Rocketeers of War!
Way back when I was a nipper, we were promised many things in the future. Jet packs for instance. 2010 sounds like the future to my old ears, and there are no solo rocket propulsion devices to be found. Thankfully Capcom and Airtight Games are on the case with sci-fi actioner Dark Void, which lets you strap into a backpack mounted rocket and take to the skies!
Taking gamers back to an alternate reality 1930's, Dark Void tells of a world on the brink of war, with mysterious technology aiding the fascist war effort. Casting gamers as a ruggedly suave cargo pilot and all round adventurer type, it's not long before the plot thickens, with a routine trip through the Bermuda Triangle taking a turn for the worse. Like routine trips and the Bermuda Triangle never go wrong...
Coming to in a jungle, it quickly becomes clear that you're not in Kansas anymore. Attacked by strange robotic creatures, our hero and his romantic interest soon find themselves embroiled in a battle to save humanity from an aggressive alien menace (aren't they always?), but not before they've blasted their way through some Gears of War style action.
"Battle to save humanity from an aggressive alien menace."
Plot loose and fancy free
As the gameplay begins, it quickly becomes clear that Dark Void is rather enamoured with the GOW cover system, and pretty much lifts it wholesale. Vaulting over obstacles, ducking behind low walls, firing blind over the top, and diving for the next cover point all feel very familiar. Two weapons and a grenade can be carried at once for combat, and it all handles much as you'd expect. It generally works well enough, although the camera isn't quite as smooth as Gears. Nor for that matter, is the AI, with some enemies exhibiting crazy duck and pop behaviour every other second, while others simply stand there oblivious to your assault. It never matches the intensity of the firefights from its inspiration, but Dark Void still puts up a reasonable battle.
The story unfolds in a rather confused state, with characters introduced without fanfare (or names for that matter), and cut-scenes jumping to the next point without any real explanation. Surely the first questions you would ask would be "Where the heck are we? Who are you? What is going on?" Seemingly not if Dark Void's scriptwriters are anything to go by, as they seem more concerned with discussing an alluded to failed romance between the two main leads rather than giving you any story. A prominent character in the game appears and disappears in seconds without introducing himself, but everyone knows who he is come the next time he shows up - except for the gamer that is. Poor show.
Luckily things improve with the addition of the jetpack, which is surely Dark Void's USP. Initially restricted to a basic double jump mechanic with added hover and glide to allow you to explore more vertical areas of the surrounding jungles, temples and canyons, it handles nicely, and gliding around becomes second nature fairly quickly. Once the full power of the pack becomes available, it lets you soar through the skies, skimming the waters below, taking down enemy ships with twin machine guns and performing audacious evasive manoeuvres with the twin analogue sticks. Flying never feels less than fun, although it can take a little time to get to grips with.
"Take down enemy ships and perform audacious manoeuvres."
Sky hard
Sadly, combat while flying is a little less pleasurable. Using your pack-mounted guns is simple enough, and fairly enjoyable, although a slightly jerky camera can put your aim off more often than you'd like. Hovering and using your rifles is somewhat tougher, the camera again hindering your accuracy. Aerial hi-jacking is the worst offender however, with a crazy design choice mapping the "hi-jack" button to the same control as "switch of jetpack". This wouldn't be quite so bad if you ever got more than a fleeting second to hijack a ship, which often results in you attempting a bit of GTA style twoccing and ending up plummeting towards the ground instead. The actual hijacking itself is done in a QTE style, with various button presses at the right time seeing you take over the craft, so at least that is simple enough.
Still, even with a wayward camera, the aerial sections are rather good fun, and even the "seen it before" ground combat is done with competence. It's a shame then that the graphics are rather outdated, with bland textures and repetitive scenery. It certainly doesn't match up to Resident Evil 5 or Gears of War in the looks department. Luckily Bear McReary of BattleStar Galactica fame has supplied a rather nice soundtrack, so that balances things out somewhat.
Altogether it's a fairly average package, which is a bit disappointing coming from the guys behind the fantastic Crimson Skies. There's nothing truly wrong here, and you'll certainly get some fun out of the game if you can look past its flaws, but it just feels like a missed opportunity.
Somewhere in the mix of jetpacks, aliens, alternate dimensions, 1950's UFO designs and 1930's swashbuckling heroism, there's a great game waiting. Unfortunately it just couldn't quite break the surface here.
Jetpack
+ The aerial combat is tremendous fun.
+ Bear McReary's soundtrack sets your pulse racing.
+ A unique twist on the third-person shooter formula.
Rucksack
- Bland graphics.
- Twitchy camera.
- Average ground combat.