Dark Sector, stylized as darkSector, is a third-person shooter video game developed by Digital Extremes for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows.

The game is set in the fictional Eastern Bloc country of Lasria, and centers on protagonist Hayden Tenno (voiced by Michael Rosenbaum), a morally ambivalent CIA "clean-up man".

[2] While trying to intercept a rogue agent named Robert Mezner, Hayden's right arm is infected with the fictional Technocyte virus, which gives him the ability to grow a three-pronged "Glaive" at will.

Enemies hold onto Hayden while attacking, and the player must rapidly press a randomly prompted button to break free.

There is a sprint function, which works similar to Gears of War's Roadie Run,[4] and melee attacks that allow Hayden to punch or slice nearby enemies.

The game has no HUD (except for the ammo counter); Hayden's health is shown by the screen flashing red when he takes damage, as well as an indicator showing the attacker's position.

[5] Dark Sector is set in Lasria, a fictional satellite country bordering the Soviet Union, where the military fights against the Technocyte victims, who have largely undergone extreme mutations and have gained abilities.

[6] He is supported by Yargo Mensik (voiced by Jürgen Prochnow), an ex-GRU Colonel, scientist, and sleeper agent who knows the origin of the Technocyte virus.

The main antagonist, Robert Mezner (voiced by Dwight Schultz), is an ex-CIA agent who seeks to build a utopia by spreading the Technocyte virus across the planet.

Supporting Mezner is Nadia (voiced by Julianne Buescher), a mysterious woman whom Hayden knows; and "Nemesis", a metallic, humanoid figure who fights with a long Technocyte blade.

Near the end of the Cold War, the USSR discovers a sunken submarine off the coast of Lasria; something attacks the salvage crew through a gaping hole in the hull.

In the following years, a mysterious infection called "the Technocyte" breaks out in Lasria, causing widespread mutation and destruction before the Lasrians bring it under control.

[7][8] His right arm now mutated by Technocyte, Hayden contacts the A.D. who orders him to meet up with Yargo Mensik and obtain boosters to halt the infection.

[11] Killing a giant ape-like Technocyte monster, Hayden finds the transmitter in the church's catacombs and plants C4 but is held at gunpoint by Nadia, who has a deep-rooted hatred for him and leaves him to the infected.

After Hayden escapes, he learns that Nadia has captured and is torturing Yargo,[14] demanding access into "the Vault" and something within that can control the virus.

Disobeying orders to stand down and await the A.D.'s arrival, Hayden fights through a train station and rescues Yargo, who has lost an eye during interrogation.

The developers cited a shift in focus by other gaming companies and publishers as the reason for the change to a more modern setting and reducing its sci-fi elements, also adding that they wanted to achieve the realism that fans would enjoy.

Optimized by Noviy Disk for the release, the port featured improved graphics and a redesigned interface that made use of mouse and keyboard controls.

[42][45] Hyper's Dirk Watch commended the game for "the Glaive and its aftertouch", but he criticized it for its "patchy" AI and "steep" difficulty curve.

[52] Adam Zweck, the sales and product manager for AFA Interactive, the local distributors of Dark Sector, told GameSpot AU that the game was banned due to its violence, in particular the finishing moves.

[54] When asked about a sequel in 2008, Steven Sinclair of Digital Extremes stated that there was "nothing definitive" planned, but commented that he would "love to do one", and that Dark Sector only scratched the surface of the character and weapon's potential.

[56][57] The original concept for Dark Sector was more similar to what Warframe is now, but was put in a modern setting with a linear, single-player mode due to the industry landscape at the time.