Although D3 as a publisher might not be a big name player, there’s nothing third rate about Dark Sector whatsoever. Nothing. From its absolutely stunning visuals to top-notch gunplay (not to mention introducing plenty of ideas of its own as well) ex-Unreal developer Digital Extremes lays its foundations with aplomb. The monochrome intro-cum-training-level is painfully reminiscent of Gears of War, only minus the bullet-spraying silliness – a few well-placed shots are all that it takes to do away with most foes here and one to the temple does the job that little bit quicker.

Unlike so many games, this headshot rule also carries over to some of the tougher enemies introduced as the game goes on. While the target areas might be smaller or enemies themselves quicker, everything bar the bosses can theoretically be dropped in a single shot. But if you don’t have the patience to sit behind cover and pop out occasionally to line up your shot, the glaive is the weapon of choice for you. Shortly after its introduction, you obtain two skills that become vital in your success. The first, Power Throw, quadruples the glaive’s power and extends its range if you can time the toss well, with anything standing in the way facing unwanted amputation of limbs. And to help put this to even better use, enter skill number two: Aftertouch. With this, time slows down and you can guide the glaive towards its target manually, although an intentionally tight focus effect and time limit will stop you abusing this too much.

So pivotal to the story and progression is the glaive that you should pick up, and indeed master, its multitude of abilities and uses in next to no time. By chucking it into fire, ice or electricity, the blade can be briefly charged with that power, a quick and showy way to defeat foes, sure, but used more in the game’s puzzle element. Much of this will involve using a string of elemental effects in an area. For example, setting fire to key targets along a corridor to get the flame to the burnable exit or even escaping a sinking ship, this presents some of the more vicious puzzles on offer, if only due onslaught that rarely seems to go away.

We’ve somehow managed to go this far without mention of the sheer visceral brutality of Dark Sector, which is something that becomes apparent the second your first headshot hits in the black-and-white prologue level – the grim dark torrent that erupts from your unfortunate target’s cranium gives a fair idea of the horror that is to come. And with the glaive, come it surely does. Lopping off limbs and heads is a regular and initially horrific sight, especially once you gain the Aftertouch ability. More vicious still are the finishers, whereby enemies hit with enough force will glow red for a moment to indicate that they are stunned and ready to be punished. Move in and press B and you launch into one of a plethora of instant kill moves depending on both your location relative to the enemy and what type of foe they are. Eviscerations, limb or neck breakages and all kinds of other horrible fatalities are possible in this way and like Nero’s Buster grabs in DMC4 you’ll never tire of seeing enemies torn to bits in this way.

While Dark Sector’s level design follows decidedly linear routes at almost all times, this means even less is required from an already minimal HUD. There are no objectives, no goals and no maps – everything is usually straightforward enough for you to get from to the imposed time limit and constant enemy A to B with zero guidance, following the ageold rule that if you’re being attacked, you’re probably going the right way. This really adds to the game’s already cinematic feel and it’s not uncommon to be left stationary after a cut scene as you haven’t realised that the action has kicked off again. It really does look that good with the boss battle in the derelict church being one of the most visually stunning things we’ve ever seen a console do.

Boss battles in general are excellent too; a far cry from the sort of encounters the genre usually throws up. The glaive is often crucial in working out how to beat them and rather than simply being powered up or beefier versions of normal grunts, each boss has the same sort of old-school feel as, say, Devil May Cry’s cast of villains. Attack patterns can be learned and exploited and the health recovery system usually gives you enough leeway to figure out what you should be doing without being confronted with the game over screen time and time again.

Indeed, if it weren’t for the few slightly amateurish oversights that crop up sporadically over the course of the adventure, we’d have no problems lavishing Dark Sector with the same levels of praise as some of the biggest releases of the last twelve months. It’s prettier than Halo 3, more varied than Gears of War and more brutal than Condemned 2, so if it weren’t for the fact that the odd invisible wall, irksome glitch or inconsistency in what you can and can’t traverse along its linear course, we’d have little hesitation in awarding it honours to reflect this. Still, even with these infrequent and minor setbacks, Dark Sector is a gritty, empowering and above all unexpected delight, boasting a level of detail and quality that you wouldn’t usually expect to see outside of the industry’s usual suspects. Time to raise your game, Fenix…