A wicked, gritty take on western horror. Good fun from a classic formula.
I'm glad she reminded me about the game.
Jericho Cross is not a character you will care about. The developers did nothing to make him an interesting character and even less to make him unique. The most appealing aspect of the main character is his appearance, and even then there is a little to be desired. Thankfully, this is a first person shooter and you only have to view him during cut scenes. I would recommend this game to people who are either new to first person shooters or lack the hand-eye coordination for the more intense games on the market. For people who have mastered the hardest level of every FPS they've played, this is not the game for you.
The story is not terribly engaging, and the plot is a retread of many B movies from days gone by. A great evil is released by an unwitting anti-hero, and the race for redemption begins. While not exactly a classic in any way, the story does what it was meant to do: it provides a building block for a linear storyline.
Perhaps the most fun comes from riding a demonic horse and shooting at undead riders as you race from place to place. All in all, Darkwatch is a fun game that will give any gamer a few hours of amusement, but will be set aside when the next big thing hits the market.
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Gameplay:
The controls are a little slow, but any player can adapt to the sensitivity and quirks of the controls after a level or two. Using the vampire powers is fairly simple, which is a plus in a game which relies on additional power sets. Aiming leaves a little to be desired, but the first vampire power, a thing called Blood Sight, makes targetting a bit easier when used properly. All in all, the gameplay is on par with other games in the genre. _____________________________________________________
Graphics:
While not the best graphics in the genre, the art design is fairly nice. The subdued colors set the mood for a gritty horror game, and the choice to use cold earth tones backs up the western feel the designers were going for. Unfortunately, many of the enemies blend into the setting too well and make the use of Blood Sight a must when trying to target in pitched battle.
The graphic design of the vampire powers is, for lack of a better word, "neat." Blood Sight is particularly amusing because the screen pulses like a heartbeat. Other than that, it's not much different than games that include night vision or infrared.
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Sound:
The voice acting is better than some games on the market, and I was glad that the accents of the characters did not change from scene to scene. The game's soundtrack is probably one of the best parts of Darkwatch, as the musical choices fit the setting well. The sound is crisp, clean and the fact that you can hear the character's spurs is a nice amusement.
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Value:
At the price Darkwatch goes for now, it's a good value. Darkwatch is one of those games that wasn't worth the release price, but the bargain bin and the used game prices are money well spent. Though the game is a bit short, you'll be glad you played through it and will likely end up regifting it around the holidays, just so someone else can share the joy of killing undead cowboys.
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Tilt:
Funny enough, tilting is something your character can do in the game, making it possible to shoot around corners. But that has nothing to do with the reviewer's tilt of my review. While the overall story is a retread and the controls are average at best, Darkwatch gets a little boost simply because it's a game I expected to be disappointed in and have come to enjoy greatly. Those are always the best, so Darkwatch gets positive tilt.
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