Title The Darkness Date 06.30.2007 Genre Horror, FPS Platform PC Developer Starbreeze Studios Publisher 2K Games

Hello and welcome to another comic book/video game made review. I've been an off and on fan of Image and Top Cow comics since the late nineties boom, and I've been an avid gamer since the mid 80s as just a wee lad. I'm going to be fair to fans of the comic and fans of the 360 in general, and will not be biased in my review here. Read on!

Graphics
From The Darkness effects, to seeing a television screen glow in a darkened room, this game is truly next gen. Some of the environments (like old apartment buildings and such in New York City) are bland, but that's realistic, not a fault of the graphics. The Darkness effects are superb. The guns look great. The bad guys die very realistically. The fire looks good, the hazy elements of Hell look realistic and dark, and the light sourcing, is, as to be expected, amazing in this title. You won't be disappointed if you're looking for realism in a comic world. The people's faces look good, and the expressions, while at rare times are overdone, look real. Body movement is kept simple, but very realistic. Vehicles move like you'd expect, Darklings come from the abyss and scatter about the walls and shadows. Smoke erupts from a muzzle flash, and everything just feels right for the Darkness universe.

Sound
This is another spot on element. Everything sounds just right. From gun shots, to expletives, demons to thunderstorms, it's all exactly as it should be. I am very impressed by how well this game sounds off. Reloading, footsteps, in game chatter, battle sounds and screams, it's all there as it should be. Powers sound right, and make you "feel" the world. People constantly interact with one another, whether in "safe" zones or in battle zones. It feels like a living city to a fairly large degree, when it comes to the sound. You'll feel bad guy bullets whiz by your head, or strike home within your chest. You'll know when your Darklings are around as they constantly sound off. You'll get a rush from the pulse pounding, oh so right industrial and metal tracks that line the battles. This game delivers in terms of great sound.

Story
It's a bit clichéd in some parts, even for a comic tale. Everything is watered down from the comics, but that's to be expected. Just putting it out there for anyone curious. Rather than "Uncle" Frankie "Kill the children too" Franchetti, we get Paulie Franchetti. Sort of a Joe Pecshi spin on the character, and he works fine enough. Jenny is your instant girlfriend, rather than an “on again, off again” sweetheart with doe eyes you never noticed until it was too late. Jackie spawns his Darkness powers a bit differently too, but it's in a cool way really. Like I said, it's a bit clichéd in some parts, in other parts it's just kind of thin to an extent. You will enjoy the mafia background as a hero origin, as it's unique. You will likely thrill at the hellish subject matter and the darkling "sidekicks". If you wouldn't, why are you here?  Seriously, it's quite fun to play through. There are a couple of twists and turns, if you just let the storyline flow and you don't think too much about it. Also, there are several side missions to add more storyline to your world. In the end, I was satisfied, and the plotline stays more true to the comic than you'd initially realize. Sorry though, no Angelus, just yet.

Gameplay
Here's where it all shines for ANY kind of fan, game or comic or newcomer alike. This game is a shooter at its core, and a summer blockbuster to be sure. More unique than most out there. You've got your standard dual wielded pistols (with a huge variety of hand guns to be had), your shotguns, and a couple of rifles. They feel good, really good. You'll constantly be dropping weapons to pick up new ones, rather than cart around one type and find ammo to reload constantly like in other FPS titles. Good stuff. What separates it the most though? You get the Darkness powers and skills only dreamt of in other shooter titles. You can summon allies, the Darklings (little impish demon buddies) that are as hilarious as they are deadly.

Some crawl on walls and ceilings, dropping onto foes to cut them to pieces. Some can shoot with a small mini-gun from Hell. Still others are kamikazes to the core, and rush foes or obstacles to explode in fiery bits! They are here to serve you, and serve you well. You will also spawn various appendages used for pulling at objects with great force, or putting out the lights around you. You can also use tentacle beasties with teeth to sneak up on foes, scout ahead safely, or solve some of the puzzles in the game (like sending one through a small space like an air duct to unlock a door for you). You also have a shield for your very human frame, and much, much more you'll discover as you play.

Plus, when some enemies see you coming with the Darkness all over your body, and your eyes glowing yellow, they literally give up and drop to the floor. Very cool feature! You'll find the game a challenge on Normal or Hard modes, as a few shots to your human form will kill you. Around five or six to your shielded form will as well. You are a bad ass antihero to be sure, but you're far from invincible. There are several side missions and plotlines to follow at certain points in the game, to add to the overall play and time spent. You will also find working phones all over the place with in game numbers to call, as well as a myriad of televisions throughout the world that possess a handful of cool channels. VERY cool touch there. You won't be left wanting, as the game lasts between ten and fifteen hours, depending on how you play. Plus, some of the achievements will keep you busy on the other play-through.

Multiplayer
This was a last, tacked on feature so to speak, and admitted by the developers themselves. That's ok. You can shapeshift from human to darkling and back in some modes. There’s Capture The Flag modes, deathmatches, hunt and kill a single target modes, etc. You'll find the same weapons and controls here for the most part, and it is what it is. Slap together several players in a room and go for the objective. This is a blast, depending on, of course, who's playing with you. It get's old fast, once again, depending on who you play with. It can be a real blast at first, though, and if you make solid friends, it'll continue to be awesome. The levels are standard fare for the most part, nothing wrong here, nothing too spectacular either. Darkling control is fun. There is a lag problem, but the issue will be resolved quickly by the next patch or two. The game was built for the singleplayer mode, honestly. Nothing is wrong with the multi though, it's solid, as far as gameplay goes. Some of the MP achievements are neat too, though most are completely standard issue. There is better out there, but if you're in a Darkness kind of mood, you'll be happy here, and stay for quite a while.

In the end, what is this title really? It is much like the comic. Fun, flashy, quick for the most part, with little substance in the end. But it's so much FUN, that this won't matter. You won't find a stellar, ground breaking plot here, but that's more than made up for by the amazingly fun gameplay and the powers system, as well as the missions and character interaction in a few parts. It's a big, flashy, fun ride that will definitely leave you wanting a sequel. You'll have a blast, and likely want to hit the online multiplayer and/or higher difficulties. If you love the subject matter, or the comics, you will want to buy this title. If you're a big FPS fan, you'll again, likely want to own this to replay down the line for fun's sake. However, if you're a casual shooter fan interested in this title, go for the rental first, and enjoy the five days you have it, as it STILL won't disappoint! Embrace The Darkness my fellow gamers...and get ready for a thrill ride!!

Game Score

A-

Reviewed By: Joe Barbee