Dark Sector

THE BAD:
The story

The annoying invisible enemies

SUMMARY:
For much of early 2008 this game had snuck under everyone's radar, not getting much publicity until a few weeks prior to its release. No hype = no expectations, right? Almost. Some people saw this as a flop from the onset, but I am happy to report that it wasn't! Actually it's far from it, it is a success!

The game follow a reluctant American operative by the name of Hayden, sent to a military-esque compound in the near future & fictional Soviet nation of Lasria. Near the beginning he attempts to abort the mission but the idea is rejected by his superior's who state he is past the point of no return and that from here on out there is no other way but forward. From there things slowly go downhill for our hero, he completes his mission (grudingly) to find a second one is waiting for him and upon embarking on this new 'task' he is confronted by a weird and dangerous creature infected with the same virus he has now contracted after barely escaping from a botched assasination attempt.

This virus brings in the core aspect of the game. Hayden has a unique genetic set-up that means that instead of turning into a zombie (with lack of a better word without spoilers) he becomes what can best be described as the 'ultimate weapon.' For starters, he spawns a glaive that will instantly become epic the first time you use it when discovered by two guards in a radio outpost (blood & gore DID follow), and then gets better as you learn more powers for it. Oh yes, MORE! Fire, Ice, Lightning, you name it and the glaive will kick ass with it. It's also a plus for PS3 players as SIXAXIS is well used to guide the glaive through multiple enemies, an experience 360 has lost. Actually in all, Dark Sector feels like it was made with PS3 in mind as it plays better, although from then on it is really basically the same except for a minor graphic victory for PS3 (fans may cheer at this point but hold until the last paragraph). Shooting adopts the duck-and-cover you can now see from Army of Two & Gears of War minus blind fire, so it's solid and works as an all-rounder with a number of dual weapons to select to work with the glaive.

The enemies are versatile, at first you have two basic enemies. The infected humans who were recently infected by the virus, and soldiers of Lasria who are trying to contain it while at the same time eliminate you. As you progress more deadly soldiers are dispatched to get you and the humans get more infected (making them more dangerous) as well as other infected organisms trying to take a dig at you (An Ape for starters) as well as a strange near 7 foot tall creep who infected you to begin with.

Dark Sector's best aspect is combat: Cool, easy, addictive. You are able to send the glaive boomerang style around corners to hit enemies in hiding while Hayden will break from cover at the same time and empty a clip into a second enemy in the open before catching the glaive on it's return flight with it's target's innards hanging from the blades. Nice stuff, and even better when you watch the ban worthy (Sorry Aussies) finishing moves.

However, and this is a bit annoying, the story goes sour. Dark Sector was perfect up until it began trying to please Metal gear Fans & Resident Evil Fans at the same time. It started well but it finally started to fall to a stand still. You will enjoy this game, but to what extent depends on you.

Online is also good enough for purchase. You have basic deathmatch where someone gets to be Hayden and the others are soldiers. Soldiers try to kill Hayden, but Hayden has all the powers so it is no easy task. Another mode sees two teams, each with a Hayden in them who has all the powers the user has picked up so far, and the rest are soldiers. Aim of the game, kill Hayden. Simple but actually fun to play.

My score: A solid game all round, worth a buy; 87 out of 100