During my first few minutes of game-time, I stuck to a few of the simpler moves: severing an opponent's head from his neck, juggling guys in the air with bullets and pouncing onto enemies with a knife in each hand – an action I couldn't quite master. But as I played around with the controls, I found even more fascinating multi-weapon combos. By looking in one direction and aiming the other, Shank can point his pistols both left and right Lara Croft-style, taking out foes at each flank. Even better, Shank can tackle an enemy and pin him onto the floor with a knife while he offs another oncoming foe with his pistol. He can then return to pummeling the guy who's still lying helpless under his blade. I couldn't help but try this move over and over again.

Even with fifteen minutes of gameplay, I didn't manage to exhaust every combo the game has to offer. For instance, Shank can grapple an opponent and shove a grenade down his throat – one of the many moves I didn't even know I could perform. With even more weapons to come later in the game, the opportunities to execute stylistic fatalities can only increase. Jamie wouldn't divulge the number of weapon unlocks, but he did happen to mention that Shank will eventually wield a shotgun and perhaps even an Uzi.

But even with every combo under the sun, Shank still doesn't have one thing: co-operative play. When the game releases this summer, Shank will not have online or split screen co-op, a feature Jamie's team discussed at length but decided to do without.

“For us, there are a lot of pros and cons about co-op. I think it would work very well within our system, but at the same time, the single player experience allows us to create what we call 'cinematic moments.' We play a lot with the camera, for example, and that doesn't lend to a co-op experience,” says Jamie. “You have the parkour and other things to think about, and we're really trying to optimize that single player experience.”

Without co-op, Jamie still promises at least five hours of satisfying brawler action, a solid story and exciting multi-weapon combinations that offer players absolute control of Shank. Check out Klei Entertainment's blog for updates.