I bloody love a game that glistens, me.
I think it was 1997's MDK - from the appropriately named Shiny Entertainment - that first did it.
Lead character Kurt's reflective suit left me with widened eyes and a knackered CPU. It was a tantalising teaser of the future.
Looking back of course, that was all sprite-based nonsense compared to the king of today's glimmering crop - God Of War III.
Kratos' shockingly destructive romp on PS3 is the most stunning-looking game I've witnessed this year - not least because everywhere you look, something glimmers.
Whether it's oily, giant foes or shimmering expanses of water - or just the ever-perspiring pate of Kratos himself - the game is wonderfully rendered throughout.
For those that love the shiny, it's incomparable - a mesmerising pendulous locket of a title that really rams home the 'Only On PS3' message Sony craves for you to believe in.
But now, finally, it appears Sony Santa Monica's opus may finally have a very real rival - and from a most unlikely series.
Castlevania's previous forays into the world of 3D haven't exactly screamed 'spectacular'. But with Mercury Steam's Lords Of Shadow, Konami appears to have something a little bit special on its hands.
The demo we get hands-on with showcases a graphical style with more than a hint of the Kojima about it. His advice on the title wasn't ignored, it seems.
Rain pounds down from the sky as we control an all new (and slightly pointier than expected) Belmont. This time, it's Gabriel - armed with a classic 'whip' in the guise of his skull-cracking Combat Cross.
We're thrown into our stormy evening's mission with little time for pleasantries; protecting straggle-haired, torch-wielding townsfolk from the hairy onslaught of the ravenous, wolfish Warg.
Gabriel does a lot of protecting, it turns out; the game's premise is that the skulking hooded hero is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, out to guard the world (and avenge his good lady wife's death) against the titular ethereal noblemen.
Each spooky Lord protects a shard of a holy relic, which, when combined, can bring people back from the dead. Handily, that not only gives Gabriel a good reason to twat all of them - but a faint chance of resurrecting his beloved.
This Emo dream is capped off with some serious voice acting - not least from RSC'ers Patrick Stewart (as baritone mentor Zobek) and Robert Carlyle as Gabriel. (Sadly, in earnest, booming, ponderous martyr mode. He sounds nothing like Trainspotting's Begbie - so it looks like that gaming fantasy will have to wait another few years).
The gothic ambience of our first Warg-battling scene is striking. Surrounded by rain-peppered, texture-rich granite mounds, a tellingly huge iron gate refuses to budge. Grey hunks of matted Warg mane bound out of the darkness and begin circling Gabriel; paws menacingly splashing through gravelly pools as they work out their best route of attack.
The throbbing, crimson pupils of the Warg contrast forebodingly with the lightlessness of the sodden, makeshift gladiatorial circle which Gabriel wardens. This luminous scowl is strikingly complemented by flickering torch flames, charmingly reflecting in the grimy puddles around us.
The steamy exhalation of our hitched horse puffs forth - alongside the bloodthirsty breath of our bristly nemesis. It's resplendent; and rivals any opening in-game visuals we've seen this year.
The combat mechanic and camera are immediately reminiscent of GoW. Two buttons control different attacks of Belmont's Combat Cross, which can either be whipped across the screen or violently spun to unleash deadly combos.
Aerial attacks also feature heavily, either through juggling our four-legged killers up in the air or by leaping skyward and crashing down via a tactical hold of an attack button.
Health can be replenished - only once in certain scenes, mind - via glowing in-game refuelling stations, and it's a good job, as you'll probably need them. Even in the opening, tutorialised sections, Lords Of Shadow punishes aimless button bashing.
The attack-avoiding enemy AI requires quick thinking - for which block and evade moves prove vital. Directed via the shoulder buttons and analogue stick, these help to both give you some breathing space and unsettle your enemy for a timely slog.
Now and again, stalemate clashes and special finishing moves link to sparing QTEs - whether matching a decreasing circle to a target or hammering a quick, prescribed button combo.
As an appropriately macabre denouement to the moody opening section, all we need do is slam a shoulder button, and a giant, wild-eyed Warg is impaled on a human-sized post rigidly stuck betwixt our palms.
We're told that dispensing with enemies will grant experience points for improved weapons, skills, combos and magic later in the game - staying true to Castlevania's more RPG-leaning roots.
Gate parted, we skip forward to a horseback tussle - us firmly planted on our classic white steed. Cantering under trees, we navigate a troublesomely craggy bridlepath at full pelt.
It's not long before the Warg return - and we're required to tailor our attacks to menaces on our left and right, each keen to leap onto our backs for a grisly cuddle.
It proves tricky, and after wrestling with the sharp-toothed beasts for a few seconds, we fall to the floor - only to eventually come face to face with yet another giant Warg.
This time, however, there are no one-button QTEs to save us - rather a frantic battle against a particularly bitey bunch of his smaller kin, all keen to distract from their daddy's ability to charge, batter and gnaw us to death.
Using the analogue stick to dart out of Papa Warg's way whilst attacking, blocking and unleashing strategic knife throws points to a game that isn't for beginners.
Despite the obvious Devil May Cry-inspired velocity and the MGS4 touches of the environments - there was lots of shimmering in that, too - GoW III is the heaviest influence, from the combat and graphical style, right through to the lush, rousing orchestral score.
The visuals are a consistent joy - with a cumulative final scene seeing our chalky, magical equine hero bravely soaring over a giant chasm - diverting us from the chomping flesh-lust of the uncombed, furious Wargs on the other side.
Kojima-san rarely puts his name to something that doesn't at least offer a feast for the eyes - and our brief time with Lords Of Shadow certainly points to a game that's very pretty indeed.
To become a true God Of War rival, it will need to offer more varied and interesting tableau - the brooding murkiness of the town and covered forest was fairly monotone - as well as some of the 'my God, I'm supposed to
fight that?' moments Kratos delivers so often. (For all their toothy salivating and bone-shivering gaze, the Warg weren't exactly physically browbeating).
But with the promise of smarter RPG and magic elements down the line - and a sensitive, made-for-weepy-Twilight-fans hero - Lords Of Shadow could just prove to be the Dead Space to God Of War's Resident Evil; less a Xeroxed homage, more an respectful, surprising new take.
One thing's for sure: It certainly looks the part.
[Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is due for release on 360 and PS3 later this year]
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