Dark Arena

• Platform:   Game Boy Advance
• BBFC Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over. Not for sale to persons under age 12. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 12 years of age or over.
• Media: Video Game

The plot is indescribably poor, involving a special forces agent, a large maze and a bunch of mutated organisms, but at the end of the day the truth of a good FPS is in the shootin’ and Dark Arena offers it by the bucketload.

Graphically the game is a little below par. Much of the scenery is bland and lacks any real definition (but maybe this is to be expected from a machine like the GBA?). But this shortcoming doesn’t detract from the shooting action however, though the use of the word "horde" on the back of packaging seems a little excessive--perhaps the phrase "medium-sized knot of monsters" would be more adequate.

Being a derivative of Doom means it’s always going to draw parallels to the older game and of the two on the Game Boy Advance, Doom has the edge in terms of gameplay--even if it’s only because the older game feels more comfortable than the newcomer. That said, for short bursts of high quality gun-gaming action, Dark Arena will certainly deliver.--Chris Russell

Product Description
Dark Arena for the Game Boy Advance is a first-person shooter in the classic gameplay style of Doom, but with the refinements and additions of games such as GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. Frantic and fun, it combines raw action gameplay with strategic play and puzzle solving. It's the year 2146, and the United Arms Organization has completed the top-secret training of its finest soldiers. Genetically engineered opponents have been created to assess the combat skills of each trainee. These opponents are extremely dangerous, very aggressive, and considered the ultimate challenge. And now they have taken over the facility, killing everybody--everybody but you. Defeat the enemies and you just might live long enough to cross the camp and escape.

The game features texture-mapped 3-D environments and characters, 20 levels of full-on action, and multiple enemies and bosses, each with a unique style of attack. Your arsenal includes six deadly weapons. There are special deathmatch-specific areas with multiplayer link-up games. The animated, textured environments feature unique lighting effects and destructible objects. You must solve puzzles, collect items, and avoid traps while battling enemies. Prerendered FMV sequences, the musical score, and sound effects add to the atmosphere.

• PC & Video Games > Games > Action & Shooter