Dark Void is a game about jet packs, pure and simple. Now with that premise you would think it might be something rather special. But that kind of thinking is flawed, dreams of grandeur are usually dashed and obviously I'm just not jaded enough.

Dark Void has all the right ingredients for an engaging tale of high adventure, but it's let down by bad design and lousy presentation.

The lasting impression which Dark Void leaves is still one of disappointment, however. Had Airtight been a bit braver, more willing to deviate from the norm and run with some of its bolder ideas, then this could have been a great game.

Capcom's latest action adventure-that doesn't have you slaughtering zombies-possesses a great deal of potential and appeal. As a likable right-guy-in-the-wrong-place protagonist tasked with saving Earth from a hostile alien threat, players take to the skies with only a jet pack strapped to their...

The idea of a personal, rocket-powered flight device has captured man's imagination for decades, yet the reality of such a device remains depressingly distant. This disparity between dream and reality mirrors the experience of playing Dark Void.

Jetpack is speedy and maneuverable; Great opportunities for daring stunts

Too much time spent without a jetpack; Shooting is unexciting; Enemies are repetitive

It's amazing to look through review sites and see a genuine new IP get rubbed in the dirt because it's a quick action adventure title. There is nothing wrong with a 10-hr action title we need breaks like these between the massive A-title games.

In the end, Dark Void's final product didn't live up to the potential that it had going for it. It was a great concept with some cool moments, but those moments were far and few between the unfinished control scheme and other flaws that plagued the title.

Operating on the premise that all other action-shooters have been cheating you with only one plane of action, the utterly generic Dark Void has heavily hyped its sole dab of originality: a vertical-cover system that has you rocketing from the underside of one platform to another above it, while...

Dark Void suffers from poor execution that prevents its interesting blend of unique gameplay styles from ever forming anything cohesive enough to be considered an enjoyable experience. It's truly the first big flop of 2010.

Where did it all go wrong? When it first made an appearance, Dark Void looked to have it all - an interesting premise, a cool retro sci-fi style, a winning combination of gunplay and aerobatics, a dashing hero, romance and lots of derring-do.

Not much

Maps spoil the gameplay; flat-looking visuals; lacks originality