Games: Dark Void

William Grey isn't having the best of days. He's just flown his plane into the Bermuda Triangle and crash landed in a parallel dimension known as The Void, finding himself in the middle of a war between other human survivors and a technologically advanced alien race known as the Watchers. With a little help from Nikola Tesla and his prototype jet-pack device, Will must use his aerial prowess to dog-fight his way to victory, repel the alien oppressors and find a way back home.

Dark Void is a mixed bag, with some sections bearing similarities to Gears of War's cover based shooting mechanic and others requiring you to fly around on your jetpack like Star Fox on steroids. You do get a rush as you swoop around in 360 degrees, hijacking alien UFOs and freefalling hundreds of feet to evade pursuers. It's immensely enjoyable, but a lack of polish prevents it from attaining greatness.

Some platforming sections are floaty and the twitchiness of the controls camera can make for a lack of spatial awareness, causing you to miss ledges and plummet to your death. However, there is plenty here to enjoy such as a neat vertical cover system that allows you to conduct shoot outs on the sides of mountains or crashed freighters.

This article was first published in The Scotsman on 23 January, 2010