The DarknessBy: 2K Games Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 88More Information 
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2010-07-08The Darkness isnt perfect. Like any game it has its weaknesses, and its downright flaws (and in one case, a game ending bug). However, I would be remiss if I let this game get away with things that I ding other games for, no matter how much I loved this game. However, the problems with this game are far outweighed by the successes of, and since that is the case, it is much easier to be lenient. Many more people have talked about why this game works (or why they think it doesnt) on a technical level, but this review is dedicated to the emotional one.
Unlike virtually every other game being released these days, The Darkness actually has a very, very good story. I wont say it has a good plot, because its really nothing we havent seen before (Darkness powers aside). When you break it down, it really is a simple betrayal and revenge story.
One of the things Ive noticed I really hate is when the plot is sort of an afterthought. And the prime example of this kind of game is the Bioshock franchise. Now, both Bioshock games are fantastic shooters, two of my favorites, actually. But there really is no plot to either one of them. The plot is much more "Find the audio recordings and find out why Rapture failed," as opposed to whatever half-brained plot they came up with so they could have awesome gun and plasmid battles.
So that is the main reason why I love The Darkness. Because the action is built around the story, and not the other way around. You know exactly why you are doing the things you are doing, and there is no wasted motion. There are side missions you can do for certain NPCs, but you dont have to, meaning that you arent forced to do pointless filler missions to extend the gameplay length. Every story arc in this game is deliberate.
One of the other positive things about this game is the scale. The game doesnt try to overextend itself. It exists in its own self-contained universe. Even though you know it takes place in a small corner of New York City, the game feels big enough that you dont feel stifled, but large and varied enough that you can do some exploring if you want to.
Now, like I said before, the story is really nothing new aside from the Darkness powers you gain. But it the characters in that story are rich and well-defined, if at time a bit stereotypical. The characters in the story arent manic and insane like in the Grand Theft Auto games, or boring and one-dimensional like in Mass Effect (even though there is a lot of inter-character dialog, the NPCs dont ever do anything unexpected). The characters feel (and look!) real. The Darkness also has what is possibly the greatest conveyance of real romance in any video game ever made.
All of these things, the gritty New York streets and subway system, the characters that seem to come alive, and emotionally gripping backstory really engage you in the story, and make you care about what is going to happen to all of these characters. The game rips your heart out, and leaves you to put your character back together, if there is a together to go back to.
One last thing: The cover art for the game, while obviously keeping in line with the look and style of the comics by Top Cow, are an unfortunate side effect. Maybe people who read the comics appreciate it, but it is the one single thing that almost kept me from buying this game. It looked too cheesy, that coupled with the description (Darklings? That doesnt sound fun at all!) made it seem to me to be a light and simple game where you just use your darkness powers for anything you want. The game is anything but simple, so dont let the cover art fool you. Search the web for in-game stills and videos to see what a visually stunning game this is.
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2010-06-02There were parts of this game that I loved and some that I hated so much I wanted to break the disc. Overall it was a brainless hack-and-slash that was fun.
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2010-06-02The Darkness is one of my favorite comic books, set in the same world as Witchblade, Jackie is a gangster who channels the power of the Darkness in the form of demons that do his bidding in darkness.
The video game captures a lot of the spirit of the comic book very well with explicit language, lots of violence and a ruthless main character.
It is a first person shooter. During combat you can use darkness mode which allows one to use powers and raises your defense, as you use the powers, you drain your ability, being caught in the light also drains your powers. There are different levels of darkness powers which allow you to do different things. Jackie also uses guns.
My 62 year dad has never read The Darkness comic book, didnt even know it was a comic when he started playing this game. Its become one of his favorites. First person shooters that arent hugely story based are his favorite type of video games. The explicit language and action appeals strongly to him, less strongly to my 19 yo son who prefers more puzzle and rpg type games.
In its price range, I think its a fantastic game for people who dont want to think too much about what they are playing and just want to fight, shoot and destroy things.
The game looks gorgeous. The use of shadows and light, the animated sequences and the game play are all very well done and nicely detailed. Dad has a 46 inch HD television and it just looks amazing.
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2010-04-22(SPOILERS) ill keep it brief, there are already 85 reviews for this game... ill say that i really wanted to play this game, i read the "books" and wanted to get into the story but i didnt want to play a game where you eat hearts to gain power and mostly (MAJOR SPOILER) you spend the first part of the game looking out for jenny and developing that part of the story then when your uncle decides to murder her you not only have to watch it but your darkness power holds your arms back so you cant save her then youre supposed to just continue playing and use your power--- i dont know about you but if my own power held me back while my gfriend got her brains blown out, i wouldnt keep using it! i was playing for the story so i quit there
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2010-03-11I heard this was a good game and so bought it from the used bin at gamestop. I liked it but it wasnt necessarily a favorite. Basically, if you arent into blood and gore, this is definitely not the game for you. I got lost a lot in the game for a while because I had no idea what to or where to go. Maybe I didnt listen as carefully as I should have. The game is pretty short which disappointed me. I dont want to spoil anything but its worth buying for cheap and definitely worth renting.
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2009-11-21This is an average shooter, but has some fun unique aspects. You have 2 deamon arms that you bring out to do special abilities and eat the hearts of fallen enemies. There are a number of exciting moments, very unique & strange settings, and more. It is fun to play through and see all the sights.
Some of the side missions seemed a little tedious and slightly boring. But you always have the choice. It has a very immersive feel in some settings.
It isnt a blockbuster shooter like some others, but if you want a fun averge shooter with some unique dark settings this does a good job to fill in between other games.
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2009-10-26I bought this game for about [...] here on amazon and it was waaaay better then i expected!! extremely detailed like if you turn on a tv u can actually watch real life TV shows and movies i was definitely surprised!
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2009-08-27 I wanted to like this game, I really did. But I didnt. The graphics were fine, the story was good and controls were okay and all that crap but it just wasnt fun. Thinking about stubbing my toe on the coffee table the other day brings back fonder memories than I get from recalling this game, but like Kunta Kinte says "you dont have to take my word for it." Now lets be clear, I am not advocating either your purchase or rental of this game. What you need to do is hype it up to a friend of yours who happens to be a little slow in the head. Make him buy it, then just borrow it from him. Then sell it on ebay. Once its all said and done you will realize that the only value this game has is whatever bidding ends at. There is no non-monetary value in this game, and even that isnt much.
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2009-07-31The Darkness is one of those kind of games where you got to appreciate having it since it feels so radically different from other FPS games. Its got the slight linearity of games like Call of Duty and Fear yet theres some sidequests and exploration to be found but above all, its completely geared towards its storytelling and atmosphere which is quite impeccable. But in a way some people might not like its pacing since its not action-intensive as other games and then youll not even be touching the controller as you stare at something (and even get an achievement for that very thing) but the shooting plus controlling the Darkness is a blast. Just stay away from the multiplayer...its pretty bad.
Story: You play as Jackie Estacado, part of a mob family that gets a hit put out on him during his 21st birthday. While being hunted, Jackie gets ensnared by the Darkness, an evil and powerful spirit that allows Jackie some incredible and destructive gifts at the cost of a constant voice in his head and occasionally being manipulated and controlled. But Jackie is out for revenge anyway against Uncle Paulie, the man who called the hit, and his lackey corrupt police officer Eddie Schrote so having the Darkness as an ally is the gift and curse.
Graphics: Graphically the game looks similar to the Chronicles of Riddick with some incredibly realistic and moody lighting and some great art design such as one place you go to during the second act and New York City which for once FEELS like New York City rather than a bunch of buildings that look like its skyline. Character models as well look like actual people however the lip movements are incredibly off and half the time I dont even the see the lips actually moving. The game does look great and is quite memorable because of its unique look though if you were to compare it to say Modern Warfare or other games, it looks good.
Sound/Music: What makes the storytelling work is the voice acting which is, quite simply, phenomenally. From Jackie to his girlfriend Jenny to even minor characters you meet along the way (gotta love the dude who sings part of his sentences) and even Mike Patton from the old Faith No More band does an incredibly raspy voice for the Darkness who will be a constant presence in your ear. As far as the music, its not as prominent but its there but the ambience is from the chatter and train rumblings of the subway to the moody place youll go to at times, game also has a great ear.
Gameplay: For the most part its kind of basic. You get weapons which you select by left and right on the D-pad but the fun part is using the Darkness powers. Theres 4: the creeping dark, a slithering snake you control (rather horribly I might add) to launch sneak attacks on foes, a tail-like move thatll impale enemies or move objects blocking your path, the Darkness guns and the destructive Black Hole which sucks in nearby enemies. Theyre all fun to use even with Black Hole becoming your trump card but sneaking up on people and biting their faces off never gets old. Theres also a slight RPG element where you consume peoples hearts (I like when the 2 heads try to fight for it, left never wins) and thatll level up your darkness powers to of course make you more awesome.
Another part of your gift is the ability to summon darklings, little minions you can use to wreck havoc on your foes. From the melee-loving berserker, mini-gun toting gunner, the kamikaze and one who specifically targets lights out and zaps your foes. Speaking of lights, youll want to shoot them out since they help your powers a lot better and theres even times where you cant take out your powers unless you shoot the lights. This however can make it tedious to always aim for lightbulbs. Another slight flaw I noticed is that Jackie walks.way.too.slow and trying to get close to an enemy to do the awesome execution move and yet he walks like hes got a limp or something. Also at times I couldnt figure out where I was supposed to actually go though at least theres a helpful menu that tells you but more often than not, Im walking back and forth going "where am I supposed to go anyway?"
Oh, and if youre into boosting, Id do it with the Darkness and move on since how do I put this...the multiplayer sucks. The lag and just the general boringness of it all, this is clearly a multiplayer that was added on because developers were afraid people would just rent it, beat it and sell it to Gamestop or something. And wouldnt you know it, theres quite a few achievements in multiplayer for a game with a diminishing community by the day so go you.
As a single player game, the Darkness is quite an underrated game with the occasional nitpick but for those into FPS games that are more or less entirely story driven like Half-Life 2 will find some fun here. But longevity, well, that multiplayer still sucks so Id maybe rent.
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2009-06-09Mike patton. gangster hell. strange powers. even stranger controls. STILL NOT A GOOD GAME!!! How!? I had to cuddle with my virtual girlfriend in front of an old movie for TEN MINUTES till she fell asleep and I could progress in the game!!! Thats how!
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2009-05-21Video games and kids; an expensive mix. This game was less than half the store price. My son loves it and I saved money. No brainer.
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2009-02-24Story is great as well the acting and visuals. As for replay value, its more or less.
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2008-12-22the game was pretty good. to be honest i expected more of it. but it had the mob type gun slinging fun witch i enjoyed but it really took to long and nothing really exciting ever happened and you expected it to be more exciting and the end of the game was kinda lame but maybe they plan on making a darkness 2. either way i enjoyed the game and for the price here on amazon it was a good choice but i will definitely trade it in to the next game stop for something new after beating the game.
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2008-11-23My expectations were fairly low on this game, even though it was was recommended to me by a friend. Playing through this game is turning out to be a great experience.
The story itself is so-so. The mafia-based struggle is the real driving force and plays out well. But, the whole Darkness conflict seems to fall apart the more I think about it. The Darkness can control him, but it cant? If you dont think about it too much, it works fairly well.
The voice acting is top notch. If the on-screen presentation of said acting was better, the atmosphere would have really benefited tons.
The gameplay is very reminiscent of Condemned, but without the crime-solving. I say this in a good way, as I dont think there is much more they could have done to improve this aspect.
Overall, a very solid game with a lot of well polished features. There is a lot to like about this game, and the stuff I do point out is just me being over-critical of it. I thoroughly recommend this.
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2008-11-19
I was pleasantly surprised at how good this game really was for such a low price; got it for $10 + SH. Great story, great powers, and some parts are really creepy. Recommending to anyone I know with a 360.
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2008-11-16Although I have nothing against this game really I dont see myself playing it throuhg more than once. For the purchase price of $4.98 I couldnt pass it up. As far as gameplay, design, graphics, etc...all that is fine. Im just not into the plot or storyline. The Darkness powers do add a cool element to the game. This game is a good rental or purchase if you can get it for cheap like I did.
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2008-10-12This game was good but I cant take it into the great category. I enjoyed using The Darkness powers. My biggest issues happen in certain levels when you go into an alternate universe and your fighting Nazis. These levels sometimes got really dark and confusing. It was hard to tell where you were supposed to go sometimes and frustrating because you couldnt see who was shooting at you half the time either. A lot of this seems to fade away when you start gaining abilities like impaling unsuspecting mobsters with your darkness tentacles or picking up a parked car and throwing it at a group of scumbags across the street. Still, something was just lacking from this game. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it and felt it was worth my time.
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2008-09-17Not a bad game, but looks alot better on the PS3. Buy it if you only have a 360 and you dont get a multi choice.
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2008-09-05First off, this is a game for adults only.
And I mean that in no uncertain terms. (This is a game that visits the worst human tragedy in known history - World War I) Violence, language and general depravity considered, even an adult might want to rethink her/his steps when purchasing this item. Some of the actions and environments were so intense, they literally made me feel weird and bad. I truly felt anger at the end and actually cried during the final sequence.
If you can shrug off these warnings, you are in for arguably the most substantial experience on the 360 so far.
Even in its earlier releases, Starbreeze prided itself in challenging the player to think outside the bounds of what was possible within a game, and The Darkness continues that legacy. From a first person perspective, the player inhabits young hitman Jackies persona as he unravels the mystery of his (unexpectedly granted) powers. The plot thickens as Jackies battle with his own (Mike Patton voiced) demons escalates as does his confrontation with a previously patriarchal uncle-turned-nemesis. With just enough twists and unexpected surreal moments, the ride is a perfect, if taxing one. For a superb shooting mechanic, sick & constant sense of humor, and moments of shock that truly shock, you cant do better than the Darkness.
On the minus side, there are long wait times between Entrance/Exit points and the map is virtually useless. Glitchy controls with regards to the (Primarily most useful tool of) Creeping Dark slow down the otherwise frenetic pace of confrontations. Achievement Hounds should also be warned: some of the achievements in this game are ambivalent, to say the least. Im a fan, and have yet to unlock many of them.
Such qualms aside, this is the game people who loved "Riddick" should be ready to expect: A rock solid shooter that feels more like an RPG or sandbox game.
Insane attention to detail, impeccable visuals, and a nasty sense of reality.
The most profound and simultaneously profane experience the 360 can offer.
You have been warned.
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2008-08-29The story in this game is one of the best Ive seen in recent FPSes, the Darkness powers are awesome, the level design is clever and never repetitive, and the light/dark system is interesting and fun.
This game can be beated in a good 12-16 hours (less if you skip the side quests), and there is a multiplayer mode too (though I havent played it). Though this game is over somewhat quickly, its a great ride while it lasts, and you cant beat the bargain bin price.
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2008-08-17For all of the hype and potential this game had, I was left a little disappointed.
The Darkness is an action FPS in which you take the role of Jackie Estacado - a mob enforcer in present day NYC, with a being called The Darkness living inside of him. The Darkness gives him an array of powers and the ability to spawn controllable subordinates called Darklings, in addition the guns he has at his disposal. The game follows Jackies plot to whack his former employer, mob boss Paulie, who wants him dead.
The Darkness powers are inarguingably the defining trait of this game. You can spawn controllable, snakelike drones that can kill enemies from afar, scout around, and slip through narrow spaces that Jackie cant reach. Another one is a sharp tentacle that can impale enemies or lift heavy objects like dumpsters. There are other powers, but I dont want to spoil all of them for you. One involves a liberal use of physics, however. You can also command small demons called Darklings, which are specialized to provide firing support, kill any lights, and other tasks. These abilities need power, which is recharged by (naturally) staying in the dark. Because of this, youll need to balance out your powers in unison with the firearms.
