When I first saw Dark Void early last year, I came away impressed. Airtight Studios, the folks best known for their work on games like Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, looked to be crafting an impressive sci-fi action game. Capcom brought along an updated look at the upcoming PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC game, and it's looking more polished than ever.
This new demo did a pretty good job of showing a wide range of what Dark Void looks to offer, including ground combat, flight, and the wild vertical cover mechanics. For the later, those with motion sickness need not apply. As the game's lead, the rocket-pack-wearing Will, leaps up and down through cover, and the can camera shift position dozens of times during one encounter. It's easy to to lose track of which way is up, but there are plenty of environmental clues. For instance, watching the direction bodies drop, or looking at how dirt and dust falls can help orient you.
The final act of the demo was a big, open one-on-one battle with a mechanical scorpion-like boss. Using the rocket pack to propel over and around the beast, firing at its multiple weak points would finally bring it to its knees. Swooping around it from the air, it looks almost ant-like, its scale difficult to gauge. It's only when walking below it and looking up at the towering mechanical beast do you realize its sheer size.
Morgan Gray, the game's producer, kept reminding us that it was still a work in a progress. He kept apologizing for little things we didn't even realize were there, or in many cases, not there. And one cut-scene -- which looked finalized to our eyes -- he wasn't happy with, and asked not to film it. Gray needs to take a deep breath and relax; Dark Void is shaping up to to be one of the most exciting new IPs in 2009.
In addition to the gameplay video above, check out the three more Dark Void videos after the jump.
I gotta stop playing Gears for awhile before I play this because right now this doesn't look appealing. I dont want to play cover-shoot-cover-shoot games anymore right now.
I am personally excited for this. The vertical sections could do well at keeping the cover-to-cover fighting from getting to boring if implemented the right way.
It's cool to hear about developers not being satisfied with what they've made, even if people are enjoying it. It shows that they know their product so well that they're looking for ways to improve it that you haven't even thought of.
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4:30 PM on 01.11.2009
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It did look appealing last year. Time will tell.
And the Crimson Skies guys doing it guarantees quality.
Yep, do want.