Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2154 in Video Games
• Brand: D3 Publisher
• Released on: 2008-03-25
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .75" h x 5.50" w x 7.50" l, .26 pounds

Features

• Battle your enemies with incredible superhuman powers - like the deadly bladed glaive - that evolve and become more powerful throughout the game
• 3rd-person action-shooter - witness Hayden's transformation from killer to hero
• Cinematic and immersive experience - Through the use of no HUD, intuitive controls and a 3rd person over the shoulder viewpoint; everything is designed with the goal of keeping the player immersed in the game at all times, focused on gameplay and not gameplay management
• An innovative and exciting multiplayer gameplay that will allow you to use the skills you have learned in the single-player game to excel in a competitive environment

Amazon.com
A new kind of weapon for a new kind of hero.

Dark Sector is a third-person Action/Shooter that thrusts players into a sci-fi flavored nightmare scenario set in the post Cold War era. Playing in the role of Hayden Tenno, an unscrupulous covert operative sent on an assassination mission into Lasria – a fictional Eastern European city on the brink of ruin and rumored to be contaminated by a mysterious and frightening plague, Hayden takes out his mark, but before he can escape is attacked by an unknown enemy. Not killed outright as expected, he is instead infected with the virus that is causing the plague.

New weapons, a new hero

Hayden Tenno and his glaive. View larger.

Hone your skill with the glaive. View larger.

Take on enemies the old-fashioned way. View larger.

Duel-wield glaive & gun. View larger.

The Technocyte Virus and Hayden’s Evolution
Just as with the other victims swarming the street of Lasria, the Technocyte Virus imbues Hayden with powerful, inhuman abilities. These abilities are not static and as they progress they cause severe, accelerated pain; pain that eventually drives their hosts insane, turning them quite literally into monsters of superhuman power. Hayden possesses an unexpected resistance to this maddening pain, but his body is not spared the mutations caused by the virus. The first of these are metal armor that grows from his body and a three bladed, throwable weapon called a "glaive" which explodes from his right arm and can regenerate if lost. But these are only the beginning. Eventually players may also gain the power of limited invisibility, the use of a bulletproof shield and an assortment of deadly melee attacks.

As Hayden slashes his way through the mutants overrunning Lasria he stumbles upon a plot by a rogue operative and his private army of henchmen to harness the power of the strongest of these mutants for some dark purpose. No longer entirely human, but not a mindless mutant Hayden must make a decision whether to use his own new powers to stop this plot or look the other way. But regardless of his choice, he has become the target of both the blind rage of his fellow mutants and a shadowy paramilitary group that seeks to control them.

Weapons: Glaive, Guns and the Black Market
Dark Sector is far from the traditional third-person shooter. The glaive is the game’s signature weapon and as players gain experience they will come to see that it is not only a stylish weapon, but also much more versatile than the traditional firepower available in-game. It is of course deadly as a slashing weapon and can be thrown great distances, but as Hayden’s powers evolve the glaive can be used in unexpected ways, ranging from siphoning and focusing elemental features like fire and freezing cold on enemies, to opening doors and retrieving items from inaccessible areas. But this doesn’t mean that players can shun the conventional weapons scattered throughout the game, quite the opposite.

To be successful players must successfully journey underground to the game’s ‘black market’ where they can purchase new weapons with scavenged rubles and also upgrade their existing weapons. Some of these upgrades include increasing a weapon’s firing rate, larger ammo clips, the ability to fire two simultaneous rounds and a ‘puncture ability’ that allows you to shoot through any enemy to hit another standing behind him. Finding the entrances to the black market are important because firearms in the game are biologically sensitive to mutant powers and unless altered to ignore the existence of altered DNA are useless to the mutated Hayden.

Gameplay Modes and Features
Not only does Dark Sector contains a deep singleplayer story mode, but in addition it features multiplayer functionality allowing players to harness Hayden Tenno’s mutant powers in two different ways, both in awesome 10-person online multiplayer combat. The two modes include:

Infection Mode: Think of this as ‘tackle the guy with the glaive.’ In this timed mode one player assumes the role of a fully-powered Hayden Tenno, complete with shield, invisibility and melee capabilities, while the other nine play as human operatives trying to kill him and take his place. The player in the role of Hayden receives a single point for each kill made, while the soldier that takes him down gets 2, plus the right to wield the glaive in the next go around. Players making assists in the slaying of Hayden receive one point as well. The player with the most points at the end of the round wins.