The conventional weapons are (for lack of a better description) very conventional. Akimbo pistols/revolvers, akimbo machine pistols, two shotguns and three rifles round out the guns in this game. I found myself using the akimbo pistols until very late in the game, which is a testament to the lack of distinguishable characteristics between each weapon. The shotguns felt underpowered, unless you stood close enough that the tentacles one hit kill would be in range, and the pistols, machine pistols, and rifles more or less operated the same way.
Adding insult to injury is the choppy aiming and the above average difficulty. There is an auto aim feature that kicks in when your crosshairs are close enough to an enemy, but is less effective than the aim assist that games like Halo have. Im a hardcore FPS player, but I still had my share of deaths on the normal difficulty. This led to a very deliberate pace to fighting.
The game has a wealth of unlockable extra content that you can discover in the game world and by completing sidequests - in a nod to Starbreezes previous outing, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. More than the standard concept art, development videos and the like; you also have access to a few comic book issues that this game is derived from. Its a nice way to fill in the backstory that the game seemingly didnt have time to cultivate.
The game was lacking a little polish and it showed in the story and the occasional bugs that showed up. Its a shame that the story wasnt fleshed out more. There are a couple key elements to the narrative that felt rushed, which compounds itself when major plot points are unceremoniously revealed. Even the games ending feels unsatisfying. There were times when either Jackie or the snake drone (called the Creeping Dark) would get stuck on something, objects would suddenly disappear when they clip against surfaces while being carried by the tentacle, enemy AI would be nonresponsive and certain subquests would reset themselves if you dont wrap them up quickly. For one of the submissions, I postponed it to pick up the main story and I realized later that a plot item that I recieved for the mission was missing. I feel there are also alot of missed gameplay opportunities with the darkness powers that could have been used for environmental puzzles and the like. Theres a handful of instances where you needed to use a specific Darkling or a power to create a path or activate machinery. It would have added a nice change of pace to the game to add more gameplay mechanics like this.
This game is graphically violent and I love it. Close range execution moves, devouring dead enemies hearts to level up, broken exposed bones and a torture scene faintly reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs adds up to an experience thats on par with the Condemned series and Gears of War.
Overall, its an okay game with the potential to be so much more. Given Starbreezes critically acclaimed hit, Escape From Butcher Bay, the game fell short of expectations.
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2008-08-08Wanted to play this game since it dropped - glad I waited.
Gameplay is less than desirable.
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2008-08-04i love this game, my fav, great story, good acting (for a game) and just fun!
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2008-07-21This game is an abomination, and if you even allow children to see it, YOU ARE A BAD, BAD PARENT.
The folks at Starbreeze apparently thought their masterpiece "Riddick" didnt delve deeply enough into inhumanity and depravity; the result is one of the most powerfully negative experiences Ive ever had. This game literally made me feel weird and bad. Not to spoil anything, but, their version of Hell is appropriately a WWI battlefield. Inarguably the worst tragedy humanity has ever visited on itself. Its all a bit too much.
I say these things as a fan of the game (and Mike Patton disciple).
Its kind of like having everything you ever asked for and being horrified by it.
Even in its earlier releases, Starbreeze was an innovator that took chances, pushing the player to make decisions/realizations that seemed almost outside of the context of a videogame. No change here.
The gameplay shines brilliantly as you are forced to learn and think on your feet. The shooting mechanic is superb, and the immersion factor is off the scales. And for those who like a challenge, the game aint easy, even on "Easy." Peppered with surprising humor (for an adult audience) and moments of shock that truly shock, The Darkness is an emotional ride that has pushed possible far beyond what even a veteran gamer might even expect. I truly felt rage towards the end, and literally cried during the final sequence.
If you can look past the long load times between areas and glitchy control of the Creeping Dark, youre in for a gaming experience without equal.
You have been warned.
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2008-06-29game play , story and game style is WOW but graphics wise not good as Bioshok who give a damn a game is so cool and loved
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2008-06-13My son had boughten this game and was very pleased with it - there is a lot of action and fighting in it!
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2008-06-05This is an OK game if you can get it for under $20. Its not very challenging and pretty much tells you what to do every step of the way.
The graphics are cool.
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2008-05-31Well, the same guys who brought you riddick: escape from butcher bay have brought another game that is dark and fun. If your not a fan of the comic, then this is a great game to start with, if you are, even better. Get it!!! Play it!!!
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2008-05-26The darkness is a fun and good game you play as a guy named Jackie who on his twenty first birthday finds himself in a world of trouble with the mafia but fortuently he is helped by a demon that calls itself the darkness. The game has an interesting a long story that seems to put to shame many other fps single player games with three different levels of difficuties. The biggest problem I had with this game was the language. While you could turn off the blood and gore the game dropped the f bomb in almost every sentence. The multiplayer is okay as well but you will probably want to play through the story mostly.
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2008-05-26Ive never read The Darkness comic. I couldnt get past the fact that the character looks like a bad Spawn rip-off and the quote from Brunching Shuttlecocks about the truth behind Dungeons & Dragons: "I attack the darkness!"
The Darkness is essentially every Mafia movie cliché mixed with the brooding atmosphere of The Crow. In fact, the protagonist, Jackie Estacado (Kirk Acevedo), looks and sounds at lot like Michael Wincott, who played Top Dollar in that film. If youve seen The Crow, you know that Wincotts got a very distinctive appearance, with his long black hair, leather overcoat, and hawkish features. In The Darkness, Jackie is affectionately nicknamed Ratface by his girlfriend Jenny Romano (Lauren Ambrose). As you can imagine, having personal connections in a dark game like this is inevitably a liability, but I digress.
The Darkness owes a lot to films like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with random narrative from our hero, outrageous characters, and an uneven mix of action and drama. The first cut scene (created with all in-game graphics) gives a perfect sense of whats to come: lots of cursing, lots of gore, absolutely no respect for authority, and plenty of violence, all taking place in New York. Its the New York of the seventies, when crime and graffiti were rampant and sane people didnt wander out alone by themselves. And youre one of the reasons.
The Darkness is a two-headed demonic symbiont that lives within Jackie and, we discover later, the entire Estacado bloodline. In that respect the game is a lot like Spawn or Venom; the Darkness is a personality as much as it is a thing that augments Jackies considerable gun-fu skills with the ability to create black holes that suck everything into them, whiplash barbed tentacles, magical guns, and snake-like mouths. In the dark, Jackie can summon other demons to do his bidding, which range from kamikaze critters loaded with explosives to gatling-gun wielding warriors.
Jackies opponents have no such superpowers, and its a credit to the games creators that any supernatural monsters you encounter all fit the plot. Theres no inevitable escalation of the villain gaining superpowers to do battle; indeed, the villain behind most of Jackies woes, Uncle Paulie Franchetti (Dwight Schultz) is as much a moral foil as he is an arch-foe. Killing him isnt the point.
The game revolves around the issue of Jackies soul. Mob life is a violent one, and The Darkness contrasts the mythical honor of the "old ways" with the mad-dog frenzy of Franchetti. When Franchetti starts blowing up orphanages, the older mobsters use Jackie as their form of vengeance.
The Darkness uses the New York subway system as its primary means of shuttling Jackie from place to place. This makes a lot of sense and provides a sense of realism to an otherwise route form of travel that bedevils so many first-person shooters. The streets are filled with entertaining characters who all have missions of their own to complete. Two of the most memorable characters include Butcher Joyce (Mike Starr) and Aunt Sarah (Norma Michaels), but there are many more and the voice actors are all superb. Between screens, and there are a lot of load screens, Jackie narrates his life and death to Jenny, which provides a humorous series of quotable anecdotes. These are the first load screens that actually distracted me from the load time.
Despite the age-old Mafia tropes, The Darkness takes the themes explored in The Crow and Spawn and amps them up to eleven, without ever losing focus on sacrifice, violence, and even love. I wasnt entirely convinced that saving Jackies soul was feasible (I earned the anti-hero rating from the game), but the very notion of redemption being possible is a breath of fresh air to the first-person shooter genre.
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2008-05-25With game developers needing to make a good million dollars to turn a profit these days, it becomes riskier and riskier to break away from the typical FPS mold. "The Darkness" tries to break the same repetitive mold in its own innovative and unique way. Does being unique pay off for this sadistic FPS?
Graphics- 7/10. It has been quite a while since "The Darkness" was released, and it really shows. What some thought were the best console graphics yet, looked very bland after only a few short months. The texture work is still pretty good, lighting is used incredibly well, and those two aspects of the game are still top of the line for the XBox 360. However, particle effects are laughable, the game fails miserably at some of the character models, and "The Darklings" you gain as a special power dont look very polished at all. In addition, matching words to lips in the cut-scenes is pathetic. The characters barely open their mouths, and it truly does look just like what you might see from the original XBox. The graphics got great reviews when the game was released, but with games like BioShock, Call of Duty 4, and GTA 4 out now, these graphics just couldnt stand the test of time, and if you are looking to buy this game because the other reviews mention how great the graphics are, dont bother. The graphics shouldnt stop you from buying the game, but you sure would be disappointed if you thought you were getting something great out of them.
Sound- 8/10. Sound throughout the main storyline is superb. For every heart pounding moment, the game has intense heavy metal to match. Bullets sound realistic, and the darklings sound very nice as well. The voice overs are incredibly well done, with Jackie being always interesting to listen to- but I have to say my favorite voice over is the berserker power you get. Its a little demon that helps you out, and if you shoot it responds with, "Im telling mommy"! All of the other characters are also well done, especially Jenny who is Jackies girlfriend, and is obviously played by a talented voice actress.
There is a big problem with the sound, however. During the multiplayer, the same heavy metal that plays in the story plays constantly, only twice as loud. I cant hear other players footsteps at all, and it is the same track of heavy metal over and over and over again.
Fighting System- 8/10. This is where the game tries to be innovative. Instead of just throwing in the same, typical, uninspired set of weapons, it gives you the same, typical, uninspired weapons AND a pair of cool snakes attached to your shoulders. The guns you use are pretty much the norm- a rifle, a SMG, a shotgun, and a pistol. The game also tries to implement some kind of half-hearted lock-on system, but it fails miserably. It might randomly lock on to an enemy, when you clearly are pointing at another enemy, or just not lock on at all. You get the point about the normal weapons, but the real fun is in The Darkness curse you get. You can slither through tight spaces to attack enemies, spawn darklings, which will show you how to get out of an area or just help you out in general, or just go nuts with the Creeping Dark (One of the snakes attached to you) attacking everyone you see- kind of. The hub of the story is in the subway, where you have to travel from place to place to progress the story, but you cannot attack people with the darkling or your normal weapons. Also, the darklings only have one attack, and it can get really, really old using that as many times as you will have to. You level up your powers by eating the hearts of your victims, and it is definitely as bloody as it should be. Rather than give you a ton of new powers though, the game just makes the ones you have better. This gets a ton of bonus points in my eyes, for trying something new besides just the basic weapons. It can be fun attacking people with the darklings, and really, its the only fun thing about the fighting system.
Game play (minus the fighting system)- 6/10. 6/10 is generous in my mind. There is a total lack of cover system here. I mean you can do the basic crouch, but for a game that only requires a few hits for death, you think that they could do a little bit better. Besides that, it can be frustrating using up all of your ammo trying to shoot out the lights in the streets. Your darklings are not as effective when they are in the presence of light, so you have to shoot out the lights on the streets before going on rampages with your demon powers. Even when you do have all the lights shot out, the darkness powers are very difficult to control. At times, they seem to slither in random directions despite your repeated attempts to retract them back to you. If you dont have a flat surface around you, it is definitely a steep learning curve to use them. Also, you can only move at one speed in the game- slow. It can be very annoying trying to get past an enemy to cover while you are walking. It doesnt make any sense to me, and is a HUGE turn off.
Controls- 6/10. The game uses the basic controls you might expect. RT is shoot your weapon, Y is jump, A is action, and B is reload. It is clear how complicated it must have been for the designers trying to find a way to implement the darkness powers easily into the controls, and they found a way. RB and LB both control the darkness, and LB with X allows you to use your creeping dark option. With such a complicated fighting system, you have to call the controls some what of a success, even though no matter how much you tweak the sensitivity, the controls always feel a little loose.
Multiplayer- 5/10. Typical, uninspired multiplayer. You get the basic Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Survivor games. You can customize the games a fair amount including Time Limits, One Hit Kills, and Randomize Weapons, but all of these should be expected in the game. The map pack you get is VERY boring. Basically, it is a series of hallways that you barely notice while you look for enemies. Sorry guys, not as good as Halo. Of course, the game implements the darkness powers into the multiplayer in the form of "shape shifting", meaning that you can turn from a human to a darkling at will in certain games, but again, darklings can be very hard to control and humans are just plain boring to play. Most of the time, you respawn in the same area, so the enemy can just stand and wait for you to re-spawn, and then take you out with one shot, usually. Of course, all of this is totally irrelevant if there is no one to play. Ive been online where there are only a few groups of people playing, and at times, I havent been able to get a match at all. The multiplayer was just thrown-in to add a little more replay value to the game. Well, it doesnt add much.
Story- 9/10. Based on a series of comics and graphics novels, the story just oozes cool. You play as Jackie Estacado, who was a hitman for a crime family, but on Jackies 21st birthday a powerful force known as "The Darkness" awakens within you. The crime familys "Don" whom you are a hitman for is not happy with the fact you have disagreed with the way he does business, and he has a hit put out on you. With your newly inherited powers, you have to take out your former family. The story has abundant interesting and intense moments, and always keeps moving forward with many different plot changes. You get to play through Manhattan, Chinatown, and even Hell, where your curse originated. The game also tries to be somewhat of a free roaming game with other areas to visit inside New York, but none of them are really worth the effort. In addition, the game throws in random side quests throughout New York, but again, none of them are worth your time or effort. The story is always slick, even in the loading screens where Jackie tells a story about his life, friends, and former family. The reason I was so pleased with the story is the fact that it just keeps moving along. Some games just try to drag out levels for much longer than necessary, but with The Darkness you will always feel like you are doing something new. If you are a fan of the comics or not, you will probably enjoy the story quite a bit. Though it is not super long (I found it to be about 10 hours), it packs quite a punch, and you will be left wanting more.
Much can be said about The Darkness. You might call it innovative, ambitious, sloppy, or a Mafioso mess. Moreover, while it may be all of the above, The Darkness definitely brings something new to the table, and if you are tired of the same old FPS, you will really enjoy this game. I give it an 8.3/10.
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2008-05-22I will keep this short and sweet. Pretty darn good solid game and the story was pretty cool. Definately would recommend specially at the used price. And you dont have to have read the comics.
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2008-05-18This is an absolute steal at 20 dollars and I would recommend this game to anyone. Not many games are on the same level as this one when it comes to level of destruction. The story mode is excellent clocking in at around 10 hours whihc isnt bad for a first person shooter. Youll find yourself playing this one again, or I did anyways. The multiplayer is the weak link however, it just isnt fun for me. Its a very weak attempt at multiplayer platforming, it is nowhere near some of the other powerhouse multiplayers. Overall this is a great game for this general price, and I would recommend this title to anyone.
Overall 8.0-8.5
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2008-04-01The Xbox 360 has brought in a new era of roleplaying/shooter crossovers, which offer the deeper story and flexible character development of RPGs with more first or third person action to spice up the combats. Most of these games offer a "casual" or "easy" difficulty setting so RPG players can enjoy them too.
The best of these products, like Mass Effect really deliver on this promise. The stories are engaging and compelling; the player has real choice in how to develop the character(s), and the combat gains the adrenaline rush of a shooter without necessarily requiring the reflexes of a long-time shooter player or a teenager on Jolt to play.
Sadly, The Darkness may look like one of these games but it is not. The gameplay is entirely linear, without even a nod to real choices. On a typical map you face a sequence of combats and single-solution puzzles and dont even have much choice in the order you encounter them; on some of the maps attempting to deviate from the preplanned course will just get you "killed" in punishment, forcing you to restart from the last programmed point you successfully satisfied.
