The first thing Airtight Games wants to point out whenever it demos Dark Void is that most 3D games aren’t really 3D, but Dark Void is. The argument goes that because the majority of thirdperson cameras are locked in a kind of pivot behind the player character, you don’t get a lot of up/down perspective and that such games are mostly played across a single flat plane. Airtight reckons that, by this token, Dark Void’s vertical sections make it a true 3D game. We’re not sure we agree.

The reason we’re not convinced is that in the vertical sections the camera is locked beneath your character in much the same way as it would be locked behind him in the regular horizontal sections, so you’re essentially just flipping from one 2D plane to another. It just reminds us of a level in R-Type Final where the camera moves around a giant 3D boss giving you a different view of it at various sections of the mission while keeping all the action on the same traditional 2D plane. It’s a cool visual effect, but not a departure in gameplay terms, by any means.

Of course, it’s worth pointing out that there will be horizontal sections and vertical sections (not to mention flying sections) mixed together across the same environments, so you will be viewing and exploring the game world in a more three-dimensional way than usual, but we don’t reckon the gameplay will be as radical as Airtight is trying to imply.

The aspect of Dark Void that we actually have the most confidence is the air combat that, if not at all innovative, should be especially slick, polished and dramatic. Our faith is based purely on the fact that the team behind Crimson Skies on the Xbox formed Airtight, shortly after the guys departed Microsoft’s FASA Studio. When it comes to developing an arcadey console flight combat title, there can be few teams with a better pedigree. But, while we respect Airtight’s capabilities, we can’t help but suspect that Dark Void is an attempt to forcibly mix Crimson Skies with something a little more fashionable. Without a clear vision of how to make the two gel, it could all get very awkward.