James Cameron's Dark Angel

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For 2001 fantasy video game, see Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse.

James Cameron's Dark Angel
Composer(s)
Graig Robertson
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release
  • NA: November 19, 2002[1]
  • EU: February 21, 2003
Genre(s)Beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

James Cameron's Dark Angel is a

Logan Cale
respectively.

The game follows an original storyline, with players controlling Max Guevara as she fights the I Corporation and attempts to find her twin sister. It was released on PlayStation 2 and Xbox in November 2002. The game was met with generally unfavorable reviews. It was frequently criticized for its unoriginality, repetition and certain gameplay issues, though some praised its graphics, storyline and voice acting.

Gameplay

Gameplay shot of Max mid-backflip after kicking off a wall, above two male opponents
Max may kickflip off walls over enemies to evade or attack them from behind.

Dark Angel is a

Boss enemies are present in some levels.[2][4]

Plot

Dark Angel follows an original storyline that takes place after the destruction of the headquarters of Manticore, an organization which creates genetically-enhanced super soldiers, at the beginning of the TV series' second season. Seattle has been placed on a curfew as the I Corporation round up the escapees from Manticore. They are particularly interested in capturing super soldier Max Guevara. Max evades and fights I Corporation through the streets of Seattle as she returns to her apartment. After battling opponents in her apartment lobby, Max learns that her friend and flatmate Original Cindy has been captured by the sector police. After defeating the police and rescuing Original Cindy, Max goes to meet her friend and ally, cyber-journalist Logan Cale at his apartment. Outside the apartment complex she defeats an I Corporation genetically engineered boss character named Beetle. Meanwhile, a cloaked figure murders a police officer at the scene and steals his vehicle. Logan informs Max that he has received an email from someone named Sylan who claims that Max has a twin sister. He traces the email to an I Corporation research lab named Tritech. Max tells Logan that Sylan was one of the child soldiers at Manticore, and that she stayed behind in order to help Max and eleven of her siblings escape. Max proceeds to Tritech to find her.

Max infiltrates the Tritech facility and defeats guards as well as a genetically engineered boss named Gekko. Then, she witnesses the cloaked figure kill a Tritech employee before capturing Sylan. Max continues her pursuit across a fortified bridge and a dockyard. Logan's research discovers Sylan is being held prisoner on a ship; Max enters the Marine Control Centre, the main headquarters of the I Corporation's offshore business operations, in order to learn which ship Sylan is on. Max boards the ship Stella Nova after learning that Sylan is aboard. Max rescues Sylan following a confrontation with an opponent disguised as her. Max discovers that her twin sister, Beka, was taken to the I Corporation headquarters years ago, and that an I Corporation scientist, Dr Stephen Van Der Mescht, knows more about her. Logan traces Van Der Mescht to a military train owned by I Corporation.

Max breaks through security at the train yard and boards the train. She locates Van Der Mescht, who initially refuses to help her. After Max threatens him with torture, Van Der Mescht explains that I Corporation was a rival of Manticore, and had a military contract for more aggressive genetic research. They created a 'Y' series of genetically engineered soldiers (as opposed to Manticore's 'X' series); when Max and Beka were born, Beka was taken by I Corporation so that the two different series could be compared. I Corporation guards ambush the room, killing Van Der Mescht before he can divulge more. I Corporation send a single soldier, a transgenic boss named Bear, to kill Max. Bear is defeated, and Max reaches the I Corporation headquarters with the train. Max fights her way to the upper level of the headquarters, defeating guards and the boss characters Beetle, Gekko and Bear again, before she confronts Beka. Beka reveals that she now controls the I Corporation, and has engineered a younger replacement to succeed her using the DNA that she and Max shares. She tries to recruit Max to join her and their 'younger sister' in creating a new generation of genetically engineered soldiers. Max refuses and Beka attacks her. After killing Beka, Max tries to rescue her younger sister. The cloaked figure, whose identity is never revealed, tries unsuccessfully to stop her. Logan arrives in a helicopter and rescues Max and her younger sister from the complex. Later, while sitting on the roof of the Space Needle, Max laments that knowing the truth about Beka is worse than not knowing at all, but is determined to create a positive life for herself and her younger sister. A post-credits scene shows Max and Original Cindy dancing in their apartment.

