On Wednesday, we were given the chance to play Modern Combat Domination, Dungeon Hunter Alliance and Blokus; all made by Gameloft which, up until now, has focused on mobile gaming. So how do their first console entries fare? Lets find out.

First up was Modern Combat Domination, an online FPS set in a fictional East-European country. Featuring Move compatibility, this FPS is a PSN exclusive, set to launch in December.

From the main menu you can either set up a game, join a game, or jump straight into a match with quickplay. There are also singleplayer options where you can play against bots, but they’re mainly for tutorials and practice; the main bulk of the game takes place online.

"The not-so-successful landing was met with a less than enthusiastic landing-party."

Before you start playing however, there is an inventory screen. You start off with a set amount of money with which you can buy weapons and equipment, and with each kill you get more money, which also adds to your XP (E.g. if you earn $2500, you get 2500 points). However, if you’re on a bad streak and keep dying, its not all downhill. A nice touch is a ‘Pity Bonus’, where you’ll get cash if you keep dying, so you can get a better weapon to even out your chances.

The first mode we played was Boom and Bust, a bomb-planting mode not dissimilar to something you might find in Counter-Strike. Two teams play against each other; one trying to set off a missile, the other trying to prevent it.

"Sadly, the moment he needed to reload was the moment the enemy spotted him."

The first time we played this was with the Move. As quite a few of you will hopefully know, calibration is key with the Move, and unfortunately the controllers weren’t calibrated quite right in this instance. While it did detract from the experience at the time, we can see how it would work if it was properly calibrated, and it reminds us of Killzone 3 and MAG.

With a regular controller however, the game plays brilliantly. Movement feels slightly heavier than other FPS’s such as Call of Duty, but not going so far as Killzone, which seems to be a nice balance. Aiming is a little different. Gameloft wanted a more realistic experience with this game, and it shows. When moving around, firing at people won’t be that effective, especially when running. The only way to ensure a kill is to stop, aim and fire, much like in real life.

"Thats a BIG missile..."

While this does challenge the player in a way that isn’t present in other FPS’s, it does feel annoying when you’re desperately shooting at someone who’s shooting at you and it just takes an age. There’s not much that tells you whether you’re missing, or an enemy is just soaking up bullets.

The levels also pose a challenge, and they seem to favour people with tactics and planning. There are plenty of areas to flank enemies, and plenty of areas to hide and await enemies, much to your advantage.

"Surely standing BEHIND the cargo containers would help?"

There are 5 different maps with 6 different game modes, and you can play with up to 16 players. There are 13 weapons and a whole host of extra equipment for increased accuracy; such as handles, red-dot sights, scopes, grenades etc. You will need to experiment, in order to find out your perfect setup, but with 72 rank levels, you can afford to.

For a PSN game, Modern Combat Domination shows surprising depth, and promises to keep us entertained for a long time. Showing similarities to Counter-Strike, this online FPS shows great potential, and with the hint of DLC to add more maps, weapons and equipment, this looks to be a fantastic addition to the PSN. Look out for it this coming December.

Stay tuned for previews of Dungeon Hunter Alliance and Blokus! What are your thoughts on Modern Combat Domination?