But how impressive is it without the 103-inch 3D Prototype HD plasma display?

Just when we'd all got used to the notion of HDTV as the supposed future of television, Ubisoft's 3D game of James Cameron's forthcoming CG epic – although impressive – has a rather important footnote to being the world's first 3D game:

You need a new TV. In fact, not only do you need a new TV to experience the full 3D impact – we are assured it also has a spiffing standard 2D mode – but that new TV must be an outrageously unaffordable new TV.

But let's not focus too heavily on the negatives here. Avatar is a great looking game, even without it, and significantly bucks the trend when aligned to its buddies in the maligned film tie-in genre.

To outline the plot of the movie took film producer John Landau around 15 minutes earlier today during our VIP super-duper exclusive look at Avatar… along with a dozen other journalists. But for those with short attention spans, here's the short version…

In the future, Jake, a disabled war vet, inhabits a remotely controlled cyber-body to intermingle with the Na'vi, a race of ten-foot-tall aliens and must decide whether he will remain on the side of the humans or join the Na'vi in their fight to save their world from domination and their race from extinction. One sentence, John… one.

In game terms you will not be playing the events of the film, rather you'll be playing while those events are taking place, but on the limb of an entirely different story branch. The gameplay is highly reminiscent of Lost Planet, although we can honestly say that we were extremely impressed with Avatar. The environments are gorgeous, but more than that, everything around you appears alive – fully in keeping with the film, or so we're told.

And, just as in the film, there will come a point when you will have the choice to deviate from your third-person blasting of all things alien and join the Na'vi, swapping out your range of blasters for bows and your gunships for dragon-like mounts. Of course, that will be your choice. You may instead choose simply to pummel the Na'vi into oblivion.

Mechs, vehicles and a range of exotic grenades – including a type that pushes all enemies away from you all – made an appearance and we walked away hopeful.

We must add, however, that it may have been more of a hindrance than a help to show us the game on such magnificent future technology. It became harder and harder to separate the quality of the gameplay from the experience of simply looking at it.

Avatar will be in stores some time around September, so pop out now and grab a 3DTV. Kidding aside, though, we're genuinely thrilled to see more of this game.