If you're after an intense hybrid shooter with an original plot and some great twists and turns, then you can't go wrong with Capcom's excellent Darkwatch.
Set in the Wild West, players take on the role of Jericho Cross, a train robber who inadvertently releases the tormented soul of Satan's son and for his sins is turned into a pistol-packin' vampire.
Having transformed Cross into a blood-sucking creature of the night, Satan's son goes on to unleash multitudes of the undead onto humanity. With the help of a secret organization, known as the Darkwatch Cross, he sets out to exterminate the zombie hordes.
The game not only gives players the chance to blast, bash and smash away at a smorgasbord of ornery bad guys, but it also has the added bonus of allowing gamers to choose how the main character develops during the game, thanks to an inventive "reputation building" system. If Cross devours innocent victims of zombie mayhem he is considered to be a bad guy and if he chooses to cleanse their souls he becomes a good guy.
The action is full-on from the get-go. And while cut-screens allow gamers to follow the plot and chart Cross's progress they don't detract or distract from the over all blood soaked mayhem that drives Darkwatch.
As in any good shooter, players have a whole enchilada of weaponry at their disposal. Cross can slay zombies at close range with his trusty Redeemer or choose to take them out from a distance with a Range Rifle. If players feel the need to take out more than one zombie at a time or wish to blow off heads and limbs then a whole heap of heavier weaponry such as the mortar-like Rail Rocket or the high-powered Gatling Turret can be employed.
Along with manmade weapons Cross also has vampire powers and can execute gravity defying maneuvers and employ his "Blood Shield," which deflects bullets. Although the action is nonstop and players really don't get much time to think let alone pop off to make a cup of tea, game play is relatively easy. Players should master the controls within 20 minutes.
Graphically the game is superb. Cross, his allies and the zombie hordes are all frighteningly real and the environments in which the run and gun action takes place are truly magnificent
Summit Strike is the latest in the popular Ghost Recon series and while technically an expansion pack for Ghost Recon 2 it still makes for a great standalone game. For those who enjoy realistic tactical shooters it is an addictive and absorbing game.
Once again players are tasked with leading the Ghost Squad as it undertakes a series of special missions in hot spots around the world. This time around the fight is taken to Kazakhstan, where the squad has the unenviable task of rounding up a terrorist cell led by Pakistani terror kingpin Asad Rahil.
There are a total of 11 missions and whether it's close quarter house-to-house combat or search and destroy missions in the wilderness, each mission poses its own unique problems. Simple orders can be given to individual squad members, but they act on their own initiative at times and will lay down covering fire or assault the enemy without being told.
While this makes it a lot easier for gamers to get to grips with the game it can prove rather annoying, especially when confronted with multiple enemy combatants. When it does get frenetic, if players lose concentration for even a second, then it's pretty difficult to figure out who is shooting at whom and what is going on.
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