One key aspect of the game is its sense of identity; going out of its way to be cheesy, almost thriving on its own silliness. This will become an endearing quality for some, but will no doubt be off-putting for others. Unsurprisingly, everything from the setting of the bygone era, the music and hammed-up delivery of the dialogue is merely window dressing serving to set up each puzzle. The story might actually pull you in at times, but it won’t be thanks to a plethora of intriguing characters – such things are noticeably absent here. Instead, the game is so over-the-top in its attempt to capitalise on the setting that everything becomes stereotyped and (whether it’s intentional or not) fairly humorous to boot.

The looping animations and lip movements of the characters aren’t fantastic, but such things probably beat staring at a static screen. Of course, one of the main questions regarding this release is how well the 3D effect has been implemented and in this case we can only answer with the word, ‘amicably’. Everything exhibits a flat, cardboard appearance during the cutscenes (which are thankfully skippable), but it’s in the puzzles themselves that things begin to look more impressive. Cubes stand out in the foreground as they should, and moving around in a crime scene can yield results, whether it’s revealing a hidden number or a coloured pattern that must be identified. Hollywood Crimes does make solid use of the tech at times, but to say that it adds to the game would be a bit of a stretch.

The puzzles themselves (the real meat and bones of a game such as this) vary in quality and you’re almost certain to have your favourites. These range from extremely easy early on to perplexingly tough, so it’s just as well that help is on hand thanks to the welcome hint system; retain hints during easy stages to make them readily available for later use. You’re rewarded for taking your time, contemplating, working the puzzles out for yourself and pushing ahead with as little assistance as possible. Use the maximum amount of hints on a particularly fiendish puzzle and you can generally expect to be told the answer – it may be a pass, but it’s anything but free.

One moment you’ll be accumulating points on a game show, dropping balls into containers or opening the path via coloured tiles, and the next you’ll be refitting gears in a lift or solving puzzle cubes left at a crime scene. The touch screen comes into play more than the 3D screen, though to the developer’s credit both are used in tandem at just the right moments (such as in setting the scene). That said, there’s very little here that differentiates the game from a standard DS title. A good variety is provided, but the challenges do repeat and often. There’s also little incentive to return once the story is complete, though the ability to replay or attempt the games you ignored the first time means you won’t be feeling short-changed in the long run. Whether or not you’ll feel compelled to do so is another issue entirely.

It can be tough to be too critical of a game that’s available at a low price and offers enough content to warrant the price tag, but at the same time it’s a game that falls notably short of its own potential. Hollywood Crimes is not without a sense of charm and may well appeal to budding super sleuths, or anyone who’d rather sit with the stylus and a good brain teaser than take on epic adventure or blow things up. This isn’t a criminal case of shovelware, but we can’t give it a full stamp of approval either… and so whether it’s worth investigating depends greatly on how much you enjoy playing portable detective.

This review is based on a retail copy of the 3DS version of James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes 3D provided by Ubisoft.

Regardless of the cruel blow that was dealt to it by the Big N, Crush was an accomplished title that was certainly deserving of another outing, and thusly it has been repurposed and rereleased as Crush3D for the Nintendo 3DS. We use the term ‘repurposed’ as, aside from the addition of a handful of new levels and a few aesthetic tweaks, this is essentially the same game that launched in 2007.

It is a little disappointing that more hasn’t been done in terms of revamping the original, as Crush’s debut was not without its problems. Aside from its…er…crushing difficulty, a major sticking point was the slightly bland presentation and uncharismatic lead character. For the re-release (once again published by Sega) Zoë Mode has just given it a new lick of paint and slapped on a 3D effect to make use of the host hand-held’s capabilities. Newly redesigned, dressing-gown wearing lead character, Danny, is a blank faced, dewy eyed cartoon straight out of a generic children’s television program. Attempts to spice things up with quips delivered by a suitably-eccentric Professor sadly also fall flat and, on occasions, it’s unclear if lines of dialogue are meant to be funny or if they are just shoddily written.

There is a wafer thin plot of sorts, with our hero Danny finding his mind trapped in the machinations of the C.R.U.S.H (Cognitive Regression Utilizing pSychiatric Heuristics) device. The resulting adventure (and we use the term lightly) follows Danny as he attempts to escape back to reality. Though this may sound like quite an endearing little yarn, the narrative pull of the game is minimal – with the main focus being the puzzling.

Crush 3D demands that you wrap your mind around the central crush mechanic. Although effortless to execute with a quick press of the L-button, the hasty reduction of 3D worlds to 2D has a considerable impact and demands that you look at the levels in a completely different way. Your viewpoint at any given time is also significant as it affects how the 2D version of the world appears. So, crush while looking from overhead to find Danny wandering around a flat plain; crush from the side and the game resembles a more traditional 2D platformer. Crushing can also bring distant platforms to the fore, allow Danny to travel to previously inaccessible areas.

Further complexity is added by different materials acting in different ways when crushed – some walls, for example, become passable, while others will block your path or even squash Danny and immediately force you back to three-dimensions. Additionally, lines painted on walls that appear merely decorative in 3D are transformed into platforms when crushed. The goal on any given level is simply to collect enough glowing orbs – imaginatively titled ‘Marbles’ – to unlock the exit and then to make your way there. Levels are generally very compact, but your path to the exit is rarely as straightforward as it appears.

Visually, it’s clean and colourful and though the use of the 3DS parallax-barrier display is hardly a game-changer, it does help to bring an added degree of solidity to the presentation. Each level is themed around one of Danny’s memories or experiences, and most lean towards slightly demented yet childlike whimsy – be it a sunny and surreal sea-side or neon-lit carnival. Scattered throughout them are various obstacles and items – from moving platforms, to oversized drinks-cans and basketballs, all of which can both hinder and help your journey to the exit and to ultimately find a way out of C.R.U.S.H and back to reality.

In some ways, the game’s vibrant settings are at odds with the puzzling they contain – which swings from being quietly satisfying to fist-chewingly difficult. Though for the first few levels it is easy to be carried along on the novelty of the central crush mechanic, it doesn’t take long for the difficulty to ramp up considerably, placing increasingly exacting demands on the player, with little room for improvisation or experimentation. For each and every puzzle, there is a set solution meaning that crushing, uncrushing, and positioning Danny and in-game items must be carried out in a very regimented order. While this is not particularly unusual for a puzzle game, the sheer number of possible permutations that each level contains can result in a frustrating experience that does put your patience to the test. A hint feature is available that provides increasingly detailed instructions on how to progress (depending on the number of times you access it), but relying too heavily on this greatly reduces the whole point of playing the game in the first place.

