The Darkness is a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 exclusive first person shooter video game that fell under radar. It was one of those game that was completely lost due to all the BioShock madness and based on the comic book the Top Cow. Ironically enough, 2K games (the same game company responsible for The Darkness) made both The Chronicles of Riddick and BioShock. The storyline of The Darkness transpires in New York, and it is about a youthful 21 year old Mafia gang member named Jackie Estacado. He ascertains that his own Mafia (led by Uncle Paulie) is attempting to murder him; moreover, Uncle Paulie sends out a hit on Jackie and his girlfriend Jenny because Uncle Paulie believes that Jackie has stabbed him in the back. Jackie evades death and begins his journey for vengeance. Deceitful plot twists will no doubt keep players interested in the storyline from start to finish.
The gameplay in the Darkness is a first person shooter with a twist. The twist being that the protagonist is possessed with this malicious voice named The Darkness. It is not merely a voice; furthermore, The Darkness is capable of controlling over Jackie's body. These demonic capabilities will give him the chance to accomplish extraordinary feats that a mundane human could not perform. Gamers will see two demonic figures coming from each shoulder as they play. They look like menacing creatures that make eradicating humans straightforward. One of a bevy of things that players can do is set one of your two dragon-like creatures on the ground and see it annihilate a foe. You can also utilize the Darkness to stab straight through an enemy. This will result in you ripping the heart straight out of one of your countless foes; consequently, your darkness creature will ultimately eat the heart.
The most powerful Darkness attack is the ability to open up a black hole. This black hole eradicates all opponents on screen at once (ala Tequila Bomb from Stranglehold). The Darkness can also act as a shield and provide you with better vision in the dark. Speaking of the dark, staying in the dark would be wise. When you use a darkness power, you exhaust darkness energy at an alarming rate. An intriguing gameplay mechanic is that being in the dark will enhance your attributes and regenerate your health. This is pivotal because shooting out the lights will always put Jackie in an advantageous position. Fortunately, all of the Darkness maneuvers are mapped to the directional pad. The uncanny powers are brilliant, but there are a usual selection of weapons ranging from handguns to machine guns as well. It is nothing too spectacular.
The game is not arduous at all. Every foe you will encounter can be easily killed with a headshot. You can literally cruise through the entire game without even touching any machine guns or shotguns. To make matters worse, the artificial intelligence is not necessarily cream of the crop. The enemies make a dreadful attempt to elude incoming fire. Even the civilians do not realistically react accordingly when you approach them. There are a few side missions sprinkled in here and there, but they are more of an afterthought than anything else. A map is given to you, so you will always know where to go. Any video game with a map will appease those (like me) with no sense of direction. The multiplayer is present but is not as engrossing as the single player campaign. Graphically, The Darkness is remarkable. I really felt like I was in New York when as I was playing the game.
The little things like graffiti and street lights give The Big Apple an authentic feel. Unfortunately, you cannot really explore every part of New York. You are coerced into following a linear pathway during the game. What really sells The Darkness is the presentation entailing the music and the voice acting. Although the animations are not as phenomenal as Heavenly Sword, I enjoyed watching the dialogue between characters.
The game has a nice and steady frame rate throughout the duration of the game without any flaws. Ten hours of gameplay will be the amount of time on The Darkness; it is not bad but not fantastic. Overall, The Darkness is a unique game as soon as the opening scenes begins. It is no where near on the same level as The Chronicle of Riddick or BioShock, but avid fans of the first person shooter genre will enjoy eating hearts in no time.
final verdict 8 out of 10
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