Dark Sector is the new game from acclaimed developer Digital Extremes, and is their first on a next-gen console. The game has been eagerly anticipated ever since it was announced. Now on release, it’s time to see if it lives up to the hype.
And indeed it does. The game sees you take the role as Hayden Tenno, a black-ops agent sent on a dangerous mission into Eastern Europe. The game starts with a prologue mission, set beautifully in a stylish black and white style. The first surprise of the game comes instantly, with absolutely no type of tutorial, it’s up to you to get used to the controls on your own. This is a refreshing experience, as many games are too keen to lead you, quite tediously, by the hand nowadays, giving you no sense of achievement at getting to grips with things.
After this mission, it’s straight on with the game, which is introduced through some minimal FMV sequences. This is the games main weak point, that FMV sequences are indeed as minimal as can be, and the narrative is very weak. But this does not take anything away from the gameplay, which is fun and original throughout. The game sees your character’s arm, infected with a disease that is the result of a wildly far-fetched cold war experiment. The infected arm can produce a weapon at will, a glaive, that is possibly one of the most original weapons to be used in gaming history. It is similar to a razor sharp, three-pronged boomerang, that can slice through enemies with ease. The fun of this never gets old, as it is genuinely smile-inducing to use, as well as extremely effective. Used in conjunction with your dual-wielded pistol, it creates a fun and easy to use combination that will feel natural to most players.
The game does require you to use more weapons, but any picked up off enemies last barely minutes before they become useless (Due down to an interesting plot line, that I will leave to you to find out), but some are available through the games black market. This is another interesting feature that makes the game unique, where the market acts as a place to upgrade certain skills, along with your pistol, and buy additional weapons. The player picks up money throughout the game, and uses this to purchase new items and gear. Although these additional weapons are available, they are expensive and you will find yourself using them less and less in favour of the Glaive/Pistol combo.
Your skills and Glaive are also upgraded throughout the game without need for purchase, but there seems to be no discernable pattern to these upgrades and come at random points. This is not so much a criticism, merely an oddity. Whether it is a fault is questionable, as the upgrades are always appreciated and useful. Once again, the game provides in a very useful manner and it keeps the fun factor of the original combat system alive. The game really surpasses expectations with one upgrade; The aftertouch. This original and stylish feature grants the player the ability to control the Glaive after it is thrown, allowing it to travel around corners or at specific points of your enemies heads. This can prove incredibly useful at points, as the enemies are smart and use sophisticated tactics to surround and pressure you. These tactics add to the danger of the game, and provide a real challenge at some points, until the aftertouch ability is gained that is! Bundle this along with the capability to enhance the Glaive with Fire, Ice or Electricity, and you have an genuinely gratifying and fresh piece of weaponary.
The game looks great throughout, and rarely will you be disappointed. Some darker sections would normally be difficult to navigate, but the simple addition of a torch is effective, and retains the mood of the shadowed sections whilst making it easy for the player to progress. The soundtrack is equally pleasing, with the original score offering a tense affair for the player that maintains atmosphere.
The multiplayer modes are enjoyable, with both infection and epidemic modes offering players the chance to play as Hayden at least once. Both modes are original, and offer a variation from the majority of games dominating online play during the last few years. But with only two modes, it offers little variation.
Overall, the game is very enjoyable, both single-player and multiplayer modes offering a change of pace from many other titles available in the genre. The titles weakest point is its narrative, and the importance of this cannot be stressed enough. With the recent push in how pivotal narrative is to gaming experience, and the dominance the topic help of many discussions at the recent Game Development Conference, it is hard to see Dark Sector living up to industry expectations. It is a very gratifying and very enjoyable experience, but is that enough in today’s gaming world? With games like Bioshock and The Darkness showing how much narrative-focused gaming can offer, it is hard to see how titles such as this, regardless of how fun they are, can fit in. We will have to see what the future holds, but for now, give Dark Sector a go.
