Condemned
They're called first-person shooters for a reason, and yet we've always had a hankering to get up close and personal - nothing says 'stay down' like a rifle butt to the skull. Condemned took things a step further - and closer - by making guns the exception, and melee combat the focus.
In its murderous fights for your life, every blow from an improvised club sends either your opponent's head or your own screen whip cracking with impact in a way you just know is going to leave a mark.
When some of the best shooters can't shake the feeling that you're driving an incredibly manoeuvrable tank around rather than standing on two vulnerable feet, being kicked to the curb in Condemned feels so right.
Condemned is out now for PC and Xbox 360
Above: There's something more intense about pitting a chunk of light fitting against a fire axe than even the hairiest gunfight
