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DARK SECTOR XBOX 360 REVIEW |
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It has been
a while since we have seen Digital Extremes in
the video game arena, the co-developers of
shooter classics such as Unreal Tournament and
Pariah. Now, they have come to summon us for
Dark Sector, a third person shooter that brings
something fresh to the plate. Dark Sector is all
about Hayden Tenno, an Agency operative. He’s
been tasked with killing Mezner, a military
psychopath who has let loose an infection in the
fictional Soviet-bloc nation of Lasria. The
infection mutates the body in a gruesome way,
turning most of its victims into crazed zombies,
maddened by the pain. Fortunately, Hayden has
congenital analgia, a real-life condition that
makes a person unable to feel pain. He contracts
the disease during this operation, which
transforms his right arm and grows a
three-bladed disc called a glaive.
The gameplay in Dark Sector is very refreshing
and totally unique, thanks to the addition of
the glaive that offers a different angle to
precision combat. At the start of the game, the
handling is quite similiar to Gears of War,
using a familiar cover mechanic. Needless to
say, as soon as the glaive is introduced, Dark
Sector begins to take on a different rule of
engagement that is unlike most third-person
shooters. While hunting knives, frag grenades,
and machine guns have been the usual components
players heavily relied on for assault, the
glaive is your main shooting weapon here; it can
be thrown and controlled in mid-air, and can
incorporate elements in the environment to
affect itself, such as catching fire, or being
charged with electricity. It will always come
back to Hayden, and can always be called upon.
Of course, it’s not overly powerful; it has a
maximum effective distance, and Hayden
double-wields a pistol with the glaive which is
useful in those situations where an enemy is
just a tad out of range.
Another twist is the addition of "weapon
governors". These devices, attached to most
enemy weapons (which are superior in the
distance and power of the pistol), detect the
infection in Hayden and thus disable the gun
after a certain period of time. This puts an
awesome spin on the gameplay, as it forces an
ever-changing situation due to the fact that a
single gun cannot be relied on for an entire
gameplay section. The frantic action of trying
to lock on a horde of rushing enemies off at a
distance using a rifle, only to have it become
disabled, adds a sense of improvisation into the
game. Special abilities, such as a
projectile-reflecting shield, add yet another
layer of depth and strategy to the game's
momentum. These abilities are seamlessly
integrated and when Hayden adapts one, it is
shown in the form of an icon on his arm. |
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PRODUCT
OVERALL RATING: 8.0 OUT OF 10 |
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What's nice
about Dark Sector is that the action never gets
repetitive; there are so many diverse enemies,
boss fights, and ways with which to deal with
your foes that a second play-through is
guaranteed. Hayden isn’t always in combat,
however, and is sometimes faced with puzzles
that incorporate the glaive for new abilities he
has learned. It's nice to see you can also
install upgrades to your weapons or purchase new
arsenals via the Black Market entrances
scattered throughout the game's chapters.
Unfortunately, Dark Sector suffers from a lack
of an engaging storyline, but definitely has
some unexpected twists that serve to keep the
game in play. While Dark Sector is very
single-player oriented, the multiplayer aspect
is worth checking out as well. There are two
game modes: Infection and Epidemic. Infection is
a survival-type of atmosphere, where one player
is Hayden, and the rest are soldiers trying to
kill him. Hayden has all powers at his disposal
and whoever kills Hayden becomes him. This is a
frantic battle to survive as non-Hayden players
work together for the kill, but no one really
wants to be the actual prey.
In Epidemic part of multiplayer, two teams have
their own Hayden-character, and the goal is to
kill the other team’s Hayden. Battles range from
breakneck speed to slower-paced ones, and the
pace is largely controlled by how the two
Haydens interact with the other team; the tempo
of the battle raises considerably when both
Haydens are exposed, and the tempo slows down
when both teams have their Haydens defended. The
graphics in the game are quite impressive. It's
no surprise to us that Digital Extreme would
extend their visual fidelty by sporting its
familiar engine from their past Unreal titles.
Even games like Gears of War and Call of Duty 4
are given a run for their money by the lighting
effects that Dark Sector splashes you with. With
respect to weapons design, the glaive is
incredibly detailed and the kills you racked up
with it are even better! So far, the game is
extremely violent. But that layer of brutality
is only to showcase its dramatic amputation of
the limbs and to give a convincing decapitation
to the head.
The blood used in Dark Sector is way over the
top but nicely justified. The animation is
relatively smooth though we haven't noticed too
many glitches during our play. In the audio
department, the sounds are quite immersive;
players will certainly appreciate the
distinction of various weapons, where powerful
guns produce louder bang, while the weaker types
are generally faint. Hayden’s glaive gives off
an intimidating cut as it coasts through
individual flesh. The screams of an enemy whose
arm has just been chopped off are quite an
experience to behold. The music is
well-composed, too! The game's soundtracks set
the tone for an adrenaline fight scene, and are
appropriately tuned to create a grueling
anticipation as you navigate dark corridors
throughout different suspenseful levels.
Overall, Dark Sector is an impressive game. The
gameplay is very fresh and intriguing to say the
least. Though the story is somewhat lacking, the
unique experience offered by this game is unlike
what most other shooters deliver. Because it is
a boomerang style of combat, Dark Sector is
easily considered to be one "razor-sharp"
shooter for the Xbox 360. |
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