Dark Sector


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Just came across this game, it looks quite good. Very RE4 ish

December 11, 2006 - Gamers probably know Dark Sector as the first game ever announced for next-generation consoles. Announced by Digital Extremes in April 2004, the game backed into the shadows soon afterward and didn't emerge until last week, at an event held by D3 Publisher. A new trailer for Dark Sector preceded the event, showing off a brand new art style that ditched the sci-fi setting for urban grit.

It still has sci-fi elements, of course - players assume the role of a mutating anti-hero infected by a space-age plague - but developers wanted everything else ground in reality. In doing so, developers hope to accentuate the hero, Hayden Tenno, and his ever-evolving condition, as truly fantastic. There's no better way to make something special than to downplay everything else around it. Not to say the environments lack pizzazz - in fact, they look downright gorgeous - but it certainly focuses the spotlight on Hayden. Speaking of environments, the recent demo took him through a crumbling city filled with overturned cars and abandoned buildings. Snow covered the ground and drifted from the skies. Fire from trash cans lit nearby walls and objects, too. Even without some of the special effects in place, it's still a pretty game.

As a special operative in charge of "cleaning" messy political situations, Hayden travels to a fictional Soviet State to investigate a biological experiment. Like most biological experiments, this one has gone terribly wrong and turned a section of the population into ravenous killing machines. When Hayden arrives on the scene, he stumbles upon a war-in-progress between the "infected" and mysterious group of armed soldiers. He needs to find out what's up and fix everything before the world finds out half of Russia has evolved into monsters. A pretty big task, even for a guy who Digital Extremes likes to describe as a crossing between Jack Bauer and Wolverine. Either way, he needs to get the job done. Fortunately, he's not alone in his task.

The infection ravaging his body has made him susceptible to a toxic gas, but has also afforded him a multi-talented blade that serves as a sidekick. It actually comes out of his arm whenever he needs it and goes back in when not in use. Think of it as a cross between Wolverine's blades and the disk weapon in TRON 2.0. Just like the latter, much of the experience involves using the blade to dispatch enemies and solve puzzles. The mix leans heavily toward action, however, so players will spend far more time slicing and dicing than using the blade as a puzzle-solving tool. In the demo, Hayden could augment the blade with different properties, like electricity and fire, by throwing the blade into a furnace or energy source, respectively. He could also throw it and call it back at any point, letting him dispatch various enemies in a short amount of time.

Naturally, the most basic thing players can do with the blade is walk up to someone and tear their stomachs open. Or slash their throats. Players can also attack enemies from a distance by throwing the blade and calling it back. The elemental augmentations will also burn or electrocute people, so there's plenty of ways to dispatch enemies. Should the situation require a little more finesse, Hayden can also perform various execution-style finisher moves. He can stealthily walk up to someone and cut their throat from behind, for instance, or he can choose to crack their necks sans blade. Whatever works. The demo showed a number of these moves, all of which looked cool, though developers claim they're keeping all the good stuff secret for now.

Developers also mentioned that Hayden would eventually absorb new powers from slain boss characters, just like Mega Man, though this wasn't in the presentation. Instead, much of it focused on the basics - camera control, movement and the basics of the aforementioned blade. The demo showed Hayden as he snuck his way through corridors and alleyways, silently killing enemies as he went. On the flipside, it also showed him picking up automatic weapons and blasting everything in site. The action played out in the third-person, and to be honest, it shared a resemblance to Resident Evil 4. And for good reason - developers readily point to Capcom's latest survival-horror title as a source of inspiration.

In short, the game looks promising. The blade dynamic could add something truly unique to the action genre if executed properly, and so could the constantly-evolving protagonist. The setting might also provide a few twists in terms of level and puzzle design, too. Plus, the game looks great from a visual standpoint. Dark Sector has all the right pieces, so players will just need to wait and see if it all comes together in the end. It's been a long time coming, but if any game should succeed, it's one that stars a Jack Bauer and Wolverine Hybrid.

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/750/750472p1.html

PS3 Gameplay video:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=...wmv&pl=game

The video looks sweet, but they gotta improve that blood!

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Also coming out for 360. Should be moved, eh?

I think it looks stupid imo. Seems like a re-hash of something that's been done countless times before. But hopefully I'm wrong. I'm all for good new IPOs (GoW :p)

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Also coming out for 360. Should be moved, eh?

