know So Far?

With only a few short months before the Playstation Vita emerges onto the Japanese gaming market, Mini Gamers examines the recent spate of news articles concerning Sony's new handheld device, and asks whether the PS Vita is gearing up to be an international success or whether it will all turn out to be a bit of a disappointment...

THE GOOD

The PS Vita (then known only as the 'Sony NGP') was announced on the 27th of January this year after months of speculation about its existence.

Amongst other things revealed about the new console, were its hardware specifications, including an enhanced graphics card, front and rear cameras, a rear touch pad and OLED touchscreen, and dual analog sticks, making it one of the most technological handhelds that Sony has ever produced.

However, Sony then surprised gamers by announcing that the console would be relatively low-priced despite its technological advances, with the 3G wireless version priced around £219, whilst the non-3G version was expected to cost around £187.

More good news came recently. Sony announced that the console would not be region-locked, unlike its main competitor, the Nintendo 3DS, meaning that gamers could purchase PS Vita software cheaply by obtaining it from other countries, including America.

Sony also recently announced that it would be offering previous PSP owners an opportunity for 'cheap downloads' of their previous UMD games onto the new console. According to gaming website, Siliconera, Sony plans to offer gamers downloadable PSP titles at a 'special price' when the console launches in Japan.

 However, it is yet unclear what form this price reduction might take, or whether similar offers will be available next year when the console launches in North America and Europe.

Sony have also provided details of the various launch dates for the PS Vita console release, which have now been confirmed as:

December 17th 2011 

Japan

 February  22nd 2012  

Worldwide release including Australia, America and Europe.

This  means that although Japan will get the Vita in time for Christmas, it won't be too long before the rest of us get to experience this nifty little console for ourselves.

THE BAD

Sony's recent announcements about PS Vita Memory Stick prices came as a shock to many gamers as the lowest prices were almost triple the price of most memory sticks and a lot higher than those memory sticks used in the older PSPs. Nothing really to suit poorer budgets. Details of the PS Vita memory sticks can be found by clicking HERE.

Sony have announced that they will cease production of UMD games for the new console, opting instead for a new game-cartridge system, which they have called NVGs. However, this means that the console will also be incompatible with older PSP games as it will no longer feature a UMD slot.

This means that PSP owners will be forced to either keep their existing PSP consoles as well as buying the new PS Vita in order to continue using the original games, or they will be forced to sell their existing software and then purchase a downloadable version for the PS Vita. Either way, this seems to be quite an off-putting factor for older PSP fans. 

Furthermore, Sony have recently announced that downloads on the 3G model of the PS Vita will now be limited to a disapointing 20MB during the console's initial launch, but Sony has stated that this may vary in the future.

PS VITA: IS THE FUTURE LOOKING 'UGLY'?

   It is yet unclear how the PS Vita will perform in the weeks and months after its release in both Japan or the rest of Europe. The console is vastly superior to the PSP or PSP Go, and, despite one or two minor bad points, the PS Vita does have plenty of  appealing features.

Nevertheless, the PS Vita has come under heavy-fire from critics who say that Sony are simply trying to rival the Nintendo 3DS, which, despite its obvious gaming advances is still struggling to make a good impression in the overall gaming market. Does this mean that the PS Vita is doomed to fail?

According to SCEJ President, Hiroshi Kawano, he does not see 3D smartphones or the Nintendo 3DS as a threat to the success of the PS Vita.

Speaking at the Tokyo Game Show 2011, Kawano claimed the two consoles were radically different, not only in their price and performance, but also in the fact that the PS Vita will contain many more elements aimed at 'Social Gaming', which has become very popular over the past few years.

Furthermore, Kawano claims that 3D smartphones only have gaming as a bonus, rather than as their main focus and therefore, he does not believe that this will be a major competitor for the PS Vita console.

Kawano said: "Gaming is not the main focus of smartphones but merely just a bonus. The PS Vita, on the other hand, is designed for games, with extra features like social networking elements and applications built on top of that... people who want to buy a gaming system will not go out and buy a smartphone for exactly this reason." [Sourced from: http://au.gamespot.com/events/tgs-2011/story.html?sid=6334983]

The PS Vita looks to be shaping up nicely, with several games such as Escape Plan, Gravity Rush, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, and Little Big Planet to name but a few. Nevertheless, one thing is certain - the PS Vita will only succeed if gamers want a console and go out and purchase one. Thus, one question still remains: Is the PS Vita what current gamers really want?

Mini Gamers in interested in what you think about Sony's latest offering. Why not leave us a comment and let us know? We'd love to here your thoughts on the subject.

One To Watch: The Sims 3: Pets [3DS]

The Sims 3: Pets is about to arrive on 3DS console, so what can fans expect from the second title in The Sims 3 handheld gaming range?

