You've really got to feel for… Whoever the developer behind Verdun is. The team behind this World War I flavoured first-person shooter probably thought that it had come up with something original by turning back time all the way to 1914, only for Battlefield 1 to come and do the exact same thing with a bigger budget.

And if that wasn't bad enough, it picked the same release date as the aforementioned blockbuster's public beta. Talk about bad luck! Fortunately, this does do a lot to differentiate itself from DICE's more Hollywood-inspired adaptation of the Great War, shunning set-pieces and spectacle in favour of slower paced, strategic shootouts.

The main mode, Frontlines, is particularly tactical, assigning you to a squad in which you'll need to fulfil your role if your team intends to take territory from the enemy. You can even level up different platoons with your buddies, and unlock new abilities as a result. There are more traditional deathmatch modes, though, for those of you who want them.

Whichever playlist you select, however – including the co-op option – you should expect a more methodical experience here. We didn't spend an enormous span of time with the title, but it's definitely slower than your average FPS, favouring considered tactics and a steady hand. It's good if you're into that sort of thing.

It's just a shame the performance isn't really up to par. The game looks dreary, which we suppose is an accurate representation of trench-life, but its performance is similarly sluggish, dropping frames and tearing heavily when the action intensifies. It doesn't control quite as tightly as we'd like either, to be honest.

[source bit.ly]