Fusion: Genesis

Set in the far future, it's backdrop is pure sci-fi schlock - humanity's moved to space, only to find life in the stars isn't so heavenly after all, with hostile aliens lighting up the skies with laser fire. "For the theme we looked at Star Wars and the interactions," says Tilston, "It would be cool if we could have these two military sides fighting. And then, well, what about cops and robbers? The police and the pirates. And then the guys who aren't allied to anybody. How can we have all of this mix in one world? How do they interact?"

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Fusion: Genesis takes the aesthetic of a top down shooter, but beneath is a labyrinth of systems that make it play out like an MMO. Yes, there are things to shoot - plenty of them - but rather than being set in a self-contained arena, Fusion: Genesis offers several open-ended and expansive levels. Within you'll be able to meet up with agents from one of the game's six factions to take on quests- destroy a certain amount of asteroids, or go and mine a certain amount of material. It's a structure borrowed from MMOs, and the influence runs deeper still.

Sentients act as the game's pets, little droids that follow your ship round, protecting it and fighting by your side. In keeping with the spirit of ambition that runs through Fusion: Genesis, these can be evolved and traded in Fusion: Sentient, an accompanying Windows Phone 7 game that takes on an realtime strategy template.

Player ships - of which threre are around 100 - are customisable and upgradeable to an impressive degree. Allying yourself to different factions opens up different abilities and weapon sets, with two upgrade slots on hand to craft your ship in any given direction.

All of which plays nicely into Fusion: Genesis's four player co-op - players can attack the campaign side by side, with the 16 hours or so required for a single playthrough working towards a final raid level. That's not the end of Fusion: Genesis' MMO allusions - throughout the campaign the game will dynamically draw in players, its levels supporting up to eight people each engaged in their own story and each potentially working against one another, while dedicated PvP warzones offer a frenetic battle arena.

It's an odd mix, sure, but it's one that works incredibly well - and it's a blend that's most definitely unique. "The onset of digital distribution has rejuvenated the industry to a large extent," says Phill, "It's got a lot more smaller, unique, interesting titles out there. Some of them aren't fully formed. Some of them aren't fully finished. But people appreciate the fact they're doing something different and they're happy spending their money on it. It's something different from another Call of Duty. Not that I don't like Call of Duty. It's great. But it's very similar to the last one."

Whatever you might say of Fusion: Genesis, there's certainly nothing else quite like it out there.