Mickey Mouse, Rapunzel and magic football: new games

Jan 23, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Berlin - When it's darkest winter outside, sometimes the only logical thing to do is curl up at home with a video game. Even though the year has just started, there are plenty of challenges available for mobile console games.

Nintendo DS and Sony PSP are all about Disney this January. On the one hand, one new game, in the Kingdom Hearts series, centres on Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. But the studios are also cranking out new games to accompany new movies, like Tron Legacy or Rapunzel.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is rolling out a magic football game for the DS, while Square Enix is releasing Lord of Arcana, a role-playing game for the PSP.

After its September release of Birth by Sleep for the PSP, Square Enix is releasing another episode of its Kingdom Hearts series, this time for Nintendo, with Disney characters fighting manga characters. Re:Coded is a remake of the mobile game Coded, which was only available in Japan.

The game hearkens back to 2009's Kingdom Hearts II, which was released for the Playstation 2. Sora, the hero, is reading the diaries of Jiminy Cricket, the conscience and chronicler of Pinocchio from the movies.

While reading, Sora finds a mysterious message, which he and King Mickey are sure they need to decode. And that's how Sora finds himself on an adventure with Donald Duck and Goofy. Kingdom Hearts: Re:Coded costs about 38 euros (51 dollars).

Tron: Evolution doesn't focus on classic Disney figures, but it's still from Disney Interactive Studios. The game will come out just a week before the 3D movie of the same name and plunge players into a world of bits and bytes, providing a prequel to the movie.

Players are sent inside a computer, moving like a modern Prince of Persia via building blocks, while fighting viruses and Trojans.

Of course, it wouldn't be Tron without the classic light cycles from the original film. Players have the option of racing the cycles in either story mode or multiplayer mode. Disc tennis with its futuristic circles of light is also back to be played.

Tron: Evolution will appear for both the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP for 30 euros.

Other players would rather watch an honest tennis match than a futuristic tennis game. Those players would likely be disappointed by Inazume Eleven.

That's because Nintendo has not laid out a standard football game for the DS, instead combining a mixture of role-playing and management games. For good measure, there's magical fireballs, lightning passes and a flooding defence.

To win, sporting skill won't be enough -- some magic ability will also be needed. After they've received their training, characters need to be dropped into the game by managers at the right moment so they can help win the game. The magic kicker game will cost around 40 euros. A multiplayer mode allows up to four to play at once.

Also, magical, if a different kind of challenge, is Square Enix's Lord of Arcana, also 40 euros. This game is all about the stone Arcana, which protects the world. But one day monsters appear to try to make off with the stone. In response, a team of hunters is assembled to stop the monsters.

In this phase, the game takes its cues from the successful series Monster Hunter. The multiplayer mode is a key part of the game, allowing players to team up with up to four friends to catch monsters. Successful hunts are rewarded, as is common, with items and experience points.

Another Disney production game based on a Grimm fairy tale is Rapunzel. Rapunzel: Tangled (38 euros) takes players through a classic 2D jump and run game set in a fairytale world.

Players take turns guiding Rapunzel and her heroic accompaniment, Flynn, through the game. Flynn is a fighter and often relies on his sword. Rapunzel is more prone to relying on her natural mane, using her tresses to either overcome difficulties or to whip away trouble.

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