Compared even to story-driven shooters like BioShock, this is terribly disappointing, and the game has zero replay value. Compared to early efforts like Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition or polished modern games like Mass Effect, this is not a game - its a movie where you are forced to use the controller and earn progress.
Yet for all of that, this game is not a total loss. The visuals are good, and combine with the sounds to be evocative and visceral. The body animations are reasonably rendered even if the characters mouths rarely move when they talk. The overstereotypical New York mobster dialog and voice acting is amusing, and delivered with a sense of humor to make it fun rather than trite.
While I doubt this game will ever be remembered as seminal, or even remembered in a few years, it is not a total waste. Given that it can be found used, played, and then resold its probably worth your time to play.
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2008-03-31keyword: Boring.
graphics: great.
about as repetitive as assassins creed.
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2008-03-30I really like the plot in this game. I have read the comics which makes the game play even better.
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2008-03-05The game had amazing visual along with a captivating story. It plays like your usual first person shooter except you get the perk of having different Darkness powers which put a whole new twist on the genre. Coming from the makers of Bioshock you should know you are getting a quality game.
The one gripe I do have about the game is the overall movement of your character. He seems to move a lot slower then other first person shooters so it took a little getting used to. It made it a little harder to run and gun, if you get into trouble running away wasnt easy. The powers would cover you for the most part but it was just something I wasnt too happy with.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this to others. Of one note, the language in this game is very adult. You may not want to buy this game for children under 16 or so.
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2008-03-01I enjoyed the game very much. The graphics are very good and the gameplay was consistently entertaining. Considering you can get the game for under 20 bucks, I think its an awesome deal and I highly recommend it.
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2008-02-17Great story and great game play, though i didnt care for the aiming in the game. the powers were cool and like i said really good story just not a good game as far as replay value goes.
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2008-01-20 Although I personally can only play this game for 30-60 minutes at a time without getting motion sick, the "graphics"- emphasis on the word "graphic" -are sick, as is the game- literally! I mean, name one other game where you can run around as a former mobster who came back from the dead with submachine guns, commanding the legions of hell to spring forth from the ground- complete with combat helmets and chain guns -and have demon-like serpents spring forth from ones shoulders to "Devour Heart", using the "A" button?! AND THEY SHOW IT. NASTEEEEY!!!! Give it a shot, but take your dramamine for this motion sickness-inducing game.
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2008-01-01I enjoyed the demo a little, but not to really make me want the game REALLY bad. Found this one sale, and figured I would give it another chance, and I didnt get really all that much farther than I did with the demo.
Some nice visuals, but I couldnt really get into it otherwise.
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2007-12-29While some game flaws kept this game from being great. It is fun to wreak havic with Darklings and the dark powers but controls are not that great. But there is a lot here to enjoy as well, and I got the game for 19.99 so it was well worth the pick up. So I suggest you check it out and I think you will enjoy it.
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2007-12-28I bought this game for my son. He beat it easily so now it just sits. I hated that I paid so much for so little.
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2007-12-28While some game flaws kept this game from being great. It is fun to wreak havic with Darklings and the dark powers but controls are not that great. But there is a lot here to enjoy as well, and I got the game for 19.99 so it was well worth the pick up. So I suggest you check it out and I think you will enjoy it.
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2007-12-24Clunky controls, bad interface, boring story, one dimensional stereotypical characters. Nothing about this game is compelling or original. Is this the best the gaming industry has to offer?
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2007-12-23In a year completely saturated with incredible first person shooters, The Darkness falls short as a very bland title with little to offer. The mechanics and graphics are good, but nothing revolutionary or even unique. Basically, the gimmick of this game is that you are a man exiled by the mafia who can control demons. A novel concept, but it is more burdensome than useful. You will constantly be shooting out light bulbs to use these abilities which is not very entertaining. The A.I. is sub-par as is the convoluted story line. Level design and enemies are very mundane: a clear sign that more money was spent advertising on this game than making it. The box shots may look great, but do not buy this game for somebody unless you hate them. Games like BioShock, Call of Duty 4, and Halo are far greater values for the money.
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2007-12-18the darkness is a pretty cool game for some one who doesnt know anything about the comic
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2007-12-17I played this game and it can be very aggravating waiting for all the cut scenes when loading a new area of the game. This occur hundreds of times. Other than that, the game has a nice mobster vibe to it and is definitely a nice shooter. Very similar to Bullet Witch due to the extra abilities.
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2007-12-17I liked the game; especially the darkness powers and the creatures you could summon (especially urinating on corpses and the jestures) but it was lacking in the story department, I really didnt care about the mafia parts but I have to say the game is fairly original and worth checking out.
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2007-12-14Ive only played through about maybe half the game, and although the gameplay is a little quirky, the story and visual style of the game are incredible. The voice acting is great, and really reminds you of those New York gansters with their no-BS, trash talking attitude. Definitely not for the younger kids! But definite fun for the rest!
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2007-12-14Awesome theme / mechanics / ideas. If you like eating hearts and summoning the dark forces. I think storylines (in general) are overrated. This has too many breaks and jumping around. The mob angle doesnt fit.
If you like DARK horrific themes u cant go wrong
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2007-12-10Forget about Doom, Gears of War, and Grand Theft Auto. If you want a game whos language and violence make the most of their "M" rating then youve found it in The Darkness. I enjoy all types of games. Generally, I pay little attention to the violence and language in a particular game because I see the evolution of video games much the same as movies. Their are ratings for a reason. But The Darkness takes it to the next level. Are all "M" rated games the same? Not unless "Fracture" and "Resevoir Dogs" are the same. So if youre squeemish, you might want to pass.
All that aside, this was a very good game. The controls are good, the graphics are solid, and the story is inventive and tight. The whole going back in time thing is hokey but otherwise its a solid buy for fans of the shooter genre that want something a little different and dont mind ripping a guys heart out and eating it.
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2007-12-05What game doesnt look good now on the next gen consoles? Sure, this looks pretty sweet and has some nice supernatural features. The gunplay is pretty average here, and it seems like the whole game was talk to people, take the subway, kill some people. Repeat. Maybe because I am not into the comicbook this was loosely based on, I missed some of the enjoyment. There were some fun portions in this game, but sometimes objectives seemed unclear and the level design questionable(where am I supposed to go?). The game controls fine and has no major problems, but just seemed very average to me. In fact, near the end I was just waiting for it to be over so I could move onto something better. But it sure looks purty.
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2007-11-28Got this game because I downloaded the demo. If you want to play something new with special themes get this! It is way better than BulletWitch, so if you like the dark gothic scene and first shooters get this! It has some nice artwork and the storyline is good! Better than Bioshock, but got this on Amazon with Bioshock for $49. Thanks Amazon for the deals, keeep them coming!
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2007-11-24 This game was a satisfying FPS but I was somewhat disappointed by it. I love the action, the gore of eating someones face or heart, the good graphics, and cool darkling sidekicks. This game will get your blood pumping during intense gun battles like the one against the police and SWAT team in the beginning at the butcher shop. It also has RPG elements and achievements are pretty easy to get, like I got one for just staying at the apartment of the protagonists girlfriend to which it was called "romantic". The enemies are also creepy along with the environments like the Purgatory version of a World War I battlefield. The problems however include issues with controls, like when I wanted my darkling to bite off an enemys face he ended up going under the enemys feet, or when Id want it to turn a corner it would slither up the wall instead, there is also a lot of talking, and the shotgun is pathetic. You wont notice these problems when youre investigating your past, killing creepy enemies, and seeking revenge.
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2007-11-23 This game was a satisfying FPS but I was somewhat disappointed by it. I love the action, the gore of eating someones face or heart, the good graphics, and cool darkling sidekicks. This game will get your blood pumping during intense gun battles like the one against the police and SWAT team in the beginning at the butcher shop. It also has RPG elements and achievements are pretty easy to get, like I got one for just staying at the apartment of the protagonists girlfriend to which it was called "romantic". The enemies are also creepy along with the environments like the Purgatory version of a World War I battlefield. The problems however include issues with controls, like when I wanted my darkling to bite off an enemys face he ended up going under the enemys feet, or when Id want it to turn a corner it would slither up the wall instead, there is also a lot of talking, and the shotgun is pathetic. You wont notice these problems when youre investigating your past, killing creepy enemies, and seeking revenge.
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2007-10-26I really enjoyed this game. It felt like I was inside a movie. There was a plot. There was a definite storyline with a begining, middle, and end. Youre introduced to the character, you discover his motives, what makes him tick. You get wrapped into the opposing forces, you care about him, you want to help him. You follow along in the peaks and valleys of this moment in his life. You come up to the end, you dont have a choice, you have to go through with it even though its not the best decision for him. And then the story is wrapped up and its over. Except, instead of spending $20 on a 1.5 hour movie in a theater with sticky floors, crying kids, and crappy food you spend $50 (or less if you rent it) and get 10 hours of entertainment in your own home with hopefully cleaner floors, better food, and no crying kids (unless your at my house).
Gameplay was good, probably the best way of handling loading Ive ever seen, an excellent story, and top notch voice acting. I think those whove given it lower votes probably are anxious teenagers with no love of a good story. Theyre just wanting a game thats kill kill kill with no motive or substance. This game has plenty of motive and substance and if thats something your looking for a game, then this is the game your looking for.
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2007-10-26Im torn with this game because when I have fun with it I have a lot of fun, when Im frustrated Im very frustrated.
Pros:
-Lots of great execution moves
-Strategy plays a huge role
-The Darklings are a cool feature/tool
-I, personally, enjoy FPS.
Cons:
-I played pretty much the entire game using creeping dark. This made it VERY easy. I didnt have to use it, granted, but when it sweeps through the tricky parts without getting killed why wouldnt you? Then once you devour a heart you can go far, so far in fact that the game keeps getting stuck and freaking out; going black and not responding to my controls. You cant make something possible, if not easily available, and then make the game go buggy.
-Another frustration is the one track story. You have one way and only one way the situations are supposed to play out; this is a royal pain in the butt with the auto-save. Youll battle through a ton of enemies get to the plot crux, oops you tried to do something other than the designated path, even if you stay clear of the danger, youre now dead and must start back way before those baddies you just fought.
-There were times the controls, particularly during creeping dark, made me want to poke out my eyes.
This is the sort of game that was fun while I played it but am equally excited to trade in. Unless youre super-jazzed about it, buy it cheap and used.
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2007-10-25I bought this game recently, used, for a bare bones price because I saw that it was a 2K Games release and I recently played through 2K Games Bioshock (Which I also recommend). The storyline, characters, and overall gameplay for this title amazed me. Why didnt this get more media attention when it was released?
However, definitely not a title youd want to buy for your 12 year old kid. If any game requires a Mature rating, its this one. Not to say that its so entirely vulgar that its too much to play. It provides an awesome storyline, presenting tragedy in the form of Jackie Estacados girlfriend Jenny. You wont regret making this buy.
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2007-10-25I really enjoyed this game. It felt like I was inside a movie. There was a plot. There was a definite storyline with a begining, middle, and end. Youre introduced to the character, you discover his motives, what makes him tick. You get wrapped into the opposing forces, you care about him, you want to help him. You follow along in the peaks and valleys of this moment in his life. You come up to the end, you dont have a choice, you have to go through with it even though its not the best decision for him. And then the story is wrapped up and its over. Except, instead of spending $20 on a 1.5 hour movie in a theater with sticky floors, crying kids, and crappy food you spend $50 (or less if you rent it) and get 10 hours of entertainment in your own home with hopefully cleaner floors, better food, and no crying kids (unless your at my house).
Gameplay was good, probably the best way of handling loading Ive ever seen, an excellent story, and top notch voice acting. I think those whove given it lower votes probably are anxious teenagers with no love of a good story. Theyre just wanting a game thats kill kill kill with no motive or substance. This game has plenty of motive and substance and if thats something your looking for a game, then this is the game your looking for.
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2007-10-24I bought this game recently, used, for a bare bones price because I saw that it was a 2K Games release and I recently played through 2K Games Bioshock (Which I also recommend). The storyline, characters, and overall gameplay for this title amazed me. Why didnt this get more media attention when it was released?
However, definitely not a title youd want to buy for your 12 year old kid. If any game requires a Mature rating, its this one. Not to say that its so entirely vulgar that its too much to play. It provides an awesome storyline, presenting tragedy in the form of Jackie Estacados girlfriend Jenny. You wont regret making this buy.
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2007-10-17the game is very fun and for anyone who dosent mind lots of heart eating violence the controls could have a little more flexibility but overall its a reaally enjoyable game.
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2007-09-25I have a feeling that The Darkness needed about 6 more months of play-testing and bug fixing. This game comes from the development studio that made the excellent Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay so I know they have the potential to do much better. The gameplay idea, graphics and storyline are really good but everything else was poorly or not fully executed. You spend the first part of the game starving for ammo, yet you are required to shoot out the many, many light sources in the game. Early on you can control an eel-like dark tentacle to perform stealth-kills and solve simple environmental puzzles yet too often the darn eel drives like a bus, refuses to bite an enemy and disorients you by climbing up walls. The main reason to destroy light sources in the game is because the light drains your Darkness power, yet you have no way of knowing how much Darkness power you have at any given time (same for your regenerating health) and you will often have your powers drained unexpectedly at the worst times. Another major fault lies with the targeting system and poor hit detection. There are plenty of glitches where you are clearly hitting an enemy or light source yet the game does not accurate detect the hit. There is also a problem with your aiming snapping to light sources - there are many in the game and this makes it even harder to register a hit on an enemy when your reticule keeps moving to a nearby light. Later, you gain a power that helps you snuff out lights but it is also a hit or miss affair. Its hard to feel like a dangerous, possessed hit man when you cant even knock out a light with your flailing tentacle. Also, there are many situations in the game where you will be unexpectedly killed with no feedback given to let you know what you did wrong, tell you if you are damaging an enemy, or to provide you with any clue as to what you should be doing. Overall, this is a game with an enjoyable story and graphics if you can get past the frustration and lack of fun in the gameplay. I give this game credit, at least, that I was motivated to suffer through the glitches in order to finish the story. One thing that strikes me as strange, though, is that the main character never shows any surprise or shock about being possessed? He hardly acknowledges this major development.
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2007-09-18 Well i am here to say that i just finished The Darkness and i am impressed beyond words....... Never have i played a game where i couldnt put down the controller until now. I for one feel this game is ground breaking in its gameplay, presentation, and originality. 2K has out did them selves, once again. There also seems to be a lot of dissent between gamers that liked this title versus gamers that thought it was less than stellar. If you have been looking for a game that has something untried/new before now then you owe it to yourself to buy or at least rent this game, go ahead give it a try. If you follow the advise of the nay-sayers and follow the huge herd of sheep playing the same old tried and true cookie cutter games that have been rehashed a 100 dozen times with a 100 dozen different titles with the same generic hack and slash/wham bam thank you mam type game play then steer clear of this game, its groundbreaking visuals and indepth game play will overwhelm you. And sadly my friends you will not know what you have missed.
The most excellent part, this is my opinion, was after witnessing the murder of your girl Genny. You turn around, look in a mirror, pull out your weapon and do your self...NOT!. You wake up in a hellish world still alive with the darkness telling you that you do not belong here, "here" is a W.W.1 battle field replete with trenches, Huns (Germans) and you. The world is dark with a blood color sky, when viewable through the clouds, you are behind enemy lines trying to complete a series of mini missions which will lead you to no mans land and eventually to the British, Canadians, Australians, and whom ever else make up this world of disbelief lines. Once your at the village take your time, look around, read the posters on the bombed out ruins of buildings, likewise in the beginning of the game, read the tomb stones, very beleiveable and chilling to say the least. The ambient mood of the game, the dark humor, the possession of your will and soul as well as the original score completes the overall package, but dont take my word for it, check it out yourself, you will be glad you did. I am a 49 year old gamer, i have played video games all my life back when mechanical pin-ball was the rage. Then we got Pong for Christmas, next Nintendo, and its been game on ever since and will be until i die. So with that being said i wouldnt steer you wrong, money is to hard to come by these days to foolishly waste it, so take my advise and rent it first, if it aint the best thing since sliced bread then take it back, no foul no harm. Remember, this is the same publisher (2K) that put out the critically acclaimed Bio Shock and we all know how freakin great that ride was. So .........GAME ON. Thanks.
