Dark Sector: One Part Gears of War, One Part RE4, All Parts Awsome
Se7entySe7en
95% score
Dark Sector started off as one of the first next-gen projects. It promised great gameplay, eye popping visuals, and an engaging story. Now, it's finally here and it certainly delivers on those promises. Dark Sector puts you in control of Hayden Tenno, a bad-ass secret agent in the vein of 24's Jack Bauer. His mission begins with the infiltration of a military base in the fictional Soviet nation of Lasria in order to assassinate an informant that has been discovered by the enemy. The twist is, that there is a dangerous virus hanging in the air and Hayden soon finds himself infected. the story then goes into a much deeper plot, involving betrayl, intrigue, and lots and lots of blood. The game plays like a mish-mash of Gears of War and Resident Evil 4 and that definately isn't a bad thing. Those who have played RE4 will be right at home with the over-the-shoulder targeting system. Those with Gears of War experience will be very comfortable with the sprint button and cover system. The gunplay in teh game is very similar to those two titles, but the interesting and most fun weapon in the game is Hayden's glaive. Remember the virus that infects Hayden at the beginning? Well it seems to be a blessing in disguise at it allows Hayden to create a metallic bladed weapon in the palm of his hand. The glaive acts in a boomerang-like fashion, returning to Hayden after each deadly throw. The game gives you complete control of this weapon from controlling it in mid-flight to adding elemental modifiers like fire and electricity. Decapitating an enemy with the glaive never and I mean NEVER gets old. There's something satisfying about controlling the glaive in mid air, directing it towards an enemy, and watching him scream for help as he tries to run away. That's the cool thing about Dark Sector. Where in most games of this nature, you are on the run from some kind of monster. But in this game, you are the thing that goes bump in the night. The graphics in Dark Sector are really something to behold. Right on par with Gears of War in the visuals department, Dark Sector gives the world a bleached out, almost colorless look. The frame rate is steady (at least on the XBox 360)and the textures are top notch. The game provides an eery musical score that definately provides tension and a sense of dread in the player. Voice acting is right on the money as Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor in Smallville) provides the perfect tone for Hayden. The sound effects for bullet hits and the disctinctive whine of the glaive round out a really decent sound package for the game. Dark Sector does include an online multiplayer component. Two modes are included. The first can almost be described as a "kill the carrier" type deathmatch. Where someone starts of as Hayden, with all his powers. The next person who kills Hayden, then becomes Hayden. The match continues until time expires or you reach the desired kill limit. The Second mode is a team deathmatch mode with one Hayden on each team. The team is tasked with killing the other teams' Hayden first. The multiplayer is...okay, for lack of a better word. It's engaging for a little while, but gets old quickly. There really isn't anything to keep the player coming back. Once you try each mode (and get the accociated achievements), there really isn't anything to make you want to pick it up and play again. Dark Sector is a great game from start to finish. An interesting story, a never-gets-old play mechanic, great gun-play, and a nifty weapons upgrade system make this a must have for any action game junkie. Sure the multiplayer is a little lackluster, but the single player more than makes up for this. Definately recommended.
