Bodycount

Format Xbox 360

Developer Codemasters

Publisher Codemasters

Genre First Person Shooter

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The clue is in the title. Far from some earnest, grittily authentic military simulation, Bodycount is a straight-up gun-fest; a caffeine-charged bullet ballet packing the latest in destructible environment technology. "It's a very focused, very pure shooting experience," says outspoken Creative Director, Stuart Black, of Codemasters' new Guildford studio. "It's all about what happens when you pull that trigger. A highly stylised orgy of shooting..."

Stuart was the designer on Black - Criterion's style-obsessed PS2 shooter - and while Bodycount shares spiritual ties, it's not Black 2. It's a different scenario, and an evolved take on gunplay. Codemasters has hired senior people from the Splinter Cell, Pure and Brothers in Arms teams - creating a diverse pool of influences.

MONSTER KILL
Billed as a glossy techno thriller, Bodycount follows a slick young operative carrying out missions for an agency known as The Network. "These are overt assassinations in global confl ict zones," says Black. "You're not the kind of guy who's going into Dallas to take out JFK and sneak away. You're the guy who'll go to Lagos and create a corridor of death 50m wide toward your target. It's secretive because there's no-one left to talk about it..."

Your enemy is The Target, another super-rich organisation with global interests. "These guys are really vicious," explains art director Max Cant. "They're psychotically focused on their world vision, which is diametrically opposed to The Network's. Their hardware is aggressive, angular and predatory. They're going to be coming after you and they're going to enjoy it. They savour the kill."

Of course, when two global corporations clash it can only mean one thing: destruction. Bodycount features an advanced damage engine that lets you shatter almost everything. We got to play an early, grin-inducing, test build. Fire at a wall and chunks of plaster and brick erupt off it. Keep firing and you'll wear through to the support beams. With thinner internal walls, you can blast a large hole and then run through it, adding a layer of tactical depth. We love Bad Company 2's devastation, but it's sign-posted - in Bodycount, if the world is a canvas, the gun is your paintbrush.

Hands-on, it's fraught and solid. Even the agile Heckler and Koch G36C assault rifle has a real solidity and ballast to it, with thunking sound effects - feeling more like Killzone 2 or Gears Of War, than Modern Warfare's lighter arsenal. Indeed, the proximity and visceral combat - tied to the use of health packs and energy meters, instead of COD's gradual recovery mechanism - lends an almost Quake feel. Sniper rifl es play a part when the environment opens up, but this still isn't a camper's paradise.

CREATE A CLASS
Weapon management is more adaptable than COD. As Executive Producer Tom Gillo explains, "players can carry two main weapons. In addition they will always have a pistol (with optional silencer) with infi nite ammo, and a limited number of slots for grenades and health which is expandable through Intel upgrades."

True to its arcade roots, Bodycount has intrinsic reward and combo systems. Fallen enemies drop 'intel' - the game's currency - used to buy new equipment, unlock new areas or call in air strikes. Shoot down a sequence of ranked enemies, and your combo gauge ignites, spawning even more intel. Enemy soldiers aren't identical clones. Medics will rush out to patch up comrades, while Scavengers sneak around stealing useful items and intel (they can even call in air strikes against you).

It's not a linear FPS experience, but divided into three acts - each set in a different country, with various zones and stages. You can play any unlocked area in the order you like, and revisit previous stages. In contrast to current open-world shooters, the stages are deliberately compact. Combatants are on top of each other all the time, and most of the fi refi ghts play out in 30m killzones, emphasising close combat.

The cover mechanic exploits the game's environmental destruction. Press and hold L2 to crouch, and move the left analogue stick to peak around, and above, your cover without locking on to it. You're able to pick out razor-sharp fi ring lines without exposing yourself. You can even shoot chunks out of whatever you're hiding behind and fi re through the hole. We had a great time spotting the objects that enemies were running for, then shattering their boltholes with bullets before the poor fools even arrived.

Visually, it's brash, bright and highly stylised, but avoids the gimmick of cel-shading. Each act has a strong colour signature, reflecting the narrative's themes. In the first act, focusing on corruption and pollution in an unnamed African state, there are greens and yellows everywhere, creating a sickly, woozy feel. Metal surfaces refl ect the abundant dynamic light sources, providing a glittering iridescence, which contrasts with the flat, dusty patina of most modern shooters.

RESTRICTED ACCESS
Further details are sketchy, but it looks like missions end with you gaining entry to the local Target headquarters. These cutting-edge buildings loom over the landscape like alien artifacts and will be nightmarishly diffi cult to enter. Once you're in, though, the high-tech interiors are yours to destroy. "It's all the fun of going into a Swarovski crystal shop and emptying an AK-47 into the display stands," says Cant.

Naturally, there's a vast range of souped-up weapons, and various multi-player deathmatch and co-op modes. Bodycount is ticking all the usual boxes on the FPS features list - it's just that it's then snapping the pen in half, burning up the paper and blasting holes in the clipboard.