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2007-09-17 Well i am here to say that i just finished The Darkness and i am impressed beyond words....... Never have i played a game where i couldnt put down the controller until now. I for one feel this game is ground breaking in its gameplay, presentation, and originality. 2K has out did them selves, once again. There also seems to be a lot of dissent between gamers that liked this title versus gamers that thought it was less than stellar. If you have been looking for a game that has something untried/new before now then you owe it to yourself to buy or at least rent this game, go ahead give it a try. If you follow the advise of the nay-sayers and follow the huge herd of sheep playing the same old tried and true cookie cutter games that have been rehashed a 100 dozen times with a 100 dozen different titles with the same generic hack and slash/wham bam thank you mam type game play then steer clear of this game, its groundbreaking visuals and indepth game play will overwhelm you. And sadly my friends you will not know what you have missed.
The most excellent part, this is my opinion, was after witnessing the murder of your girl Genny. You turn around, look in a mirror, pull out your weapon and do your self...NOT!. You wake up in a hellish world still alive with the darkness telling you that you do not belong here, "here" is a W.W.1 battle field replete with trenches, Huns (Germans) and you. The world is dark with a blood color sky, when viewable through the clouds, you are behind enemy lines trying to complete a series of mini missions which will lead you to no mans land and eventually to the British, Canadians, Australians, and whom ever else make up this world of disbelief lines. Once your at the village take your time, look around, read the posters on the bombed out ruins of buildings, likewise in the beginning of the game, read the tomb stones, very beleiveable and chilling to say the least. The ambient mood of the game, the dark humor, the possession of your will and soul as well as the original score completes the overall package, but dont take my word for it, check it out yourself, you will be glad you did. I am a 49 year old gamer, i have played video games all my life back when mechanical pin-ball was the rage. Then we got Pong for Christmas, next Nintendo, and its been game on ever since and will be until i die. So with that being said i wouldnt steer you wrong, money is to hard to come by these days to foolishly waste it, so take my advise and rent it first, if it aint the best thing since sliced bread then take it back, no foul no harm. Remember, this is the same publisher (2K) that put out the critically acclaimed Bio Shock and we all know how freakin great that ride was. So .........GAME ON. Thanks.
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2007-09-01I loved this game. I was unhappy with the 8s it was getting in the press, especially from those reviewers that didnt seem to understand "why ya gotta knock out all the lights all the time" in The Darkness. Gee I dont know...I wonder why in a game called The Darkness that you have to be in the darkness to do stuff. Huh. Go figure...
Good
- voice acting (professional actors, plus Mike Patton)
- good story
- animation (especially the darkness tentacles). Tearing peoples hearts out is simply cool.
- competent shooter
- the hands in the FPS aspect of the game move differently that other FPS...it has its own FPS style.
- no HUD means enjoy the beauty
- Strarbreeze is a good engine; its good to have something else out there besides Unreal Engine.
- unexpected Hell levels. Very very cool.
- interactive TVs you can watch in the game (its a little known fact that the blu-ray has 10gb more of non-exclusive content here than the xbox DVD9 - which offends me as an xbox owner).
Mediocre
- Friendly AI doesnt necessarily always shoot straight
Bad
- As with Starbreezes last excellent title (Butcher Bay), it has a VERY BAD BUG THAT NEEDS TO BE PATCHED. At the time I played it, I got half-way through the game, and HAD TO RESTART FROM THE BEGINNING because of a glitch. This happened to all kinds of people in the xbox forum. It is inexcusable for a title that has so few side missions which are small and uncomplicated for this to happen! Bad game testing!!! This is my only criticism of the game. Similar thing happened in Butcher Bay - it lets you get significantly far into the game without forcing you to obtain a weapon that you WILL NEED in further levels forcing you to restart. BAD BAD BAD! I must say that NONE OF THE PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS MENTION THIS BUG!!! They criticize it for really stupid things, like the fact that you have to knock out the lights! Hilary Goldstein (a guy with a girls name) from IGN should be FIRED! He didnt understand the story. Whats not to understand???
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2007-09-01While I am a fan of both The Darkness and FPSes, but this game does neither very well. For an X360 game it isnt very polished. It feels more like an XBox original game, and while the story is decent, there are glitches. For example, while your walking across the dead area, you keep getting caught on nothing, over and over you get stuck on nothing and the goblins, dont get me started on how stupid the goblin AI is.
One of my main disappointments is the goblins. The goblins AI isnt even as smart as the goblin AI in the game Overlord, although are sometimes useful when they have to be, but often the storyline seems to come up with excuses to use them. Most of the time they are used as cannon fodder or a distraction, but rarely do they ever do something that you shouldnt be able to do with your powers, or better yet, with your hands.
As the game progresses you get powers, but the game limits how and when you can use them, which is VERY frustrating. For example, you can use the dark arms to pick up cars, but you cant use them to smash down a flimsy wooden door.
I WAS really excited to play this game...emphasis on the was...=/
On:
2007-08-31I loved this game. I was unhappy with the 8s it was getting in the press, especially from those reviewers that didnt seem to understand "why ya gotta knock out all the lights all the time" in The Darkness. Gee I dont know...I wonder why in a game called The Darkness that you have to be in the darkness to do stuff. Huh. Go figure...
Good
- voice acting (professional actors, plus Mike Patton)
- good story
- animation (especially the darkness tentacles). Tearing peoples hearts out is simply cool.
- competent shooter
- the hands in the FPS aspect of the game move differently that other FPS...it has its own FPS style.
- no HUD means enjoy the beauty
- Strarbreeze is a good engine; its good to have something else out there besides Unreal Engine.
- unexpected Hell levels. Very very cool.
- interactive TVs you can watch in the game (its a little known fact that the blu-ray has 10gb more of non-exclusive content here than the xbox DVD9 - which offends me as an xbox owner).
Mediocre
- Friendly AI doesnt necessarily always shoot straight
Bad
- As with Starbreezes last excellent title (Butcher Bay), it has a VERY BAD BUG THAT NEEDS TO BE PATCHED. At the time I played it, I got half-way through the game, and HAD TO RESTART FROM THE BEGINNING because of a glitch. This happened to all kinds of people in the xbox forum. It is inexcusable for a title that has so few side missions which are small and uncomplicated for this to happen! Bad game testing!!! This is my only criticism of the game. Similar thing happened in Butcher Bay - it lets you get significantly far into the game without forcing you to obtain a weapon that you WILL NEED in further levels forcing you to restart. BAD BAD BAD! I must say that NONE OF THE PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS MENTION THIS BUG!!! They criticize it for really stupid things, like the fact that you have to knock out the lights! Hilary Goldstein (a guy with a girls name) from IGN should be FIRED! He didnt understand the story. Whats not to understand???
On:
2007-08-31While I am a fan of both The Darkness and FPSes, but this game does neither very well. For an X360 game it isnt very polished. It feels more like an XBox original game, and while the story is decent, there are glitches. For example, while your walking across the dead area, you keep getting caught on nothing, over and over you get stuck on nothing and the goblins, dont get me started on how stupid the goblin AI is.
One of my main disappointments is the goblins. The goblins AI isnt even as smart as the goblin AI in the game Overlord, although are sometimes useful when they have to be, but often the storyline seems to come up with excuses to use them. Most of the time they are used as cannon fodder or a distraction, but rarely do they ever do something that you shouldnt be able to do with your powers, or better yet, with your hands.
As the game progresses you get powers, but the game limits how and when you can use them, which is VERY frustrating. For example, you can use the dark arms to pick up cars, but you cant use them to smash down a flimsy wooden door.
I WAS really excited to play this game...emphasis on the was...=/
On:
2007-08-28Hello, I love this game. I never usally beat games I own. I start doing something else and never really get into them again, but I will have this beat later on today. This game is really fun. It has a good story. Good graphics. Good controls and a cool thing called "Darkness." This allows you to make demons come from your body for all kinds of things. Somethimes you need to stick one through a small hole to unlock a door. Sometimes you may need one to go and shoot or attack you enemies. You will go to hell and back through this game. When you start to find out more about why you have the Darkness you get even more sucked into the game. This game is not linear at all. You can just go to the sub way, hop on a train and go to wherever you wish. I must say, buy this game,this and Bioshock.(see my review on amazon) I feel like I 164% got my moneys worth with this game. Im pretty sure everyone will feel this way. The only thing that gets annoying are the cut scenes. When you do certin things cut scenes come on. They are ALWAYS the same. You will probably get sick of hearing them. But do not fret, after like 10 seconds you can hit B and skip them. So its cool.
by:
chip1978 On:
2007-08-27The Darkness is one of those hyped up games that fails to deliver. Its (yet another) first person shooter (FPS) set in New York and the alternate reality of the Darkness - a demon which posses your character at the start of the story.
Theres a lot that this game does have going for it - the facial graphics are really outstanding. The levels designed in the hellish alternate reality of the demon are really nightmarish. Theyre a tad cliche, but well executed and I never was bored looking around in those levels. Some of the kills (using your "demon arm") are strangly satisfying; although the standard "executions" are very poorly animated and just look plain silly.
The gameplay is very standard for a FPS. As many reviewers have noted, there are a variety of weapons; but theres rarely any reason to use any weapon other than your dual pistols. The AI is nothing special and will generally let you hide and recoup your health and simply stand its position and let you pick them off one at a time. Since your powers depend on darkness; much of the game is spent shooting out lights. Annoyingly, there are very few light switches to simply turn off the lights.
The multiplayer on Xbox live lags something awful. If you manage to spend more than a few minutes online, your patience is greater than mine. This feature was probably tacked on last minute and adds nothing to the games value.
The worst part of this game is the way you have to travel from level to level. You travel between parts of town (most often) via subway. In the subway, you cannot kill or be killed; and its mostly there to get you from one point to another and occasionaly move the plot. The problem is that, often, youll complete a mission, then go back to the subway, then have to travel to another subway station, and then go to a new level - and god help you if you take the wrong subway or get off on the wrong platform. Each time you move from level to level theres about a minute or two loading. The point is, after you complete a mission, it can be five or ten minutes before youre back shooting stuff up. The pacing is maddening.
This game wasnt bad for renting. The story is mildly interesting and some of the gameplay was OK. But this game will soon be eclipsed by other games and I seriously doubt anyone will be playing this game in six months.
On:
2007-08-25XPlay gave this game a horrible rating. Complained how the aiming was done wrong, how some of the missions were based on the first person template and a poorly done story.
Thankfully I only watched that review after I bought it, played it, beat it, and was on my way to pick up all the side quests. Thankfully.
This game is a lot of fun to play and a story that did not let itself to be known until it was all over. The main characters voice, I felt, was all wrong but did not distract from the fun.
During load sequences he talks about the story, the other characters you meet, amusing anecdotes, or just shows him wandering around or his guns. The timing was great since once his story was over, so was the loading time.
Not the greatest game of all time, but it does happen to be a lot of fun.
On:
2007-08-23If you enjoy being evil and commanding two evil snake-like creatures to kill and eat hearts, then you may enjoy this game. More evil than Overlord, just so you know.
On:
2007-08-23... except in multi-player.
Die Single Player Campaign of The Darkness was quite enjoyable. When I bought the game I was wondering if the two demon arms would become annoying, being constantly in view, but actually, the developers did a pretty good job with their use and placement.
The city areas are fairly small, connected by a subway hub. While the buildings etc look pretty good, the streets are mostly dead. If something moves, theres a 95% chance you have to kill it. There is not much life going on.
The missions are straight forward, except a few collectables that you will never find, unless you use an online guide. However, you can finish the game without them.
For the completionist and the multi-player achievements on 360, you will have a hard time. Its not so much fun chasing down all the achievements. Especially in the painful multi-player. Its one of the laggiest games ever. For the last achievement, you need to be on the winning team in 250 multiplayer matches, which is simply excruciating, giving the painful experience.
And for some reason, I was at 55% of completion for the last achievement, when all of a sudden, it went back to 40%. I havent played it since.
The single-player campaign was fun, but forget about multi-player. They had a pretty good concept, but the execution is beyond flawed.
Henning Thiel
On:
2007-08-20The Darkness - Circa 2007
GOOD:
- Unique "Darkness" powers and give you the abilities like sending out a tentacle creature that can stealth kill your enemies, Stab people/objects with another type of Shadow Tentacle, create black hole vortex that sucks up everything in its path and spits it back out, use demonic looking guns that shoot Lighting & Thunder (which are also fueled by the shadows around you) and even summon four different types Minions to do your bidding.
- Watch TV, the TVs in the game play real movies, cartoons, and music videos and you can even change the channel too.
- Its not all shooting, in this game you come to claim points where you can interact with non combat characters in a open ended (go almost to any part of the game at any time) version of New York City. In these parts of the game you can meet and talk (but mostly do favors) for the citizens of NYC or just be a jerk and kill them.
- Great voice acting.
- Graphics look good (for 2007) and animations are fairly smooth as well.
BAD:
- Shooting/knocking out lights while unique in the first hour of gameplay or becomes more of a choir and distraction as the game progress.
- Some people might find the story of the game disjointed and cliché.
- Some times the Darkness powers dont seem to work the way you want or need in a situation, example The Darkling (your minions) have very simple A.I. and seem almost useless in some situations by not attacking enemies or running head long into bright areas (where they die instantly), and the Darkness Guns which act like traditional guns have no real value next your standard guns, outside of the fact that they have unlimited ammo and no reloading in the dark (also note they have no ammo in the light).
- The online gameplay feels tacked on and is glitchly, unless a patch comes out for it I would say stay away from the multiplayer option of this title.
IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- A decent range and Varity of your standard issue First Person Shoot type of guns, with Shotgun, Duel pistols/SMGs and M16 types.
- The aiming sight in the game is just a simple red dot, which while it frees up space on your screen a few people might find it difficult to aim with.
- The lack of a true or traditional HUD (Heads up Display for health/power meter and such) can make the game confusing and difficult to some.
- Being in the light makes your Darkness powers very weak or even not available (in bright light), so youre going to spend lots of time seeking out shadows in order to use your powers and get the most out of this game.
- Its not all in the streets of NYC; some parts of the game take place in a dream world that looks like a hell version of World War 1.
- This game is for adults or mature gamers as most of the dialog is full of foul words and the content of this game can be pretty gory, for example your dark tentacles eat human hearts (they show them ripping the hearts out of your slain enemies chests and chewing them up, not joking) to gain new power, and also getting close to any enemy with your guns drawn and shooting them up close will make the game go into an animation where you (pretty violently) execute the your enemy (examples are shots fired into an enemies leg followed by a shots to the head).
GAME ITS MOST ASSOCIATED TOO:
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butchers Bay (Xbox & PC)
- F.E.A.R. (PC, 360, PS3)
- Prey (360)
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- A demo of this game is available on Xbox Live Marketplace.
- This game is based on the comic book of the same name (the comic and story is similar to Witch Blade comics).
- This game was made by Star Breeze Studios, which also made The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butchers Bay.
- This game is banned in Singapore and heavily modified in Germany
- It is possible to watch the entire film of To Kill a Mocking Bird in this game by watching the in-game television.
- Mike Patton of the Rock Band Faith No More did the voice for the Darkness (with little to no help with voice editing).
