Dark Sector review
Dark Sector was first given life back in 2004, as a tech-demo for “next-gen” gaming systems a full year before the Xbox 360 was announced. It was originally shown as a sci-fi-themed shooter set in space, with your powers coming from a battle suit. Four years later, in 2008, Dark Sector has come down to earth, and back to an espionage-filled Soviet-bloc country filled with mutants, soldiers, guns, and a few mysteries. Gone is the battle suit of 2004; here to stay is a mysterious infection that is destroying a town and transforming you, and the town’s residents, into mutants.
You start off as special agent Hayden Tenno, sent into the quarantine zone by the military to destroy a madman’s plans. This opening sequence is used to introduced all the mechanics you will come to use during your quest. Things quickly things go from bad to worse, as you find your self infected with a virus that is turning you into a living weapon.
The most notable symptom of your infection is the Glaive. The Glaive is a huge, three-bladed throwing disc that sprouts from your infected arm. This weapon is easily one of the highlights of the game. You will pick up new abilities for the Glaive as you progress, and all of these are very fun to use. The two biggest abilities you get, will be to pick up fire or electricity from the environment, and use that to add damage to the Glaive. Easily the most fun ability is Aftertouch: Using this you will go into slow motion and follow your weapon as it spins through the air. You’ll be able to use the analog stick to steer around obstacles in mid-flight to decapitate and dismember your foes.
On top of being a pretty great way to kill guys, it will also function as your Swiss Army knife. You’ll use it for everything from solving puzzles, lighting your way like a flashlight. The puzzles mark one of the game’s low points. They aren’t particularly clever, they all feel very tedious and they mostly all fall into one category: Pick up some electricity with the Glaive, take it to a switch that needs power, throw it into the switch, repeat. What seems like 90% of the game’s puzzles fall into this kind of pattern. These sections get in the way and completely stall the action.
For the most part, the action feels very good, but few large holes can easily be seen in the formula. Combat is slow—drudgingly slow, at points, i.e. you’re behind cover and the enemy is behind cover. The Glaive, while a fun way to kill, can take a lot of time. Having to use Aftertouch to pick off large groups of people behind cover one by one is just grueling at times. A few sections are particularly flustrating when you get surrounded by entrenched enemies, as you simply just don’t turn fast enough to fight effectively in this situation.
The Glaive won’t be your only option in combat. You will also be able to pick up the guns of yor fallen foes and use them for a short time. If you want something better then your default pistol you will have to head to the black market. Here you will be able to buy both rifles or shotguns, and, more importantly, handguns, which you will dual wield in conjunction with the Glaive. You will also find a simple upgrade system for all the usual stats. These upgrades are scattered around the levels for the taking, should you happen upon them.
Your enemies will put up a good fight, for the most part. They will use cover, suppressive fire, and grenades and will tear you apart if you make a wrong move. In a few places the AI will slip, and you’ll find a guy running in circles or one who will just stare into a wall as you embed the Glaive in his back. These are few and far between, so they can be largely overlooked. The massive bosses you come across are a joy; the few you fight will require you to use all the powers of the Glaive, and a lot of smarts.
While it is packed with great visuals and fun gameplay, Dark Sector falls flat in a few areas. The story is very contrived, filled with over-the-top stereotypes, and has a sub-par plot that will leave you scratching your head at points and will defiantly fails to draw you into the world. After the initial play-through you will be hard-pressed to find a reason to pop this back in again.
What about multiplayer? Multiplayer is best to be avoided at all costs. You only get two modes, which are just slight variations on each other. The way players move, and the snail’s pace at which they turn, simply wasn’t set up with multiplayer in mind.
Dark Sector feels strange. Even thought you can see all its simple parts, it still adds up to a lot of fun. The game also does feel like it drags on a bit too long at times. It definitely offers a lot of cool stuff to check out.
+ The Glaive is awesome
+ Sharp graphics and art style
- Character movement way to slow
- Multiplayer is trash
Grade = B-