Dark Sector

Dark Sector is a third-person shooter with a heavier edge of sci-fi body horror than its cover art suggests. By our assessment, the memorable part is the glaive: throwing it, steering it, and using it to solve combat encounters gives the game its identity. The downside is that the rest sits on fairly standard cover-shooting and a familiar linear campaign, so the ideas around the weapon do more work than the level design. In practice it feels stiff in places but direct, with a constant push from one fight to the next. Against bigger action shooters, it is more of a cult oddity than a genre leader, remembered for one striking mechanic more than for a broad toolbox. That makes it more interesting for players who like unusual weapons and modest AA roughness than for people who want a polished, expansive campaign. The glaive is what lingers after the rest has blurred together.