Bulletstorm

Every skillshot seems to have some sort of sexual reference (such as the infamous 'Gang Bang'), and Chmielarz admits, "Epic [which owns People Can Fly] believes that we must have some mental problems... so they tried to tone us down."

For the purposes of the demo, though, the main skillshot we're seeing is 'Mercy'. "I really like it! You shoot the guy in the family jewels, so he's on his knees, screaming in pain and then you have two options: either headshot him, or just kick him in the face. We have tons of skillshots in the game, some are easier, some are harder. Some of these harder ones, once you get it, they're not only satisfying, but quite visually spectacular."

With manic excitement firmly woven into every moment, it's a game where the action only lets up to deliver yet another quip. Indeed, among the assembled press at EA's European showcase, it was the uncompromising dialogue that had everyone raising quizzical eyebrows.

Relentlessly surly putdowns, barbs and wince-inducing double entendres are thrown around at every opportunity, and it's a brand of pulp sci-fi that many will find an acquired taste.

Hearing Ishi Sato jibe to her partner that "you'll never find out what this man-eater's tongue can do" was a real Too Much Information moment. But when she observes that "man-eaters love tight spots", Hunt can't resist quipping: "I'm not even going to touch that one."

Sniggersome as it might be to a 12-year-old just discovering puerile humour, it's pretty eye-rolling for everyone else. Or maybe just us uptight Brits.

But despite being crafted with "a nod and a wink", and done in the name of "putting the fun back in shooters", Chmielarz claims that this self-styled 'blood symphony of carnage' runs parallel to a "real drama with a certain amount of weight" and "a lot going on".

"It's not an excuse for shootouts," he explains. "We really do have a big story that's integrated with the gameplay components in our game, but on the other hand you kick people in the ass. So how do you match the two? The serious drama that's going on with this crazy over-the-top gameplay?"

Having been impressed with Rick Remender's work on graphic novel Fear Agent, Chmielarz found the perfect writer who understood the pulp sci-fi style they were shooting for. "This guy just gets it. He's the magician there, he writes the dialogue that marries the two sides of Bulletstorm to the story to the crazy over-the-top gameplay."

Only after Remender signed up for the project did Chmielarz realise that he also wrote the core story for Dead Space. "So not only did I love Fear Agent, but I already knew he worked in games, which is really important in this business. I was ecstatic, and luckily we were right, because he's bringing us something special. Rick is a gamer, and when you have such a talented creator and writer who understands what games are, that's like a dream come true. He brought it up to another level."

So is this the start of a Bulletstorm series? "I honestly don't think there's a developer in the world right now who just does the first part and goes, okay, that's it, I'm not interested in anything else," Chmielarz says.