The staffs and blades are effective for up-close melees, but often he will need to rely on his bows, an occasional machine gun or special powers. There is no 'Gears of War'-style cover system, so Ryder must move and target or charge in with guns blazing.įighting as a Na'vi arms Ryder's avatar with seemingly primitive yet effective weapons such as fighting staffs, dual blades and a bow and arrow. Buggy vehicles, Gator riverboats and Scorpion attack helicopters allow the soldier to cover more ground, and his ammo can be replenished at A-POD stations placed throughout the landscape. The military path offers Ryder a healthy arsenal of handguns, rifles and shotguns, and he can earn experience points throughout the quests to unlock upgrades and new weapons and armor. This decision not only has moral implications, it also branches the player off on one of two completely different game experiences. The corporation is engaged deep in a scientific experiment that allows Ryder and other soldiers to take the shape of their avatars, hybrid blends of human DNA and that of Pandora's indigenous species, the 10-foot(3-meter)-tall blue Na'vi.Įarly in the quest, Ryder must choose to fight alongside the Na'vi to push back the military onslaught or lock and load as an RDA soldier battling the native inhabitants.

Your character, 'Able' Ryder, arrives on Pandora as a soldier working for the RDA Corp., which is mining the picturesque moon for rare minerals. The story line is a prequel to the movie, which opens in theaters next week. 'James Cameron's Avatar: The Game' ($59.99 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $49.99 for the Wii and PC) does nail the visuals, but it falls a bit short on gameplay as just an average third-person shooter. Video games based on movies often are pushed through as afterthoughts, so word that director James Cameron and Ubisoft have been collaborating for years on his sci-fi epic, 'Avatar,' offered hope to gamers longing to explore the lush, brightly colored jungles of Pandora.

James cameron avatar the game swords