Dark Sector feels like a mash-up between Gears of War and Resident Evil, with gritty, dark atmospheres and zombie-esque creatures attempting to eat you. At the same time, every single general mechanic within the gameplay itself feels like Gears of War all over again. You are even able to hold down the run button in order to sprint for a given amount of time. Even the aiming system utilizes the same style of view and zoom-in that Gears became so soundly known for.

All too often within the industry we see a timely trend of games that come along after a new, ground breaking venture explodes onto the scene. Grand Theft Auto is the mother-ship of trendy, less engaging followings, and typically, those games aren’t the best options on the market to indulge in. But from time to time, copying the system actually works well, and Dark Sector proves this to be fact.

Gamers will dawn the role of Hayden Tenno, a man on a mission to stop the catalyst of a potentially world-wide epidemic. His ultimate goal is to eliminate a virus that is spreading rapidly throughout a disjointed Soviet-bloc location. After the prologue, you quickly discover that you’ve been infected, and that this infection has given you the ability to wield a powerful weapon called the Glaive. This boomerang-like extension of your arm is what nearly all of the combat within Dark Sector revolves around.

As the story unfolds and you reach certain points in the game, key sequences will trigger your virus infection to grasp a hold of your body a little more, which in turn enhances your abilities. At one point, you will learn how to throw the Glaive extra hard by holding down the corresponding button until the reticule turns yellow. During another moment, after an epic boss battle with something resembling King Kong as a rock zombie, Hayden was granted the ability to produce a greenish colored shield for a few seconds. Due to the character’s acquisition of this shield, a few glowing green stones appeared on his infected arm. This metamorphosis will continue as you play on, and really adds nicely to the visual aspects of Dark Sector.

Visually, Dark Sector is an extremely impressive addition to the Xbox 360 lineup, and definitely falls into the upper echelon of graphically overhauled games. Digital Extremes did a fantastic job of developing an atmosphere that portrays the game’s already dark elements. You will find yourself easing around corners in fear that something may or may not leap out at you (which happens, by the way). The emphasis on darker colors and constant shadow really compliment any form of bright color that appears on the screen, so when your Glaive becomes supercharged with electricity or lit afire with flames, your eye is truly drawn to the color explosion. This contrast of light and dark also causes the Glaive to “pop” in an amazing manner.