Despite its issues, Crush3D offers a slickly presented, quirky and idiosyncratic experience that delivers spatial puzzles that will definitely stretch your grey matter. Unfortunately, it can also test your patience as much as your lateral thinking, a factor that isn’t helped by an annoyingly up-beat soundtrack. So, while its mechanics are wonderfully illusionary, Crush3D’s biggest trick may be in hiding such an exacting and demanding puzzler underneath the breezy, happy-go-lucky presentation.

This review is based on a retail copy of the 3DS version of Crush3D provided by Sega.

Saints Row: The Third heads further down this route, building on the craziness of predecessors; lapsing further and further from a crime story and into the realm of madcap, chaotic hijinks. As with the previous games, you’re playing a custom-built crime lord-slash-psychopath. From the get-go its clearer than ever before that something’s not quite right with your character, whose opening act is to plan bank robbery with a gang dressed as your BFF, Johnny Gat, adorned with giant bobblehead masks. We all know this scene from the trailers. The game offers no more advancement on why this was a great plan.

Your arrival in Steelport (the city in which the game is set) is accompanied by an explanation of a plan – told while skydiving, obviously – which goes something like this: “I’m going to drop you, jump through the plane’s cockpit, shoot up the place, drop out of the back and catch you.” It’s ridiculous. But the thing is…when the plan actually comes together…it’s nothing short of spectacular. Shortly after this, you hit up a military base to get weapons. In this setting – and in your character’s head – this makes absolute sense, but he (or she) is a stone cold psycho. And planning is apparently not their strong point.

Saints Row: The Third may offer an impressive range of character customisation, but you are very much locked into one personality. Compared to the conflicted Niko Bellic and Red Dead Redemption’s John Marsden, you are an unrepentant lunatic with high ambition, a love of strippers and a complete disregard for instructions. Where there was often a tension between Rockstar’s Marsden and the Marsden we wanted to be, Saints Row’s protagonist displays all the psychopathy needed to legitimise the disturbing behaviour a player has them go through.

In a world drowning in sandbox games it pays to be stand out, but the streets of Steelport are grey and indistinct. There are some impressive sights – like driving into town to witness the projects Saints-brand adverts lighting up the sides of skyscraper – but not enough. Indoors, things get better, with some great set pieces making for some unique battles, but the set dressing could be nicer throughout.

Fortunately, the people of Steelport really make it shine. Furries wander the streets, fans of the saints bug you for autographs or photos while you’re stabbing a cop in the face. They start getting fighty when you’re trying to steal their motorbike, or chase you down the motorway if you ding their car.

The enemy gangs are also somehow even more colourful and insane than the previous groups. In Saints Row 2 you fought against yellow yakuza, red gangstas and green Jamaicans. In Saints Row 3 there’s still a colour scheme thing going on – with the Deckers who wear neon blue Tron outfits and carry jRPG swords. Morningstar’s main forces are slick gothic types who dress in red, then there are luminous green luchadores (my personal favourite). You heard me, luchadores. As time goes on, while you’re still fighting against these guys, you’re also having to take on “The Man”. The GI Joe-like S.T.A.G. walk around in plastic-looking armour and laser rifles. They fly in sleek toy-like planes and spout out crazed propaganda. It almost becomes Fun versus Anti-Fun, with your gang as cocky, brightly-coloured rebels.

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Announced some time ago, the headset has only just been released in the UK and has received very little in terms of promotion. With an RRP of £89.99, it is a premium priced gaming accessory, but is nevertheless on the more affordable end of the surround-sound headphone market, with a comparable set from Turtle Beach coming in at some way over the £100 mark. For the asking price you get the headphones themselves and a small USB dongle that plugs into the PS3 and provides the wireless signal.

Setting the headphones up is incredibly simple – you plug the dongle in, turn the headphones on and…that’s it; you’re good to go. As with the official PlayStation bluetooth mic, a press of button on the headset brings status info up on screen – detailing such things as battery level and whether or not the mic is on. Though a small feature, in practice it’s very useful.

The headphones themselves are sturdily built with a design that is curiously reminiscent of the PlayStation 2 and although quite smart, their aesthetics are unlikely to appeal to anyone with a taste for high-fashion head-sets such as the popular Beats headphones from Dr Dre.

What they lack in beauty they make up for in functionality. As already mentioned, setting them up is easy, and set on the head-band are a series of easily accessible controls – a volume slider, a mic-volume slider and finally power and surround-sound buttons. They’re also extremely comfortable to wear, with the wide head-band being nicely padded with cans that fit snugly over your ears and that do a great job of blocking out external noise. I’ve used the headset for extended gaming sessions and at no point have found them to be uncomfortable or distracting. So, in terms of ergonomics, they get a big thumbs-up.

Now on to the most important bit: the sound. Before picking them up, I owned a pair of standard Sony Wireless headphones, so have a pretty good benchmark with which to compare this PS3-branded headset. While I was more than happy with my previous headphones, the PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset’s 7.1 surround-support was, for me, the main attraction.

Whether using them with the 7.1 or stereo settings, the sound produced is extremely crisp, with well balanced levels of bass and treble. I have to admit however that I was initially slightly underwhelmed by the 7.1 effect. Popping them on, I was expecting an experience of near cinema-standard where, in reality, the effect is far more subtle. The biggest difference between the 7.1 here and that of a full, amp based surround-sound set-up is that the positional effect isn’t quite as pronounced; you do get an idea of where sounds are coming from but do not expect your head to be snapping around to identify sounds coming from directly behind you.

The real magic of the headset is in how the sound envelopes you; with the surround sound switched on, you get excellent sense of being in the middle of a game soundscape, rather than simply having a stereo soundtrack being piped from left and right. The difference is hugely noticeable when switching between 7.1 and stereo, and I can honestly say that I have no intention of ever going back to the latter.

The built in mic works exactly as you would expect, offering easily accessible voice communication and crystal clear feedback from your team mates and foes. The separate volume slider is also very useful, allowing you to turn off voice-comms entirely or bring them to the fore. There is a downside, however, that comes in the form of the actual construction of the mic – it feels incredibly flimsy. Thankfully it can be slid-back into the headband and does not have to be fully extended to be used, but you can’t help but find yourself handling it with kid gloves. It also features a blue light (that can also be used to discern how much charge you have left) – when fully extended, this light can be a little distracting, but as the mic works perfectly well half-extended, this isn’t too much of an issue.

Alongside the wobbly mic, the other cloud hanging over the PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset is that it can currently only be used with the PS3 or PC – so if you’re looking for an all encompassing set of headphones to cover all your gaming needs, then you’d probably be better off looking else where. There may well be a work around for this, but at present I’ve been unable to find one.

