For those of you not familiar with The Darkness you can check it out on over at Top Cows website. I myself have never read the comic which doesn't mean I can't enjoy the games. I will tell you that the games story is a very different one in a unique kind of way that makes it interesting and totally engrossing. I played the first Darkness game roughly like 5 years ago give or take. Going in I didn't expect much and coming out I was pleasantly surprised. The story revolves around Jackie Estacado a lowly gang member who is in a tragic near death car accident in a chase scene/shoot out, and Estacado is saved by the Darkness. This Demon from hell that basically needs a host body to inhabit and it jumps from person to person who is apparently selectively chosen like a spouse, and not random like lotto numbers. So its Jackies turn and you run through his trials and tribulations of trying to learn how to co-exist with the Darkness while not letting it control you, all the while learning new powers and abilities and leveling up. Now if you haven't played the first its been a while and it is kind of a hard game to find so Spoiler alert. Jackies Girlfriend gets killed right in front of him, and the Darkness makes him stand there and watch it completely powerless in an attempt to break him and gain control of him. In the second game Estacados GF plays a HUGE role in the game. At times I actually became annoyed at some of the cutscenes where she would break up the action and it would get all weird and slow only for some enemy to jump out and get the drop on me while her image was still fading out. Speaking of enemies the skill that it takes to finish this game even on easy is ridiculous. The regular joe dime dozen pigeon shoot bad guys were harder to take down than some of the later demon enemies. Also boss fights one particular one in a grave yard was old school throw your controller hard. This time around the game chose a sort of cell shaded look which makes it feel more like a comic book game. I liked the new style a lot it gave the game its own feel. This time around we join Jackie where he has apparently taken over as mob boss of his particular city, the game starts off with some bozos trying to whack you while you are out dining at one of your rester aunts apparently with a couple of girls who obviously didn't pay attention in school growing up and probably model there lives after Courtney Love. From there you jump right into the action as you need the Darkness to Survive. Later in the game you find that a group of Darkness religious fanatics are trying to capture you to get the Darkness all to themselves, and apparently they use it like junkies huffing paint or snorting cocaine that gives you special powers for a bit. Im just saying at one point it gets a little weird watching the main bad guy shove this needle/staff thing into another dude and he's making noises... anyway. One thing I will also mention about the story is that I wish we could have delved more into the side characters, there were like 30 guys hanging out at Jackies mansion and we only really got to know Jimmy the Grape and Jackies Aunt, and the other dude I always went to when I wanted to start a mission who was introduced and explained so poorly I can't even remember his name. I did however enjoy the sideways crazy flashbacks to the mental ward thing it kept me second guessing. But you will have to play the game for the full story. So the story in the game was fairly solid although it felt pretty predictable as far as the main plot went.
Gameplay was the usual fair for a first person shooter anyone familiar with the COD franchise should pick this up and be able to play it. There are a few changes but mostly its the same. The ability to use the demon arms is pretty cool and I found myself using them alot Id say they were my main weapon in the game. Weapons didn't have enough variety I felt like I mostly stuck with the pistols and the AK47 the ability to dual wield weapons was cool seeing as how you end up with basically 4 weapons, demon arms , guns and all. But the non ability to zoom in and aim while dual wielding made me pretty much not use it very often, except when I did it by accident, while trying to eat a heart. Sound was as to be expected, everyone sounded like they were from the cast of the sopranos or jersey shore just not as douchey. Replay value on this title Id say is high, and not for the main campaign but there is another mode where you go on solo missions with a motley cast of characters. The first being this ninja assassin guy who has to invade a compound but instead of demon arms he has a ninja sword.... how awesome does that sound? It was pretty cool. To end. Being a fan of the franchise Id give this a higher score based upon my own personal interest. But for the masses Id say this one gets a 8 out of 10. It was a solid game that will probably fly under the radar much like the first one did. If you get a chance to rent this one it would be worth it, or get it on discount. Sixty dollars seems a bit steep for people who have never dipped a toe into this franchise, be it the comic or game. The appeal of playing the anti hero type hell bent on saving his dead ex girlfriend is one hell of a story though if you have the time.
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