What if you found out that
you were genetically engineered in some secret militant/corporate installation
with the splicing of human and feline DNA thrown into your genetic makeup?
Then, to make things worse, you are brought up–with several others of your
kind–to become some kind of super soldier endowed with incredible strength and
cat-like swiftness. And after having escaped this place along with your
brothers and sisters, you try to unlock the mystery of your birth as well as
find others like you that bear the mark of the barcode. Such is the plight of
Max; the feisty female hero of James Cameron’s now cancelled television show
Dark Angel that starred Jessica Alba and now an Xbox action game.
Max lives in a bleak
futuristic version of Seattle. After terrorists hit the United States with an
electromagnetic shockwave bomb known as the Pulse, the good old US has become a
third world country run by the military and giant corporation. This corporation
sees Max as an asset and sends word that they want her captured alive, what they
weren’t counting on was Max’s extraordinary ability to kick some tail – and,
aided by a cyber-journalist–who acts as the eyes and ears for Max–named Logan.
Seen in a third-person
perspective, Max has the ability to move stealthily (much like Solid Snake does
in Metal Gear Solid 2) or us a speed burst to rush right past unsuspecting
guards that are scattered throughout the game. Since she’s also a highly
trained fighter, she has number of really cool moves–many of them that have her
pulling off amazing Matrix-styled highflying moves. You can back flip behind an
opponent offer a combo of kicks or punches. She can perform a wall kick attack
that has her practically running up against a wall to send a swift kick to the
face or knock out multiple enemies by performing an aerial side roll. Thanks to
her enhanced strength, she can even toss enemies across the streets. She can
also activate a Rage Mode once the Rage Meter is filled to unleash powerful
attacks.
While not big on weapons,
Max does pick up a few like the tonfas (that break pretty easy, unfortunately)
or the X5 Stealth Gun that fires a non-lethal electrical charge for when you
really need to move silently. There is a first-person view mode that even helps
her aim the weapon or simply to peek in front of you since the camera does a bad
job of showing you what’s a few feet away from you.
The missions and their
objectives, though, are where the game really falls apart. The game begins with
a promising set of objectives and fights but sadly enough there is not
innovation shown for the rest of the levels. In fact, the game is simply get to
Point B from Point A and beat anyone up that happens to get in the way of that.
There are boss fights thrown into the game but they are not enough to keep the
game fresh or very original. There are few unintelligent puzzles thrown into
the mix but most of the game is about collecting key cards and following Logan’s
constant “Eye’s Only” messages. It’s disappointing how very little the action
changes throughout the entire game.
Not the most visually
stunning game on the Xbox, Dark Angel’s graphics are actually quite decent. The
characters, for example, do look something like the characters from the show.
Max does slightly resemble that actress that portrays her and does capture some
of her alluring exotic beauty during cut scenes. The grittiness of the streets
of post-Pulse Seattle also looks dark and filthy and matches the locations seen
on the show. The fights in this game would have been something else to see if
it wasn’t for the camera that is too far apart from the action itself.
The sound is also decent
enough with the voices of Max and Logan provided by actors Jessica Alba and
Michael Weatherly and their performances are actually pretty good. Just like in
the television program, Max comes off as a tough girl with a sarcastic yet
flirty tone to her voice when it comes to dealing with her mostly-male
opponents. The bad part about this is that many of her comments during fights
can be way too repetitive to the point of annoyance. The music is done, right,
though and building up in just the right moments.
Dark Angel captures all
the right essentials from the show, but doesn’t manage to hook gamers in with
its monotonous action sequences and glaring flaws. Starting strong and loosing
its charm quite too quickly, this a game action fans will quickly abandon midway
through. If you’re looking for a game with great fights and stealth, I suggest
looking elsewhere.
|
#Reviewer’s |
Gameplay: 4.9
With fighting mechanics are similar
to those seen in the recent Spider-Man: The Movie game, Max can unleash some
really cool and interesting moves (such as the series of flying kicks or the way
she uses walls to her advantage). With so many combos and moves you would
hardly think you could get bored of the fights, but trust me, by the second
level all the fight just start feeling the same.
The mission objectives are
the same way, unfortunately. Several missions will have you attempting to sneak
in or out of areas undetected so you will find yourself pressed against the wall
for quick peeks while others have you taking on scores of enemies in order to
obtain that much needed key card–and that’s about it.
Graphics: 5.7
Unfortunately this game doesn’t take
advantage of all the things the Xbox has to offer graphically but it is still a
decent looking game nonetheless. Many of the characters do resemble their
real-life counterparts a bit during cut scenes and it is a pity that the action
is seen from a pretty far off distance since the slow motion effects when Max
performs her high-flying moves look pretty good.
The environments can be a
bit stale, though, but it still true to the show’s backdrops. Post-Pulse
Seattle is littered with the husks of a rusted automobiles and walls spray
painted with graffiti. The slum-like environments can also be interacted with.
You can toss a thug straight into a garbage bin and watch the lid slam down shut
or send a guy slamming against breakable cardboard boxes.
Sound: 4.8
Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly
bring their characters to life rather well and, if you have seen an episode of
the show, they do a great job of getting into character. Max still enjoys to
toy with her male opponents, offering quips like “If you wanted to impress me
you should have brought flowers.” The problem is that these lines are repeated
over and over and it quickly gets old fast.
The game’s score is
similar to the show and is actually pretty good since it picks up in just the
right moments during the action. This is so much better than the stale sound
effects of fists slamming into faces or kicks being delivered to a guard’s
chest.
Difficulty: Medium
Your biggest enemy, no doubt about
it, will most definitely be the camera that hardly gives you a good peek at what
is just a few feet away from you. This is especially irksome when you’re trying
to make your way past a series of guards without being seen. The enemies
themselves can put up something of a fight since they are good at ganging up on
Max . . . some of them even have the unfair advantage of being armed with guns.
There are even big brutish thugs that can toss Max around, but this is nothing
compared to the genetically altered bosses that can provide an even more
challenging fight.
Concept: 5.0
With an interesting premise and
great characters, the Dark Angel television show has all the right elements to
make a really great game out of it. Unfortunately this is not the case since
very little thought was put into keeping the game fresh from level to level.
Overall: 5.0
Plenty of cool fighting moves isn’t
enough to save Dark Angel from its repetitious and boring cycle of fights and
unoriginal design. Action fans take not–this game just doesn’t offer anything
close to the excitement of the television show. You might just want to skip
this one altogether.