Overall, the PlayStation 3 Wireless Stereo can be thoroughly recommended. They’re reasonably priced, nicely built and come with a well implemented and intelligently engineered set of features. The 7-hour battery lifespan also offers plenty of gaming time (charging takes 3 hours). Most importantly, the sound quality they provide is excellent and the surround-sound really helps bring game worlds to life – so much so, in fact, that I’ve found myself opting to use the headphones over my 5.1 home cinema system – and I guess you can’t get a much better praise than that.

This review originally appeared on www.gametaroo.com

For those who missed out on the initial release, Joe Danger is all about driving a bike through a large number of courses filled with traps, ramps and springs that will either help or hinder your progress. You could argue that it bears a striking resemblance (gameplay wise at least) to Trials HD, except the difficulty isn’t nearly as crushing. The game begins with an easy opening few stages, but the challenge ramps up considerably as things progress, eventually pitting you against other racers and forcing a quick restart should you have missed the object you were gunning for. The beauty of this is that restarting is immediate with a tap of the Back button, though you will have to sit through a brief ragdoll animation when Danger’s skills fail him.

It’s extremely easy to pick up and play, so accessibility is a strong selling point here. Controls are simple enough, and like in Rayman Origins you find yourself with a great deal of control, meaning that failure often comes from a lack of judgement on the player’s part rather than through unfairness coming from the game itself. Learning each course and how to deal with its dangers is paramount, as is deciding on the best time to perform tricks to increase your combo and fill the boost meter. It can be genuinely tough to achieve the high score required or to reach the last collectible letter in the word D-A-N-G-E-R, but it’s in this respect that the game provides replayability and keeps you pushing for success.

In any given stage you could be tasked with collecting every blue star, collecting the aforementioned letters, landing on every target, completing a course under a certain time or a mixture of two at once. You won’t be able to do everything in your first try, and each level is used effectively by the developer. The game has enough going for it that you won’t mind replaying in the name of collecting stars, especially when it rewards you by unlocking new levels based on how many of these are earned. It’s entirely possible that you’ll reach a point where returning to earlier levels becomes a necessity, so it’s unlikely that you’ll tear through to the end having done just a small fraction of the work.

The presentation is one of the things that you’ll instantly notice about Joe Danger. The colours are vibrant, the animations are smooth and the music (which in all honesty can begin to grate after a while) befits the wacky atmosphere of the game. It does suffer from a lack of variety when it comes to course environments however, so you can expect to see much of the same design over and over again – in this sense, repetition may well become an issue. The collisions depicted can be genuinely entertaining, and the physics engine handles these humorous moments well.

One of the biggest additions to the Special Edition is the Lab, which provides fresh challenges for players to sink their teeth into. It evokes a blue-print crash dummy feel and looks different to the main campaign, serving as something of an add-on that surprisingly wasn’t released as downloadable content. The level editor makes a welcome return and will offer hours of play for those who wish to use it, but this game is rich with content regardless. Another addition is the Pro Medal system, which only awards you every task has been performed in a single run (no small feat as you can imagine), plus loading times have been significantly improved.

Local multiplayer modes are present, but online functionality is almost non-existent, with only leaderboards and sandbox raceway sharing made available to friends. It’s unlikely that you’ll be spending out on this game for anything but the addictive nature of the single-player anyway, plus it’s tough to criticise the lack of an online component when so much content has been packed in to begin with, and all at the humble price of 1200 points through Live Arcade.

Joe Danger: Special Edition is the definitive version of the game and one that the plucky stuntman can be proud of. It is disappointing that the new content isn’t available to PSN users who supported the developer in the first place, but it does give Live Arcade users the chance to experience this enjoyable title for the first time and in full glory – essentially increasing Joe’s fanbase in the process. Joe Danger is colourful, daring, challenging and charming… making it a solid choice for players with a bit of endurance in the face of a good challenge. It might not be for everyone, however, and if you rely on net functionality rather than addictive point-scoring for longevity, then this may not be the one for you.

Set in the fictional town of Misthallery, the game opens with the Professor being called to investigate a series of incidents in which a mysterious spectre has been seen destroying areas of the town at night. With the village in the thrall of an old folk legend it is up to the great top-hatted one to solve the mystery and make his name. By setting the tale when they have, Level-5 have allowed some of Layton’s high-regard be lost, meaning that much of the game centres around him having to prove himself to the townsfolk and his associates. Of the host of new characters in the town, all as weird and wonderful as you might expect, it is Emmy Altava, Layton’s enthusiastic new assistant, who makes the biggest impact. She offers a welcome extra dimension to the Layton / Luke dynamic of previous games and proves herself to be a capable and strong female character, something that is sadly another rarity in many games these days.

Gameplay-wise you should know what you are getting with each new Layton instalment and this is no exception. The successful formula has barely been touched, making it play almost identically to each of its predecessors – how much this bothers you will largely come down to your personal feelings for the series and those on annualised franchises. The gameplay still works well, you talk to people around town, get presented with many a puzzle along the way whilst also uncovering some hidden extras and mini-games. It is here that one of the game’s biggest disappointment comes, you see in the US and Japan there was a whole separate mini-game called London Life, in which you played a 16-bit style RPG in a fictionalised London. The game itself is said to offer 100+ hours of gameplay, however due to the time and effort required for localisation for Europe, Nintendo does not offer the mode in the European release of the game. This is a real shame and its inclusion would have gone someway to assuaging the complaints regarding a lack of invention.

The new mini-games that are included are not especially engaging, there is a train-set simulator, a mad-libs style theatre mode and a fish-tank puzzle game but they are unlikely to divert your attention for long. Thankfully the main story is strong, if a little slow to start, but it picks up pace and is genuinely exciting by its conclusion. Despite being hung around the game puzzle-gameplay template, there is a level of care and attention that Level-5 apply to their characters and story (and to the gorgeously rendered cut-scenes) that do help the game stand out from the crowd. It is a shame then that much of the voice acting still grates as per the previous games in the series, thankfully not much of the game’s dialogue is spoken so it doesn’t really detract.

As for the puzzles themselves there seems to be a much greater variety this time around (not to mention more of them in general, over 170 throughout the game), ranging from typical brain teasers, to maths and science questions to tricks of logic or wordplay. Some are a bit unclear in terms of informing you exactly what it is you are supposed to be working out, and this can become frustrating, but the hint system works well with the usual abundance of coins scattered around so you should never really get stuck. Another thing Level-5 have done very well in this game is better integrate many of the puzzles into the story itself, these are usually some of the cleverest and most rewarding to solve and help you feel connected to the action on screen rather than just solving arbitrary, unrelated puzzles as you do for much of the rest of the game.

