Also Available On: PS3
Publisher: D3
Age Rating: 18+

Fans of Resident Evil 4 and Gears of War will feel right at home with this gore-fuelled action thriller.

You play the part of an elite black-ops agent named Hayden Tenno who, after being attacked by an unknown enemy, awakens to find his body altered by an infection that grants him superhuman abilities.

The initial gunplay and a finely-crafted over-the-shoulder targeting system are a treat to behold in this nine-mission game that is set during the Cold War.

But once Hayden’s right arm mutates into a metal, alien-like form, gunplay becomes secondary as you’re provided with one of the most prolific weapons in any game to date: the bladed glaive. Working in a similar way to a boomerang, as you throw it at an enemy it goes through them in a ruthless manner before making its way back to Hayden’s arm.

The entire game of Dark Sector, in fact, revolves around this ‘revolutionary’ weapon, as Hayden uses it throughout play. As more enemies are eliminated, it gains new powers, including the ability to use fire, electricity and ice.

Most significant, however, is when Hayden picks up the Matrix-like ability to slow time, allowing you to control the exact flight path of the bladed glaive with deadly accuracy.

On the graphics front, the game looks stunning. The textures, lighting and character design are as good as it gets, as is the sound and the atmospheric effects used during this blood-filled adult romp.

Multiplayer offers two modes: Epidemic and Infection. These support ten players, focusing on Hayden’s superhuman abilities. Infection sees one player control Hayden, while another hunts him down. The aim is for the opposing player to get rid of him with a melee attack allowing them to become the next Hayden.

In Epidemic, two teams of five battles against each other and one of the players from each side plays the role of, ahem, Hayden. The objective is to take out the other team’s Hayden. Overall, multiplayer offers some fun, but it’s too limiting for any long-term appeal.

Dark Sector is an impressive game, at first. It looks sensational, the bladed glaive is fun as it differs from the usual game weaponry and the missions are well thought out. The problem is the game places so much focus on one weapon that, eventually, it all becomes a little too repetitive.

The only diversion is when you reach some vehicle sections, which take you away from using the glaive and offer some new, original gameplay. But these only last a short while and then it’s back to using this boomerang weapon all over again.

Dark Sector is an engrossing game that will appeal to survival horror fiends, but buy it only if you are happy to work your way through the whole game using one weapon.