- This game is also on Sonys PS3
On:
2007-08-19Starbreeze has an impressive resume entry with Chronicles of Riddick (...and Im looking forward to the upcoming re-make), and I was looking for the same type of strong characters, story, unique gameplay, and unique environments. The Darknees provided much of this but felt somewhat lacking. The Darkness attacks, while fun, were somewhat stunted with the difficult to control main attack (the snake thing). From the previews, I was getting excited about throwing cars at things and causing satisfying havoc. It turned out that you could pick up cars, but you couldnt really expect to do much with them. Shooting out the lights, while a fun dynamic in things like Splinter Cell, became redundant. When all the lights were out, the Darkness seemed to randomly help you out with seeing fairly well while other times you couldnt see much of anything.
On the good side, Mike Patton was excellent in the game. Additionally, the story was entertaining and I enjoyed the messed up WWI-type areas. The graphics were mostly good and the sound was fairly entertaining.
Riding in the car at the beginning of the game was also confusing and felt poorly done. All of the rail-shooting parts of the game felt tacked on and unsatisfying.
I do enjoy playing this game and hope that they can improve if a sequel is considered.
On:
2007-08-18Starbreeze has an impressive resume entry with Chronicles of Riddick (...and Im looking forward to the upcoming re-make), and I was looking for the same type of strong characters, story, unique gameplay, and unique environments. The Darknees provided much of this but felt somewhat lacking. The Darkness attacks, while fun, were somewhat stunted with the difficult to control main attack (the snake thing). From the previews, I was getting excited about throwing cars at things and causing satisfying havoc. It turned out that you could pick up cars, but you couldnt really expect to do much with them. Shooting out the lights, while a fun dynamic in things like Splinter Cell, became redundant. When all the lights were out, the Darkness seemed to randomly help you out with seeing fairly well while other times you couldnt see much of anything.
On the good side, Mike Patton was excellent in the game. Additionally, the story was entertaining and I enjoyed the messed up WWI-type areas. The graphics were mostly good and the sound was fairly entertaining.
Riding in the car at the beginning of the game was also confusing and felt poorly done. All of the rail-shooting parts of the game felt tacked on and unsatisfying.
I do enjoy playing this game and hope that they can improve if a sequel is considered.
On:
2007-08-14Great lighting,excellent controls and engaging story.Well worth the price of admission. The story line is saprisingly fleshed out.Seemed to be about 15 to 18 hours on the hardest dificulty in the single player portion.
Accually controling an evil entity was interesting.And as long as you can keep the lights out or stay in the shadows you are shockingly powerful.
On:
2007-08-13Great lighting,excellent controls and engaging story.Well worth the price of admission. The story line is saprisingly fleshed out.Seemed to be about 15 to 18 hours on the hardest dificulty in the single player portion.
Accually controling an evil entity was interesting.And as long as you can keep the lights out or stay in the shadows you are shockingly powerful.
On:
2007-08-10This game was fantastically eerie, dark and totally captivating both in content and visual impact. Try playing it with the lights off! And just as much fun with others in the same room watching you go through the game. Everybody seems to get completely absorbed by it.
You find yourself walking around and becoming pretty taken by the graphics, scenery and the virtual reality people as much as the mission itself. Extremely realistic and at times disturbing in its hellish and dark representation! Highly impressive.
I found the game so close to being perfect, that I can hardly think of a criticism other than the fact the game ended! Imagine dark roads, streets/alleys with the glow of lamp lights, subways, trains stations, rooms and hallways, chuch yards/abandoned buildings. So much to investigate and the seedy and eerie atmosphere to go with it.
To me, this game is a MUST as any addition to your collection.
On:
2007-08-10If you want a game with a pretty good storyline, amazing graphics, fun to play (the first time), and fairly short, then pick up The Darkness. Seriously, I had a blast playing through this game the first time. Storyline kept me pretty interested, though the monologue cutscenes got annoying when moving from section to section. The graphics are by far the best aspect of this game. They really immerse you in the game world. The game was pretty short (I was able to complete it in about 6.5 hours), which was a little disappointing. Overall, I would suggest renting this game like I did.
On:
2007-08-09This game was fantastically eerie, dark and totally captivating both in content and visual impact. Try playing it with the lights off! And just as much fun with others in the same room watching you go through the game. Everybody seems to get completely absorbed by it.
You find yourself walking around and becoming pretty taken by the graphics, scenery and the virtual reality people as much as the mission itself. Extremely realistic and at times disturbing in its hellish and dark representation! Highly impressive.
I found the game so close to being perfect, that I can hardly think of a criticism other than the fact the game ended! Imagine dark roads, streets/alleys with the glow of lamp lights, subways, trains stations, rooms and hallways, chuch yards/abandoned buildings. So much to investigate and the seedy and eerie atmosphere to go with it.
To me, this game is a MUST as any addition to your collection.
On:
2007-08-09If you want a game with a pretty good storyline, amazing graphics, fun to play (the first time), and fairly short, then pick up The Darkness. Seriously, I had a blast playing through this game the first time. Storyline kept me pretty interested, though the monologue cutscenes got annoying when moving from section to section. The graphics are by far the best aspect of this game. They really immerse you in the game world. The game was pretty short (I was able to complete it in about 6.5 hours), which was a little disappointing. Overall, I would suggest renting this game like I did.
On:
2007-08-08I just wanted to say that the Darkness is an extremely well produced, well written, and fun to play game. The pacing and story keep you at the edge of your seat.
Violent, Bloody, and all the stuff I love. It reminded me of a First Person Max Payne, and thats a good thing.
I was not familiar with the Darkness comic, but I must say this game is one of my favorite games of the year so far. Hats off to the team that made it.
by:
ence1981 On:
2007-08-08"The Darkness," from the studio that brought Xbox fans "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay," is a first-person shooter based on the dark comic book series of the same name. And like the aforementioned "Riddick," it further proves that these guys know what makes a cool video game adaptation.
You assume the role of Jackie Estacado, adopted nephew of Mafia boss Paulie Franchetti, as he reaches his 21st birthday and stumbles blindly into the dark destiny of his family line. The opening sequence is a knockout, and thrusts you headlong into the gritty world of organized crime in this fictional version of New York City. The ensuing police chase, car crash, and demise of your companions, a couple of Mafia thugs, is by itself worth the price of admission.
Jackie soon finds himself on the receiving end of his Uncle Paulies wrath, which brings him into contact with an evil entity known as The Darkness. This demonic parasite latches itself to Jackie, and simultaneously aids and defies him in his quest for revenge -- a quest with many shocking twists and turns that I dare not spoil in this review.
The first-person gunplay of "The Darkness" is itself quite extraordinary. Shooting people is rarely this satisfying, thanks to copious amounts of gore, better-than-average rag doll physics, and a satisfying real world arsenal that never grows stale. But Jackies Darkness powers certainly add the icing to this already tasty cake, allowing him to sprout serpentine tentacles that devour the hearts of his foes (for the purpose of leveling up Darkness powers)... and thats just the beginning. Other Darkness abilities allow you to impale your foes and swing them wildly around at the end of a glistening appendage, creep across the floor as a serpent and put a hole through an unsuspecting victim, and open up black holes that devour several enemies at once. Its all extremely gratifying, and provides ample means to destroy the opposition.
Some Darkness abilities are less compelling than others, however. The Darkness Guns, for instance, rarely serve a useful purpose, while the aforementioned black holes act as overpowered grenades, and can sometimes shift the balance too far in the players favor. Nonetheless, in a game where just shooting guys would be great, these alternatives do their part in further distinguishing the gameplay and making you feel like a real, bona fide bad@$$ with a sick, sadistic evil streak.
Of course, the game isnt complete without the ability to summon Darklings -- funny gremlin-like beasties that will back you up in a pinch. With multiple varities, such as Gunners (equipped with massive chain guns), Berserkers (who ambush opponents and cut them down to size), and Kamikazes (they go BOOM!), things dont ever seem to get old.
Production values are great across the board, from the near-flawless sound effects to the strength of the visuals, which depict a grimy New York City connected by subway tunnels and desolate streets under a sky of seemingly endless night. Maybe the streets are too desolate, point of fact, given that the City That Never Sleeps seems to be very asleep indeed, but it all adds to chilling atmosphere.
The game takes a stab at the slightly open-ended nature of "Butcher Bay," but doesnt quite nail it. This also results in lots and lots of walking between key action setpieces, and backtracking is never all that fun in any game. This games attempts at non-linearity come across as tacked on, if anything, and will only do it for those who desperately want to drag out the experience.
Despite a strong, compelling storyline, the Mafia element of "The Darkness" never met a cliche it didnt like. The Godfather meets Goodfellas dialog can be groan-inducing at times, especially all references to "respect." There was a better way to handle this material, but this is a mere nitpick at worst.
"The Darkness" is one of the best games available on the Xbox 360, bottom line. Do yourselves a favor and join the dark side.
On:
2007-08-07Interesting description of Mafia/Sci-fi, but its so true! This game is so awesome! Use your weapons to kill people, one of your four darkness powers to kill people, or summon one of your four darklings to do the dirty work for you! And eating the dead guys heart to gain a higher darkness level is the best! You have your main mission plus other side missions that you can complete in the meantime.
Only negative is that the online play is very glitchy which can ruin your planned execution moves!
But bottom line:
Great graphics, great storyline, a must play period.
On:
2007-07-30Im a fan of the comics and I thought that the games was fun to play. The thing that I did not like is this is a 360 game with xbox graphics. The story was great but like I said the graphics were not up to the 360s potential.
On:
2007-07-28The BEST GRAPHICS for the XBOX 360 available!
This game has it all. Im a huge fan of Condemned and this is pretty close besides all the demonic mess. This game will rock your sox off. The online multiplayer is fun but very laggy no matter connection speed. Great storyline hitman for the mob..etc.. Buy it! DOOO IT..DOOO IT..
Even Mike Jones shut up when he played this game !
On:
2007-07-27The BEST GRAPHICS for the XBOX 360 available!
This game has it all. Im a huge fan of Condemned and this is pretty close besides all the demonic mess. This game will rock your sox off. The online multiplayer is fun but very laggy no matter connection speed. Great storyline hitman for the mob..etc.. Buy it! DOOO IT..DOOO IT..
Even Mike Jones shut up when he played this game !
On:
2007-07-22I was very excited about this game, it was on my short list of titles for this year (HALO 3, Bioshock, Mass Effect, etc) and I couldnt wait to pick it up.
There are certainly some outstanding features in this game. If you want 500 easy gamerpoints, pick this up and give yourself 4 hours. The executions while violent, are pretty neat! Lets not kid ourselves, if you are offended by violence and you picked this game up, then you should probably have a coloring book, a bike helmet, and a chaperone.
There are three really major points that destroy this game. One- it is really short. Pretty self explanatory. Two- the controls are very jerky, and that lack of smooth, well-refined interaction makes you conscious that you are piloting a video game character. I dont like that. Three- this may be the worst multiplayer since we were all on 28.8 modems. Seriously, it is 2007 and that is the best they could do? Three or four modes that are simplistic at best, and a few maps that are boring to say the least. And the LAG!! If you arent the host, forget it. Everytime someone joins/quits, you freeze up for 15-20 seconds!! Unacceptable.
Okay, i thought of a fourth problem. Load times. You frequently have to go back and forth between sections of the map, and the load times between each are so long that they have little animations (10-15 seconds each) that are there to distract you from the fact that you are growing older while the game loads. It really breaks up the flow of the game.
The graphics of this game are great, and the violence is stunning, but overall, this game had 100x more promise than it really delivers. Dont believe me? Look how many are already available at your local game shop, available used here on Amazon, etc. I know my copy is available...
Rent it and save yourself the $60 for Mass Effect, Bioshock, or one of the other really promising games coming out in the next few months.
On:
2007-07-20Seriously amazon should really make this game cheaper to buy. It should not be so much. It is a short game. Please sellers lower the price!
On:
2007-07-17I purchased this game soley on the advice of a friend. I had not viewed any trailers, nor had I played a demo version when I purchased it for full release price. Thats how highly recommended it came to me. Im here to tell you that the game definately lives up to the hype.
The story is based on an older comic partially created by Garth Ennis. Anyone who knows anything about comics knows that anything touched by Garth Ennis is pretty much worth its weight in gold when it comes to quality and entertainment value. The game based on his creation does not disappoint.
Lets start at the beginning. As the game opens you find yourself (Jackie Estacado) in the back seat of a convertable. Two of your fellow mafioso-types occupy the car with you. Within moments youre on a high-speed chase through a tunnel with police shooting at you while you frantically try to load your shotgun. One of your partners dies (in a satisfyingly gruesome way) before you even reach the end of the tunnel sequence. When you do reach the end, the game begins in earnest, with your other partner laid up with about 3 inches of bone sticking out of his leg. Fan-freakin-tastic. Then the game actually begins.
As first person shooters go, this one is fairly unique, though not so much in design as in concept and ability. The perspective is good (though the excessive head-bob does occasionally grate on the nerves...) and the movement relatively fluid. To me the controls seem a little loose or sluggish (but that may be influenced by how much I play Rainbow Six : Vegas, which has impeccable control) but dont really hinder your progress through or enjoyment of the game itself.
Visually the game is stunning. The darks are dark...very dark, but still textured and vivid, and the lights a very bright. (It may be my imagination but they seem to get brighter the longer Jackie is possessed with the Darkness) Blood spatters, bullets ricochet, and your Darklings are amusingly disgusting. They (the Darklings) also provide some of the more amusing sound bites in the game, as well. For instance, upon summoning a Lightkiller Darkling, he might say "Got a light?" and then chuckle in a thoroughly pleasing demonic little voice. (Its especially entertaining when one of your Darklings chooses to relieve his bladder upon a fallen enemy!)
The story is engrossing. Once you start playing through the game you wont want to put it down. It has a linear story line, and updating objectives that must be completed to advance the story, but there doesnt seem to be any time limit on accomplishing said objectives, as far as I can tell. This is nice because there are a number of side-objectives that are not crucial to the completion of the game but give you more Collectables (of which in the game there are 100) which unlock extra content from the main menu. Some of this content includes digital reproductions of original The Darkness comics, concept art, add covers, and more.
If youre thinking of buying this game, follow these simple steps:
1) Quit thinking about it
2) Buy the freakin game.
If youre not thinking of buying this game, Start thinking of buying the game and then go to step one. If you like dark-toned, gory first person shooters with an interesting story line, fun abilities, and lots of blood, this game is definately for you.
On:
2007-07-17I was so very pleasantly surprised by The Darkness.
It seems that games that rise to the level of being engrossing and compelling are few and far between. In fact, not since Deus Ex have I played a game that really drew me in, and had me playing around WITH the game, like it was a toy. On the XBOX 360, there are really only a couple of must-own games at this point. Gears of War is one of them, sure, and, in my opinion, so is Oblivion.
Now you can add The Darkness to that list.
I had a lot of fun playing The Darkness, and, at times, it came close to the kind of experience I had with Deus Ex (which, for better or worse, I hold up as the gold standard in this genre). Besides being fun to play with, this game continually wows you with its attention to detail and the level of thought that went into its design.
Here are just a few of the elements and details that make this game so impressive:
-The VOICE ACTING in The Darkness is simply the best I have seen in a video game, bar none. So good is the voice acting, that you find your self marveling at it. Everyone from the hero Jackie to Jimmy the Grape (oh man I loved Jimmy the Grape) is superbly performed.
-One of the first things you notice is the little vignettes you watch during the LEVEL LOADING. The designers utilize what would otherwise be "dead time" to actually add to the atmosphere of the game.
-LEVEL DESIGN is fantastic. You spend a good deal of time in NYC subways in this game, and they really look like the real deal (admittedly simplified). I found myself more than once admiring the rendering of the stairs and signs down in the subways. Just one of many great touches is the subway information kiosks (not authentic!) which are a clever way of quickly orienting to where you need to go. The NYC street levels are equally great, and very detailed. You will find yourself just walking around and looking. Then when you get the Demon Arm, and discover you can move cars and dumpsters...
-NO ARTIFICIAL HUDs. Information in this game is, for the most part, presented in a "realistic" manner. One example already given is the info kiosks in the subways (you get an authentic NYC voice giving you directions). Another example is the level of your Darkness Powers, which are indicated by visual cues in the power manifestation.