Overall the latest entry in the Professor Layton series in unlikely to convert those who haven’t enjoyed the other games in the series, but if you are a fan then this is a great entry with a good variety of puzzles and an intriguing and involving story that gets better as the game goes on. Add in the sheer amount of content for a handheld game and even without the London Life mini-game it’s hard not to recommend. For those unfamiliar with Layton this is a great jumping on point as well; no prior knowledge is really required and you will benefit from the streamlining that has been done around some of the more basic gameplay elements, making it the easiest Layton game yet to just pick up and play in small bursts.

The time will come when the Layton formula wears out. As of now it is getting a bit thin in places but holds up overall remarkably well, with a quality and variety in the puzzles that suggests a fair amount of life remains in the franchise. This is another worthy entry in the series and proof that, despite the release of the 3DS, there is life in the old DS yet.

The motion controls for the Wii version were sufficient, but were lacking in the nuance it was hoped that the Wii remote would usher in, while the game’s design rested a little too much on the familiar Zelda structure. There were many calls for the franchise to get a shake-up, one that was heeded by producer Eiji Aonuma when, prior to E3 2010 he told journalists: “It is something we used to talk about with Mr. Miyamoto, and he and I agree that if we are following the same structure again and again, we might not be able to give longtime Zelda fans a fresh surprise. So we have been trying something new in terms of the structure of the Wii version of the new Zelda game this time. I am really hopeful that people will be surprised with the changes we have implemented for this Wii version.” Aonuma’s gamble has paid off spectacularly, as Skyward Sword feels like such a fresh and revitalized experience that it’s hard to believe that this is a series celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year.

Such is the quality, breadth and depth of The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword, a different review-approach seemed like an excellent idea, so rather than dissect the game is the usual way, I’d like to give you flavour of my experiences. To mark the release of Skyward Sword I documented my first 24-hours with the game in a liveblog over at Moon Witch Cartridge, my gaming blog. Starting at 7:00am on launch day (November 18th), the intention was to play for a full 24-hours, finishing up at 7:00am the following day. While it’s something I would never recommend to anyone – I spent the subsequent days in a dazed stupor somewhat akin to a really bad hangover – it was a memorable way of experiencing this supposed ‘new’ Zelda format. The great irony is that the radical changes in Skyward Sword only unveil themselves a bit later in the game – the first third at least is an acknowledgment of classic Zelda’s of the past, albeit an emphasis on convention livened by the excellent MotionPlus-enhanced controls.

The second irony is that it’s taken what looks likely to be the last significant Nintendo-published Wii game to really show how motion controls could be used to create a richer, more involving game. The subtlety of the mapping, the ability to change your style of swordplay with such natural movement, is the single biggest change to the Zelda gameplay; it’s a transformative addition that makes what was already a beautiful, impossibly refined game a generation-defining one. Here follows the highlights of my 24-hour marathon. Entering a new Zelda universe is one of the great gaming traditions, and hopefully these excerpts carry across the wonder and period of adaptation that such a foray brings. There may of course be spoilers.

07:00am - About to turn the Wii on…

07:11am – Exciting huh? I’m staring at the disc start screen, listening to the swishing sounds of the sky.

07:22am – “A legend that will be forged by your own hands” is the last line of the dramatic pre-title intro. The characters are depicted by nightmarish ink stains that appear to soak into the screen. It sets up the game superbly.

07:43am – So I’ve just spent the last fifteen minutes exploring the Knight Academy, where the game begins. A few ceremonial Zelda moments have already been ticked off: found a blue rupee in Link’s wardrobe, and rolled into some vases and promptly smashed them. I also helped Fledge, a fellow classmate, carry a barrel into the nearby kitchen. The old lady was very grateful, until I started to pick up and smash her china, at which point she called me “a little brat”. I suppose it was a bit unnecessary. The controls so far are excellent. Z centres the camera behind Link instantly, while pressing 2 at anytime will show you the various interactions available to Link at that particular time.

07:54am – Still exploring the Knight Academy. Found Zelda’s bedroom on the floor above Link’s, but unfortunately it’s locked. Still, that’s a delightful twist on the traditional series convention.

08:52am - First meeting between Link and Zelda. I’m not the best reader of body language, but I think they fancy each other. Link is about to enter the Wing Ceremony, but his Loftwing bird has gone missing. In a dramatic moment Zelda throws Link from the edge of Skyloft, only to dive down and rescue him when it’s clear that Link’s rare Crimson Loftwing won’t be coming to save him. Now Link has to try and get the race delayed so he can find his missing bird, win the race and get the girl. Or something.

09:56am – First treasure chest and that sound effect! And inside is a practice sword. Time for some sparring…

10:25am – Zelda has just mentioned that she wonders what is below the clouds of Skyloft, and how she is convinced that there is a world even bigger than the one they live in at the moment. She may well be right. Apparently the Loftwings won’t travel under the clouds though. Oh and we’ve rescued Link’s Crimson Loftwing after venturing into a dank cave. The sword controls are great, but I’m looking forward to putting them to use against a combative enemy. But they’re intuitive and responsive; thanks to MotionPlus there’s a grace to movement that was perhaps lacking in Twilight Princess.

11:05am - Shit just got real.

12:33pm – I was just about to come on here to complain about the cluttered interface when out pops Fi again to tell me that, now I’ve got used to the controls, I can clear some of the unnecessary information on-screen. There are three stages of interface design: Pro, Light and Standard. You start the game with the silhouette of the remote and nunchuk at either corners of the screen (Standard), but thankfully I’m now playing on Pro, with just the classic hearts and rupee counter in the top left. I am clearly a pro.

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The title ‘Origins’ implies that the story might actually hold some relevance, but as with most 2D side-scrolling platformers, the premise is almost entirely irrelevant. There is some mumbo-jumbo about saving the Glade of Dreams from the grip of evil, but it’s all a very basic set-up for the adventures that follow. In Rayman Origins, almost one hundred per cent of your time will be spent walking, running, smashing, jumping and grabbing your way from left to right, but to claim that’s all there is to the proceedings would be to do this game a disservice. Exploration plays a major role and as you’ll see after just a few hours of play, collecting the golden lums is every bit as important as reaching the end goal.

