Dark Sector caught my eye early into the Sony Holiday Press Event, likely because at the time someone was cutting an enemy in half with what appeared to be a spinning throwing blade. But really, that'll catch anybody's attention.

Dark Sector is a behind-the-back third-person shooter, reminiscent of games like Resident Evil 4 and Gears of War. In it, you'll do the usual taking down of enemies while holding cover, for walking into the middle of the fray is sure to get you killed, and fast. Resting will allow you to recover damage you've taken, but the enemies aren't idiots, and will follow you to finish you off if you're not careful.

In addition to the aforementioned three-pronged chakra in your right hand, called the glaive, your other default main weapon is an ordinary pistol in your left hand. The glaive is not quite so ordinary. Due to an infection of some sort of disease, the main character has received the ability to throw and control (to an extent) this throwing weapon of his. And it comes in handy. It can be used to slice, dice, and take apart enemy combatants, which is extremely satisfying to do, especially when it's timed to hit them just as they duck out of cover. The blade is also able to pick up dropped weaponry, allowing you to switch to an enemy's weapon without leaving cover to pick it up.

The level being demoed was one where the main character, a tough-looking fellow sporting a special-looking right arm holding the glaive, assaulted an old castle-type building. As I ran forward, enemies seemed to spring out from nowhere, and it became abundantly clear that most of the game's playing time is spent behind cover. At times, it could feel like it was dragging on, but overall it did well in pacing.

The game was pretty fun to play, and for those who enjoy the cover-and-gun genre of shooters, it's likely this will appeal to them. The enemies appeared to be using different strategies as I repeated the same level over and over again (let's just say I died a few times), instead of merely taking cover and repeating the same steps over and over again. The graphics are also pretty impressive, though the bloom seemed a little blinding at times. Other than that, however, the action was pretty enjoyable, even when the same level was repeated so often.

Dark Sector's build was still in beta stage, but one would be hard-pressed to realize this from watching somebody play. Except for some specific issues like problems with the ragdoll effect, and the bland rain that was more like a layer of cellophane over the camera view, things looked and felt pretty polished. If the rest of the game is as well-put together as the level I played, it is likely Dark Sector will be something to look forward to on the PS3 when it is released early next year.