Having taken a look at the recent Dark Void from Capcom, this time I’m leaping back to 2008 for a game that many reviewers gave mediocre scores. It is a game I have actually replayed repeatedly when looking for a fun, butt-kicker of a third person shooter with sci-fi concepts and unique weapons.
Game Title: Dark Sector (2008)
Platform Reviewed: Playstation 3
Also Available: Xbox 360; Windows PC
Created by: D3 Publisher and Aspyr Media
When I first picked up my PS3, I was looking for a good action game that I could get into immediately. I felt at the time that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots would be a bit too much to handle with the limited playing time I had at that point. Thus, I went to the local GameStop and picked up an intriguing somewhat-bargain title, Dark Sector. Having now seen reviews of the game, I am glad that I picked it up before watching reviews on various gaming websites. Otherwise, I might have missed one of my most replayed game experiences.
Story (why I usually play a game): The story of Dark Sector is somewhat conv0luted. A genetically engineered pathogen, the “technocyte virus,” was created by the Soviet Union. Now, years after the end of the Cold War, Agent Hayden Tenno (voiced by Michael “Lex Luthor” Rosenbaum of Smallville) is sent to stop the spread of a new outbreak in Lasria, while also possibly having to bring down a turncoat who may have designs of his own for the virus. Along the way, you will run into a former love interest (standard in this type of story) and face hordes of soldiers, technocyte-infected creatures, technological terrors, and quasi-zombies. You will do so, though, as your own body (after the first short stint with weapons only) is transforming from technocyte infection to create new abilities with your technocyte physiological alterations. (Those alterations and abilities are what set this game apart from many other third person shooters, in my opinion.)
Gameplay and Weapons: I have to combine these categories this time because they are so heavily interconnected.
At first, Tenno is a soldier (or assassin, depending on your point of view) with his own troubled past. He does battle with pistols, rifles, shotguns, and a rocket launcher, including those dropped by his foes. In this portion (which is extremely short and drives us toward Tenno’s infection), gameplay is the standard third person shooter format. This includes use of cover, drawing of weapons before firing with a separate button, and other standard fare. The gameplay is exciting and the controls are tight, but this is the opening salvo of the combat in the game.
Once Tenno is infected, his right arm is the first body part to be affected. He gains the ability to create a glaive (throwing blade, like giant throwing star) from the technocyte metal, which he can throw like a boomerang, which always returns to his hand. As the game progresses and the enemy difficulty and variants start to become more impressive, Tenno’s infection (and array of abilities) also progresses.
He eventually gains the ability to to all of the following:
- pick up items by retrieving them with the thrown glaive
- throw with extra power to break through certain locks and cause greater damage to enemies
- collect electricity, flames, or “frost energy” within the glaive to electrocute, burn, or freeze targets on contact
- control the path of the power-thrown glaive (with the Sixaxis controller on PS3)
- an energy shield power that allows gunfire to be targeted and directed back at enemies
- the ability to cause stored electric, flame, or frost energy in the glaive to explode outward from the thrown glaive like a grenade of sorts
- the ability to become invisible for a few seconds
- full technocyte body armor akin to many of your enemies
It is this array of weaponry that is so interesting and makes the game unusual in terms of third person shooters. You can also continue to use upgradable weapons (one pistol and one other weapon at a time which can be stored at black market locations for later use), but only weapons you purchase or have unlocked can be used with impunity. You see, weapons carried by human enemies have been genetically encoded to burn themselves out if used by someone who is infected, so you can use enemy weapons, but only for a short time. This keeps you on your toes as far as weapon selection if playing with standard human weapons.
Enemies: The enemies in the game are much, much more varied than those in my previously-reviewed game, Dark Void. In Dark Sector, you face hordes of Russian (Lasrian) troopers, including those throwing grenades that affect your infected body (which is an affect you can add to your upgradable weapons, by the way), those that use standard machine guns or shotguns, and those who carry a hatchet and riot shield. You will face helicopters, walking tanks called Jackals, and “elite” armored troopers with huge mini-guns as well. On the infected side, you will face zombie-esque Howlers and an advanced variant thereof, infected dogs (Moles), and more advanced enemies like the dart-throwing Stingers, Chromas that can become invisible, and major bosses, such as the huge Colossus, the invisible and very deadly Stalker, and two other bosses whose identity would spoil story points. The enemies come in huge waves at times, making progression a real battle, so you do see each variant quite a bit, but the variety is a welcome change from some other games (ahem, Dark Void).
The Verdict: In all of the time I have owned my PS3, Dark Sector is one of the games I have played through, in its entirety, the most. As a big fan of the third person shooter genre and science fiction stories, I found the gameplay refreshing with the technocyte abilities Tenno uncovers, and the battles were challenging enough to feel like accomplishments at times.
The voice acting is done pretty well, though Rosenbaum is, of course, the standout. The sounds are also well done, though nothing spectacular that will wow the modern audience.
Graphically, the game looks nice with a very specific mood to its visuals during gameplay. My only real complaint would be the character models within the cutscenes, as Tenno’s face just looks . . . strange. He has a blocky jawline that just seems wrong for the voice coming out of it.
As far as the story, as I mentioned, it is somewhat hard to follow. The final boss’ motives are not made clear enough for my tastes, but this is a game you’ll play more to see the transformation of your player character (Tenno) moreso than the motivations and actions of your foes.
Unfortunately, the game, which I have replayed over and over again, has very little traditional replay value. The game cannot be played a second time with your upgraded weapons, though you can choose different weapons and upgrades the second time around. There is a multiplayer component, but after two years, I would imagine that the online community for the game has become rather small. There are achievements to win on Xbox 360 and “entitlements” for PS3 players, but bear in mind that this game came out, I believe, before trophies were implemented on the PS3.
This is a game that I was glad I paid my discounted price ($20, I believe) for at the time, and I would gladly have paid the full $60 for it when I first found it, if I had known how much enjoyment I would get out of this oft-overlooked game. Given the fact that you can pick this game up on Ebay, new and sealed in many cases, for under $10 (including shipping!), I would definitely pick this one up if you are in the mood for a moody third person shooter that relies on gameplay that adds a little something extra to the norm.
Just don’t gripe at me when you have to maneuver the glaive through slits in some fences. That level’s a bitch and a half. Heh.
Grade: A-
A fun third person shooter with unique gameplay elements and voice acting by TV’s Lex Luthor, but some story elements that don’t quite come together as nicely as they should have.
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