Shadow Warrior 3, the latest game in one of the least predictable series on the shelves, stays true to form in reinventing the franchise formula yet again. This time out, the strange, over-the-top action takes the form of an arena shooter. You play as Lo Wang, formerly a gun-for-hire and now just doing his best to shoot and cut his way across tightly-crafted levels as hordes of demons and mini-bosses try to stop him in various creatively lethal ways. String these skirmishes together with free-flowing parkour and you might just make it. It's ultraviolent stuff that's utterly soaked in gore - definitely not for the faint of heart, but very much delivered with a wicked grin and a sly wisecrack. The blend of bullets and traditional Japanese folklore makes for an interesting milieu, but play is so fast and frenetic that you could be forgiven for hitting the end of a level and mostly just remembering several minutes of airborne gore and the flash of your katana. This Definitive Edition packs in a host of new features, including 'New Game Plus', which includes additional challenges and rewards; 'Survival Mode', which is effectively a horde mode; 'Hero Mode', for those who didn't find it difficult enough already; 'Chapter Select' for enhanced replayability and, finally, 'Hardcore Difficulty', which is exactly as tough as it sounds. If you're looking for spectacle, violence and speed, Shadow Warrior 3 will hit (and explode) the mark!