The Glade of Dreams consists of a handful of worlds each with a central theme. Initially, it will seem like you’re charging to victory at breakneck speed, unlocking stages with seemingly little effort. Make no mistake however, Origins is very much a wolf in sheep’s clothing; where you were once collecting every lum, smashing every cage to rescue the captive electoons held within, things soon become harder to the point where you might end up cursing under your breath and having to remind yourself that it’s only a game. Some very late stages are so tough that you’ll feel like a snowball going up against a volcano, but the sense of relief upon success is rewarding in itself. There’s no life count and infinite continues, with each door serving as a checkpoint for when Rayman (inevitably) kicks the bucket, making for a stiff challenge as opposed to an insurmountable one.

Each stage features two or three secret areas where electoons are being held captive by a number of enemies. More electoons can be freed depending on how well you did in collecting the lums, directly influencing the amount of stages available to you. The result of this is that you’ll be pushing Rayman to the limit, pulling off all manner of platforming trickery to grab the lums and lum-increasing medallions. The degree of control and fluid movements makes for a fast-paced platformer that will ensure that you stay on your toes and never get bored, plus a mistake early on is usually due to your own failing – it can be very difficult to blame the game, despite a clear emphasis on trial and error. There are a solid number of stages that crib from the R-Type classic shooting genre, where Rayman hitches a ride on a mosquito who can suck enemies and fire them out, or stick to the rapid fire method of attack (which is even more effective if you tap the button rather than hold it).

You would be forgiven for thinking that your adventure is coming to a premature end given the speed at which the worlds unlock. In truth, Rayman makes a sweep around the worlds in order, but later unlocks a second part to each, having to defeat a corrupted boss at the end. You’re certainly getting bang for your buck with Origins, plus the deal is made even sweeter by the co-operative multiplayer mode. Rayman and his pal Globox can join forces with two other characters to make for a four-player journey in the same vein as New Super Mario Bros. Wii, though things can become hectic when other players jump into the fray. Solo adventurers should have no fear, as the game works perfectly well as a single-player experience, despite the zoomed-out camera which was clearly designed with another person in mind.

One of the game’s most noticeable aspects is its whimsical presentation. Those demanding realism and a high polygon count should probably think again, as Rayman Origins sports an excellent cartoon feel that positively thrives on an HD screen. You’ll traipse through forgotten jungles, dodge fiery lava pits and slide a path across icy terrain, with each environment offering a fresh look and unique challenges. It’s no slouch in the sound department either, as the cute noises and amusing vocals all provide an adorable charm, albeit one that might not appeal to everyone. There’s no proper voice work to speak of, but this isn’t much of a failing given the lack of story overall.

Rayman Origins signifies a welcome return to form for the hovering hero, presenting a world bursting with charm and adventure. It’s a title that really shouldn’t be missed, but we have the sneaking suspicion that it’ll be overlooked this season amongst the slew of bigger names (the strange selection of levels offered in the demo probably won’t help either). The gorgeous visuals drip with style and the game play is instantly accessible, making for a solid purchase that anyone up for a challenge will enjoy. Play it alone or play with some friends… whatever you do just play this game!

Super Pokemon Rumble could also have a disclaimer stating that ‘No real Pokemon were hurt in creation of this game’ seeing as those featured are wind-up toys rather than the blood, flesh and pixel pocket-sized monsters of previous games. Their clockwork nature doesn’t stop them having a hunger to fight that is every bit as strong as their ‘real’ counterparts though – and, fortunately for them, they don’t have to heed the every beck and call of an overbearing human trainer. Like the carnage that inevitably ensues when a school teacher leaves a room of rambunctious children to their own devices, the lack of a guiding hand gives the clock-work pokemon free reign – making this the most violent Pokemon yet.

This is very much a game of two halves. On the one side, you have a combat mechanic that (rather surprisingly) shares much in common with the scrolling beat ‘em ups of old; on the other is the task of collecting and levelling up the usual dizzying array of pocket monsters. It is in the former that Super Pokemon Rumble differentiates itself from the main entries in the series, as you take direct control of a single pokemon and negotiate a series of maps while beating up any and every other pokemon that crosses your path. Much like classic beat ‘em ups such as Final Fight and Streets of Rage, combat is very much a button mashing affair, which does make it very accessible but also rather monotonous. A degree of nuance is added through the ability to purchase and assign new moves as well as the ‘rock, paper, scissors’ effectiveness of specific moves against certain types of foes, but the combat mechanics themselves quickly wear thin.

This wouldn’t be quite so bad were the levels you face a little more interesting, but sadly they are bland in the extreme. The settings may change (think beaches, forests, caves…) but levels are devoid of any obstacles, puzzles or other distractions and are uniformly treks from A to B. Once you have made your way to the end of three such maps, you then face off against a larger boss character – always a pokemon that his been blown up to giant proportions. Again, there is little in the way of variety or challenge to these confrontations, with victory being grasped by the dodging of attacks and the mashing of the button which makes for an uninspired and largely uninteresting finale to each and every section.

Though you can change characters on the fly at any given time, should you lose three pokemon it’s game over; though this makes for a soupcon of challenge, we found the game over screen to be incredibly rare, which can make the repetitive nature of the game even more of a slog – it would really benefit from a more finely balanced sense of risk versus reward.

As you battle your way through levels you can collect fallen pokemon and add them to your roster and, once you have collected a pokemon of the required level, you are invited to enter that level’s ‘Battle Royale’ – last pokemon-standing affairs against a series of grunts and a collection of high powered foes. These should be bombastic, grandstanding battles but in reality merely crank the action a couple of notches above the monotony supplied by your journey to get there. Again, the Battle Royales smack of a title in desperate need of more mechanical variety.

Though the core gameplay may be lacking, die-hard Pokemon fans are relatively well serviced and should the compulsion to catch ‘em all return, there are hundreds of pokemon to collect and an impressive degree of possible customisation permutations, and it’s likely that it’s in this aspect that the game will find its audience. The series’ well established social aspects – namely the trading and sharing of pokemon – are also well covered, and the game also offers two-player games over wifi. The Toy Shop (in which the game is set) occasionally also receives customers (your Miis!) who spend points that are added to your account and can be spent on new skills and abilities.

Unfortunately for Super Pokemon Rumble, the disparity between the macro and micro make for a game that doesn’t gel. Though it’s attempts to ape the core mechanics of the main Pokemon games while adding its own action-focused spin could have worked, the combat simply isn’t interesting enough to hold your attention. The linear nature of the plot and paper thin characters also fail to deliver a significant carrot to pull you through the levels, making the whole affair rather aimless. It also sports some of the least inspiring uses of 3D that we’ve seen for some time, with the (admittedly) clean and colourful visuals looking curiously flat, even with the 3D slider on maximum.

