Dark Sector Review

After a less-than-successful outing last time with Pariah (hindered no doubt by the self-imploding Hip Games) and Warpath, Digital Extremes returns to the fold on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with Dark Sector. Having watched their previous conjoined twin studio Epic Games go from strength to strength, culminating with 2006's Gears of War, Digital Extremes' attempts to carve a new brand in Dark Sector is no doubt a fresh start with D3 Publisher.

With its two previous releases failing to set the world on fire, the studio no doubt needs Dark Sector to rise from the ashes of past failures and register as a solid third-person action title. So no pressure then.

TVG grabbed its sharpened glaive and stepped out of the shadows to see whether Dark Sector pulls Digital Extremes from its lack-lustre exile...

Walking To The Light.

For all the hope that's been placed on Dark Sector's performance at retail within the halls of Digital Extremes, it has enjoyed less of a smooth development process. Originally surfacing in 2004 and set in the sci-fi confines of Outer Space, Dark Sector was vastly re-aligned two years later when D3 Publisher signed on the dotted line. Re-set to a more modern gritty setting of a decaying Soviet outpost, Dark Sector follows CIA operative (and coincidentally, congenital analgia sufferer...he can't feel pain) Hayden Tenno as he tracks down rogue scientist Mezner, killing mutated humans and soldiers along the way. Infected with a mutating virus dredged up by the Russians in the 1980s that sends normal humans crazy with pain, Tenno discovers new abilities from a rather sharp looking weapon, a triple-bladed glaive.

A third-person action shooter with an emphasis (in every sense of the word) on using the glaive to carve up every enemy that stands in Tenno's way, Dark Sector's trawl through the dilapidated game world may sound to some like a strange cross between Gears of War and the 1983 fantasy movie, Krull. Which isn't far off the mark. A nifty weapon that's apparently forged from Tenno's increasingly invasive infection - try saying that after a few shots of Russian vodka - the glaive continuously develops additional powers as the game (and the virus) progresses.

An impressive boomerang ability at the start of Dark Sector quickly gains more functionality, with subsequent chapters of the campaign unlocking more of the glaive's potential. In a move more than familiar to fans of the PlayStation 3-exclusive Heavenly Sword, controllable 'Aftertouch' can be applied to the spinning glaive, with the slow-mo trajectory of the weapon guided by the right thumb-stick (on the Xbox 360) and motion-controlled SIXAXIS. Other abilities include the glaive's capability to temporarily take on the powers of elements, from electricity, to fire, and ice, all of which are more than capable of taking down several enemies at a time (when used in conjunction with the Aftertouch), and are used to solve the various puzzles that litter the game.

Tenno can also use the glaive as a makeshift flashlight (cue some nice dynamic lighting as it flies through the air down a darkened corridor), and unleash 'Quad Damage' that breaks through the tangled chain locks on some of the ammo boxes and metal gates. A shield also becomes available some way into the campaign, allowing Tenno to deflect projectiles in the direction of the aiming reticule. There's a lot of depth to be had, and it's clear that Digital Extremes has worked hard to develop a more original combat system that doesn't feel tacked onto the usual slew of pistols and rifles that Tenno also has open to him. For all its well-thought through abilities of the glaive however, the studio has crafted an over-reliance on the glaive, which does little but quickly boil down the gameplay into a one-trick pony.

A Lighter Shade Of Pale.

Besides using the glaive as the ultimate Swiss Army Knife, Digital Extremes has fallen foul with something far more intrinsic when creating a solid gaming experience: decent game design. The occasionally aimless level design is for instance hindered at times by level paths blocked off for inexplicable reasons, trapping players in corners with little to do but wonder where they're going wrong and battle against the near-constantly spawning enemies. Coupled with the endless enemies that give players little time to figure out solutions to the environmental puzzles, the level design and general decisions made by Digital Extremes at times drives the gameplay past the point of frustration, obliterating tension and atmosphere...and enjoyment.

A clever use of enemy spawns and scripted moments, working together with the rather impressive audio throughout the game, would create the sense of atmosphere Tenno's debut adventure deserves. Instead, it doesn't take a knife to cut the amount of tension in the game, and only gives players a seemingly endless repetitive experience of throwing the glaive in different locations of a rotten former-Soviet region. It also doesn't help that enemy AI is also weak, with some soldiers standing guard as their comrade's blast away at Tenno, whilst others seemingly have a sixth sense with where our infected hero is. The inextricable ability to shoot through walls also doesn't help matters, and only serves to strength our belief that Digital Extremes could have done with an extra couple of months to polish up the Dark Sector experience.

Despite using a proprietary game engine, which comes across as a slightly pale imitation of Epic's mass-licensed Unreal Engine 3, Dark Sector's visuals largely hold up. The early sequences of the game play out wonderfully in monochrome, and it comes as a bit of a disappointment when Hayden's romp through the decrepit and virus-infected game world turns Technicolor. At that point, Dark Sector loses a significant proportion of what begins as an atmospheric experience. A more subtle use of colour, perhaps only picking out blood, flames or electrical charges, would have benefited. That said, the visuals are solid enough, and there's generally a decent enough use of depth of field and focus, even if draw distances and texture pop up is left wanting at times.

Naturally since Dark Sector is the product of a studio most famous for its work on the Unreal Tournament franchise, then expectations for the multiplayer side of Dark Sector has to be strong. Split into two game modes, Epidemic and Infection, Dark Sector's online multiplayer allows up to ten players to take the infection onto Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Infection sees one player as Hayden take on the others (up to nine), who take control of enemy soldiers tasked with bringing the solo gamer down. Timed and score-based, the gametype is a classic variation of cat and mouse, though like it's more evenly-matched counterpart, Infection is unlikely to redeem Dark Sector for its missed opportunities in the single-player campaign. Epidemic splits gamers into two teams, each with its own version of Hayden and his biological powers; a much more typical gametype, at least it means gamers won't have to go around with yet another unoriginal mix of Capture the Flag and Deathmatch variants...