Darkest of Days is sort of like the History Channel version of Call of Duty. But with lasers. The demo -- available here -- shows off what this game can do by giving you a brief look at some back-and-forth through a cornfield in Antietam during the Civil War. You eventually get a souped-up assault rifle called the AR-55, at which point I was disappointed none of the other soldiers ever said, "What in tarnation kind of gun is that?" (one of the really cool things in Timeshift, the last time-bending shooter I played, was the way the other characters reacted to your powers). I'm also disappointed at the invisible walls in Darkest of Days, shunting you among scripted set pieces. Like I said, History Channel meets Call of Duty. But perhaps that's just a factor of the demo. It looks like a powerful enough game engine to let you range a little farther and a little wider through some impressive battles.

For the most part, the demo served its purpose. I'm even more excited about this September 8th release, which looks like it's well on its way to being the definitive mash-up of history and excessive firepower.