Shoot and slice your way to victory in a cool suit
Editors note: This is a review I found I had written in 2008, for purposes unknown. I paste it here with the original score given at the time, with minimal editing for punctuation. If you are still on the fence about buying 2008's Dark Sector, hopefully this time authentic review will finally help you decide in 2015!
Dark Sector is a fun game in the likes of Gears of War. The control scheme is almost exactly the same, so if you had played Gears beforehand then you'll have no problems at all switching over. The action is good - the glaive is quite fun to use - and the story moves along at an even pace. As you progress through the game your character gains additional powers that help even out the playing field, and keep things fresh. Some might say that the use of the glaive is over done but I honestly never really tired of using it. There was definitely a certain feeling of satisfaction from getting a curved head kill using the blade - especially if you curved it around a corner or such to kill an enemy hiding behind cover.
The controls feel very fluid. Hayden, the title character, moves swiftly and the action feels fast paced. The game is all about cover but it's a little more forgiving if you just run around and shoot - early on anyway. The close quarters combat is almost entirely an after thought and it's extremely weak, requiring you to sometimes hit an opponent over 4 or 5 times before you can finally kill them off with a quick-time event finisher.
Although the earlier chapters seem to zoom by, as you progress into the storyline the levels definitely get long. Sometimes almost too long as you are forced to navigate tunnel after tunnel of seemingly pointless railstations or buildings.
The graphics are amazing for Dark Sector. Water effects are spectacular as is the character bump mapping. Especially during the day sequences the game shines, as at night when everything gets darker it's harder to see the lush graphics.
Solid game, fun shooting, unique power ups as well as weapon upgrades to collect that keep it from getting stale. If you like third person shooters then you will probably enjoy this but millage may vary!