Explosive Gameplay

Skeletons, don't put all of your explosives in one barrel. Enough said.

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Currently scheduled for release in August, Darkwatch is a Wild West-themed first-person shooter in which you'll assume the role of a gunslinger named Jericho Cross who is bitten by a vampire in the game's opening sequence. We recently had the opportunity to check out playable demos of Darkwatch on both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and we're pleased to report that the game has come a long way since we saw it in October of last year.

The demo versions of Darkwatch that we've been playing feature eight playable levels from the unlockable gunslinger mode, which will let you play through levels that you've beaten previously. The scores you receive will be based on how long it takes you to complete the level, your accuracy, the number of headshot and melee kills you racked up, and which of the game's four difficulty levels (greenhorn, cowboy, shootist, or deadeye) you were playing on.

Like many current-generation first-person shooters, Darkwatch has more than a few things in common with Bungie's Xbox-exclusive Halo games. After being bitten by a vampire, for example, Jericho's health bar is complemented by a "blood shield" that automatically replenishes over time whenever he's not taking damage--much like the shield employed by Halo's Master Chief. Like Master Chief, Jericho is also only able to carry two weapons simultaneously, which he can use to perform both ranged and incredibly satisfying melee attacks when he's not hurling sticks of dynamite at his enemies.

Jericho's arsenal comprises some of most lethal-looking ranged weapons we've seen in a shooter to date, and it's not because they're sophisticated or even ahead of their time in the game's Wild West setting, it's because almost all of them incorporate large blades that make them every bit as effective when enemies get up close and personal. Pistols have blades on their handles, the shotgun has a large blade mounted on its butt, and our favorite weapon, the crossbow, has multiple blades attached to the front of it. Because ammunition for all of the weapons in the game is limited, you'll often want to take advantage of the powerful melee attacks that these weapons afford you so that you have plenty of ammo available when you need it. Enemy snipers, for example, will often fire on you from vantage points that make them impossible to get close to, and using melee attacks on skeletons that are charging at you carrying barrels of explosives…well, it's just not a very good idea.

The sniper rifle is especially useful for picking the heads and limbs off enemy snipers.

When you're attacking (or at least defending yourself from) enemies at range, you'll find that the weapons at your disposal are quite varied, and are often best suited to taking out particular types of enemies or enemies that are a certain distance away from you. The pistol that you start with is, predictably enough, one of the least powerful weapons in the game. Although, it's great for shooting at the aforementioned skeletons' explosive barrels, and can be "fanned" for a rapid-fire rate when things get hairy. Dual pistols can't be fanned, but they can stop enemies at range and are deadly when used in melee combat. The shotgun is devastating at close range but not particularly effective otherwise. The carbine fires a single, powerful shot that has great stopping power at any range. The sniper rifle has a powerful scope on it, and can be used to take the heads (or limbs) of many enemies off with a single shot. The crossbow fires bolts that explode after a few seconds. These bolts are powerful enough to take out a few enemies simultaneously if you manage to stick one onto an enemy, who then runs toward his cohorts in a panic. Last, but definitely not least, is the rocket launcher, which is slow to reload and not to be fired at close range, but it is powerful enough to take out large groups of enemies with just a single shot.