Though Pokemon Rumble’s simplicity may have been easier to overlook when it was released as a Nintendo WiiWare title, this full price follow up should be seen as little more than a stop-gap that fails to advance the series in any meaningful way while delivering a gameplay experience that is forgettable as it is monotonous. Regardless of what that slogan says, you don’t have to catch ‘em all, and unless you’re the most committed pokemon fan out there, you might want to give this a miss.

It’s worth mentioning up-front that if you’re not totally up to speed with the Assassin’s Creed story up until the end of Brotherhood, then the events in Revelations will make very little sense to you. Sure, the same could be said for most sequels existing in any kind of narrative, but Revelations makes no real effort to highlight the significance of its story beats to those who haven’t been already following the journey till this point. The game does offer a fairly brief “previously on…” reminder at the outset, but it’s still not quite enough to properly remind of the crazy impact felt from the series’ last two outings. As it has been for those last two outings, the focus of the story is squared mostly on Ezio Auditore.

This time around, Ezio is in Constantinople (or Istanbul, as you’ll now know it), where he is on the hunt for a vital set of keys to unlock the mysterious library belonging to the original game’s star, Altaïr. (As ever, the Templars on are also on the trail with the same goal in mind.) A smattering of new characters are brought into the fold along the way, but neither they nor the events that surround them prove to be entirely engaging. Revelations finds Ezio on a particular narrow and banal path as a result and provides few moments of genuine surprise or candour in regards to previous twists. Brief segments involving Altaïr are also underwhelming and shallow, offering only small moments of insight into his later years with little impact along the way. Desmond Miles, the series’ every-man host whose genetic memories of ancestors Ezio and Altaïr have been revealed by the Matrix-like Animus machine, is meanwhile left in a catatonic state. Without giving too much away, the representation of Desmond’s currently unalterable state is portrayed in some relatively interesting ways, although none of it comes off as supremely fleshed-out beyond some basic character background.

Gameplay-wise, the majority of Revelations treads familiar ground. The routine practice of free-running and climbing above and below various city structures is still fun and easy to navigate; the combat is still as focused and stylish as it was in Brotherhood, and performing assassinations remains to be a satisfying feat to behold when pulled off effectively. Revelations throws in a few new side distractions into the mix, however, the most notable of which are tower defense-esque Stronghold missions in which you protect your Assassins den from swaths of incoming enemy invaders. Its execution is clunky in spite of its simplicity, although it’s never too difficult either. Bomb crafting is also new, providing the ability assemble and use your own home-made bombs (as crude as they are) to create multiple diversions or distractions, depending on the situation. The best of these bombs is surely the one that splatters lamb’s blood over anyone who hovers by its blast upon impact with the floor—it’s both useful and strangely amusing to let one off when the time is right.

Multiplayer returns from Brotherhood and is far improved. There are new modes, characters, customisable
matches and profile options available to tweak, as well as some general gameplay refinements to keep things nice and balance. For instance, it is now much easier to stun an approaching killer for a handy incapacitation: this feat was much harder in the previous game, as you were only every granted a small window in which to pull off a clever counter manoeuvre. Revelations’ multiplayer is also devoid of any of the crippling connection issues that plagued Brotherhood upon release, which is obviously good news.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is a perfectly fine addition to the series, but that can only be said with the acknowledgement that everything at its core is starting to become old-hat. It tells of an unfortunate duality that stops the game from being wholly recommendable to someone who isn’t totally invested in the series’ narrative. But even with that in mind, Revelations doesn’t quite suffice, either. Ultimately, the best piece of advice would be this: if you like the idea of more Assassin’s Creed in its current incarnation, then you’re bound to enjoy Revelations on some level. Anyone else would probably be better off leaving well alone from this stop-gap of a sequel and await the arrival of the next fully-fledged sequel instead.

The first part of Hybrid is Tekken: Blood Vengeance, a full length Blu-Ray feature film that focuses on high school student, Ling Xiaoyu as she unravels the mystery surrounding a student hiding a dark secret. The film opens with a bang and the final battle does impress if you’re into over the top fighting antics, but you may be surprised by the lack of action in the middle act. The film spins a tale of friendship and loyalty, but also tries to hit gamers with the typical ‘fighting is pointless’ lesson, which coming from Tekken film doesn’t exactly ring true. The dubbing is laughable in a kung-fu movie kind of way, and while the CGI is effective – and at times beautiful – you probably shouldn’t go in expecting Tekken’s answer to Final Fantasy’s Advent Children. There’s an emphasis on the budding friendship between Ling and Alisa, and this plotline provides all the Japanese silliness that Blood Vengeance can handle without becoming utterly laughable.

Tekken Tag Tournament HD will likely be the meat of the package for avid fans out there, though we remain unconvinced that it’s an HD port that most would have asked for. Tag is an older title that hasn’t aged too well in the presentation department, but if you’re a fan harbouring fond memories and can’t wait to dive back into the fight then you won’t have much reason to complain here. The game (which has been ported over from the improved Playstation 2 version) allows you to play as the usual host of characters and centres on two-on-two battles. Unlike in the tag mode for Dead or Alive however, the round ends when a single opponent is knocked out, making strategy as much a part of the fighting process as learning the combos and special techniques.

Things still handle exactly as before, meaning that while the thoroughly outdated graphics may be an issue, the gameplay itself is strong enough to satisfy the aforementioned diehard fans. Everyone else can expect to find themselves perplexed as to the reason behind the port, other than to boost Hybrid’s content and promote the sequel. After all, there are better Tekken titles out there. Online support isn’t provided, so you’ll need to call a friend over for some much needed trash-talk and cheeky taunting; this remains the best way to enjoy a fighting game anyway, so we don’t expect this to be a major issue, especially as online modes weren’t provided with the original release all those years ago.

The third and final part of Hybrid is Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue, with the ‘Prologue’ name serving as a generous cover for what is a very basic demo. Four characters are available (unsurprisingly the ones most heavily featured in Blood Vengeance) and offer a small taste of what promises to be a popular fighter in the coming year. The graphics aren’t quite the leap that you might have hoped for, sporting a somewhat grainy and blurry look that will be eclipsed should the final build fail to improve. You will get to sample a number of locations and learn to become proficient with the characters available, but the sheer level of limitation here will no doubt frustrate and disappoint. Trophy support does not make up for this, either.

