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© UbisoftNow your kids can practice murdering each other from the comfort of your home
A new game promises to take shoot 'em up gameplay into a thrilling new dimension.

Battle Tag, from Just Dance publishers Ubisoft, revives the real-world thrills and spills of laser quest, albeit with a couple of neat video gaming twists. Players don hit-detecting vests, pick up their laser pistols and then proceed diving over the furniture as they endeavor to blast their rivals while not being shot themselves. Needless to say any expensive ornaments or family pets should be placed out of danger before play commences, as things are bound to get messy.

This is an intriguing step beyond console gaming for Ubisoft. Consoles still play a key part of the action, though. In the first place the console acts as a glorified scoreboard, recording all hits while telling players to "try to be less pathetic than last time" and other such encouraging exhortations. Meanwhile a sensor unit boasts a 300-metre range, meaning that the blasting action can easily extend into the garden, down the street and into the local park if required. "Survival" and "Deathmatch Versus" modes are offered for two teams of players.

The other cool console component is the way that Battle Tag borrows elements from the shoot 'em up genre. Out of virtual bullets? Then simply swipe your blaster across the 'ammo' peripheral to reload. There's a similar 'medi-kit' to restore your health if you've taken too many hits. Canny players may want to protect these devices very keenly.

Truth be told Battle Tag is probably aimed at a younger audience, although, as this new video shows, there's far too much fun for the kids alone. Ubisoft has not yet confirmed Battle Tag's price or release date details, but we think this one has 'Christmas Hit' written all over it.