Previews

The right analogue stick; it's the first person shooter's greatest ally. You know, the one which helps you look around and do important stuff like, well, aim. Without it, you may as well be playing that FPS on a smartphone (shudder the thought), watching wearily as your crosshairs slip haphazardly all over the place as you fight to line up a shot, any shot goddammiit. Please, we're begging you.

But while playing a FPS on a tablet device might be as fun as eating a bowl of cat sick, the portable powerhouse that is the PlayStation Vita has that blessed right stick, a gloriously responsive one in fact, making it the perfect home for FPS action on the fly. And Killzone: Mercenary is the most convincing evidence yet that the the handheld can deliver big budget shooter thrills in the palms of your hands.

You'll know the Killzone series by now - SONY's attempt to create a sci-fi shooter franchise of their own; some say it's a pale imitation of the competition, but we reckon that Killzone's own unique style and feel set its adventures apart from the rest, and this PS Vita version packs all the punch of its big brothers.

The first thing you'll notice are the graphics that wouldn't look out of place on your big telly. Then there are the cinematic cutscenes and the triple-A spectacles of explosions and visual drama plus the cheesy storyline, this time detailing a mercenary's life who kills the Helghast for the money, not out of a call of duty.

But never mind all that - what matters is how the game plays. And it plays just fine, thank you for asking (no bowls of cat sick here). Navigating the four-hour campaign is a cinch, weaponry feels suitably chunky and the enemy's AI puts up a worthy challenge - and the ability to buy new weaponry, deploy a drone and employ stealth tactics means that there are always new things to try. Oh, and you can use your touchscreen for all manner of gameplay options such as switching weapons so fret not if you're missing that element of iPad FPS action.

And once done selling your merc services (and soul) to your employer Phantom Talon Corporation in the solo campaign, you can indulge in online multiplayer featuring up to eight players and a host of options from the objective-based Warzone through to team deathmatches. It all adds up to a powerful package on a platform that can take the strain - and provide you with hours of undiluted, uncompromised FPS excellence.