Dark Sector

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on January 22, 2007

First Impressions: This sector's future is looking bright.

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You may recall way back in April 2004 that famed Unreal and Pariah developer Digital Extremes released a cool teaser video for Dark Sector, the first game announced for next gen consoles. Remember? Well, now you can forget it.

It's not that Dark Sector has been cancelled Ц in fact, Digital Extremes has been working hard on it ever since. It's just that the whole futuristic sci-fi space action theme has been turfed in favor of a more contemporary setting in the fictional ex-Soviet state of Lasria. This was done to make the story more engaging and believable, with the added benefit of making the main character's bizarre and horrifying situation stand out in stark contrast to the mundane setting.

You will play as Hayden Tenno, a CIA УcleanerФ who, as his job title suggests, is a shady guy responsible for mopping up covert messes. Or as Digital Extremes likes to put it, Уhe makes plausible deniability happenФ. He's a morally ambiguous person; to him, killing bad guys is just his job Ц and in this case, his job takes him to Lasria where he has to shut down a secret biological weapons research lab. Once there, Hayden demands to see their work permit and gives the plant manager a very stern lecture before politely ushering the workers out the door.

Well, he could do that if the stupid bad guys didn't screw up in that typical scary-out-of-control-accident-that-releases-the-nasty-bio-weapon-thingee way that evil secret bio-weapons research labs are wont to do. As a result, poor Hayden has to deal with deadly mutated humans and the Lasrian military tasked to clean up their own mess. Worst of all, poor Hayden is infected with the mysterious bio-weapon which progressively mutates him throughout the course of the game.

The infection slowly changes his physical appearance and you will experience his horrible realization that eventually, he will turn into the ugly mindless mutants he is fighting. He also becomes susceptible to a special gas that only affects mutants, which makes him weaker and causes a very cool double- and triple-vision effect (kind of like bad tequila).

But things aren't all bad; the infection gives him increased strength and speed. It also has one very cool side effect: the ability to grow a wicked triple-bladed disc-like weapon from his arm that can be used to slash and throw. Hayden can recall the blade Ц called a glaive Ц back to his arm but even if he loses it, he can grow another one. Heck, it even has a flashlight built into it. But best of all, as the infection progresses the glaive gains abilities like energy absorption; fling the glaive into a light bulb and it will be charged up with electricity, enabling you to electrocute enemies when you throw it at them. Chuck the glaive into a fire and you will gain an incendiary attack (barbequed mutant, anyone?). Not only will this ability help you dispatch enemies in gleefully violent ways, but it will also help you solve puzzles and break through obstacles. The infection will also help you absorb the special powers of boss enemies, which could make things very interesting in the later levels.

If Hayden sounds a lot like a couple of other heroes you know, you're right Ц Digital Extremes based the character on Jack Bauer and Wolverine. As such, you will be able to do things like sneak up on enemies and perform stealth kills like snapping their necks or slashing their throats. You won't have to rely on your glaive all the time (though that sounds like a heckuva lotta fun) since you will also be able to use a variety of guns if you feel like plugging mutant butts full of lead.

If you're concerned that the glaive may be too powerful and make things too easy, don't worry; the developers are implementing a golf-like throwing mechanic that will reward you with increased damage and accuracy for perfect shots. This skill-based system should add an interesting challenge to the gameplay while keeping things more realistic as well (if you can call a guy who can grow a blade out of his arm УrealisticФ that is).

The game uses a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective with no aiming reticule (unless you zoom in). It looks and feels a lot like Resident Evil 4, which is not surprising since the developers happily admit to being influenced by Capcom's stellar creepfest. The effect is very gritty and realistic, making you feel as if you're right there walking behind Hayden.

Needless to say, the game looks stunning, thanks to the brand new technology Digital Extremes created specifically for the next gen. Hayden looks fantastic in an icky progressively mutated way, rendered in high detail with smooth realistic animation. The glaive looks incredibly sharp, so much so that you might feel you'll cut yourself if you touch the TV screen. The lighting, shadow and fire effects are especially beautiful and really highlight the power of the new technology. This is one game that your HDTV will really appreciate.