The Darkness (Xbox 360, 2007)

This game is definately one of the very best Xbox 360 games that I've played to date. The graphics are top-notch, the physics are quite good, and the plot is interesting and engrossing. Overall, the gameplay is extremely entertaining, and the single-player campaign is long and changes enough to stay very interesting.

There are only a few little hitches that make this just an excellent game and not a completely amazing one. First and foremost, the dynamic of the player's darkling minions is pretty flawed. The player's control over the minions is awkward and unreliable. The only way I've found to make them reliable at all is to avoid using minion controls entirely and hope that they'll be helpful just following me around and using their AI. Sometimes they can be really helpful, but only if you avoid trying to tell them what to do.

Otherwise, both the weaponry and darkness powers are very fun to use. There is no reliable way that I've seen to quantitatively gauge the amount of darkness a player has stored up, but things are fairly intuitive anyway. The plot is mysterious and interesting, and the characters are well-portrayed and feature good voice acting. Parts of the game are downright scary, and the campaign stays challenging, though it's almost never so difficult that anyone should get stuck.

The darkness powers are fun, just like the first time you get your gravity gun beefed up in Half Life 2, but cooler.

The shooting aspect is neat too. Cover is important, and gunfights can be pretty engrossing and cinematic.

The player's darkness powers are spaced out at intervals that keep things interesting. They could be a little better documented, though. I didn't know until my second time through that holding down the tentacle button caused it to impale enemies, allowing me to throw them at their buddies.

My only issue with the plot is that Jackie, the player's character, doesn't seem very surprised when he first sprouts a set of evil demon snake heads.

So, despite some flaws, The Darkness is an awesome game. Now that it's a bit older and cheaper, no fan of shooters or horror/suspense games has any excuse not to own this game. I picked it up used for ~$15, but this game would have been worth full price when it came out, and I've bought only 1 of my 20 or so Xbox 360 games new for full price (Gears of War 2).

The side quests are OK, but I was so absorbed in the main quest I missed them the first time through. The multiplayer is decent, but not good enough to pry me away from Gears 2, Halo, or Call of Duty 4/World at War. The game's greatest strength is the single-player campaign, which is totally awesome.

I've heard rumors of a sequel, and if one does come out, I'll fight my way to the front of the line on launch day. The only other recent sequel that has me this excited is Gears 2.

Keep this one away from impressionable kids. In case you didn't guess, it is incredibly violent.

So, this game was almost one of the greatest ever. Here's what would make it an incredible game rather than just an excellent one.

-Better control of Darklings.
-Tougher, smarter enemies.
-Easier to find/more varied side quests.

Really, that addresses the few flaws in the game. If this sounds like it might be fun, get it. You won't be disappointed, especially for under $20.

Graphics: Excellent 9/10
The graphics are very well done and they are sharp. The mouth movement when the characters speak is weak, but the attention to most other details is remarkable.

Sound: Great – 8.5/10
You can tell that there is gun fire, and there is something behind you - nice touches for surround sound.

Gameplay: Great – 8.5/10
The gameplay is well done and the physics are fun to play with and there are plenty of variances to keep your interst

Replay Value – Above Average 7/10
This is a great single player campaign game, but the multiplayer was thrown in because it could be.

Overall – 8.5/10
This is a fun game that gives a new spin to the first person shooter genre, though nothing revolutionary, and makes an entertaining and engrossing game. The gameplay brings you in, but it is the weak multiplayer however, is what keeps this game from really shining.

The Darkness from the makers of “The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay” is a first-person shooter where you use the lack of light to your advantage. You play Jackie Estacado, who quickly earns the ability to generate tentacles from his back, and by staying out of the light, you gain powers to dominate the game, and your enemies. You can use your darkness powers to create black holes, take out lights in a stabbing motion, sneak ahead and along walls like a snake to areas you can't reach on foot, pick up and toss around objects, etc. You will want to make sure that you take out the lights in this game as you battle along to make sure you have as much of an advantage as you possibly can.

This is not your average “run and gun” first person shooter. This game has a lot of dialogue and downtime talking to individuals that it feels like Shenmue at times with all the questioning, and there is a descent amount of time that is spent traveling. The semi-open structure allows roaming to ask questions and fight, but the game makes sure to leave enough with clues, tasks, and signage to streamline this game if you wanted to finish it as quick as possible you achievement hunters.

Like Riddick, the main story here won't take you long to get through (it's in the 10-hour range), but because of the game structure, you can spend time getting lost and messing around in the wrong parts of town if you choose, or if you are looking for all the hidden items.