Those who absolutely must have a slice of Tekken action this year will no doubt find something to enjoy in Tekken Hybrid. The game is a rather thin package that won’t appeal to anyone unaccustomed to the series, and indeed, this would be a terrible place for them to start. What we have is fan service at a knockdown price, thus making for a solid distraction before the real title hits store shelves. Tekken Hybrid at once attempts to tantalise with the promise of the new while providing a port from the days of yesteryear, throwing in a CG movie to bolster the deal. Your level of enjoyment will therefore depend entirely on your familiarity with the franchise… making it a solid choice for fans, but an obvious one to avoid for everyone else. That said, at least you’ll get to see a panda jet-boosting across a lake.

If you’ve ever played with one of ‘those hand held water games’ then there isn’t really much explaining to do regarding Bubble Jets. If, however, your childhood was devoid of hand-held water-game-action, then let me delve a little deeper. Played in portrait mode, players are presented with two buttons placed at the bottom of the screen. Pressing either button results in a jet of bubbles (the titular ‘Bubble Jets’!) bursting up towards the top of the screen. Your task is simple – using a combination of these jets and the tilting of the iPod/iPhone itself, you must coax a collection of tiny toys, balls, sea-creatures (and more!) into basket-like goals spread over the screen. Get every item in a goal and your score (largely based on how quick you have been) is tallied up and you can progress to the next level. It’s as simple as that.

Key to Bubble Jets’ success it that it retains the feel of the water toys that inspired it, making for a very leisurely-paced experience that fits well with the casual/pick up and play nature of its host system. It’s the sort of game that you can idly find yourself playing while chatting to a friend or watching the telly which, ordinarily, may be seen as a point of criticism; in this case it actually feels quite refreshing – the game doesn’t demand your attention but instead says ‘Hey, it would be great if you could get all this stuff in the goals…but….no pressure!’ (though, should you want to top the online scoreboards, time is of the essence!) . Despite the undemanding gameplay, it is surprising how much time can be eaten up simply nudging the little bits of plastic around the screen, with the looseness of the whole experience being rather relaxing. This chilled out vibe is helped with presentation that is clean, colourful and cheery and yet not overly saccharine, managing to create an amiable atmosphere that carefully avoids vomit-inducing levels of chirpiness.

Though I’m loathe to bring those ill-tempered birds into the equation (they get far too much press coverage as it is), the influence of Rovio’s Angry Birds is clear to see. Level progression and menu set ups ape that of the catapult-friendly avians almost to a fault, and the game also shares much in common with the Birds (and also Pop Caps’ Peggle) in that it takes an incredibly simple idea and runs with it, to gently and pleasantly engaging results. Levels are also nicely designed, with spinning wheels and swinging gates that can both hinder and help your attempts to fill the goals.

Bubble Jets is an understated game inspired by a gentle toy that provides an equally gentle, yet strangely addictive experience. It is also well pitched for the App Store and its audience, being strangely heart-warming for older gamers (giving them a twinge of nostalgia,) while younger games will be instantly at home with the easy to understand controls and immediacy of the on-screen action. The biggest frustrations it provides will likely for other iOS developers across the world who may well be left slapping their foreheads and exclaiming – ‘Why didn’t I think of that!’?

Almost six years in the making, HAL Laboratory’s latest treatment of their most iconic character (Epic Yarn, released earlier this year, was a co-production with Good-Feel) is, as the North American title of the game may suggest, a Return To Dream Land. It’s a return to both the classic Kirby feel and design – a 2D platformer, in which the central mechanic remains the power to inhale enemies and, as is often the case, absorb and copy their abilities. These copy abilities are as ever the star of the show, and for the initial hours of play there’s great fun in discovering the latest new power, and the different ways in which they can be used to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting denizens of planet Popstar.

Needle, for example, leaves Kirby looking like an extra from Apocalypto, all vicious spikes and melee attacks, while the sword ability dresses our pink friend in a green Link-style hat. It’s a cute nod to other videogames that is also reflected in the fighter power, which all but turns Kirby into Ryu, replete with dragon punches and fetching bandana. These abilities aren’t all as gratifying to use as the examples above, and once the period of finding new powers finishes it’s likely that you’ll settle on a trusty select few for the majority of your playtime. There’s a great deal of wit in evidence here (see the various poses that Kirby pulls using the stone ability for a good example), with this emphasis on vibrant personality working in tandem with the bold, clean visuals.

Although copy abilities remain the focus of Kirby’s Adventure Wii, the biggest advancement is in the addition of four-player co-operative play. This runs on an instant drop in/drop out system, and pushes the game closer, as an experience, to the knockabout chaos of Super Smash Bros compared to the relatively sedate platform game that the single-player is. There are three other classic Kirby characters for the other players to choose from – Meta Knight, King Dedede and Waddle Dee – but they lack the copy ability power of Kirby. To compensate there is the opportunity for every player to control a Kirby, of varying colours, but by balancing out the character selection in this way the game loses a sense of camaraderie that exists when only one Kirby runs the line, frequently taking control of progress within a level.

That’s not to say it’s all harmonious; one of the highlights is the way Kirby can inhale the other players and fire them at enemies, an interference in their play second only in the hilarity stakes to the way that, in the similar New Super Mario Bros. Wii, you could pick up and throw your friends from the level (one such moment earned me a painful punch on the arm from my girlfriend at the time). With multiple players Kirby’s Adventure Wii is knockabout fun. There’s also no tangible effect on the difficulty, with the extra firepower compensated for by busier activity on-screen.

As is traditional with the Kirby series, Adventure isn’t at all tough, but this serene pace of play is balanced with a successful emphasis on exploration and collectables. Each level has a varying number of energy spheres scattered around, with certain totals opening up various challenge rooms and mini-games. Although it would be possible to race through each stage of Adventure in a small number of hours, to do so would miss the point of HAL’s level design, in which each power comes into play to solve spatial puzzles and reach previously hidden spheres.

There are also several alternative boss stages hidden on a number of stages, in which the normal day-glo world is replaced with a monochrome palette, and sees Kirby needing to escape a scrolling wall of purple which is bad news if touched. While these sections aren’t all that tricky either, they do at least provide a welcome change of style. The various challenges are also decent distractions, although the two mini-games (one a ninja-star throwing contest, the other a robot shooting gallery) will quickly pall. It’s also worth pointing out that the music is frequently amazing.

Although Kirby’s Adventure Wii lacks the dazzling visual inventiveness of Epic Yarn, its chunky, vibrant look is never less than charming, and is complimented by a style of play that eschews challenge for a subtly enveloping comfort blanket of Nintendo delight. After all, it’s hard to overstate the destructive pleasure that comes with wrecking an uber-cute 2D world armed with merely a screen-sized katana, in control of a gluttonous, break-dancing pink bag of air.

