14 DAY TRIAL // Insomniac Games has made a name for itself by creating lots of great titles over the years, from cartoonish franchises like Ratchet & Clank, to more serious ones like the Resistance shooters.
Now, the studio has decided to create an all-new property and, for the first time in many years, release it on other platforms, not just PlayStation ones.
The game is called Fuse and promises to deliver a cooperative-focused shooter experience that will came out this month for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Until then, the studio has released a demo that allows those interested in it to try it out either alone or with up to three other friends.
Does the Fuse demo manage to show off the game's best sides or should fans put off buying the game? Let's have a quick look.
The Fuse demo quickly starts with a short cinematic that explains the mysterious Fuse alien substance and how it resulted in some impressive gadgets and weapons that are now wielded by the three Overstrike agents. These are Dalton Brooks, who has a special shield emitter, Jacob Kimble, who uses a crossbow, Naya Deveraux, who can cloak and use a warp rifle, and Izzy Sinclair, who can shoot her Scattergun.
Each ability is unique and can cause lots of havoc when used properly. Unfortunately, it requires a lot of practice to use them at their full potential and the game isn't shy about throwing at the players lots of enemies at the same time. As a result, expect to go down a few times in the early firefights.
The AI-controlled partners do a pretty good job at reviving you but, during actual combat, the AI allies aren't that good, as while they can distract foes, they won't really damage them, instead opting to let you rack up the kills.
When playing solo, there's a special Leap system that allows you to jump between the different characters so things will certainly stay fresh during the demo and you'll have a chance to familiarize yourself with the different weapons and gadgets.
Even so, Fuse is best when played with other human-controlled characters, as it becomes much easier to take out larger groups of regular foes or much heavier opponents like the Leadfoots.
Overall, Fuse is looking pretty good, but the AI still needs tweaking in order to make going through the game alone a worthwhile experience.