Lollipop Chainsaw, Rocksmith and Assassins Creed 3 preview

Lollipop Chainsaw, Rocksmith and Assassins Creed 3 preview

E3 starts pretty soon and most of the gaming world will be looking ahead to what's coming up a little further down the line.

But thanks to a bit of hands on preview time, I've had the chance to get up close and personal with a few titles heading to NZ stores soon.

Due out in a couple of weeks, Lollipop Chainsaw - a real case of does exactly what it says on the tin and one which is clearly destined for Cosplay notoriety. Well, if they allow chainsaws in and about.

In the hack and slash gamer, you get to play cheerleader Juliet Starling, who wakes up on her 18th birthday to find the world's gone to hell in a handcart. And from there, thanks to the zombie outbreak claiming her boyfriend, Juliet's after revenge. Well, I say claiming her boyfriend, she saves him by cutting his head off and then proceeding to take on the hordes around her.

Brash, loud, punky and a bit quirky, Lollipop Chainsaw looks like being a lot of disposable fun. With an offbeat humour (Juliet implores you not to perve and try looking up her skirt), it's a real fun title to play. You hack and kill but it's not quite as simple as just doing that - you need to build up combos, collect zombie coins to buy health and combinations as well as protect school mates from being claimed by the undead.

With a punky soundtrack from Jimmy Urine and a whole heap of bright colours, cartoon humour and cartoony gameplay, this looks set to be a vicarious thrill for the winter months.

Lollipop Chainsaw hits XBox and PS3 on June 15th.

Next up, Rocksmith.

We've all got a bit of the rock god inside us I reckon - whether it's actual talent or virtual air guitar, Rocksmith looks set to nurture that talent and turn us into decent guitar players whether we like it or not.

It's hard to self learn the guitar so it's a little daunting to see a title like this heading out - but given the success of those other plastic guitar video games, there could be a market for this one. With over 50 songs, it could be somewhat daunting to the novice, but there is actually a degree of intelligence to this product which could see many of us realising we have the basic skills to learn.

An electric guitar plugs into the game (some editions will come with a baby Les Paul which I toyed with on this demo) and that's pretty much all the kit you'll need to get going on your quest to be a major star.

I have to admit to feeling a little in awe of anyone who can strum a song out so the idea of being thrown into tunes like Nirvana, Soundgarden or Lynyrd Skynyrd is a little worrying and off putting for what's supposed to be a game. But the key thing about Rocksmith is the intuitive feel of the game - if you're flailing around trying miserably to keep up with the notes, then the PS3 knows that, notes that you've missed a whole heap of notes and drops the number you have to hit to score points. It's a great touch and a smart way to not alienate those of us who don't know our C sharps from our B flats.

While I think the challenge for Rocksmith is how much a casual user will want to pick up this and play it to learn a few tips and tricks, for the die hard guitar fan, this is a massive must and with the promise of mini games through out as well as a gradual learning curve, it's certainly got bags of potential. And that's regardless of my own personal guitar ineptitude.

Rocksmith hits PS3 on October 11th

Finally, an Assassin's Creed 3 walkthrough gave some idea of what lies ahead for this phenomenally popular series.

With a new protagonist called Connor, who's half Native American and half British, the pressure's certainly on to maintain the style and flair of this series without compromising what it already stands for.

A walkthrough begins in the wilderness frontier of North America in 1774 and pretty soon, it becomes clear that the developers have pulled out all the stops, showing off new snowy conditions for the Templars and soldiers to work in as well as improving the climbing skills. Seeing Connor scramble up the trees, it seems more lithe and realistic (the voice over tells of how the climbing's been mapped on real work climbing) and ultimately, just giving it a little more of a wow factor. Early word is that a third of the game will be centred in the Wilderness and with animal action too, so it's great to see that the Ubisoft team has really thrown everything at that to get it right.

Next, the action swaps to Boston and shows off just how much more has been done to bring the backgrounds and worlds about the lead character to life. Peripheral characters now come up to you and seek you out either for serious narrative intervention or to try and divert you from your mission. It's a great touch and signifies you're part of a world rather than simply moving on through it as you go from A to B.

A final section showed off the new fighting capabilities as well as the historical touches employed throughout. Switching to Bunker Hill, with Israel Puttnam midway through delivering a speech, it's clear this is a world which Connor exists in rather than one which simply begins to exist when he walks on screen. It's an important distinction and one which some developers have been slow to cotton on to - an expanding narrative of which you're part of is a smart move. With over 2,000 characters now able to be on the screen at any one time, and Connor having access to a new range of attacks, weapons such as tomahawks as he waits to strike, the early signs are that Assassin's Creed 3 is going to be something very special and significant in the latter part of 2012.

Assassin's Creed 3 hits October 31st.