As far as online shops go, the 3DS’s eStore is in dire need of quality releases. Take a quick glance at the splash screen, and for the most part you’re presented with swathes of rehashed DSi titles and an ever growing collection of 8-bit-remastered-in-3D rereleases. It’s a depressing scene to be sure, but the brevity of titles is to Zen Pinball’s benefit, giving Zen Studios a prime opportunity to grab a big slice of audience attention. The ironic thing, however, is that in many respects Zen Pinball on the 3DS is as much of a rehash as any of its eStore siblings, with its only real addition being the utilisation of its host hand-held’s 3D screen.

For the £4.99 asking fee, Zen Pinball 3DS serves up a selection of four tables – the sci-fi themed ‘Earth Defence’, the treasure hunting ‘El Dorado’, tribal ‘Shaman’ and King Arthur-tastic, ‘Excalibur’ – all of which have been taken from previous iterations of the game. Though it is disappointing that there’s nothing new here, all four tables live up to the series’ high standards and (such is the beauty of pinball) the challenge to achieve high scores and dominate in the online leader-boards remains a constant, regardless of your level of familiarity.

As any long time pinball player will tell you, the challenge of any table is two-fold – firstly, you need to get a feeling for the pace of the table and secondly, you have to unravel the mysteries that the table presents, chaining your shots in such a way as to unlock hidden features, high scoring possibilities and previously inaccessible areas. Zen Pinball 3D services these demands as well as any previous entry in the series, with each of the tables having been lovingly recreated on the 3DS while retaining the wonderfully believable ball physics that have always been a series strong point. Also making the transition are online leaderboards (with multiple filters) though, sadly, the head-to-head competitive modes have been omitted, and replaced with a ‘hotseat’ option for local play.

Zen Pinball 3D then, is a faithfully recreated version of its older sibling…which only leaves us to discuss how well it works on the 3DS parallax barrier display. In this respect, Zen Pinball 3D makes considerable gains, but these are sadly negated slightly by equally considerable losses. On the positive side, the 3D works wonderfully, giving you a real sense of looking down on an actual pinball table; the effect is also incredibly useful, making it easier to judge distances and the timing of your flipper strikes. It seems strange to think that a game as olde-worlde as pinball should fit so perfectly with cutting edge visual effects, but that is absolutely the case.

Sadly, the added dimension comes at the cost of screen space. Unlike its direct DSi Store competition – the lovely Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon – which could spread the action over the DSi’s two screens, Zen Pinball 3D is tied to the top screen alone. The result of this is that it at times can appear a little cramped; in fairness this is never really a serious problem and multiple camera angles help, but in a head-to-head between this and the console version, the Zen Pinball 3D’s visual trickery doesn’t impress quite as much as it should. But, hey, a small screen is the cost of portable gaming to some extent…. (though, with a PS Vita version of Zen Studio’s own Marvel Pinball in-bound, maybe that’s not entirely true!).

Overall, Zen Pinball 3D is a successful entry-level debut for the series on the 3DS. It contains few surprises and the re-use of old assets is disappointing, but such is the quality of the experience that these are easier to overlook. For anyone who’s yet to give the series a try, this borders on must-have status – pinball has so much to offer and you will struggle to find a more faithful recreation. As for Zen Pinball veterans – its desirability is entirely dependent on how much you want the game in your pocket, and how much you want to play it in 3D…

In true old-school style, Super Mario 3D Land provides little to no contextualisation for Mario’s latest adventure. The plot, so that it is, goes something like this: Tanooki leaves get blown off tree. Princess Peach gets kidnapped by the dastardly Bowser. Mario sets off to rescue her. The end. There are no new plot-centric characters to meet, hardly any dialogue, few (if any) twists or turns and no real narrative drama. Nintendo has instead focussed on letting the action stand on its own, which could be considered a brave move – especially when you bear in mind Super Mario 3D Land has seen many of Mazza’s abilities removed.

For the most part, Mario controls much like a 3D version of the original Super Mario Bros. – there’s no triple jump, his sprint has been reduced to a spritely jog and there’s not a fancy-schmancy flying cape or platform creating cloud-suit in sight. You are given a few toys to play with – namely a new Boomerang suit that lets Mario throw…er…boomerangs, the hover-enabling Tanooki suit (as made famous in Super Mario Bros 3; here with its flight capabilities removed), Fire Flowers and propeller-topped boxes (worn Solid-Snake-style) that allow Mario to rocket up into the air and hover slowly downwards. For the most part, however, these power-ups rarely take centre stage and are even quite rare later on in the game, meaning that your basic platforming skills have to be up to scratch.

Though Mario is obviously the official star, the real stars of the show are the blocks and platforms that litter the game’s generous selection of levels. It really is an astonishing feat that 26 years after Mario first made an appearance Nintendo is still managing to come up with new designs. Nearly every level features new types of blocks or platforms that turn, twist, move, vanish, appear and/or react in a dizzying number of ways and that combine to create worlds that are truly alive and constantly surprising. One particularly wily highlight (or, after repeated deaths, lowlight) are platforms that switch every time you jump, resulting in some of the most concentration-demanding platforming we’ve experienced for some time.

Another of Super Mario 3D Land’s great successes is that it manages to pull elements from nearly every Mario platformer ever while at no point feeling like a Frankenstein’s monster of a game. Structurally, it borrows heavily from New Super Mario Bros – with linear level progressions on a side-scrolling map, but the levels fizz with aesthetic and design elements from Mario’s rich history, all expertly blended with new ideas all of its own. One minute you’ll be arriving at an 8-Bit castle straight out of Super Mario Bros, the next you’re partaking in a tribute to Super Mario 64’s Tick Tock Clock. Even other Nintendo titles get in on the fun with a rather nice tribute to The Legend of Zelda.

You may notice that thus far we haven’t even mentioned Super Mario 3D Land’s use of the third-dimension, the reason being that the game makes such expertly efficient use of the 3DS capabilities that in some ways you don’t notice them. In fact, you could possibly take this even further and suggest that this is how Mario should have been viewed all along, with switching the slider back to 2D coming as something of a shock – did we really get by like that for so long?

Some may feel a little disappointed with the pared-down size of the levels in comparison to Mario Galaxy, but their dinkiness feels perfectly at home on the 3DS screen and this doesn’t feel like a concession on Nintendo’s behalf. There are also plenty of ‘Wow!’ moments, from Bullet Bills screaming towards the camera to an overhead view that makes Mario appear to be in danger of leaping out of the screen and into your lap, but for the most part the 3D effect is used to bring an impressive degree of solidity to the worlds and to help you navigate the tricky platforming. The 3D then, is integral to the experience, but never overbearing and never, ever gimmicky.

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