Having a squad to look after won’t bog the game down in sub-Brothers in Arms or Full Spectrum Warrior tactical wankery. In fact, ‘look after’ probably isn’t the correct term to use. Ordering around the trio is based on context rather than a list of commands, so one button press is all it takes to get them to do what you want. Click on a Humvee and they’ll get in it, point to a place on the ground and they’ll take cover there, click on a door and an explosive charge will be placed on it, point to a ladder and they’ll climb to the roof. It really couldn’t be any easier to command your troops and keeps the action flowing nice and fast.

In simple terms, you’re the one who gives a general order to attack an enemy, but whether they go in guns blazing, take cover first or end up retreating is down to a mixture of their own intelligence and your own influence on events. You can choose to never leave their side or you might want to use them as a distraction so you can circle around the enemy, hopefully safe in the knowledge they won’t need babysitting while you’re away like many other weaker less ‘independent’ squad games we could mention.

BlackSite has all the makings of a classic sci-fi shooter, is packed to the seams with innovative features and certainly isn’t content to just retread old ground as many sequels do. It’s going to face huge competition in the next few months from Half-Life 2’s thrilling single-player game and Resistance: Fall of Man’s established multiplayer community, but if the squad dynamic lives up to all the promise, we have no doubt that there’s enough room for another humans-versus-aliens titanic battle.