The Darkness

The first thing one notices when playing "The Darkness" is the incredibly stylized visual aspect of the game. It seems fair to assume that a game called "The Darkness" would be dark… but the game isn't just dark, it's pure darkness. It starts of in New York City and it's a shock to see every street, corner and alley so gloomy and absent of light, with only a few lamps bursting small, but bright, rays of light. But even those are not warm pleasant lights; they're cold, dry white lights that contrast perfectly with the blackness that surrounds them. The result is similar to the "chiaroscuro"style photography that will reminisce with anyone who has ever seen a "Film-Noir" or German expressionist film like "Nosferatu". Though it's a common technique in cinema, this is the first game that actually was able to emulate it on a game (and so many have tried), and for that fact it must be commended. The way the lighting shapes objects and scenarios is superb, thanks to the quality of the volumetric lighting engine and the sheer detail of the sets. Whether it's the New York subways, with its grayish and slab tones, or the hellish land of the Darkness, engulfed in its dead brown and fiery red, every environment of the game feels unique and organic, pulsating with life and death.

The dark visuals fit perfectly as the counterpart to a story of corruption that transpires in the soul of one man: Jackie Estacado. Jackie is a "wise guy" from a crime family ruled by his Uncle Paulie, and on his 21st birthday, he's possessed by a demon-like being called "The Darkness". Coincidentally, on the same day, his uncle decides to have Jackie killed. "The Darkness" will agree to save Jackie by giving him power, but in return, will demand a significant price to pay. The story is beautifully crafted, filled with fatalism and dread; in a nutshell: it's "The Godfather" meets "Faust". Not a bad combination, is it? And though it's based on a comic book, don't expect a cookie-cutter plot; it's not revolutionary, but it's engaging and deep. Narrative develops through dialogs and cut-scenes where the player has control of the character ("a la" Half-Life 2); and this is where "The Darkness" shines really brightly, with character animations bordering life-like, thanks to one of the best motion capturing ever seen in games. Add great voice-acting, and the result is a series of emotionally powerful sequences that actually resonate with the player, and thus give a whole new level of dramatic impact to the plot.

As a FPS, "The Darkness" fares well: it's not groundbreaking, it's not perfect, but it is enjoyable. The main character can use a lot of guns, which feel extremely powerful, thanks to the care given to model and sound design. But apart from the ability to use of some cool finishing moves, gun use feels a bit formulaic and shallow. Adding spice into the mix, are the "darkness" powers that allow the disposal of enemies in a number of "unpleasant" ways. Stick a huge tentacle through your enemies' bowels? Check. Summon a kamikaze imp to blow everything to smithereens? Check. Darkness powers are fun, and do a nice job of adding a touch of dark-humor to the otherwise serious tale. The downfall is that most powers don't seem well implemented, and more than once in a while, their effect will be unpredictable, either because the controls aren't responsive enough, or because the AI just doesn't cut it.

Level Design is OK. Action sequences are balanced and straight-forward, allowing the game to flow smoothly. But, "The Darkness", like the companies' predecessor ("Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay") also has a few RPG/adventure elements that add variety: speaking to characters, finding collectible items, and performing small quests are just a few of the possibilities. The problem here is that, unlike "Riddick", levels are enormous in size, and usually, have little going on in most of their areas. This means, the aforementioned elements become long and somewhat boring fetch games filled with backtracking . So unlike "Riddick", instead of helping the game, these elements end up hurting it.

Like its "Chiaroscuro", "The Darkness" is game of contrast; on one hand, there's a powerful and moving story, beautifully told through the sights and sounds of the game, and on the other, an uninspired game, that doesn't show the same amount of care and production value as the rest of the package. All in all, it's a great game for those who don't mind suffering some uninspired shooting to appreciate some great artistic design and a cinematic narrative. So if you don't belong in this group, then forget about "The Darkness", but if you do… embrace it.

