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The battle lines have been drawn. The strategies studied. The troops stirred and the plan of attack readied. All nerves have been buried as warriors from both sides prepare for the assault. The hush that ascended the battlefield is punctured by the war horn being blown. The clash of the consoles is upon us.

It’s Xbox One vs PlayStation 4.

It is a battle which started a while back when Microsoft and Sony announced they would be launching their new hot shots – the Xbox One (£429, out Friday) and the PS4 (£349, out November 29th). And so began the preemptive strikes from both sets of fans, while the poor old Internet struggled to keep the peace. As explosives “x86 processor” grenades were lobbed from one side, “1080p” pot shots were fired back by the other. Indeed, it has been hard to maneuver the World Wide Web without being caught by a “cloud” cluster strike or “backwards compatible” catapult.

So who will emerge victorious? Well, only time will tell and Xbox addicts and PlayStation die hards alike will no doubt cry glory until the end, loyal until the last (or, at least, until the next consoles are released).

If you ask me, we should be celebrating these next-generation consoles, not burying them before launch. From what I’ve seen from both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, there is so much to be excited about for both sides – EVERYONE’s gaming experience will be vastly improved thanks to BOTH of these technical delights.

So why can’t we all just get along?

Well, because that would be boring. And without any battles, there would be no inspiration for some of the big-hitting titles - including Ryse: Son of Rome, which was the highlight of a recent Xbox One preview event (fear not PS4 fans, there will be preview/review here soon - so lower your swords and save your scornful comments for later).

Indeed, a lot rests on the shoulders of this Roman themed brawler - as one of Xbox One’s heavyweights it must conquer the doubters and set Microsoft on the march to victory.

I had a couple of hours to whack, slash and smack my way through the single player mode (the multiplayer looks to offer some tantalizing thumbs up/thumbs down action in the Colosseum as you battle it out as a gladiator to entertain the crowds).

In single player, I managed to battle my way through the first couple of chapters and, my word, this Crytek game is bloody gruesome… and bloody brilliant.

As protagonist General Marius Titus you begin by trying to repel a mob onslaught keen on burning a palace of Rome down to the ground. With murderous cries and limb-lopping screams, you are thrown straight into the action and quickly taught how to play the game.

It is a pretty simple combat mode - sword attack (x), shield bash (y), evade (b) and block (a). But do not fear... this NOT a button-mashing game. The timing of your combat leads to a flurry of activity which needs careful thought - but results in glorious gore and slashing satisfaction (think Batman Arkham series with a generous sprinkle of Assassin’s Creed).

Combos are a key ingredient while fighting and timing your strikes (button colour coordinated taps) leads to more XP and more blood. The pre-animated executions are fantastic and varied enough to make you whoop with joy as you watch an arm go flying.

Another nice touch is the Focus mode which slows down attacks while speeding up your combos. One slightly annoying thing about the executions is that if you get the colour-combo wrong (i.e. hit X instead of Y) you only lose XP, as opposed to your attack being broken up and you having to go again at the bad guy. Only a minor gripe though.

All this action builds up XP, aka Valour, which you can use to upgrade executions, skills etc. You can also use Gold to do this. You can dish out your XP to four different recharge modes as you fight - Focus, Health, Power, XP. Using the D-pad, you switch between these areas as you go from fight to fight. At first, it can be a somewhat confusing element but it soon becomes invaluable - the use of Health is handy when a quick recharge is needed while XP increases the chance of speedy upgrades for gamers keen to chalk up the Achievements.

Back to the craziness. In between dismembering baddies, Marius is charged with organising his soldiers to help throughout different battles. One of these moments sees you being prompted to line-up defenses with shields on the outside so you can safely approach archers who are flinging flaming arrows at you (these can be deflected back with your own shield too, if timed properly). Marius can also order up a volley of arrows at different oncoming bands of bad guys while he tends to other combat operations. I only experienced the most basic of squad commands (holding down LB for an allotted time) but hopefully that will develop as the game goes on.

After Marius successfully defends the palace, he heads inside to protect a fat, cowering Roman leader stumbling over his lavish gold chains and sweaty jowls. The two get talking and Marius takes us back to his past - and the start of his story. Without ruining any plots, what follows is the beginnings of what looks to be an intriguing plot with some decent voice acting to boot.

Visually, an Xbox game has never looked so bloody good - or bloody. The battle environments consume you, the fires repel you and the grandeur of Rome envelopes you. Armour glistens in battle, smoke thickens and the blood shimmers as it slides down the glinting swords of Roman centurions.

All this without interruption or frame rates struggling to keep up with madness of war. No lagging, no delayed lip-syncing. Everything is seamless and every soldier is an individual - which looks remarkable when you put hundreds of them together on the battlefield.

All of which makes for a spine-tingling experience which leaves you wanting (much) more.

So, despite pre-war bluster from goading gamers, it would seem that when it comes to Ryse: Son of Rome, you will struggle to find a clink in the Xbox One armour.

For more, follow @MirrorGamer