The Sims 3: Pets [3DS] allows players to create some unique pets for your Sims to play with, by customising different breeds of cats and dogs and giving them a choice of three individual personality traits, including: Brave, Skittish, Loyal, Piggy, Independant, Aggressive, Neat, Friendly, and many more besides.

This game also gives players the chance to immediately create two Sim characters for their household as well, so that they can instantly create a family unit (two Sims, one pet). This is an improvement on the original Sims 3 3DS game, in which you were only allowed one Sim to begin with, and it opens up several different possibilities for interactions between the chosen Sims based on their individual character traits.

One thing that Mini Gamers has learned will be missing from The Sims 3: Pets is the ability to map a photograph of oneself onto your chosen human Sim(s).  This is a shame as we thought that this ability was one of the positive aspects of the first Sims 3 game.

However, customisation of your human Sim characters can still be achieved by dragging the stylus on the bottom screen and reshaping parts of the Sim's face, which can in some cases produce a very effective lookalike for those players wishing to put themselves in the game.

Karma Powers are again used in this game. The all-new Karma Powers are as follows:

+ A Little Ray of Sunshine: Gives an immediate boost to Sims/pets with no interruption.

+ Transmography:  Turns a human Sim or their pet counterpart into either a cat, dog or  human Sim, depending on their current species.

-  Solar Flare: unleashes a random and dangerous Solar Flare on your unsespecting Sims.

- Feral Possession (pets only): Forces your normally lovable pets to go absolutely crazy and wild.

- The Sickness: Leaves your Human Sims feeling very ill all of a sudden.

Karma Powers have also now been upgraded so that it is possible to spend more play coins than you actually have available, so that you can use more Karma Powers in your Sims/pets lives. However, players should be aware that there are serious consequences for over-spending your play coins in this game...

The really brilliant thing about The Sims 3: Pets is that the pets in this game are also fully controllable. Ever wondered what it was like to be a dog or a cat? Now is your chance to find out. Have your dog/cat choose who to bite or sniff, when to dig holes or where to go to toilet - its all up to you.

One of our few gripes with this game is that the 3DS circle pad is used to control all the Sim/pet movements and object selections in and around the town. We found this awkward, especially if trying to select an object in another part of the house to where our Sim/pet was currently occupying. As a result, we spent a lot of our time zooming in and out during gameplay, which soon got very frustrating.

The Sims 3: Pets Trailer for 3DS, PS3 and Xbox Kinect

 

Overall, the Sims 3: Pets is not a bad attempt at bringing the PC experience of the game (minus horses) to the 3DS console. Players will find the new Karma powers very entertaining. Overall rating: 8/10.

Game of the Week: Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure [3DS]

Spyro gets his first outing on the 3DS today in a new spin-off action game, which has been entitled: Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure.

The concept of the game is simple: There are a group of beings called 'Skylanders', who help to protect an area of their world known as the 'Skylands'. Now an evil tyrant, called Hektore, has frozen these magical beings and banished them down to Earth. Only the legendary Portal of Power can bring the Skylanders back to life!

 This game is particularly interesting, as it allows players to use specially-designed interactive figurines (some provided with the game itself) which can be connected to the console via a special hub known as 'The Portal of Power'.

Although this is not an entirely new idea in videogame entertainment, it is certainly an ambitious undertaking for a handheld console. What's more, is that up to 32 figurines can be purchased for use in the game so the virtual enviroment and character abilities can be expanded.

Characters also remember previous upgrades and in-game experience each time they are placed back in the Portal of Power, and in this way the whole virtual world of Skylanders really does seem to come to life.

Three figurines are thought to be included in the 3DS version of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure - Dark Spyro, Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy, and each character comes with its own set of magical weapons and abilities. Some shops have also sold the game with either Stealth Elf and/or the Ignitor figurines instead.

Moreover,  both the figurines and the portal/hub are non-platform-specific, which means that figurines which are supplied with the Wii version of the game, for example, can also be used with the 3DS version.  Nevertheless, with an average price of £8 per figure, it may take gamers a long time to actually complete their collection.

The 3DS version of  Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is more of a platform-adventure than the other versions. Players must collect special 'crystals' which allow them to unlock bonus levels. Whenever players successfully finds a crystal, they will enter into a timed-battle against one of the Skylander enemies. If they win the battle they can unlock the bonus levels.

Another feature of the 3DS version include the ability to 'tag-team' between the supplied Skylander figurine characters, enabling players to make the most of their combined skills and experiences.

The 3D environments are stunning and really do add to the illusion that the player is battling dark forces in an actual magical realm.

Official TV Trailer

In conclusion, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is a unique game that seems to suit the 3DS very well. The game has tons of replay value and will appeal to platform-adventure fans of all ages. Definitely a game that it would be nice to see at the bottom of your Christmas Stocking this year. Overall rating: 9/10.