Dark Sector

Gameplay of Dark Sector revolves around the use of the Glaive, a tri-blade throwing weapon similar to a boomerang which returns to Hayden after each throw. The Glaive can be used for long-distance combat, solving environmental puzzles, and picking up in-game items. When in close proximity to an enemy, context-sensitive actions may appear, allowing the player to execute enemies with "finishers". Enemies hold onto Hayden while attacking, and the player must rapidly press a randomly prompted button to break free.

Environmental puzzles in the game usually focus upon capturing various elements (fire, electricity, or ice) with the Glaive. For example, a web blocking Hayden's path can be bypassed by capturing fire with the Glaive, and then launching it at the web to burn it down. The Glaive can also be dual-wielded with a gun, which allows the player to perform weapon combos which are more effective against shielded enemies. As the game progresses, Hayden and the Glaive are given several new abilities; it can be guided through the air, being able to kill multiple enemies; a charged-up throw for deadlier attacks; and the ability to make Hayden invisible for a short time and provide a temporary shield.

Dark Sector is set in Lasria, a fictional satellite country bordering the Soviet Union, where the military fights against the Technocyte victims, who have largely undergone extreme mutations and have gained abilities.

The player character is Hayden Tenno (voiced by Michael Rosenbaum). An ambivalent CIA agent, he has congenital analgesia, which renders him unable to feel pain. He is supported by Yargo Mensik (voiced by Jürgen Prochnow), an ex-GRU Colonel, scientist, and sleeper agent who knows the origin of the Technocyte virus. The main antagonist, Robert Mezner (voiced by Dwight Schultz), is an ex-CIA agent who seeks to build a utopia by spreading the Technocyte virus across the planet.

The development of Dark Sector was announced in February 2000 on Digital Extremes' website. The game was originally proposed as a follow-up to Digital Extremes and Epic Games' critically acclaimed multiplayer first-person shooter, Unreal Tournament, but the original plan was scrapped and the game was not spoken of for another four years, during which the game underwent a massive change in focus. The original design had the game keeping in line with its predecessor as a multiplayer arena-style first-person shooter. An in-game cinematic unveiled years later in 2004, gave viewers a brief look at potential storylines and environments, as well as the graphics of the game.

Digital Extremes specifically stated that the clips were not pre-rendered and were actual in-game footage. The game was shown as the first example of what a seventh-generation game would look like.

Dark Sector received mixed reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox 360 version 73.24% and 72/100, the PlayStation 3 version 73.14% and 72/100 and the PC version 65.22% and 66/100. Hyper's Dirk Watch commended the game for "the Glaive and its aftertouch", but he criticized it for its "patchy" AI and "steep" difficulty curve. Greg Howson of The Guardian thought the game was similar to other Gears of War clones except for the Glaive mechanic which he found entertaining, but ultimately called it a solid action game.

In February, before the release in March 2008, the game was banned by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) for sale in Australia. Adam Zweck, the sales and product manager for AFA Interactive, the local distributors of Dark Sector, told GameSpot AU that the game was banned due to its violence, in particular the finishing moves. It was later re-released in Australia for the PlayStation 3 on October 9 of the same year, but the violence was censored. In July 2009, Dark Sector was released on the cover disc of PC Powerplay, an Australian PC gaming magazine, although this was the heavily censored version of the game. GamesRadar included it in their list of the 100 most overlooked games of its generation.