Dark Sector Review

Everyone loved Dark Sector when we first heard about it in that issue of GameInformer. Sure, it was a blatant copy of Gears, but hey, you threw a bladed boomerang thing! Coined the glaive, it quickly became the signature for Dark Sector, and as I mentioned in my E3 preview of the game last July, it was easily the best aspect.

What stood true then stands true now. Without the glaive, Dark Sector is a mediocre action shooter, taking too much from too many sources resulting in a watered down stew with too many ingredients mixed in. You know what it’s supposed to be, but there’s just too much in there for any single ingredient to truly shine. With the glaive, though, Dark Sector rises above that. It still features many of the cliché staples of action games this generation (and if you’ve ever played Gears of War you can easily play the Xbox 360 version without a moment of hesitation), but the badassery of the glaive makes you forget that.

Is the story lacking? You bet. Hayden gets infected with a virus, other people are monsters, his arm turns into a boomerang weapon-whatever. Nothing too great, but it moves the story along. Once you initiate combat with the glaive, things change and you forget all the missing elements. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge stickler for great writing and stories in games (part of my background, I suppose), but Dark Sector gets a pass from me in that department.

I can’t remember the last time I played a game where the combat was strong enough-fun enough-that it made me willingly ignore the shortcomings and still embrace it. There are a few combat-related mistakes here and there (most noticeably the fact that every time there’s enemies there seems to be just one too many), but once again, the minute you start throwing the glaive you’ll forgive it.

Feeling like a badass futuristic Captain America, you’ll gleefully mow down enemy after enemy with your bladed boomerang thing, and as you gain upgrades for it and recognize things you can do with it (there’s plenty of situational uses and environmental uses you can get out of your toy) the game’s combat gets even better.

I’m sure you’re sitting there, wondering why I’ve written so much about the weapon and combat, and so little about the rest. Like I’ve already said (don’t you even read this?!) it’s because the rest is completely, entirely forgettable. A month from now, I probably won’t even remember the name of any character in Dark Sector. But I will remember the glaive.

With Dark Sector you’re not going to get the perfect action game, or the best next-gen duck and cover experience like we were promised so long ago in that issue of GI. What you will get is-in my opinion-the funnest combat of any action game this generation, and the most badass weapon since the gravity gun. The good news? You get the glaive from the get go, so you won’t even notice the obvious shortcomings.

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Author: Brendon Lindsey View all posts by

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