Decay, from Insomnia Software, is one of those games at which you just can't avoid having a little peek, (you'll know why when you've had a glimpse of the shots, trust me). Set in the 21st century, you take on the role of Jake Blisser, a hit man with an attitude. You've been wrongly convicted of a murder (one that you actually didn't commit) and have been put on Death Row. Luckily, you've been chosen to enter the Law Enforcement Agency's reform program to help fight the ever-increasing amount of organized crime...

The game itself plays out in the now ever so standard FPS fashion where you run around with weapons in hand and tons of ammo blasting away on just about everything that moves, but there are a few things that make this title stand out from the crowd.

First off all, in Decay, you can create your own character (like in any good RPG), but this isn't something commonly seen in FPSgames. You can customize your character by dividing your points between different abilities such as strength, speed, etc. and this will have a direct affect on your character and how he handles in the game. Of course it is also possible to further enhance your character's abilities as you wander through the game, as new ability points are awarded whenever you complete a mission. Hence you can follow your own heart and create a character that suits your gaming style. You can go strong and slow or fast and weak, or why not take the middle road?

Then there is the fact that you are given tasks that are a bit more fun than just, "shoot everyone and make it to the exit". Working out of your home base, you have to lay out efficient plans and make sure things go smoothly once the action starts. The game also features interaction with various salesmen and such, and they're not selling coffee. We're talking guns, ammo and the odd explosive, which you have to buy as they're not something you can just go out and find in a dumpster or lying there on the floor in a subway.

And last, but most certainly not least, Insomnia has cooked up a quite powerful and feature filled 3D engine to drive this little gem. They even claim that their software renderer (which handles 32bit color, bump-mapping, dynamic lighting and phong shading) will actually outperform many hardware engines. Still, there will be support for hardware acceleration as there are some features which software renderers just can't handle in real-time.

Now, let's have a look at some eye candy: