Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Over at CES 2009 in Las Vegas, a couple media outlets had an opportunity to see Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming kid-focused MMO, Free Realms, in action. The preview goes into a number of elements that Ten Ton Hammer and Hamster have covered previously, such as the switching of jobs and the multiple mini-games, but it also document details that had gone previously unscrutinized.

As the characters travel across the countryside, they will encounter trigger points and portals that open to various minis, a big component to Free Realms. We were shown a handful of examples including a Mario Kart style racer with realistic physics and tight controls. Speed and steering are handled via the keyboard. There are also other minis including several 2D puzzles. There's even one in which you must hack a sword at a dummy -- it's all presented in simple 2D and almost looks Flash-esque in nature. When asked, a rep said that the PS3 version of the game would likely see serious control revisions, both for exploration and minis, in order to better utilize the strengths of the controller. There will be 30 minis available at launch.

You can read all about the upcoming kids MMO over at IGN.