Dark Void

(Capcom for PS3)
By Mike Delano

A developer who sets out to redefine the third-person action genre is easy to root for, and with a game is as ambitious as Dark Void, it’s easy to forgive its faults. Developer Airtight Games seeks to reinvent the boundaries of the traditional shooter by incorporating verticality, chiefly by giving your character, a 1930s pilot marooned in the Bermuda Triangle, a jetpack. This lets you approach combat a ton of different ways, from speedily flanking your enemy’s cover to raining bullets from above, to buzzing around the upper limits of a battlefield to hijack an alien spacecraft. Unfortunately, this great new mechanic is showcased in an overall package with a striking lack of polish. Firing weapons, whether from your own guns, spacecrafts, or a mounted turret, rarely has a satisfying kick (it’s more of the pew-pew variety). The environments and especially the music are up to the task of creating an intriguing alien world, but the rough graphics and janky animations leave the sour taste of a budget title. The innovative, freewheeling action makes Dark Void worth playing despite the hiccups in its presentation, but it will take some more iteration before the franchise has a game that lives up to its lofty concept.
(www.capcom.com)