360Sync Reviews Dark Sector

Dark Sector was actually one of the first games announced for the Xbox 360 – announced before the system was even out, which shows how long Digital Extremes had been working on this game. For those unaware, Digital Extremes is the same company that worked with Epic Games on the Unreal Tournaments back in the day, which shows they have some experience with developing games, but could they do it alone?

We got our hands on an early copy of the latest game – Dark Sector, and for the last week have been messing around with the entire game, trying out everything that it has to offer. So what did we think? Did it live up to the hype, or is this just another shooter? Hit the jump for the full review!

First off, what is Dark Sector? Dark Sector is the 3rd person action game that puts players into the role of Hayden Tenno, an elite black-ops agent sent on an assassination mission into Russia Lasria. As the game progresses, you become infected with a virus, and gain superpowers – one that I’ll ruin for the sake of the review – the glaive.

When I did the interview at GDC for Dark Sector, we learned that the glaive [or as I call it, the metal blade that I  mess people up with] was actually intended as a way to pick up items and as a tool to solve puzzles, but actually had no intent of injuring and killing enemies. Well, I’ll be the first to say that the game would be absolutely nothing without the glaive, cause most of the fun is all the different animations of killing your enemy with this blade.

As you pop the disk in and begin to play the game, one of the first things you realize is that the game looks absolutely stunning, even with mostly black and white levels at the beginning; the game just seems to have a very good flow. Whether it’s debris floating in the air, or the smoke across the screen, the first thing people are going to say is, “Wow, this looks great!” Yet, we all know that a game is much more then graphics! It has to have sounds, and controls, and much more to be a worthy contender.

Use the gun, or use the glaive?

Here, I’ll even walk you through one of the scenes…

So I had just gotten this glaive, and as I walk outside into an open area, these enemies covered in this protective gear storm me… better learn how to use the glaive and fast. As if that is not bad enough, debris is flying everywhere, I mean everywhere… and then out of nowhere, I am hit with this special type of flashbang grenade and it turns my screen into a red and orange mess….

The sounds of the game also tie into the graphics extremely well. No, I don’t just mean the neck crunching sound as you use the glaive to take a head off your opponent’s neck, but also the music as the game plays. The sounds effects, and the music tie into the game to the point where you may have some neighbors thinking that you are seriously injuring others. [Seriously, it happened while reviewing this game!]

As for controls, the game somewhat uses the same system as Gears of War, but in a much easier way. A runs, A also ducks and covers, while B jumps over objects. Pretty simple, and the glaive in controlled by RB and the bottom right joystick. I am warning you now, this gets extremely addictive, using the glaive!

Here doggy, fetch!

A few other pros that the game has is no HUD, which helps focus on the gameplay, and also a BioShock like system… you’ll see what I mean when you play the game! The achievements for the most part are easy to attain, with the exception of a few that I had to put some effort into getting, like the Double Decap Latte that you earn when taking off 2 enemy heads with one throw. Plus, the story isn’t short, and had me playing for 2 days nonstop, and I do mean nonstop. Wow, its 3 am already!?

As for cons, the game does have some. Some cons include a campaign that is too linear, and somewhat stupid system of guns. My giant pet peeve of the game is that the guns you pick up can only be used for about 20 seconds before it automatically doesn’t let you use them. So instead of killing enemies with shotguns and machine guns, you can only use a pistol for half the game. Sure, you can upgrade and purchase weapons as the game progresses, but by that time, the only thing you’ll really want to use is the glaive, especially if you are after the achievements. The upgrades and boxes also get very repetitive throughout the game.

Boom! Head Shot!

Sadly, at the time this review was published, we couldn’t get a game of multiplayer going since… no one had the game! We did get to experience multiplayer at the GDC event, which we loved, but we have to pass final judgement until we play the Xbox Live version.

To conclude, Dark Sector seems to bring everything a good game needs to the table. It has a great story, the graphics are easily some of the best, sounds that blend in with the action going on, and everything else that is needed for a fun game. We insist that you play this game!

360Sync does not offer a score, but instead gives insight on the game. Only one person can make a decision if you should rent, buy or avoid a game, and the person is ultimately you. However, we can give you as much insight as possible, and answer as many questions that you have.