Dark Void
Another weekend, another Nolan North adventure. Dark Void is a tale of misfortune, mystery, doubt, confusion, shortcoming, and in the end, success that feels like failure -- at least, that was my interpretation of the game. Not the game's story, mind you. The story was very obviously half-finished, at best, with giant dramatic breaks, completely unexplained plot threads, and an ending that's as confusing as it is disappointing. Nolan does a fine performance, but everything else about Dark Void's exposition is weak, at best.
As for the rest of the game, I think the phrase "not quite good enough" can basically cover it. The controls work well considering what they have to accomplish, but you still won't be completely accustomed to them by the final chapter; the gunplay is competent, and has a little weapon variety to keep things interesting, but never feels like anything more than a sci-fi Gears clone (and nothing feels powerful enough until you get some upgrades in); the campaign's pacing is all over the place, with some chapters lasting three minutes, and others lasting an hour; the orchestral soundtrack has engrossing highs, along with tedious lows; the environments are often beautiful, but the characters in them look like Robert Zemeckis cartoons (and the framerate falters regularly).
The 'verticality' gimmick is interesting at first, but really just adds "look up" and "look down" to your bog-standard third-person shooter mechanics. If there's anything that really sets Dark Void apart from other shooters, it's the dogfighting -- which can work pretty well, a handful of times throughout the game. There are enough flies in the ointment (primarily, some enemies which require precise aim, and/or stupid quick-time events) that, like the rest of the game, it can't be considered a complete success. But it is pretty impressive how seamlessly you can blend walking, hovering, and flying with a couple of button-presses. This jetpack is easily the video game industry's best jetpack yet.
Ultimately, and unfortunately, Dark Void comes across as some good ideas wracked by inadequate execution. Except the story, which seems like it was a bad idea from the beginning. There's fun to be had here, but some frustration as well, and overall I can only describe it as mediocre.
Better than: Jurassic: The Hunted
Not as good as: Bionic Commando (2009)
Since there's no chance of a sequel: it would be nice if someone else would just rip off the rocketeer concept and dump some money into it
Progress: Finished on Normal