Dark Void: Fitting Title?

January 8th, 2010

 



Dark Void is a title that we’ve been hearing about for a few years now, and from what we did hear, it had the potential to really get everyone’s attention.  At CES 2010, we got some hands-on time with the title and overall, were underwhelmed at the experience.

The build we played didn’t have the smartest AI.  They would easily make themselves available to get their head blown off.  It just didn’t seem all that challenging and never once came across as something that could keep you coming back for more.

The flight aspect is the main feature of the game, but early on, it’s a tedious process.  Clearly, players will need to upgrade to the full-on jet pack.  We were using the hover system only and initially there wasn’t much use for it.  It’s still interesting to see how the jet-pack will effect the gaming experience, so we’ll hold off on making any damning comments when it comes to flight in the game.

In the parts we played, the combat came off as disappointing.  The melee attacks were a bit repetitive in terms of animations and overall felt like weak attacks that do a lot of damage.  Due to the lack of solid AI, the cover system seems to be a non-factor as you can simply run up to the opponent and attack.  When the game is in the vertical format, the cover system does see some improvement.  The vertical play in the game is actually quite enjoyable, but seeing as how the jet pack is such a big part of the game, it can potentially eliminate this aspect once received.

Visually speaking, the game didn’t really stand out unfortunately.  In this day in age, it’s tough to pull off graphics that are a cut above the rest of the titles out there, but in this case, there just wasn’t anything new or fresh for the eyes.  Again, the vertical combat has nice and clean visual perspective, but is only one small aspect of the game.

The checkpoint system can be better.  After a death, the game goes to a pretty long loading screen and then throws you in an area where you will have to re-make some of the progress you had worked for.  This isn’t the first game to do this, but it can be a little frustrating.

The truth is, Dark Void has aspects that smell like success.  The problem is that it also has quite a few aspects that are unsatisfying.  After playing games like Bayonetta and Darksiders, Dark Void just doesn’t come across as something I’d love to invest some time into and complete.  Honestly, I’d rather beat Bayonetta again. 

The game releases on January 12, 2010, at which point we will bring you a full review.  Yes, we will give the game a real chance.  Don’t get it twisted.  We hope we’re proven wrong.

Submitted by: theprofessor29