James Cameron's Dark Angel review

What I knew about the television series Dark Angel could be summed up in one word before commencing with this review i.e. nothing. Still, I could not fail to be impressed by the initial presentation and stylish sequence Vivendi Universal has fashioned into the Dark Angel front end. Normally I am highly sceptical of any film or game, which lists the creator in the title, after all Mario is Mario and not Miyamoto's Mario Sunshine. However in the case of James Cameron who brought us Terminator and Aliens, Im willing to make an exception. Set in a typically bleak and cyber punk futuristic world, you take the role of Max, a former military agent. It's the 21st century and in Seattle the mood is one of despair and unrest. Those harmless experiments, which began with the creation of Dolly the sheep in Scotland, have manifested itself into the ultimate act of human creation: genetic perfection. Having escaped from the military, your creators (Manticore) are anxious to bring you back into the fold, however you have your own agenda. As one of several specially created soldiers, you embark on a quest to find the other "siblings" created by the same procedure, who have also managed to evade recapture. As their former prize possession, Manticore will stop at nothing to reclaim what they rightfully see as theirs. Luckily enough the training programme and your DNA makes a fearsome combination- even when outnumbered greatly. Immediately I'm forced to utter the phrase, which strikes fear into every gamer: roaming 3D beat 'em up. However Dark Angel tries to break free of this stigma by weaving an effective story, complete with cut sequences and CODEC inspired conversations with the ever-helpful Logan Cale. Only recently did this genre combine with another license to produce one of the worst games on any system: Minority Report, but thankfully Dark Angel lacks some of the dire characteristics of Treyarchs worst moment. There is however a distinct lack of variety as you tackle multiple enemies and locate the item needed to move onto the next stage. The story is well handled and breaks up the limited fighting aspect, but there is little variety or removing the whole feeling of familiarity after the first few levels. Dark Angel the story is certainly above average, but the game ceases to surprise shortly after first few minutes. The game is broken down into a series of small-sized levels, complete with objectives and the occasional boss. Basically you need to kick and punch your way through a plethora of guards and policemen, who have the combined IQ of a zombie. Only the sheer number and those armed with guns will provide any difficulty with your superhuman capabilities. In most instances you will require a key card in order to progress onto the next section, and more often than not the last man standing has the item you require. So there is no need for stealth or tactics, simply kick, punch, distort time and hammer anything that stands in your way. Needless to say Dark Angel is limited, and soon becomes very limited. If the fighting element only formed part of the game it would have been forgivable, but as it is the whole game, such forgiveness is hard to find. The combat system is not as shallow as expected, simply because Max does have a useful bunch of combination moves, which combined with her Matrix ability, adds up to an enjoyable romp. The enjoyment comes from mixing up the punching and combinations, whilst bouncing off walls and using the slowdown facility. Unfortunately due to the almost overhead angle of the main camera you feel as if you are a spectator watching a street fight from the safety of a nearby balcony. You have an optional first person viewpoint, this is strictly for stationary observation and firing, but not combat. The developer has tried to integrate a stealth aspect, along with a countdown timer to add urgency to proceedings. Both feel out of place especially when considering the gung-ho aspect of the street fighting, which you are constantly involved in. For instance when you are immediately detected every soldier in the neighbourhood appears, removing any need stealth. As they come from all sides you are left randomly bash buttons, constantly changing your direction.Kicking and punching can be enjoyable but when the level design is as predictable and linear as displayed here, you begin to lose interest. You only have one route to follow, which is remarkably easy to detect as the introduction shows you exactly what needs to be done. There is no variety or alternate paths, or even fun to be had with destructible scenery. Simply find the key or lever, then move onto the next bland area and repeat once more. The lack of imagination is severe and frankly disappointing given the possibilities offered by the license. Dark Angel wont really appeal to gamers or even fans of the series, despite the excellent presentation. The variable and often harsh difficulty wont do much to appease those already frustrated by the game and level design, as at times it is extremely harsh. Visually the Playstation 2 version is admirable without achieving anything wonderful, but the use of cut scenes and camera angles creates an atmospheric setting. The strongest point of the release is the use of sound, which includes support from actors of the television series. The package is rounded off with the inclusion of several extras, which the use of a license seems to provide. So if you become sick of the actual game (which you will soon enough) then you can lose yourself amongst the articles and interviews. Overall Dark Angel is another game to file under wasted opportunity, because as Electronic Arts Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed, when designed correctly a television license can be extremely enjoyable.