Blood splatter art has never been so easy.

Four years running is a long time for any game to be in development, especially if it was one of the first shown for a new generation of consoles. Dark Sector is exactly that. It had us intrigued from the start, but after a two year silence, it was all but forgotten. Then, with the emergence of a complete makeover, Dark Sector crept out from it's cave and onto shelves just this last March.

Following Hayden Tenno, a black-ops agent working for a government organization known as the "Agency", Hayden must go to the fictional country of Lazria and do what he does best: clean up loose ends by whatever means necessary. Since the entire first level takes place with Hayden being the typical boring Human, it winds up being just that: boring.

However, developer Digital Extremes made the entirety of Dark Sector an experience that is completely unto itself. Instead of the typical gameplay mechanics that stay constant throughout or change suddenly and rapidly, introduced is the Evolution Powers. Upon completing that first, tedious mission, Hayden becomes infected with a disease whose deadliness could cripple humanity, but Hayden has "congenital analgia," meaning he cannot feel pain. This slight turn of events, which would normally render the infected person insane due to the intense pain, leaves Hayden only with the minor annoyance of his mission and the occasional loss of blood from his new weapons.

Struggling to finish his task, Hayden finds himself transforming ever so slowly. His right arm becomes metallic and releases the Glaive, a half boomerang half sawblade which becomes Hayden's primary weapon. Over time, he gains the ability to control it's movements mid-flight, charge it with different elements, such as ice, fire and electricity, and give it explosive properties.

Along with the Glaive's new traits, Hayden absorbs two abilities; a deflective shield and invisibility. All of these abilities, Glaive and otherwise, add dimensions to the gameplay through the evolution system. Gameplay may start slow, even after the first mission, but as each new trait is learned, players will have already mastered the last one and have adequate time to properly learn the newest one and use it properly.