Monday, January 11, 2010

Dark Void Demo (360)

Let me just begin with this: if you think you want to buy Dark Void this week, play the demo first.

Why? Because it's not very good, really. At least, the demo isn't. To me, anyway.

Here's the thing: Dark Void is a jetpack game. That's golden. Jetpacks are awesome.

When they're "jetpacky."

Red Faction: Guerrilla? Fantastic jetpacks. Crackdown? Fantastic jetpacks. Dark Void? Not so much.

The established control method for jetpacks is that you press a button to get a burst of thrust, then have to manage the resulting instability. Part of the fun of a jetpack is that it's unstable. It's twitchy.

Dark Void isn't like that at all. After only a few minutes of experimentation, the damn jetpack is so stable that it feels like an airplane. Thrust is a controlled burn unless you (in essence) want a "turbo boost."

In other words, it doesn't feel like a jetpack: it just looks like a jetpack.

Based on some of the gameplay I saw in the demo, this is a required tradeoff, because twitchy control would make it almost impossible to fight effectively. Seemingly, though, they've gone too far toward stability.

It's a jetpack in name only, if that's why you're buying it, please take a look at the demo first, to be sure you know what you're getting.

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