50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

The action is viewed from an over-the-shoulder third person perspective, which suits the gunplay style perfectly. We're also sure 50 Cent approves because it shows off his bulging tattooed biceps rather nicely. He's a big chap, to be sure, but despite his virtual self not being native to his fictional surroundings, he looks perfectly at home in Blood on the Sand. Of course, 50 Cent has his G-Unit cronies for back up and players will be able to pick an AI partner - choose from Tony Yayo, DJ Whoo Kid and Lloyd Banks - to accompany them in battle.

The emphasis for 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is on arcade gunplay and - from the passenger seat at least - it looks frenetic and brilliantly over-the-top. 50 Cent has all the moves of any respectable third-person shooter protagonist, being able to take cover, vault over low walls and blind fire. There will be 21 different weapons, with players able to carry up to four guns at any one time.

A point-scoring combo system, modifiers and power-ups are all in play. It's the kind of fun-making stuff that we don't see enough of in shooters nowadays. Anyone that played The Club recently will know just how entertaining score-based shooting can be. We watched 50 Cent shoot an exploding barrel on a balcony, subsequently launching two nearby enemies dramatically skyward, giving him the chance to blast them mid-flight with his double-fisted SMGs for some hefty pointage. The more stylish and deadly the kill, the higher the score notched up.

Besides banking immense high scores, the motivation for bagging big combos is to fill the on-screen 'Gangster Fire' meter. Once completely filled, Gangster Fire is activated by the player and turns 50 Cent into the equivalent of a walking smart bomb. He becomes invulnerable and everything around him grinds to slo-mo while he's still able to move normally, allowing him to pick off enemies accurately and effortlessly.