I think it looks stupid imo. Seems like a re-hash of something that's been done countless times before. But hopefully I'm wrong. I'm all for good new IPOs (GoW :p)

Tell what hasnt been done countless of times in GoW? GoW is not spectacular - only its graphics

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Tell what hasnt been done countless of times in GoW? GoW is not spectacular - only its graphics

Really off topic, but in terms of what's new in GoW:

Gears of War is not completely innovative, I agree, but it does have it's fair share of innovation:

Single Player:

* Drop-in/Drop-out Co-Op

* User selected paths (usually Left/Right) for the story mode

* Stay IN the light for cover ( :p )

* No loading screens

Multiplayer:

* Quick/Active Reloading

* Point-system instead of kill-count-system

* Innovative use of cover

* Chainsaw melee

* Low-to-ground running/dashing camera/ability

* Implanting grenades on enemies, etc

I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty good amount of innovation for a game that imo well deserves the scores it's been receiving.

I don't know, for me, Dark Sector just isn't doing it for me. Assassin's Creed, on the other hand, is the new IPO I'm really looking forward to. :yes:

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Single Player:

* Drop-in/Drop-out Co-Op - true

* User selected paths (usually Left/Right) for the story mode - Just becuase you have to press a button to choose a path doesnt make it innovative.. Lots of games have multiple paths to an objective..

* Stay IN the light for cover ( tongue.gif ) - uhh

* No loading screens - GTA san andreas?

Multiplayer:

* Quick/Active Reloading - what?

* Point-system instead of kill-count-system - uhh, bf? :s

* Innovative use of cover - what?

* Chainsaw melee - Just another weapon with a cool animation...unreal

* Low-to-ground running/dashing camera/ability - true

* Implanting grenades on enemies, etc - halo? Im not sure what you mean there..

And what does IPO mean?

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^ :rofl: I'm assuming you haven't even played GoW. :laugh:

IPO = Initial Public Offering; Usually in respects to a company entering the stock market, but in this case it's a new game series/character.

Much to learn my young paddiwan. :yes: :p

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^ You should play more of the game, especially if you have someone to play co-op with. I think you'd like it a lot more.

Yep, didnt enjoy the game much - but coop is a blast..

We played against the berserker the other day..loads of fun

With the satellite gun and everything

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Umm, try again - check my gamertag LAUGU

Prison Breakout and Act I on Casual, eh? You don't have the Active Reload achievement or anything. :p Active Reloading is pretty inventive and new. I can't think of any other game with it, at least.

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Prison Breakout and Act I on Casual, eh? You don't have the Active Reload achievement or anything. :p Active Reloading is pretty inventive and new. I can't think of any other game with it, at least.

I play coop on casual. alone on hardcore..

I have no idea WHAT quick reload is..

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I play coop on casual. alone on hardcore..

I have no idea WHAT quick reload is..

It's very useful. Take a look right under the icon on your hud where the gun is. There's a long white-ish gray bar under it. Now shoot a few rounds and hit reload. You see a vertical white bar moving along the horizontal one. There are two small areas in the horizontal bar that are a different shade of white/gray than the rest of the bar. If you hit RB again when the vertical white line is inside the first of the smaller shaded areas, you reload somewhat faster. If you hit RB in the second small shaded area, it's called a Perfect Reload - you reload extremely fast, and you do more damage on each hit. The catch - if you hit RB anywhere in before or after the two differently shaded areas in that bar, your gun jams and it takes a bit longer to reload.

My account is a bit confusing, but there's an explanation of it, with pictures, in the instruction manual.

-Spenser

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It's very useful. Take a look right under the icon on your hud where the gun is. There's a long white-ish gray bar under it. Now shoot a few rounds and hit reload. You see a vertical white bar moving along the horizontal one. There are two small areas in the horizontal bar that are a different shade of white/gray than the rest of the bar. If you hit RB again when the vertical white line is inside the first of the smaller shaded areas, you reload somewhat faster. If you hit RB in the second small shaded area, it's called a Perfect Reload - you reload extremely fast, and you do more damage on each hit. The catch - if you hit RB anywhere in before or after the two differently shaded areas in that bar, your gun jams and it takes a bit longer to reload.

My account is a bit confusing, but there's an explanation of it, with pictures, in the instruction manual.

-Spenser

Ahhh that!

I remember seeing a tip somewhere in the of the game..

Anyways, that is no innovative either :p Its been done before

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