Features

We've had crossovers before - Sonic getting all chummy with Mario, say - but we've never had it quite on this scale. Project X Zone for the 3DS is where all your favourite gaming icons go to team up and fight. Over 50 of them in fact...

Jill Valentine, Dante, Mega Man, Dead Rising's Frank West (including his pervy appetite for taking snaps of every woman he meets...); even Arthur from Ghost 'n Goblins, complete with armour that flies off after a single hit in battle. It's an enviable roster born out of a union between gaming powerhouses Namco Bandai, SEGA and Capcom.

What to do with such a cast though is the key issue. While to the casual gamer 'tactical roleplaying game' might sound as fun as eating mud, the actual gameplay is straightforward and addictive - explore different isometric locations in turn-based gameplay over 40 'chapters'.

Face-off against a foe and you're whisked to a 2D battle arena where two of your characters pair up and proceed to beat up enemies and bosses via a host of moves and special powers. While button mashers will enjoy the ability to do, well, just that, veteran tactics fans can be rest assured that there's more to it with timing playing a key role to success - and earning all-important 'EX' for perks.

So far, so good. Tying such an eclectic cast into a single story that makes sense though was always going to be a tall order. And so it proves here. The plot has something to do with an ancient treasure being stolen... causing a rift in time and space... bringing together characters from across the eras... into one place for an almighty punch-up. Well, whatever works, we reckon.

And Project X Zone does work - deliciously. And if you're a newbie who doesn't know their Ryu from their Ken, fret not because the game also features an extensive 'Crosspedia' to swot up on the featured gaming legends. And for us gaming geeks, it's the kind of resource that's nearly as engrossing as the game itself.

Frantic and fun, Project X Zone would stand on its own two feet even without such a cast though. But with them, the game has the potential to become a cult classic - and one which we hope will lead to a long and sequel-laden union between the three Japanese gaming powerhouses.