Shoot first, admire alien landscapes later

James Cameron’s Avatar is one of the year’s most hotly anticipated movies, promising to be a visual feast. Ubisoft have been charged with taking the lush visuals of the movie, and translating them into James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game.

In this demo, you control reluctant hero Jake Sully, on the wondrous alien moon Pandora. You are charged with securing an area so heavy mining equipment can be brought in by the humans. Pandora’s forest is full of dangerous beats which have to be exterminated so it’s safe for the miners, which means it’s time for you to get your guns out.

It’s a third person action game, with easy to pick up controls. There are some vehicles to use during the mission, as well as a variety of weapons. You are equipped with small arms and a heavy machine gun, as well as some special abilities, ranging from an invisibility cloak to a sonic blast useful for stunning ‘wolf-vipers’ before you riddle them with bullets.

The full game will allow you to play as both human and the Pandorian, intelligent Na’vi creatures, with the story changing depending which path you choose. Either way, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game looks like a highly polished visual experience, with role playing game like character leveling (kills mean experience, which makes you more powerful). It doesn’t feel like a revolutionary game, but it’s well executed and promising.

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game takes you into a convincing version of the stunning film’s world, but you’ll need a powerful system to get the most out of it!