An all-new and original action-thriller designed exclusively for next-generation consoles, Dark Sector thrusts players into the role of Hayden Tenno, an elite black-ops agent sent on a dangerous mission into a decaying Eastern European city that hides a deadly Cold War secret. Attacked by an unknown enemy, he awakens to find part of his body altered by an infection that has granted him inhuman abilities and he must learn to evolve along with his powers, to survive and to become a hero. A dark, gritty experience packed with fast action, incredible superpowers and an engaging story.
Can this mash-up of concepts from other games ascend above its inspiration? Find out in this Dark Sector video review.
To quote the video review: “Dark Sector has enough of an identity to be considered an original title, but there’s no denying there are a few clear influences. The gunplay, crate-busting, and black market merchant all scream Resident Evil 4, while the heavy feel to character movement and cover system feels very Gears of War. You do have a bladed boomerang–the glaive–that grows out of your hand. You can even steer it in slow-motion into the body parts of enemies using the Six Axis controls on the PlayStation 3. Kind of like the arrows in Heavenly Sword.
Unfortunately a few technical hitches make a noticeable impact. Enemies can get stuck in place or clip through walls, objects will occasionally hang in the air, and every once it a while it can be painfully obvious that things aren’t going according to plan.
Dark Sector goes for gore and glory, but does better spattering blood than it does applying polish. Despite a number of original elements and a fairly solid gameplay core, the game isn’t able to add substantially to the formula and mechanics it’s borrowed from other games in the genre. You could call Dark Sector just another shooter with a few annoying technical issues, and though it doesn’t qualify as a must play, you’ll be rewarded for shining some light into its dark world.”
Story — 6.4
Design — 7.3
Gameplay — 7.4
Presentation — 8.6
Overall — 7.3