Standard armaments like assault rifles and shotguns are fun, but real pleasure comes from explosions, with a special nod to the Singularity bomb. This menacing little device sucks up everything like a black hole, including players, and spits the mass a hundred feet into the air, only to come raining down. Combat goes beyond running and gunning with bombs and rockets though. Tactical players can booby-trap hallways while fingering the detonator around the corner, smash holes through floors for quick escapes, and topple walls for diversions. To compound the strategic possibilities, every player has ready access to backpacks with unique abilities, such as the power to fly, supercharge ammunition, stampede through buildings, or become a walking bass-beat of seismic mayhem.

As a stalwart fan of the previous games, I went into this preview session set up by THQ ready to rattle my fist in disgust, only to see my cynicism vaporized in a blast of tectonic-shifting proportions. Thus far, Guerilla has the makings of a game with few concessions. It’s an open-world journey that plays like a FPS; it grips the senses like Mass Effect, and revels in the cacophony of combustion like no other. Red Faction: Guerrilla made my 'Most Wanted of 2009' list for good reason, and my only regret now is not giving it a higher slot.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you .