Dark - Review @ TheControllerOnline

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All I could find was one review from [url=http://thecontrolleronline.com/2013/07/dark-review/]TheControllerOnline [/URL]for recently released Dark. The review is not positive or negative it basically calls the game average.

A departure from what we’re used to from Realmforge Studios, Dark is a stylized action game that is trying to make vampires cool again. A noble cause, if you ask me, but you can’t just get by on style alone, can you? The vampires of Dark are promising stealth action with RPG elements but, while you get these things in principle, the rest of what is hiding behind the striking visual style isn’t quite as deep as we were hoping.

Closing Comments

Dark’s striking and interesting visual style is quickly dulled by its under-designed and basic gameplay. When you start the first level, you may find yourself thinking that Dark could be a fun stealth-action game but as the complexity of the levels ramp up, the combat and character abilities fall behind. If Realmforge Studios had spent as much time designing the other elements, as they did designing the visual style, Dark could have been a good game. Instead it will end up in more bargain bins than game collections.

Score: 6/10
More information.
 
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Your link is not good. Should be:
http://thecontrolleronline.com/2013/07/dark-review/

The review is okayish. This however is plain wrong:
. If you do die, you’ll have to repeat large sections of the game as checkpoints are few and far between.
Absolutely untrue as you can save the game anywhere.

Also the review doesn't care for the game balance and didn't mention the OPness of a certain skill (not spoiling which one is it) - maxing that one skill renders a few others completely irrelevant. This was the case also in Mars:War Logs (nailgun mastery). Perhaps he didn't play the game till the end (neither did I, but still everyone can notice those things...).

But I have to agree with reviewer's closing comments with one difference. Dark is a good game. And it's fun. And it's graphics style is refreshing. But with better story, music, gameplay and level design, it could have been a masterpiece like DX:HR was.
 
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I'm interested, but I'll wait for a price drop on this one due to cash flow constraints.

Off-topic: windows are frigging expensive. Don't buy a house.
 
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Coaster, does it mean that no matter how popular house is, you're definetly not buying:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/house-Film-TV/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n:283926,k:House
;)

Waiting for a price drop is not a bad or wrong thing, the game is good and fun but honestly it's not GOTY material. And it could have been. It could have disturbed the mass hysteria over Bioshock3 (I'm not buying that one even if it drops on 0.01€ - just like I've never watched nor will Cameron's mass hysteria Titanic).
 
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Do you think the shortcomings of the game are patchable joxer? eg some of the skill balance problems?
Absolutely. Each skill has it's cost in points. Those points you earn with XP. They can just make the OP skill very expensive and that's it. ;)
It will still remain OP, but you won't be able to grab it early. And by the time you max it, you'll probably master other skill combos which are all good, just not OP, so you need to think more and devise a strategy with those.

Are there dialogs in this game?
Yes, but don't expect tons of it. It's somewhat organized like in ME series with a difference you can't repeat the same craptalk over and over nor there is some skill you'll affect the dialogue with. Remember, in the story you're only after hostiles who want to nail your arse, you don't want to kill civilians (in fact the game won't let you to kill a civilian). That's why doing some action while in dialogue mode is not included.

In the meantime I've came across a bug. There is a skill "premonition" that should allow you to detect different stuff when maxed. It ain't working as it's description suggests. While dead bodies are shown orange, ppl red, PDAs purple, blowcovers yellow; UV light and vamps are not highlighted with a different color although it's stated they should be. It's not a big deal really and it's possible they removed it from the game intentionally but the description is erroneous in that case. I might make a few screenshots to show it.

EDIT:
Can't remember who asked, but devs confirmed on steam forums that registering with Kalypso is optional, means no additional DRM:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/225360/discussions/0/864971287761391284/

A negative videoreview, but in fact pretty fair towards certain devs' questionable decisions, 10 mins long. Can't agree with all his points since he obviously expected and wanted another Doom instead of a stealth game plus I feel he's in love with Dishonored (or was it Borderlands?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2-IbcDB8ns
 
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