I must say, i never normally post things on sites about games, i just like to read what other people say, but after i read the last comment that was made on this game, i had to say something.. first off the comment that was made on this game that it add's nothing to the fps genre is total rubbish, for starters you can summon demons, suck people up through a black hole, sneak through gutters, grates with a creeping dark ability and impale the bad guys on your anaconda sized tentacles!! this is a fps that isn't just about the guns!! Also between missions you can do more or less what want, there's two subways that link the major levels off the game together, here you will find various sub quests and unlockable content, or you can just go round talking and watching people get on with their life! Now on to the main reason this game DOES add something different to the fps genre, the idea is, you stay in the dark, you see, your darkness powers will only work in the dark, therefore you find yourself shooting at street lamps before you even go in battle, with the conventional guns not really having much affect agaisnt the enemies you come across, its essential you black out the area so you can get in the dark and get out the weapons ( the darkness )that will kill the bad guys...!!! You stay in the light and it wont be long before your dead! The story will keep you gripped from the moment it starts as you find yourself being transported from hell and back ( literally ) in order to take out your evil uncle paulie and avenge events that happen not to far into the game!! All in all the darkness is a quality fps, that changes your mind on just running in with your guns blazing, its different, its gritty and its dark!! ( sorry about the pun! ) buy it now!! hope this helps!! 8/10

Well first I must admit that I was a bit sceptical about this game to begin with. Sure it looked good but still I was unsure, but for whatever reason I bought it.

First impression was amazing, the first act is probably the most intense scene in the whole game, but not in a bad way. You get the general picture of what has happened and before you know it your are forced into an adrenaline pumping car chase.

The game does a good job at making you feel like you are over powerful, which (of course) is not so true. You feel invincible with all the tentacles sticking out of your back but really if you are not careful (and not playing on easy difficulty) you will fins yourself gunned down before you know it.

All in all it's a great game, nice graphics and with a depth rarely seen in these types of games. The story is intriguing and the acting superb. However, there are some frustrating moments with a few (and rare) glitches and the fact that there seem to be hardly anyone walking the streets of New York, although I suppose you could argue that this is because it's night throughout the game.

This is still a game that I think most people would enjoy as long as they like FPS games, but really I think this game can offer a lot to just about anyone.

I have never read any of the comics this game is based on...but I do know of them. But this game was my first proper introduction to The Darkness, so I write this as a game fan, not a comic fan...and it's very disappointing.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game. Just a dull one. Here we have the tried and VERY tested First Person Shooter (FPS) game. With so many FPS out there, it's hard to do anything interesting or new with the genre...and this game also fails. It really is nothing more than another FPS, it offers nothing new to keep the genre alive. The missions are sub-standard stuff, and with a character that has the abilities Jackie does have you'd think they could inject some life into the mission design. Then there is all the pointless walking between locations, getting on and off trains....it's tedious. This game does not know if it wants to be a free roaming explorable game world (al-la GTA) or a restrictive FPS. So they tried to mix the 2 and fail. Yes you can ignore the missions and go off and explore, but with such a small game map and and lifeless empty one too (I'll get to that next)...why bother? There is nothing to explore anyway. The game is set in New York, though you would not believe that unless you were told as much. The streets are empty, you are lucky if you see more than 2 pedestrians at once. Also, it's such a small part of NY you do get to walk around that it beggars belief that the developers did NOT include more life and interaction.

The basic gameplay is just that...basic. Nothing really to keep a gamers enjoyment alive. It does have an interesting story...but this is a GAME, and GAMES require GAMEPLAY to make them enjoyable. I'm sure this would make a fine film (if done right), but it makes a dull, repetitive game.

The graphics are very nice...but I don't play games to look at nice graphics. I play games for the enjoyment and challenge of the game. As for the challenge, there really is none. I started a game on normal setting just to get a feel for the game. Found it all too easy, so re-started on hard and still found that too easy...and that was with turning off auto aim, etc. There are side missions and collect-ables...but they are just as tedious as the main game.

A rather average game that looks nice but really seems about 8 years old gameplay wise. Wait for the inevitable film instead, I'm sure it'll be FAR more enjoyable than playing this tiresome effort.

As one of the NPC police officers say in the game "Move along, nothing to see here"...yup, that pretty much sums up this game.

Pretty good gameplay, a story you will want to follow and great atmosphere. This is from back when games still had lots of depth and quality. The attention to detail. Also back when developers really enjoyed making games too and were passionate about what they were creating. The voice acting is also superb and I love the creative loading screens. Made with Chronicles of Riddick engine. And same level of quality and passion.

I also wonder if I'm the only one who noticed that the Metal music kicks in when you bring out the Darkness in a fight. One of the coolest touches ever.