-COLLECTIBLES AND BONUS MATERIAL. Adding the collectibles to this game was a great move. Basically, this is analogous to the Cog Tags in Gears of War, giving you an incentive to completely explore all the environment spaces. The new twist here is that such collecting not only scores achievements, but also unlocks bonus materials such as comics, videos, and production art. Very slick. One of the two types of collectible items is phone numbers, and you unlock the bonus materials by finding a telephone and calling the number. When you do, you get a unique and superbly acted answering machine message, many of which are comical or disturbing. I loved every one.
-DARKNESS POWERS. The Darkness Powers are the main game play "gimmick" of The Darkness, sort of like Bullet Time in Max Payne. You quickly figure out that the powers are pretty much what you use all the time, instead of, say, guns. There are a good number of conventional weapons available, but you end up not caring about them much. The two coolest Darkness Powers are 1) Creeping Dark and 2) Demon Arm. The Creeping Dark allows you to "remotely" explore your surroundings with a great deal of freedom, including climbing walls and getting into small spaces. This expanded freedom almost compels you to see what you can do with it, and you find yourself experimenting to see exactly where you can go. You can, of course, attack with the Creeping Dark, and in the beginning you do that a lot. The Demon Arm is great because you can pick up almost anything and throw it. Pretty far if you want. So, you realize that you can stack cars up on top of each other, or throw dumpsters at people, so you spend a great deal of time just screwing around like that. Oh yeah, you can also attack people and knock out lights with The Demon Arm. (But its really for making a really big pile of cars.)
There are a number of surprises in the game, which I will not go into for obvious reasons. Suffice it to say that there is even more to recommend this game that what has been mentioned, and, like the rest, it is very well done.
Complaints? Quibbles? Only a few, really. NO game is perfect. Maybe my biggest gripe is that the final level & ending was very unsatisfying. In fact, I was sure that there was a better ending I could achieve. It turns out thats just how it ends. On the upside, the ending makes it clear that this is just a first chapter in what should be a truly great series of games. Other than that, the quibbles become truly minor. I thought the Darklings didnt really contribute much to game play, but maybe that was just me. Even so, they do add some entertainment.
All in all, The Darkness is GREAT. If you own a 360, you should own this game.
On:
2007-07-15great game the graphics is amazing .. the story.. the soundtracks.... guys Im in love with the soundtracks in this game !!!!
how can I get them ?
On:
2007-07-13You begin in the rear seat of a convertible weaving precariously through dense New York City traffic. Youre Jackie Estacado, burgeoning Mafia hitman on a job, and today is your twenty-first birthday. But something is dreadfully amiss. The two felonious henchmen in the front seat are distraught, frantic...and more than a little scared. Seems that after taking you under his wing for the last nine years, family leader "Uncle Paulie" wants you dead. To that end, hes turning the full brunt of his twisted ferocity and resources against you. The car maneuvers into a tunnel, the driver getting more and more reckless, attracting the attention of the police. Gunfire erupts in both directions, police vehicles go sheering into walls, pealing into other vehicles, even toppling end-over-end. The man riding shotgun in the front seat of the convertible is shot and killed, falling as dead weight on the passenger door. Jackie, fingers working in excruciatingly dream-like slow motion, finally gets the shells loaded in the weapon hes been cradling. You step over, boot the sagging body over the edge, and assume his position. The driver abruptly veers off into a section of tunnel closed for construction. Soon enough, you lose the official authorities. Unfortunately, in this area reside even more determined criminal predators gunning for your heads. A dead end approaches too rapidly to avoid; the car goes crashing over a barrier, pitching over, and then...the dark.
Light from dark, bleary incoherence focusing inchmeal on the situation. Youre okay. The driver is not. Hes squirming through an expanding pool of his own blood, fractured bones jutting from his leg. You speak to him, get what information you can. The job. Survival. His time is short. He gives up few straining words to you, hands over two pistols and then gives up the ghost. You begin to move.
A voice. A nightmarish sound, syllables the embodiment of darkness and menace. The voice fills your head, then is gone.
From Starbreeze Studios, developers of the acclaimed The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay title released for the Xbox in 2004, comes The Darkness. On June 25, 2007, the game was released for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. Combining first-person shooter mechanics, innate supernatural abilities, a dusting of adventure game skullduggery, an effectively emotional story arc populated with substantial characters, and largely exceptional visuals makes for a cant-miss follow up, right? Well, yes and no.
Subsequent to events described above, my first impression of gunplay was decidedly lukewarm. By default, an extremely generous amount of auto-aim is implemented. Your crimson aiming dots adhere easily to every adversary...among other things. While no doubt a supposedly helpful tool, I found it annoying in practice and troublesome to contemplate from the onset. After all, I figured, if they give you that much auto-aim, there must be something acutely lacking with the game controls. Fortunately, the extent of auto-aim can be increased or decreased by the player, so I dialed it way down and thereafter felt far more comfortable behind the sticks. Early on, youre also introduced to up-close-and-personal methods of combat to augment the expected types of gunfights. Namely, these are melee thrashing of a foe with a given weapon and execution movies. Melee is simply close-quarters bashing with a firearm. To perform an execution move, the player must maneuver into nearly direct contact with a member of the opposition and wrench on the left trigger. The equivocal reward for this is that one of a brutal series of execution moves will transpire. Insert gun in mouth here.
Soon enough, the unique gameplay elements of The Darkness make themselves known to you. These are your Darkness powers. When Jackie receives a video message from Uncle Paulie, he finds a surprise...an explosive surprise. Estacado is blown from the room and heaved through a wall, landing heavily on the pavement stories below. But he doesnt die. The voice in his head again. The Darkness, a twisted family legacy, taking control. Tenebrous, preternatural appendages rupture out of Jackie, obsidian heads on snaking stalks. Aphotic power and ability surges through his body; the first levels of Darkness are upon you. From this point, employment of these crepuscular capabilities play a central role in your endeavor to stay alive and get to Paulie.
The Darkness manifests itself in myriad ways. When the Darkness power is active, the player can summon small, vicious creatures called darklings to do their bidding. Four types of darklings are eventually put at your disposal: Berserker, Gunner, Kamikaze and Lightkiller. Berserkers are simple melee combatants, Gunners employ a wicked machine gun and don a military helmet emblazoned with a "Born to Kill" slogan, Kamikazes are strapped with explosives and will scuttle pell-mell into a group of opposition and explode, and Lightkillers are experts at extinguishing light sources and using electrical charges to dispatch enemies. Usage of darklings in a gameplay context is somewhat analogous to squad mates in a tactical shooter game, although I found them comparably troublesome to control and of suspect value overall. You can theoretically direct them to where you want them to go. I found that sometimes they obey, sometimes not. And if you lead them into light--poof!--they dissipate into nonexistence almost immediately. However, sometimes I found them vaporizing into nonexistence for no ostensible reason at all. Furthermore, there were occasions when a summoned darkling would just stand idly by when I was under fire, not lifting one duskish finger to help. Whatever their inherent programming failings might be, darkings are facetious little critters, offering up a string of brutal one-liners and snide commentaries. Apparently connoisseurs of killing, humor and fashion, theyre also fond of dressing in the differing garish outfits youll uncover throughout the game. Oh, and they frequently urinate on the bodies of the dead.
Another Darkness manifestation is a sundry cluster of nebulous tentacles. When roused, they appear as hissing, writhing tendrils curling around your vision, with distended eyes and chasmal jaws filled with needlelike teeth. These tentacles provide the player with a degree of shielding and, ultimately, four distinct flavors of conception. First is the yellow-eyed variety, a detachable, snakelike phenomenon that lets you leave Jackies body, slithering and lurking about the territory ahead. As such, theyre invaluable for scouting the lay of the land and performing stealth kills on the unsuspecting, egregious minions. Also, when employing these tentacles, the player will be able to enter small spaces otherwise inaccessible. Many seemingly dead ends throughout the proceedings can be resolved in this way. The red-eyed variation endows Estacado with the faculty to stab and jab tentacles out in front of him. This is useful in three ways. First, in confined space skirmishes, you can effectively kebob your foes. Second, they can be employed to break out lights. And third, extending and holding them in place can grant the ability to move heavy objects. The green-eyed model of tentacle gives you the Dark Gun capacity, These equalizers are dynamic weapons that only run dry when your darkness level is depleted. As well, theyre the only firearms that can inexorably rub out the undead soldiers you find in the games dream sequences. The last type of tentacle, the blue-eyed variation, lavishes upon you the Black Hole virtue. These black holes are broad disruptions in space that can wrench multiple enemies and even large machines like helicopters into their whirling cavity of atramentous death. Throughout the game, Jackies dark powers can be upgraded in all these facets by eating the hearts of fallen foes. Yum.
These dark powers need dark places to gain strength and replenish themselves. Theyre powerless in the light. Searing, agonizing noises emanate from them when you move into a lit area. Fortunately, almost every harmful light source in the game can be extinguished by the player using either guns or a tentacle manifestation. It becomes a familiar gameplay pattern, popping out every light in an area when you expect conflict nearby. Once those welcomed murky shadows blanket the vicinity, its time to open up your bag of tricks. Although the game is a first-person shooter, ammo is not particularly abundant in many areas, nor is your arsenal quite the definition of overwhelming. Therefore, effective use of the Darkness powers in both pitched combat and stealth modes is essential in defeating many of the tougher situations youll encounter. Late in the proceedings the opposition will wise up to this fact, sometimes trying to cover you with spotlights to diminish the threat you possess.
The Darkness is a game that exudes sheer atmosphere. The dim, gloomy New York City environments ooze personality, simmer with immersion. Ambling around the subway stations, sauntering down city streets, talking with NPCs, reading billboards and graffiti, checking out shop signs, engaging in mini-games, dialing up miscellaneous phone numbers--its all a mesmerizing, enthralling experience. Its an implementation of peaks and valleys in the gameplay, and these parts are markedly effective at bringing the player into the reality of this world. Its character development for a game. And once you become accustomed to this calm of real-life routine, when those obligatory bouts of violence erupt its then all the more compelling and exciting for it.
Early on, you also have an extraordinary interactive sequence with Jenny, Jackies girlfriend. The two have a dramatic, bittersweet past together, both of them being orphans that grew up together in New Yorks St. Marys Orphanage. You first see her bending out the window of her new apartment, a rundown inner-city building bordering an alleyway. "Come on up. Its apartment number eleven." You go up and...wow. A very real, very personal interaction ensues. Characters in some of the better games are really pushing the envelope, getting so lifelike, in both animation and voicework. Sometimes it seems as if were really getting to live a movie, live a virtual life. Jenny has a birthday cake for you, with your name misspelled as Jacky. "He messed your name up again," she laughs. You have the choice of whether to tell her the truth about your current situation or protect her from the knowledge. She settles on the couch in the cramped, threadbare apartment, turns the TV on, invites you to sit. You do. The view stays in first person; you can see Jackies body as you would your own if you were sitting on a couch. Jenny slides close to you, takes your hand, kisses you--and in first person, so it seems shes really kissing your TV screen--or you through it. Then you watch TV. A movie is playing--a real movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, in its entirety--and it all feels so bizarrely real. Im not some young hitman with long black hair and strange, dark powers starring in a videogame. Im just a guy sitting down with his girlfriend watching a movie at night. So I sat there, ignoring the option to get up. I watched about fifteen minutes of To Kill a Mockingbird before I decided to get moving. Its possible that the whole movie is there and I could have lounged around for hours just watching the TV in Jennys apartment. The TV has other channels, as well--other movies, TV shows, music videos, the news. I was utterly fascinated by this simulation of real life. Its exactly what I look for in a game: moments of seemingly mundane downtime, scraps of glamorless life scenes, moments that build the reality of the game world and thusly make all the larger-than-life aspects more bold and significant, less routine. From the onset, you have an involved, affecting relationship with Jenny, and its portrayed quite realistically. Subsequent to this passage in the game, the psychotic Uncle Paulie blows up St. Marys Orphanage in a twisted, desperate move to hurt Jackie. As a player of and a participant in this game world, real feelings of unease begin to surface as you consider what Paulie might do next. In a strangely real way, you begin to worry about Jenny, what he might do to her. Hows that for getting your head in the game? Its great. Its like with a movie, only different in the sense that you feel as if youre really a living, breathing part of what is unfolding here.
In addition to the primary, overreaching story arc, there are also a handful of relatively short side activities and a collection mini-game. The side quests vary in nature. Some of them are simple games, such as collecting the coins an old lady scatters on the subway tracks before a train barrels through the tunnel and flattens you. Youll also find yourself playing a game of cups, or maybe locating a lost bracelet for someone, or helping out a harmonica player down on his luck. The side quests can also take a more aggressive turn, as certain family members and friends serve up opportunities to lay low some nefarious thugs infesting various city areas. The collection game involved phone numbers and letters. Scraps of paper are found here and there as you work your way through the game. Most contain phone numbers. At phone terminals, you can dial up these numbers. Theyre asides, not essential to the central game, but they are effective in enhancing the atmosphere and scope of your perception. Most are humorous, some are banal, but whatever the case it gives the player a sense of a wider world out there than just what youre seeing. Additionally, amassing these snippets also unlocks bonus content relating to the games creation and the comic series its based on. During the dream sequences, the phone numbers are replaced with letters to home from soldiers that you stockpile and eventually post in a mailbox. Regrettably, I found at least two of the subquests to be glitched and broken, making it impossible for me to complete them.
I was bewitched by The Darkness for a while, but it took an unlikely left turn or two into oblivion and left me hanging there with a confused, disappointed look carved into my face. What happened was this. All was good as we were shown some heart-stirring scenes as Jackie revisited the recently destroyed orphanage where he grew up with Jenny. In these, he was reliving past moments, seeing the ghosts of them as the children they were...before things changed. Those were some awe-inspiring moments, pictures of time lost, of childhood evaporated, made all the more tragic with what happened next to Jenny. The Darkness takes total control of Jackie during a brutal sequence where Paulie shoots Jenny in the head, forcing him to witness the act but not permitting him to intervene. Afterwards, Jackies reaction is to put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. "That was the first time I died." All darkly dramatic, compelling stuff, to be sure. So here Jackie dies...only he doesnt. He wakes up in...World War I? Huh? Yeah, they really threw me here. Its more a nightmarish imagination of World War I than the real thing, with a hellish amber hue permeating the landscape and skeletal, zombie-like German soldiers fighting against an English army that is a literal patchwork--their skin has been inexpertly patched together with horrifying results. Jackie wonders--is this real? Some strange memory? A dream? As it turns out, here in this nightmare of war well find out about the origin of the Estacado curse of Darkness.
So here you are, fresh from modern day New York and thrust into pitched trench warfare in the first world war. I was disconcerted and, sadly, found that the gameplay became banal and frustrating throughout this part. It felt like Call of Duty meets Doom, only not executed as well as either of those titles. Most of the unique aspects and all of the realistic atmosphere this game possessed went sailing out the window. Talk about crestfallen. It was just shooting down soldiers, something most players have done to no end before, an act here that was impossible initially and all-too-easy once the Dark Guns were attained. Granted, there was occasionally something substantial to the hellish nightmare atmosphere at times, but mostly it just grated. The game even stooped so low as to include a rail-gun sequence on a tank that found you shooting at other tanks, soldiers and fighter planes. I began to wonder who stole my game and put in the Call of Duty disc? I wont go so far as to say the two dismal World War I acts in The Darkness ruined the game for me--the other aspects were far too good for that--but it certainly damaged my perception of what was until then a remarkable experience.
The graphics are a bemusing dichotomy, a real mixed bag of nuts. Certain facets manage to initiate joyous eye bleeding from the murky photorealistic beauty they possess, and yet at other times it almost seems as if the visuals were left unfinished. This phenomenon extends throughout all vectors of consideration. Some character models and facial animations are dazzling, others look almost last-generation. Some environmental constructs seem entirely photorealistic, others almost like placeholders. Some textures have nearly the detail of Gears of War, some look blurry and jagged. As well, many times it seemed as if the dialogue audio didnt quite sync with the onscreen animation of the same.
