Fans of first-person shooters will feel right at home with Darkwatch - a beautifully rendered, vampire flavored, Wild West adventure.

Darkwatch players take on the role of Jericho Cross, a gunslinger with supernatural abilities, as he battles a powerful vampire and his minions.

One of the more interesting features of the game is the morality system, which affects players' abilities and the games' endings based on either "good" or "bad" decisions. It's certainly worth replaying each decision to see how things could have progressed.

Jericho packs some heavy firepower and Darkwatch has some fantastic fight "hotspots" that throw the action into high gear. Most notable is the battle atop the speeding train and the white-knuckle horseback riding segment.

Xbox owners get online play and PS2 players get co-op play. Either way, Darkwatch is one of the best shooters out there.

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios have announced that the Halo Triple Pack, a compilation that combines Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack into one package with a retail price of $59.99. The Halo franchise has sold more than 13.8 million units worldwide.

New Line Home Entertainment has announced plans to release six titles on Universal Media Disc for Sony's PSP. Available at retail on Oct. 4, Elf, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), The Butterfly Effect, Freddy Vs. Jason, Blade, and Secondhand Lions will be marked at a $19.99.

Gamers preordering L.A. Rush will receive Midway Arcade Treasures 3 containing the arcade classic Rush and seven more racing classics for free. Slated to ship on Oct. 10 for PS2 and Xbox, L.A. Rush lets players race, roam, and run over 350 miles of drivable asphalt in customized rides by the renowned crew at West Coast Customs.

First Published September 3, 2005, 12:41 p.m.