Dark Void

There was a time when Dark Void seemed like a promising action title with enough clever twists on the Gears of War formula, but that was two years before Capcom decided to keep the game incubating. With such lackluster graphics and clunky combat, one can only wonder where the time went.

DV has an interesting enough premise; it's an ode to '30s pulp adventure comics filled with dumb one liners, island exploration, and make-believe technology. The most apt comparison would have to be The Rocketeer, if only because the game fits you with a jet pack for the better part of the adventure.

Don't get too excited, because the premise is completely ruined by lazy writing with not the smallest amount of self-awareness that could make it forgivable. Within the first hour, you stumble upon Nikola Tesla hanging out with some island natives, possibly in-between his time off from making cloning devices for Hugh Jackman. It's the sort of tripe you expect of a video game from the previous generation -- the same can be said about most of Dark Void.

The game has three variations of itself, each equally problematic: arcade dogfights (ala Star Fox [スターフォックス]), cover-based ground combat, and vertical platforming segments. The dogfights are passable, but when you consider its similarities to Airtight's Crimson Skies series it feels like a regressive safe bet. The rote mechanics and flow of the ground combat would be easier to forgive if it weren't plagued by dull, repetitive surroundings and enemies. This leaves us with one last possible saving grace, the vertical element. It’s nothing more than a gimmick that often feels trivial and frustrating, since the game does a poor job of directing you.