As far as audio goes, there is some effectively captivating ambient music from time-to-time. The ethereal, entrancing melody that plays in the subway stations almost reminds me of the background music that populated parts of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. During conflict sequences, some rather forgettable up-tempo "action" tuneage is supplied. Voice acting is distinguished across the board, truly superb--everything from random NPCs to Jenny to the Mafia family members to Jackie and the teetering, menacing voice of the Darkness. Great stuff, and very effective at drawing you into the drama and horror within. The Darkness is also definitely an M for Mature game, entertainment media for adults, with an f-bomb thrown in every third word to augment the innumerable scenes of flesh-rending bloodshed.
Thats about it. In summary, I found this to be a game held short from greatness by inconsistency in design and graphics and a few technical bugs. But its a game with so much inherent style and such dense, consuming atmosphere that it can almost rise above these shortcomings. As it was, it remained a compelling, memorable experience, if perhaps just a dream away from the masterpiece it could have been.
Jackie: "Am I dreaming?"
Jenny: "Yes. Its time to wake up."
On:
2007-07-13You begin in the rear seat of a convertible weaving precariously through dense New York City traffic. Youre Jackie Estacado, burgeoning Mafia hitman on a job, and today is your twenty-first birthday. But something is dreadfully amiss. The two felonious henchmen in the front seat are distraught, frantic...and more than a little scared. Seems that after taking you under his wing for the last nine years, family leader "Uncle Paulie" wants you dead. To that end, hes turning the full brunt of his twisted ferocity and resources against you. The car maneuvers into a tunnel, the driver getting more and more reckless, attracting the attention of the police. Gunfire erupts in both directions, police vehicles go sheering into walls, pealing into other vehicles, even toppling end-over-end. The man riding shotgun in the front seat of the convertible is shot and killed, falling as dead weight on the passenger door. Jackie, fingers working in excruciatingly dream-like slow motion, finally gets the shells loaded in the weapon hes been cradling. You step over, boot the sagging body over the edge, and assume his position. The driver abruptly veers off into a section of tunnel closed for construction. Soon enough, you lose the official authorities. Unfortunately, in this area reside even more determined criminal predators gunning for your heads. A dead end approaches too rapidly to avoid; the car goes crashing over a barrier, pitching over, and then...the dark.
Light from dark, bleary incoherence focusing inchmeal on the situation. Youre okay. The driver is not. Hes squirming through an expanding pool of his own blood, fractured bones jutting from his leg. You speak to him, get what information you can. The job. Survival. His time is short. He gives up few straining words to you, hands over two pistols and then gives up the ghost. You begin to move.
A voice. A nightmarish sound, syllables the embodiment of darkness and menace. The voice fills your head, then is gone.
From Starbreeze Studios, developers of the acclaimed The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay title released for the Xbox in 2004, comes The Darkness. On June 25, 2007, the game was released for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. Combining first-person shooter mechanics, innate supernatural abilities, a dusting of adventure game skullduggery, an effectively emotional story arc populated with substantial characters, and largely exceptional visuals makes for a cant-miss follow up, right? Well, yes and no.
Subsequent to events described above, my first impression of gunplay was decidedly lukewarm. By default, an extremely generous amount of auto-aim is implemented. Your crimson aiming dots adhere easily to every adversary...among other things. While no doubt a supposedly helpful tool, I found it annoying in practice and troublesome to contemplate from the onset. After all, I figured, if they give you that much auto-aim, there must be something acutely lacking with the game controls. Fortunately, the extent of auto-aim can be increased or decreased by the player, so I dialed it way down and thereafter felt far more comfortable behind the sticks. Early on, youre also introduced to up-close-and-personal methods of combat to augment the expected types of gunfights. Namely, these are melee thrashing of a foe with a given weapon and execution movies. Melee is simply close-quarters bashing with a firearm. To perform an execution move, the player must maneuver into nearly direct contact with a member of the opposition and wrench on the left trigger. The equivocal reward for this is that one of a brutal series of execution moves will transpire. Insert gun in mouth here.
Soon enough, the unique gameplay elements of The Darkness make themselves known to you. These are your Darkness powers. When Jackie receives a video message from Uncle Paulie, he finds a surprise...an explosive surprise. Estacado is blown from the room and heaved through a wall, landing heavily on the pavement stories below. But he doesnt die. The voice in his head again. The Darkness, a twisted family legacy, taking control. Tenebrous, preternatural appendages rupture out of Jackie, obsidian heads on snaking stalks. Aphotic power and ability surges through his body; the first levels of Darkness are upon you. From this point, employment of these crepuscular capabilities play a central role in your endeavor to stay alive and get to Paulie.
The Darkness manifests itself in myriad ways. When the Darkness power is active, the player can summon small, vicious creatures called darklings to do their bidding. Four types of darklings are eventually put at your disposal: Berserker, Gunner, Kamikaze and Lightkiller. Berserkers are simple melee combatants, Gunners employ a wicked machine gun and don a military helmet emblazoned with a "Born to Kill" slogan, Kamikazes are strapped with explosives and will scuttle pell-mell into a group of opposition and explode, and Lightkillers are experts at extinguishing light sources and using electrical charges to dispatch enemies. Usage of darklings in a gameplay context is somewhat analogous to squad mates in a tactical shooter game, although I found them comparably troublesome to control and of suspect value overall. You can theoretically direct them to where you want them to go. I found that sometimes they obey, sometimes not. And if you lead them into light--poof!--they dissipate into nonexistence almost immediately. However, sometimes I found them vaporizing into nonexistence for no ostensible reason at all. Furthermore, there were occasions when a summoned darkling would just stand idly by when I was under fire, not lifting one duskish finger to help. Whatever their inherent programming failings might be, darkings are facetious little critters, offering up a string of brutal one-liners and snide commentaries. Apparently connoisseurs of killing, humor and fashion, theyre also fond of dressing in the differing garish outfits youll uncover throughout the game. Oh, and they frequently urinate on the bodies of the dead.
Another Darkness manifestation is a sundry cluster of nebulous tentacles. When roused, they appear as hissing, writhing tendrils curling around your vision, with distended eyes and chasmal jaws filled with needlelike teeth. These tentacles provide the player with a degree of shielding and, ultimately, four distinct flavors of conception. First is the yellow-eyed variety, a detachable, snakelike phenomenon that lets you leave Jackies body, slithering and lurking about the territory ahead. As such, theyre invaluable for scouting the lay of the land and performing stealth kills on the unsuspecting, egregious minions. Also, when employing these tentacles, the player will be able to enter small spaces otherwise inaccessible. Many seemingly dead ends throughout the proceedings can be resolved in this way. The red-eyed variation endows Estacado with the faculty to stab and jab tentacles out in front of him. This is useful in three ways. First, in confined space skirmishes, you can effectively kebob your foes. Second, they can be employed to break out lights. And third, extending and holding them in place can grant the ability to move heavy objects. The green-eyed model of tentacle gives you the Dark Gun capacity, These equalizers are dynamic weapons that only run dry when your darkness level is depleted. As well, theyre the only firearms that can inexorably rub out the undead soldiers you find in the games dream sequences. The last type of tentacle, the blue-eyed variation, lavishes upon you the Black Hole virtue. These black holes are broad disruptions in space that can wrench multiple enemies and even large machines like helicopters into their whirling cavity of atramentous death. Throughout the game, Jackies dark powers can be upgraded in all these facets by eating the hearts of fallen foes. Yum.
These dark powers need dark places to gain strength and replenish themselves. Theyre powerless in the light. Searing, agonizing noises emanate from them when you move into a lit area. Fortunately, almost every harmful light source in the game can be extinguished by the player using either guns or a tentacle manifestation. It becomes a familiar gameplay pattern, popping out every light in an area when you expect conflict nearby. Once those welcomed murky shadows blanket the vicinity, its time to open up your bag of tricks. Although the game is a first-person shooter, ammo is not particularly abundant in many areas, nor is your arsenal quite the definition of overwhelming. Therefore, effective use of the Darkness powers in both pitched combat and stealth modes is essential in defeating many of the tougher situations youll encounter. Late in the proceedings the opposition will wise up to this fact, sometimes trying to cover you with spotlights to diminish the threat you possess.
The Darkness is a game that exudes sheer atmosphere. The dim, gloomy New York City environments ooze personality, simmer with immersion. Ambling around the subway stations, sauntering down city streets, talking with NPCs, reading billboards and graffiti, checking out shop signs, engaging in mini-games, dialing up miscellaneous phone numbers--its all a mesmerizing, enthralling experience. Its an implementation of peaks and valleys in the gameplay, and these parts are markedly effective at bringing the player into the reality of this world. Its character development for a game. And once you become accustomed to this calm of real-life routine, when those obligatory bouts of violence erupt its then all the more compelling and exciting for it.
Early on, you also have an extraordinary interactive sequence with Jenny, Jackies girlfriend. The two have a dramatic, bittersweet past together, both of them being orphans that grew up together in New Yorks St. Marys Orphanage. You first see her bending out the window of her new apartment, a rundown inner-city building bordering an alleyway. "Come on up. Its apartment number eleven." You go up and...wow. A very real, very personal interaction ensues. Characters in some of the better games are really pushing the envelope, getting so lifelike, in both animation and voicework. Sometimes it seems as if were really getting to live a movie, live a virtual life. Jenny has a birthday cake for you, with your name misspelled as Jacky. "He messed your name up again," she laughs. You have the choice of whether to tell her the truth about your current situation or protect her from the knowledge. She settles on the couch in the cramped, threadbare apartment, turns the TV on, invites you to sit. You do. The view stays in first person; you can see Jackies body as you would your own if you were sitting on a couch. Jenny slides close to you, takes your hand, kisses you--and in first person, so it seems shes really kissing your TV screen--or you through it. Then you watch TV. A movie is playing--a real movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, in its entirety--and it all feels so bizarrely real. Im not some young hitman with long black hair and strange, dark powers starring in a videogame. Im just a guy sitting down with his girlfriend watching a movie at night. So I sat there, ignoring the option to get up. I watched about fifteen minutes of To Kill a Mockingbird before I decided to get moving. Its possible that the whole movie is there and I could have lounged around for hours just watching the TV in Jennys apartment. The TV has other channels, as well--other movies, TV shows, music videos, the news. I was utterly fascinated by this simulation of real life. Its exactly what I look for in a game: moments of seemingly mundane downtime, scraps of glamorless life scenes, moments that build the reality of the game world and thusly make all the larger-than-life aspects more bold and significant, less routine. From the onset, you have an involved, affecting relationship with Jenny, and its portrayed quite realistically. Subsequent to this passage in the game, the psychotic Uncle Paulie blows up St. Marys Orphanage in a twisted, desperate move to hurt Jackie. As a player of and a participant in this game world, real feelings of unease begin to surface as you consider what Paulie might do next. In a strangely real way, you begin to worry about Jenny, what he might do to her. Hows that for getting your head in the game? Its great. Its like with a movie, only different in the sense that you feel as if youre really a living, breathing part of what is unfolding here.
In addition to the primary, overreaching story arc, there are also a handful of relatively short side activities and a collection mini-game. The side quests vary in nature. Some of them are simple games, such as collecting the coins an old lady scatters on the subway tracks before a train barrels through the tunnel and flattens you. Youll also find yourself playing a game of cups, or maybe locating a lost bracelet for someone, or helping out a harmonica player down on his luck. The side quests can also take a more aggressive turn, as certain family members and friends serve up opportunities to lay low some nefarious thugs infesting various city areas. The collection game involved phone numbers and letters. Scraps of paper are found here and there as you work your way through the game. Most contain phone numbers. At phone terminals, you can dial up these numbers. Theyre asides, not essential to the central game, but they are effective in enhancing the atmosphere and scope of your perception. Most are humorous, some are banal, but whatever the case it gives the player a sense of a wider world out there than just what youre seeing. Additionally, amassing these snippets also unlocks bonus content relating to the games creation and the comic series its based on. During the dream sequences, the phone numbers are replaced with letters to home from soldiers that you stockpile and eventually post in a mailbox. Regrettably, I found at least two of the subquests to be glitched and broken, making it impossible for me to complete them.
I was bewitched by The Darkness for a while, but it took an unlikely left turn or two into oblivion and left me hanging there with a confused, disappointed look carved into my face. What happened was this. All was good as we were shown some heart-stirring scenes as Jackie revisited the recently destroyed orphanage where he grew up with Jenny. In these, he was reliving past moments, seeing the ghosts of them as the children they were...before things changed. Those were some awe-inspiring moments, pictures of time lost, of childhood evaporated, made all the more tragic with what happened next to Jenny. The Darkness takes total control of Jackie during a brutal sequence where Paulie shoots Jenny in the head, forcing him to witness the act but not permitting him to intervene. Afterwards, Jackies reaction is to put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. "That was the first time I died." All darkly dramatic, compelling stuff, to be sure. So here Jackie dies...only he doesnt. He wakes up in...World War I? Huh? Yeah, they really threw me here. Its more a nightmarish imagination of World War I than the real thing, with a hellish amber hue permeating the landscape and skeletal, zombie-like German soldiers fighting against an English army that is a literal patchwork--their skin has been inexpertly patched together with horrifying results. Jackie wonders--is this real? Some strange memory? A dream? As it turns out, here in this nightmare of war well find out about the origin of the Estacado curse of Darkness.
So here you are, fresh from modern day New York and thrust into pitched trench warfare in the first world war. I was disconcerted and, sadly, found that the gameplay became banal and frustrating throughout this part. It felt like Call of Duty meets Doom, only not executed as well as either of those titles. Most of the unique aspects and all of the realistic atmosphere this game possessed went sailing out the window. Talk about crestfallen. It was just shooting down soldiers, something most players have done to no end before, an act here that was impossible initially and all-too-easy once the Dark Guns were attained. Granted, there was occasionally something substantial to the hellish nightmare atmosphere at times, but mostly it just grated. The game even stooped so low as to include a rail-gun sequence on a tank that found you shooting at other tanks, soldiers and fighter planes. I began to wonder who stole my game and put in the Call of Duty disc? I wont go so far as to say the two dismal World War I acts in The Darkness ruined the game for me--the other aspects were far too good for that--but it certainly damaged my perception of what was until then a remarkable experience.
The graphics are a bemusing dichotomy, a real mixed bag of nuts. Certain facets manage to initiate joyous eye bleeding from the murky photorealistic beauty they possess, and yet at other times it almost seems as if the visuals were left unfinished. This phenomenon extends throughout all vectors of consideration. Some character models and facial animations are dazzling, others look almost last-generation. Some environmental constructs seem entirely photorealistic, others almost like placeholders. Some textures have nearly the detail of Gears of War, some look blurry and jagged. As well, many times it seemed as if the dialogue audio didnt quite sync with the onscreen animation of the same.
As far as audio goes, there is some effectively captivating ambient music from time-to-time. The ethereal, entrancing melody that plays in the subway stations almost reminds me of the background music that populated parts of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. During conflict sequences, some rather forgettable up-tempo "action" tuneage is supplied. Voice acting is distinguished across the board, truly superb--everything from random NPCs to Jenny to the Mafia family members to Jackie and the teetering, menacing voice of the Darkness. Great stuff, and very effective at drawing you into the drama and horror within. The Darkness is also definitely an M for Mature game, entertainment media for adults, with an f-bomb thrown in every third word to augment the innumerable scenes of flesh-rending bloodshed.
Thats about it. In summary, I found this to be a game held short from greatness by inconsistency in design and graphics and a few technical bugs. But its a game with so much inherent style and such dense, consuming atmosphere that it can almost rise above these shortcomings. As it was, it remained a compelling, memorable experience, if perhaps just a dream away from the masterpiece it could have been.