Once you complete the game though, this game lacks replay value due to the very poor multiplayer. The multiplayer structure is simple and the Starbreeze team inadvertently admits that multiplayer shouldn't be taken too seriously, as this mode relies on a gimmick: the ability to shape shift from a human to a Darkling. The multiplayer is fun, but it is not a reason to keep playing the game.

The story on The Darkness, along with the unique first person shooter elements, makes this game definitely worth checking out. It is a polished, sharp, single player game, with a complete ending, and great story line.

The Darkness has many great things going for this game that very few games out there have. First thing is the graphics. The graphics are very good. From the detail of the characters to the detail of all the surroundings. The only thing that isnt good with the graphics is when the characters are speaking, there lips barely move, but thats all minor. The next thing is the gameplay which is outstanding. The Darkness adds something knew with somehting called darkness powers, which you can have these demon arms do some very cool things and also can summon some lil creatures call darklings which is also very cool. And there are some very cool finishing moves when you get close enough to the enemy. In the darkness there are plenty of unlockables to get which is very nice. The Darkness has a very good story to it. Playing the game you will get to know the characters very well and get more involved into the game..Overall I would highly recomend buying this game. It is an absolute blast and in my opinion it is one of the top games out there right now.

What we have here is another comic-to-video game translation that didn't exactly go as planned. And like any translation, something gets lost in the process. As well as the Top Cow comic was written and illustrated, the game just didn't have the "oomph!" it needed to put it up there with the FPS greats. Like the comic, the game carried a really great story. It's unfortunate that the FPS structure built couldn't keep up with it.

You start out as an up-and-coming mobster named Jackie Estacado, previously adopted by a ruthless crime boss known only as Uncle Paulie. Needless to say our uncle isn't the most caring emotionally available parental type. This comes to fruition very early on when Paulie tries and fails to kill Jackie with a bomb. Why not just two to the back of the head like any normal hit who knows? That would have been too easy and we'd have no comic or game I guess. And why he hates Jackie so much was never really said.

So after recent events you start hearing a rather disturbing voice which says some really cryptic and creepy ****. This is the Darkness. Shortly into the game this Darkness manifests itself into physical form with you as it's host. Picture Spawn, but instead of chains and a cape, it's two demon heads and tentacles. Basically the same concept altogether. I'm surprised Todd McFarlane hasn't tried to sue Top Cow by now.

As I've stated, the story is awesome if not a little too familiar. Imbedded into the plot is your childhood sweetheart and current girlfriend from the orphanage. She becomes a huge part of the story and your motivation for doing what you do. As you play, you'll also be reminded of The Crow (another comic). Kinda makes you wonder why these comic's always have to include some love interest to complicate things.

But where this game falls short is the actual gameplay. It's not terrible but it's not all that compelling either. Again, you're granted (or cursed) with the power of The Darkness. These powers range from summoning demons that will attack what ever they see to creating a black hole to toss thugs around like rag dolls (I was a little disappointed that they didn't get completely sucked in and disappear, oh well.). Than there are the lack luster guns you use. The guns just don't feel like...well, like guns. They don't look or sound believable in anyway. I'm guessing the developer wanted you to focus more on the Darkness powers than anything else.

One of the things you'll notice is the perpetually dark city you traverse. Well, they don't call it "The Darkness" for nothing. It's supposed to be New York City, but you don't get to see much more than the empty streets with conveniently placed light sources and two oddly populated subway stations. You'll come to loath the subway, trust me. Than there is the dark otherworld you go to when things get ugly. It's a type of twisted World War 1 battle that never ends. Which again, reminds me of another story that was already done. Remember Hellraiser? Yep, they sorta ripped that idea off too. Starting to see a pattern here huh?

I know what you're thinking: "This game sucks than?". No, not exactly. The voice acting was top notch. And despite the "been there, done that" premise, the game was actually fun enough to finish til the end (or atleast to get my $60 dollars worth). When you do, you'll find a rather touching ending, again an all to familiar one (cough! The Crow! ahem) but touching none-the-less.

Awesome game. 2K studios really has done well since parting with Sega (not a knock on Sega mind you), and have made a faithful rendition of a classic comic series. Believe me when I say that this is not a simple cash cow of a 3rd party licence. It's gunplay and A.I. are top notch and the graphics are amazing. This is a very Mature game with plenty of violence so I do not advise it for children and wish to advise any parents seeking games for their sons or daughters to please be aware of the ESRB ratings. All in all i give it a 8.9 out of 10, mainly due to the Online multiplayer and it not being up to speed with some other FPS's. But like I said it is a great game for the price.