This sophisticated, atmospheric and intelligent sci-fi romp certainly lives up to the hype. A welcome arrival to anyone bored of the Halo games, this offers similarly high quality graphics and engrossing gameplay, packaged with heart-stopping action, tricky puzzles and buckets of attitude.
As the dashing Dr Mason, youre ordered to escort two quarantined humans from one jail to another on prison planet Earth. When your spaceship unexpectedly crash-lands, you ditch your stethoscope and venture out into the unknown quickly realising there are no maps to hand, the place is riddled with mines and an infected prisoner has gone missing.
No medical training or time spent on an NHS hospital ward can prepare you for the problems and hostility you face as swarms of foes come at you from all angles. Luckily, a rather smart healing tool boosts your energy and one quick zap to the wrist and a slight after-shock later, youre good as new and ready to continue the fight.
If the (somewhat short) story mode proves tiresome or taxing, you can go multiplayer for all-out assassinations in a race to collect the most corpses - which also provides a great way of seeing some of the games stunning scenery. You can even play God with the handy map editor, customising the terrain upon which to creep around, before throwing down the gauntlet and sharing your creation with other players online. Now who said a career in medicine isnt rewarding?