Dark Void Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Games come and go. Some stay in your head others buzz off and are forgotten. And then there are the few that you sit down and play through till it's done and then can't help but ask yourself, "what the hell was that?" Dark Void is that game.

You play as Nathan Drake, as The Rocketeer. No, wait; you're Will, my mistake. It's so easy to confuse the two (damn you Nolan North. How about taking a little break before over exposure gets us all Northed out). The story takes place in the ever popular, rarely ever used in video games, World War II era. But there is a twist. You get sucked into the Bermuda Triangle and get thrown into another dimension where there is a war going on between the Survivors, humans who have gotten there the same way you have, and the Watchers, a sort of alien/robot species that once ruled over humans and who are trying to get back into the regular dimension to take control and enslave humanity once more.

And that's about where I lost track of everything.

Somewhere between bad story telling, mediocre third person shooter gameplay, and trying to not fall off cliffs and ledges to my death, I was starting to lose interest really fast. It's as if they wanted the gameplay to tell the story for them so they didn't bother introducing characters or explaining who and what. This is fine. But not when what you're doing is boring and slowly paced. That is, until you reach the later parts of the second half of the game. That's when someone pushes the Ludicrous Speed button and passes by the stuff that you were actually wanting to know.

So why did I keep playing? Simple. I'm a sucker for flying. I love flying in games. That coupled with my love for the 1991 Disney movie The Rocketeer, Dark Void had an unfair grip on my jetpack ignition. Don't get it twisted, the flying is not the greatest, but if you need a fix and want to do some air combat then this will tie you over. They had some neat ideas when trying to put this game together, it's just too bad they were poorly executed. Like hijacking a UFO, which sounds like fun doesn't it? Well it was the first time. But doing it's drawn out button pressing over and over isn't exactly a good time. And then there's the "which way is up? Oh, never mind, I just found this nice hard wall" problem that kept popping up for me. If that wasn't when I was trying to follow something in the air, it was the kickback from initially turning the jetpack on where I'd go shooting off flailing in the air for a few seconds before I rocketed head first into a wall. Apart from a few annoyances, I can't complain about this aspect of the game because it is what I was looking forward to the whole time. I guess you can say I had fun with it. Sadly, those flying levels took up about 35%-40% of the game itself.

The rest of the game you were on foot shooting different colored robots. This gameplay is what made me grow weary. It was playable, but there just didn't feel like there was any depth to it. And then you had this weird vertical cover system. Where you would rocket up to a ledge, and hang underneath it but not like you would think. You're crouched behind a vertical ledge in a very uncomfortable and unnatural looking position especially for someone with a jetpack on their back. And if you think that would mess with your head and cause you to go a little dizzy, trust me, you are spot on.

In the end, it's hard to say go out and play this game. Because I for one would be happy never touching it again. Sadly, the ending leaves it wide open for a sequel. It's too bad you'll be left wondering what the hell just happened when the game ends, leaving that want and need for a sequel nowhere to be found. The story felt very slow and then very rushed with no happy medium. And the only part of it all that's enjoyable is a small percentage of the game as a whole. When it was over the smile on my face was priceless, because I knew that I can finally toss Dark Void into itself. (Get it? A dark v... nevermind.)

Final Judgment,
2.5 Water Bottles Full of Pee, out of 5

Speaking of which, be careful after you play a lot of the flying levels and then go to pee. This surprisingly deadly combination caused me to get dizzy and almost fall over into my toilet.

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Product Description:
Dark Void is a single player sci-fi action-adventure game for Xbox 360 that is destined to change the way gamers think about third-person shooter combat. An adrenaline-fuelled blend of aerial and ground-pounding combat mechanics and cover systems headlined by the game's signature in-game items--the hooverpack and jetpack--in it players will experience 3D action like never before as they transition from ground to air combat, and back again whenever they choose.

Traditional 3rd-person combat.
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And on-command aerial action.
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An ancient evil to confront.
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Set in a parallel universe called "The Void," in Dark Void players take on the role of Will, a down on his luck cargo pilot who crashes in the Bermuda Triangle, and is inexplicably transported to the alien dimension which is the mysterious Void. Here this unlikely hero is caught up in a desperate struggle for survival, joining forces with a rebel human group called The Survivors in their struggle against an ancient and hostile race known as the Watchers who have enslaved the humans of the Void for millenia. Will's main goal is to discover a way to get back to his own dimension, but in that he and the humans of the Void have a common enemy, it eventually seems that he may be destined for a higher calling as well.

Gameplay
Action in Dark Void is a combination of aerial dog fighting and third-person ground combat that brings a thrilling new gameplay dynamic to the third-person shooter experience. Ground combat within the game is more or less standard to action in similar games. The aerial portion, is another thing entirely though, and is facilitated by a hooverpack and even more powerful jetpack with a mounted gun that Will is equipped with. Although there are other weapons in the game, these primary weapons allow players to hurtle through the Void at blistering speeds, shooting down anything that gets in their way. Available at anytime in the game after aquired, they epitomize 3D action by introducing a unique vertical combat system full of possibilities and bringing a whole new sense of tension and thrill to the player. In addition, if they so choose players can use their aerial capabilities to counter attacks leveled at them while on the ground and to deal with spatial issues that they may face throughout the game. But just becasue the hooverpack and jetpack are available at all times, this does not mean that they are always the best option. Through trial and error as well as experience with the devices, player's must determine their best uses for each situation.

As a companion to its duel combat style, Dark Void also contains a duel cover mechanic. As with other aspects of the game's ground combat, players can expect convenient standard cover options, including a single button option to snap to cover against walls, etc. Cover options while using the hooverpack and jetpack are understandably more varied though, with players being able to utilize vertical cover options to shoot both up and down.

Key Game Features

Sci-Fi action/adventure combines aerial and on-foot combat for a totally unique third-person shooter experience.
Will's jetpack delives total freedom of movement allowing players to race against UFOs in high-speed chases and rain death from above onto unsuspecting otherworldly foes.
Speed and scale unmatched by any other action title: send Will zipping through tight corridors and then out into immense canyons and futuristic geoscapes.
Gravity-defying vertical combat system, where moving up is the only way to bring your enemies down.
Seemless transition between jetpack flight, ship-to-ship dog fighting and third-person shoot-‘em-up action all exists within the same level – not broken up into different areas.
Unique grip system that allows the players to scale walls by jumping from surface to surface and hijack UFO's while in mid-air.
Huge bosses that require fast reflexes and aerial barnstorming maneuvers to defeat.
Developed by Airtight Studios, a new group featuring team members from the Crimson Skies series of video games.

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