Jetpacks are one subject that should always make for a good video game or film, especially if you throw in outer space and world domination. Because of this belief developer Airtight Games and publisher Capcom decided to unleash a little product known as Dark Void, onto the Xbox 360 gaming public. Taking its cues from movies such as Rocketeer and Star Wars it seemed as though the game was setup for success. Ever since I saw Dark Void for the first time over twelve months ago the creators used a couple key gameplay mechanics to describe exactly what they were brining to the next-gen table: jetpacks and vertical combat (with cover). These definitive features end up being both the best and worst parts of my review experience. For a game needs to be successful it needs not only an overall fun-factor but it must control well and be enjoyably playable throughout the entirety of the campaign. Controls are somewhere that this game needed a few more months of polish, and I wish the developers would have had it. I was really hoping that Dark Void would end up being one of those original titles that had the ability to grip me in an interesting futuristic storyline; unfortunately it came in as an average video game with some really neat features.
That being said Airtight’s virgin outing on the Xbox 360 is not all bad (jetpacks and spaceship thievery), and by the time I had completed my review period I was clearly able to see what the developers were attempting to create. Dark Void plays much like any other third-person shooter that you have played on the Xbox 360, Gears of War is probably the best example considering the heavy reliance on cover throughout most of the action. Things change drastically from that formula the minute the game tells you to “look up,” which you’ll be doing very often. The reason to look up is that of “vertical gameplay” and it has never really been done to the scale that these developers took it to. In the early levels the vertical combat only comes into play at different sections of the level, however later on the player becomes entrenched in entire vertical levels, which would be great if the Void came out like the developers intended. The problem comes with the simple act of having to actually fight enemies on a vertical playing field, and using cover from a different angle than anyone is used to. There were moments of greatness during my time with vertical combat, however they were overshadowed by more moments of frustration and visual vertigo.
The storyline is pretty basic: Set in an alternate history around the time of the outbreak of World War II, you embark on your grand sci-fi adventure by accidentally flying through an inter-dimensional rift while sightseeing through the Bermuda Triangle. Once there, you continue on your adventure involving real-life scientist Nikolai Tesla, rocket packs, aliens, and an intergalactic battle where the fate of the Earth rests in your hands. Even though it sounds pretty cool I can’t remember one part of the story (or voice acting) that intrigued or gripped me like most triple-A video games do. This is a big problem considering Dark Void is a single-player game, if the plot fails there is nothing else to fall back on, at least on the whole. It’s not like every single aspect of the story development is bad, it’s just average and these days average gets old real fast. Level design, while cool and expansive, feels very subpar and over-used by the time you get to the latter half of the game. Thankfully each and every level is built to take advantage of the vertical combat and jetpack flying, which is the single-most fun to be had in Dark Void.
The jetpack is one of the coolest video game accessories that can ever show itself in a next-gen title, unfortunately controlling said jetpack is nearly impossible inside close quarters. Flying around is a true joy as long as you are in an expansive outside environment, not stuck inside a vertical spaceship attempting to fly upward before the explosion goes off below. Graphically Dark Void is a mixed bag: draw-distance, character models, the lighting, and massive environments look fantastic; while slow-down, tearing/overlap, and jittery screens are an unfortunate occurrence. I could tell that this game took a long time to make, because on the drawing board everything looked so great but once it was finished no one could figure out why it was so bad. Dark Void can be completed in less than seven hours (as long as you don’t break to many controllers in frustration) and even then I felt as though I had been playing the game too long. Even with all these negative things I have to give respect to Airtight Games for creating something so ambitious on their first next-gen outing (the air/vertical gameplay is better than the land fighting). I look forward to seeing what they do next and in the mean time I can faithfully recommend Dark Void for a quick weekend pick-me-up, as the game is not all bad, it’s just all average.
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