Epidemic Mode: In this team-based mode, with a set number of rounds per match, two teams, each made up of one Hayden and a group of soldiers, battle to kill the other team’s Hayden. A single point is awarded to each team per kill of the opposing Hayden. Each Hayden begins at full strength and the team with the most points at the end of the round wins.

Other features available in both multiplayer modes include voice chat and global leaderboards.

The Birth of a Superhero
Whether in singleplayer or multiplayer modes the developers of Dark Sector have endeavored to link every action of the player to the mutant evolution of Hayden Tenno. This means that as players progress through the game defeating bosses as well standard enemies they increase Hayden’s mutant abilities and advance his disease. It’s a catch-22 that with every victory Hayden becomes less human, but one that the game’s storyline relishes as the one-time hitman slowly and unsurely morphs into a hero.

Customer Reviews

You WANT to love it but...
Finally the long awaited Dark Sector has hit the shelves and sadly it just came short of meeting HALF of its expectations. Visually the game is phenomenal but unfortunately there's only so much scenery can do for the entertainment value of a game. The story is very cliché and lacks the ability to really get you involved and suck you in; for the most part Hayden (who you play as) comes off as a very one-dimensional character with your cliché "past that haunts him" so nothing new on that front. As far as game play goes, the movements are extremely stiff which makes aiming a really big pain especially when the enemy AI is hardly existent yet so hard to eliminate. The glaive; honestly, it's awesome the first few times you kill with it but sooner rather than later you'll get sick of it and it just becomes annoying to maneuver and even more annoying when you try to run up to an enemy to hit them with it and for some odd reason it does NOTHING the first 2 tries so you get hit THEN it works.
So overall I'm sad to say this game was a HUGE let down for me because I, like a lot of you I'm sure, have been anticipating this game since back when Xbox 360 was still labeled Xbox 2. Definitely worth a glimpse but I don't think it quite deserves it's spot on your shelve next to those other long awaited titles that actually delivered. Rent don't buy.

worth the wait!!
if you remember back even before the 360 launched, this was actually the very first next gen game announced. it was originally intended to be a launch title. 2 and a half years later we finally get the game. and believe me, it was worth the wait.

the cover system is very reminiscent of Gears of War with 3rd person shooter controls very similar to the previously mentioned GoW and Resident Evil 4. masterfully combine those shooter elements with upgradable supernatural abilities including a razor sharp disk that can decapitate enemies in a single throw. it can also be combined with different elements including electricity.

there is a very interesting story behind your character and the world around you. the planet is in such a dark and desolate state. how did the world come to this point? who or what are you? what role will you play in the events about to unfold? play to find out.

the graphics are stunning even on a SDTV. textures and lighting equal to any other AAA title on the system(CoD4/Bioshock). Animations run very smoothly with great effects to compliment it all. the sight of your electified blade is priceless.

there is online play, but i cant comment on that since i havent played that part yet. the single player alone is well worth the price though. mainly recommended to hardcore action/shooter fans.

For me it's all about the Glaive
In short, Dark Sector looks like Gears Of War, the same art direction, there's even a simular roadie-run. But that's where the comparison ends.
Dark Sector for me was very fun, but the game didn't start out that way,it grew on me ,then I found myself having a strong desire to replay it again on the hardest setting after I intially beat the game. At first I didn't like the game but I stuck with it and really thought it's a very good game.
Some of the boss battles at first will leave you scratching your head as what to do,but once I figured out there weak spots ,it was easy as gravy.
I actually like not being 'held by the hand' so to speak ,having the game give me hints on killing a boss.
For the most part you gotta figure it out without 'glowing parts' as hints on the bosses body, with exception the last boss.

I actually loved my second playthrough on the hardest setting ,it was pure gamer bliss.

One thing I highly,highly recommend is getting used to the 'Glaive' ,it will be by far your fav weapon in the game.
You unlock the Glaive's various abilities as you progress into the game.
I didn't find the Glaive hard to control at all,and it's really the hilight of the game.

Overall a very satisfying enjoyable game, with epic boss battles,and decent Gears Of War like scenery,Dark Sector is a solid game.

If you so choose you can use primarily use ballistic weapons ,all of which are upgradeable at various black markets you'll find in the sewers.

I like the fact that you can duel wield ,have a Gliave in one hand and a micro-machine gun in the other. I found myself using assault rifles for distance enemies ,because the Glaive does have limited range.
Think of the Glaive as a boomerang on steroids ,only it has very sharp blades. By far my fav weapon in the game.

A must play game for any gamer. PEACE