Development and release

Dark Angel was announced in May 2002 at the

E3 Expo, shortly after the TV series was canceled. It was reported the game would feature the likeness of characters from the show as well as the voices of Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly, reprising the roles of Max Guevara and Logan Cale respectively.[5] Fox Interactive producer Chris Miller said the game would "give consumers a chance to virtually play as Max in her next adventure to find her sister and fellow genetically engineered escapees."[6] It was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment; it was released in North America on November 19, 2002.[1] Due to the termination of the TV series, Radical Entertainment slashed the game's budget during development.[7][8] The game contains an exclusive photo gallery of Jessica Alba, cast interviews and other bonus features.[9] A trailer for the video game was included in the season one DVD of the Dark Angel TV series.[10][11]

Reception

Dark Angel received "generally unfavorable reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[23][24] The game was frequently criticized for its unoriginality, repetition[17][18] and problems with its stealth mode, though it received some praise for its graphics and voice acting,[2][13] as well as its story and setting.[3][14]

Brett Todd of

AllGame highlighted controls, camera angles and above average graphics as the game's strengths, although lamented its repetitive nature, "inconsistent level design and challenge" and lack of two-player support.[2] Zach Meston of GameSpy criticized the game's ease, lack of strategy, and the fact that solutions to the game's 'puzzles' were clearly highlighted to the player.[17]

Miss Spell of

Game Revolution said, "It's not that Dark Angel is brutally awful or full of bugs ... it's that it lacks any originality whatsoever. It's a boring, repetitive cookie-cutter game straight from the Nabisco ovens. You've eaten this cookie many times before; and if you're old enough, the first time it was called Streets of Rage."[14]

References

  1. ^ a b C. Perry, Douglass (November 19, 2002). "James Cameron's Dark Angel". IGN. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  2. ^
    All Media Network. Archived from the original
    on December 12, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  3. ^
    CBS Interactive. Archived
    from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (November 20, 2002). "Dark Angel (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  5. ^ Bobbin, Jay (September 29, 2000). "James Cameron's "Dark Angel" fights the future in new Fox series". Boca Raton News. South Florida Media Company. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  6. ^ Walker, Trey (May 21, 2002). "E3 2002: Dark Angel announced". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  7. ^ Lachel, Cyril (March 7, 2012). "Quick! Don't Make the Terra Nova Game!". Defunct Games. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  8. ^ Groenendijk, Ferry (March 31, 2008). "James Cameron's Dark Angel game review (PS2)". Video Games Blogger. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "Dark Angel on Xbox and PS2". GameZone. December 10, 2002. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  10. ^ Tyner, Adam (May 2, 2003). "Dark Angel – The Complete First Season". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2003.
  11. ^ "Dark Angel: Season One (2000–2001)". DVD Compare. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  12. ^ "Dark Angel (Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 163. Ziff Davis. February 2003. p. 147.
  13. ^ a b c Miss Spell (December 30, 2002). "Dark Angel for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005.
  14. ^
    CraveOnline. Archived
    from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  15. ^ Leeper, Justin (January 2003). "Dark Angel (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 117. GameStop. p. 96. Archived from the original on May 13, 2006. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  16. ^ Todd, Brett (January 3, 2003). "Dark Angel Review (Xbox)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  17. ^ a b c Meston, Zach (December 7, 2002). "GameSpy: Dark Angel (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 27, 2005.
  18. ^ a b Knutson, Michael (December 8, 2002). "Dark Angel – PS2 – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  19. ^ Romano, Natalie (December 7, 2002). "Dark Angel – XB – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  20. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (November 19, 2002). "Dark Angel (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  21. ^ "Dark Angel". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Ziff Davis. February 2003. p. 104.
  22. ^ "Dark Angel". Official Xbox Magazine. Future US. February 2003. p. 70.
  23. ^ a b "Dark Angel for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  24. ^ a b "Dark Angel for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 23, 2014.

External links

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