Jackie: "Am I dreaming?"
Jenny: "Yes. Its time to wake up."
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2007-07-10First off, this game is very good and very interesting. You would do well to buy it. With that said, I must convey that when I first started playing it I was a little disappointed as it seemed to be pretty standard fare. Jackie basically walked around NYC and shot stuff. There were lots of cussing, cops, and cut scenes. The darkness powers were, however, pretty interesting. They were like nothing I have ever seen in an FPS. The game didnt really start to get good until I began accumulating more and more darkness powers. Then all of a sudden, Im transported to a kind of WWII hell and I finally get this large dark tendril that I can use to impale people with. Wow! Talk about your 180. Now this is what I was expecting. At this point Im very engrossed and basically dont want to put the controller down. Graphics are good, but theyre not as good as Gears of War. The TVs are a novel concept, but they dont really add much to the story. Making phone calls also doesnt mean much to the story, but as long as it helps unlock extra content Ill put up with it. I do like the fact that it is a mature story and not just a bunch of gore to satisfy the kids (who shouldnt be playing this anyway). The RPG elements in the game certainly add to the story and add depth to the characters. This is a solid title that is very innovative. I would have liked to be able to use both darkness "serpents" rather than just the right one. Id like to see a better array of guns with more ammo available. Who knows. Maybe The Darkness 2 will incorporate some of these suggestions. At any rate, its a good game that is like nothing else on the market right now. Embrace the Darkness!
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2007-07-05This is a great game which has fantastic graphics. BTW, the PS3 version does NOT have better graphics, dont let some sony fanboy tell you different. If you are looking for a great storyline and a well-executed game overall, dont look any further. The only downside is that you are not able to save whenever you want, the game has predetermined save points. You will not regret purchasing this game.
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2007-07-03This game is very fun and violent. The first time through was a thrill. The second time through i was able to pay attention to small details and enjoyed it again. Now its going on my shelf and will probably never be played again.
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2007-07-02Dont believe the negative hype surrounding this title, it is a spectacular Xbox 360 Next Generation release.
Im not sure how close the game resembles the comic created by Top Cow, but there are many treats to be experienced both visually and game play wise in The Darkness.
Lets start with some of the positive aspects of this game:
Graphically, this game is absolutely stunning in its graphical beauty.
The dark gritty New York City streets really give off that "real-city" vibe.
Garbage litters the streets and the subway systems, graffiti covers practically every wall (and this graffiti looks like actually graffiti that you would see in real life).
So much detail has been put into the floors, ceilings, walls and in you general surroundings that it is very easy to get deeply immersed in The Darkness.
Following in true Next Gen graphic style, all the wood surfaces in the game look like real wood, metal resembles real metal, concrete looks amazingly realistic. You can see chips in paint, cracks and chips in the concrete - its literally stunning.
The Darkness relies on the use of shadows, and the lighting engine is superb. Light shines off of virtually every surface that would reflect light (including leather!). Every object casts a proper shadow.
Since you are in a city, there are lights everywhere and in order for your Darkness power to work or re-charge you need to be in the shadows.
Basically this mean taking out every light you come into contact with.
Character models look really good. Not as good as Gears of War models, but the characters look believable, most of the time body parts move like they should, clothes look somewhat realistic. Cloth looks amazing. The bodies still look a little clunky, but nothing major.
Face models are wonderfully detailed, you can see wrinkles and imperfections in the characters faces. Sometimes you can see facial expressions however not too often. The faces are probably the most detailed aspect on each character. The eyes in this game look full of life.
The darkness powers look awesome. Your character acquires two demonic serpent heads on either shoulder and they look amazing. Each darkness power is represented very well graphically.
Weapons look realistic, some of the most realistic depictions I have ever seen in a game.
On a side note, you get to learn where the darkness comes from.
The physics are downright cool. Everything seems to move as it should. With one of your darkness powers you can pick up objects and people and fling them around. This looks very cool and makes you feel like a real "force-to-be-reckoned-with".
Some claim that the story line in The Darkness is clichéd and boring, but I beg to differ. While it is true that the storyline is steeped in New York Mob Scene and carries along with it the good ol revenge angle and other Mafia generic-ness, the story is told really well and keeps you nevertheless engaged throughout. There are also some twists to the sotry line, and lets just say that New York City is not the only place you will visit in The Darkness. There is some twisted stuff here!
Another great aspect is how the some of the main characters history is told. Instead of loading scenes, you are treated to monologues given by the main character. In these monologues he is either telling a story from his childhood, re-telling or elucidating on current plot elements, or just sitting there gazing at his guns.
This adds much more to the whole "cinematic" element of The Darkness and gives you something to look at while the game is loading. Much better than staring at a flashing loading screen.
More unique things include televisions that you can interact with. These TVs show five or six channels of real material. Some have Cartoons, others music videos and there are two movie channels. They show real movies and I believe you can watch them all the way through.
The musical score fits each scene perfectly and ranges from Death metal(fight scenes), to orchestrated music(during talking scenes and in the subway). Also there are other areas where music being either played or listened to by NPCs can be heard (there are people who play the harmonica and Break dancers who will dance for you).
Character development has been well done, you actually do care about the characters close to you and you grow to hate your arch enemy. You will grow especially close to your girlfriend Jenny. I grew really attached to her over the course of the game. By the way her face model is one of the best I have ever seen in a video game.
Okay, lets talk about unique aspects:
Summoning Darklings: In The Darkness you gain the ability to summon Darklings (look like little goblins) to do your bidding. Each Darkling has its own special ability and funtion.
The darkling models look really cool, and they each have an attitude that could only be attributed to a darkling. They urinate on dead corpses and make rude comments.
Control is done really well, despite what some reviewers may say. I find the controls easy to use. From summoning darkness powers to calling up darklings to using the regular weapons and moving: I found this all easy to understand and control.
This is a FPS but with some role playing elements.
Your darkness powers level up after a certain amount of hearts have been eaten (thats right, your darkness serpents eat the hearts of fallen corpses, only the evil characters though). With each level up you will gain a new darkness power.
The powers really make you feel super-human.
They range from being able to open up a black hole portal to suck everything in and kill all enemies around it, gaining control of an arm that can grab objects and impale enemies, to duel wielding guns that harness the darkness power into bullet projectiles.
Each power has its use and is very fun to use, never getting stale or boring.
Another RPG aspect is the side missions and some somewhat free roaming nature of this game. The game is basically broken down into streets and certain landmarks, with the subway system acting as a central hub. In the subway system you cannot use your weapons (this area acts as the "safe-village" that can commonly be found in most RPGs). The subway is where you get all of the side missions from NPCs.
They range from simple to time consuming, but nevertheless add to the overall fun.
The game is free roaming to an extent. You can roam the streets but they are visibly cut off at a certain point. You cannot walk into just any building either. But these constraints dont mean much, since The Darkness is meant to be more of a story rather than an open ended experience.
Overall, the areas to explore of decent. There are even collectible items to collect throughout. You have to do some searching to find them, but its worth it. If your into that sort of thing.
The developers incorporated a neat system for unlocking these collectibles too (which I think unlocks game videos and comic books, I think).
The collectibles you pick up are actually phone numbers which you can call at any pay phone in the subway system (most of the pay phones out on the street are broken. Go figure!) When you call them you usually reach someones answering machine. And most of the time the message is a funny one.
There are also secret numbers scrawled on walls and such, and when called will prompt another side mission involving you finding about 16 secret phone numbers to unlock a secret achievement.
Speaking of achievements, there are plenty to be had. And they are fun ones too. I wont tell you what they are, but I will say that you can track your achievements via a pause menu.
There is so much scripted dialog in The Darkness, the cinematic and realistic qualities of this game are further enhanced. Passer-by NPC (non-playable characters) that are not key to the plot or side missions dont really say much. But those that ask you to do side missions, key plot characters and enemies during battle all have plenty to say.
I love it when the enemies that I am fighting talk trash to me or cower in fear when I am fighting them. It really adds to the game play.
If you have ever Played Condemned : Criminal Origins, you will really like this game. The Darkness seems to be closely related to Condemned in spirit. However, The Darkness is much more fast paced in terms of action and fighting.
I have yet to try the multiplayer Xbox Live deathmatch gaming.
Overall, I recommend The Darkness. It is a true experience of Next-Gen gaming, you will not be disappointed. There are so many little nuances thrown into this game that just give it a realistic feel and liven up the game in so many ways. This is a real treat to wat
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2007-07-01I just purchased this game the other day and so far Im glad I did. First off, the graphics are amazing. The gameplay is really exciting. Its not your typical shooter where you shoot everything you see. You speak to people and your responses affect the way the game turns out. The demons are nasty, devouring hearts of all the people that you kill. You can also use the demons to find secrets or passageways that your character would not fit in. The soundtrack sounds excellent on 5.1 surround sound. I tried playing versus on xbox live and was a little disappointed. It lagged pretty bad, im sure they will fix that soon. My only other disappointment was that it seems pretty easy so far. I recommend renting this game at the very least. Definitely not as good as Gears of War but I think its the next best thing.
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2007-06-28Star Breeze studios has created a great. Using the acclaimed chronicles of Riddick engine they took a swing at the Top Cow comics Anti-hero the Darkness. Im happy to report that they nailed it, as a fan of the comics I can tell you the mood and atmosphere is perfect and gritty. The Darkness its self is awesome, and fits well with the games action. Which is fast and furious the gunplay has some nice features like the execution moves which are scripted gun-kata beat downs that add to the over the top comic book style action.
Ok I know you want to know about the powers. The First you get is the darkness its self which acts as a shield to keep you a live in combat. As you continue you gain the hilarious and morbidly chatty Darklings each with tools and useful attacks. You can also explore and perform stealth kills with the tendrils that sprout out your back. You gain a demonic arm/spike, guns that use the darkness as ammo, and finally the ability to create a black hole.
The story is a retelling the resurrection story line that brought the character back from the dead. Some reviews are saying the game is too easy because once you get all your powers there are not a lot of people who can stand against the power of the darkness. Well I for one like this because in every other comic action game there is a point were you feel that the character is not strong as they should be but darkness lets you have a long run with the power as apposed to just saving it for the end of the game. Overall it is a good game and has an interesting take on the shooter formula. If you like a violent shooters this is a great choice.
If you ever wanted to play the monster for the game instead of being the chased victim, give the Darkness a shot.
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2007-06-28overall i think this is a pretty good game, i have always liked games like this. probably the closest comparison i could make is if you took the suffering, and chronicles of riddick game and put them together. its a lot of fun, its a little creepy and extreemly violent, so overall i think its really good.
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2007-06-28Well I bought this game site un-seen because I love FPS and I figured this game would deliver. Well it kinda does and kinda doesnt for me. It is an interesting twist to the FPS genre. There is an RPG aspect to the game where you are walking around and talking to alot of different people,and you can choose how you respond to the NPC. I like that in a game (Oblivion,KOTOR,etc) Its nice to have some mental involvment (talking to NPC) in a FPS and I think Darkness achieves that to some extent. But the dialog isnt on KOTOR level so dont think this is a full blown RPG. Darkness is a shooter ,no doubt.You can dial telephone numbers you find scattered around on posters,walls,etc. I think if you find enough numbers it might open up some cheats, the guy that answers keeps telling you to find more numbers before hell give you a secret? cheat maybe? Your Darkness powers also enable you to summon a scamp-like creature to fight along side you. Also to gain more darkness level ups you will have to devour the victims hearts, all of which plays out pretty greusomely. This is not a game for the toddlers in any respect. The game is part open ended go anywhere to strictly linear(one way but straight) later on, (ts no sandbox).The enemies arent ever very tough, most of them just stand there and wait to be shot or the mob guys just move side to side. This game really has a solid concept , but it just doesnt quite come through for me. I wish I had rented it now. A game like RE4 really pulled you into the game (remember the chainsaw guys), but somehow darkness is just so close but not quite as suspenseful. And anybody with a budget LCD TV will have a heck of a time trying to get the shadowy dark areas in the game just right contrast. But luckily there are alot of in game video adjustments with 6 total preset color/black level settings. Theres just too many extreme dark and light areas though. I wish the shadows were better done in this game. All in all it is a fun game you can dual weld pistols , And the added Horror Darkness power is Something different in the FPS genre. Just think of the darkness power as another weapon that is an extention of your body. When Darkness enabled (LB) you will have a minor bullet shield and youll gain aditional powers as you devour enemies hearts with the Darkess (snake head looking thingy).The Darkness can be replenished by findind what else Dark areas out of light, hence the game title.Your charachter also walks very slow ,theres no sprint capability. I guess to keep up with the graphics they make you unable to sprint or even a light jog. But you can shoot the snake thing out of your arm and control it like a recon cam and you can take out enemies with the snake arm while your a distance away , and this does move faster than you. But if you ask me ,rent it first , then buy it if you like it. Somehow later in the game the graphics got worse and the dark areas just got too washed out too be enjoyable for me(It kinda looked like the bad parts in Bulletwitch and the enemies moved very sluggish). But those with good black level Tvs shouldnt have too much of a problem. Good Luck.PEACE.
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2007-06-27I been waiting for this game for a while. Also has a lot hipe because these are the people who created of that Riddick game. If your Epect something so good, it not what you think. But dont get me wrong it is very entertaining game I enjoy to play it.
The story is not slow but this is all you need to know is this:
There is this dude name uncle paulie who is trying to kill you. And feels like no one is on your side, beside your girlfriend jenny who one know snice you two grew up. But the mob people is trying to and to much to handel. But thankfully ther is a demon on your side to kill all of them.
Now the Xbox Live.. Well I would say the funiest is survior. The game is only 8-10 hours long. So go ahead buy this game. Or not?
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2007-06-27overall i think this is a pretty good game, i have always liked games like this. probably the closest comparison i could make is if you took the suffering, and chronicles of riddick game and put them together. its a lot of fun, its a little creepy and extreemly violent, so overall i think its really good.
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2007-06-27Without a doubt this is a great game. But, you should get it on the PS3 for more content and better graphics.
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2007-06-27The best thing that this game has going for itself is the concept. You play as Jackie Estacado, a young mob guy. Out doing a job for his Uncle Paulie who has taken Jackie under his wing, Jackie discovers that his Uncle Paulie is out to get him and gives him a a birthday surprise (a real blast... =D) This failed attempt to kill Jackie brings out The Darkness a malevolent force that was deep within Jackie.
Again, the best thing this game has is the concept. The Darkness is intriguing and in the very beginning makes you want to discover all of its secret. Some parts of the game are a little monotonous, but you can always change that by playing around with different strategies of using The Darkness.
The graphics are decent and the environment is very interactive. Because The Darkness likes it to be dark, almost every light can be shot out, which I enjoy because it gives a more realistic feel. The loading screens are not loading screens really. They are most like brief confessionals from Jackie. I may not have been paying attention but I dont remember one repeating. But if you stress the system it probably will. (going back and forth)
When I play games, I am all about the graphics. This game doesnt bring amazing graphics, but the gameplay and the awesome subtleties make me forget about the graphics. Two instances are:
1. In the very beginning of the game, the opening credits and tutorial are put into an interactive cut scene that resembles the cutscenes used in Resident Evil 4. You are in the back seat of a car with two other mob guys. While the scene does on you can look around to see the driver shoving cars out of the way and to see cop cars chasing the car.
2. When you meet up with Jackies girlfriend, you get the opportunity to sit next to her on the couch. Because you are Jackies eyes, you get the full perspective when you go to kiss her. Also, the TV is playing the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. While I did not sit to see how much of the movie it has, I sat long enough to get about 7 minutes into the movie. I was impressed for some reason. =D
Overall the game amazing for its innovative approach and the graphics are just something that you will have to get over to enjoy the otherwise amazing qualities of the game.
If you have ever played Indigo Prophecy for the Xbox, you will know the feeling. Not so great graphics, but a game you HAVE to experience.
