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Preview:

20th July 2005:
Hello Kitty Roller Rescue
Hello Kitty could become the new 'Hello Moto' if this game is as good as the fanbase of the series.
Posted by Chris Barnett - GameCube,PlayStation 2,PC,Xbox - UK and Europe

Hello Kitty has been a phenomenon since its conception in the 1970s, spanning from Japan to the whole world. In fact, more people will be familiar with Kitty than even Pokemon! This is no matter of luck though as the character is so unusual and original. So we can only wonder why it has taken 30 years for a 3D action platform game to be made involving the Kitty.

But everyone who has ever owned a Kitty keyring or pencil case will already have a desire to control her in full 3D, which is what we are promised in Hello Kitty Roller Rescue. Not only will you get to control Hello Kitty, you will also get to play as that strange penguin sidekick she has (named Badtz Maru) who even gets to use his frying pan as a weapon!

The story sees Sanrio Town being invaded by King Block and his alien army (from the planet Rock, obviously!). Not only is the town invaded, Kitty's friends are captured and must be rescued. Whilst all this setup and detail is probably fruitless to the average Hello Kitty fan, the heart of the franchise, the characters, will certainly appeal. Over 30 of the unusual inhabitants of Sanrio Town can be rescued and paired up with Kitty throughout the game (as she gets to nominate sidekicks at certain points).

What really appeals about the game is the whole style though. Just from looking at the screenshots it is clear that this is Hello Kitty, from the characters to the environments. Not cutting any corners, it appears as though the developers have realised that they are performing to a great fan base and have stayed true to the feel of the franchise. This extends to the whole structure of the game, with unlockable costumes, characters and artwork.

Since Kitty moves around on roller skates (hence the 'Roller Rescue' subtitle) we expect the controls to be unusual, possibly adding a dash of originality to the very nature of the 3D platformer (in this cartoon style version of 3D platformers at least). And the possibility to control that crazy penguin will be interesting to say the least (hitting aliens with a frying pan sounds like fun in these days of drive by shootings in the likes of Grand Theft Auto games).

With a release date set for 9th September, we should be able to get our hands on a review copy quite soon to let you know if this all translates into a good game. All that can be said is that the fanbase deserve a good game, and, as it stands, things are looking quite good. With Xplosive offering games such as this for �19.99 this year, gamers can now afford to hit people with frying pans without expensive law suits. Which is what we have all really been waiting for, we must admit.

Chris Barnett

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Hello Kitty Roller Rescue
for GameCube

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