The 3DS games of TGS

Bravely Default Flying Fairy

It's a beautifully absurd name that's unlikely to make it out of Japan, but here's hoping that the game itself does. Judging from the brief TGS demo, it's one of the 3DS's most exciting prospects.

Set in a fantasy universe that's been executed with an effective painterly touch, Bravely Default Flying Fairy mixes a vibrant overworld with characters handsomely designed by Akihiko Yoshida (a Square stalwart who was at the heart of both Final Fantasy XII and Vagrant Story).

The battle scenes themselves are being kept under wraps, leaving the AR functionality to take centre stage for the TGS demo. Using an AR card, Bravely Default conjures up a female character who paces around the player, calling for help as an ominous sound draws nearer.

The ground opens up beneath her, swallowing her whole and drawing to a close an interesting glimpse of how Square can use some of the 3DS's more curious technology to embellish its famous dialogue-driven cutscenes.

An intriguing game for sure, and fingers crossed that Square finds a more attractive name and ports it across soon after its projected 2012 release.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

For a company with a long history of conjuring strange monikers for its games (see above, if you had any lingering doubts), Square Enix has reached a new high - or low, depending on your perspective - with Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

So preposterous is the name that it kind of obscures how brilliant an idea it is that lies behind this 3DS exclusive - and how long overdue a Final Fantasy rhythm action game is.

Final Fantasy games have long been known for their stirring scores as much as they have their emotionally wrought storylines and increasingly outlandish haircuts.

Theatrhythm is the perfect theatre - ah, we're beginning to see what they've done there - for the music of Nobuo Uematsu et al, and it takes a whistlestop tour through the series highlights.

Each game is represented by three pieces of music, taking in everything from the wistful Morricone-esque field music of Final Fantasy VI to the melodramatic strings of Final Fantasy XIII's battle music.

The actual interface for the game is clunky but reliable, a series of taps and strokes being overlaid on a cutely realised pastiche of the relevant game. One that's sure to make the jump from Japan, and like SEGA's Rhythm Thief it's another very welcome curio.

Shinobi 3D

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Attribution

Tucked away discreetly elsewhere on the Sega stand was this modest arcade revival from Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines developer Griptonite. It's a straightforward left-to-right platformer that stays true enough to the source material, with hero Joe Musashi leaping around old Japan, lobbing shuriken at pyjama'd foes.

The basic platforming occasionally gives way to twitchy into-the-screen 3D horse-riding sections where you have to dodge trees, unseat pursuers and leap over obstacles. It's not bad by any means - the mechanics feel pleasingly sturdy, there's a cheery retro spirit about the whole package and the difficulty curve doesn't pull any punches - but it was hard to muster too much excitement.

Sega seems to be relying on nostalgia alone to sell the concept, rather than any actual gameplay innovation, a fact made worse by the fact that it looks like an upscaled DS game. It might have made for a tempting eShop download but Sega will have a tough time justifying a full £35 price tag.