Vanquish

Our hero's tactics also include turning the enemy's technology against it. At one point he manages to get around the back of one of the AT-AT-style walkers and take out the robot in the driving seat. After flinging its remains out of the way and tapping something into the keypad, Gideon is able to take control, blasting away at enemies on the ground and using the extra firepower to cut a path through the debris blocking his way.

Then he's back on the ground and back in the thick of the action. One of Gideon's squad-mates takes a direct shot and blood spatters on the HUD. A green cross appears above him and Gideon pulls out a syringe, slamming it into the victim's shoulder to get him back on his feet and make the cross disappear.

After all that, it appears our hero needs a break. Crouching with his back to a barrier, Gideon pulls out a cigarette, lights it, takes one drag and chucks it away. Turns out this is a signature move of Gideon's, one he likes to repeat whenever there's the slightest break in the action. It also perhaps explains the visor - it's there not so he can see, but so he doesn't have to take his whole helmet off when he fancies a fag.

Breaktime comes to an abrupt end as something bursts out of the ground up ahead. As the dust clears it's revealed to be a giant spider-like robot, complete with numerous guns blazing. At its centre is a flashing red sphere, which as anyone who has ever played a videogame will guess is its weak spot.

Gideon prepares for battle by kicking open a crate to collect a shotgun upgrade, then aiming squarely at the red sphere. The spiderbot releases hundreds of tiny white projectiles which explode all around, then rears up and starts smashing everything in the surrounding area with its forelegs. Just to finish things off, it fires a giant laser beam directly at our hero.

But Gideon has speed and agility on his side, not to mention the power of quick-time events. He runs underneath the spiderbot and grabs onto its body. A left stick icon appears on the screen, suggesting the player must twiddle it clockwise, then counter-clockwise to dodge incoming projectiles. Having managed this, Gideon gets up close and personal with the weak spot and unleashes a volley of fire. There's a giant explosion and it's all over.

The audience applauds. Mikami looks pleased with the response and remains on the stage for a couple of minutes, posing for the cameras. Then he heads off to the interview room, to wait for the first batch of journalists to ask whatever they want.

As it turns out the problem isn't with the questions we're allowed to ask, but how many we have time to ask. We've got a slot of 20 minutes, shared between three journalists - not long, especially with all the time taken up translating questions and answers. Might as well cut to the chase, then. Vanquish may not be P.N. 03, but what about all the other games it's already been compared to, such as Halo? Can Mikami really say this is a totally original title?