SXPD

SXPD crackles with energy. It's an assault on the eyes in the best possible way, a comic book blast of black and white futuristic violence that looks like it's been lifted directly from the pages of a Judge Dredd book.

But underneath that snappy exterior there's a slightly shallow, brief experience. It's fun, and occasionally frustrating, but there's a lack of substance that's telling.

You'll enjoy most of the time you spend with SXPD, but it never quite lives up to the promise of its monochromatic carnage.

You play a rookie police officer in a dystopian future. You're guarding the 52nd state of the US, attempting to thwart a terrorist plot.

It's part Akira, part 2000AD. The story takes up a good chunk of the playing time, told in panel-by-panel snatches. It's standard police state fare, but it whips by at such a speed that you won't mind.

The action sections of the game are first-person road-racing blasts. You tilt to control your motorbike, tapping and swiping to fire bullets and rockets. A double press unleashes your nitro, sending you crashing forwards.

The levels are tightly packed with towers, roadblocks, and piles of trash, and clipping any of them stops you in your tracks. It feels a little old fashioned, and being unable to shoot your way through rubbish piles is a bit silly.

Still, the violence is fast enough that the odd crash doesn't put too much of a dent into the fun you're having. Comic book panels splash across the screen when you take a hit or miss a shot, and it all feels dynamic and action packed.

Unfortunately, though, it doesn't last that long. You'll be done with the campaign in less than an hour, and while there are arcade challenges to complete, after a couple more hours it starts to feel a little one-note.

Without the crash-bang-wallop of the story pushing you on, the violence loses some of its flavour, although it still retains enough to be interesting.

There's a lot of promise in SXPD, and it looks like there's more to come, in the shape of an update or sequel. You'll have fun with this first bite, but in the end, a single bite is all you'll get.