he Darkness is a first-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is based on a comic.Game's Gr8!!

User Rating: 10 | The Darkness X360
Story

This game is set in New York City, Jackie Estacado is a young Mafia hitman just turning 21, and finds himself the victim of an assassination attempt orchestrated by the don, his "Uncle" Paulie. Surviving the explosion meant to kill him as he crashes through a window, Jackie begins planning his revenge. A voice in his head manifests, calling itself "The Darkness", and demonstrates the power it has over Jackie by controlling his body and enabling him to use supernatural appendages and powers to violently eliminate all of the hitmen sent to make sure that he was dead. Still unsure of what is happening to him, he visits his girlfriend, Jenny, as he had promised to before. They celebrate a muted birthday together before Jackie leaves to meet a contact.

Jackie discovers a lead on Paulie's location, but before Jackie can arrive, the news reports the sudden destruction of St. Mary's Orphanage which he sees as a message from Paulie. Paulie escapes while Jackie explores what is left of the orphanage, finding Jenny who tries to see if she can help in any way. Jackie then attempts to learn more information from Paulie's underlings. He returns to the Orphanage to find that Paulie, along with the corrupt Chief of Police, Eddie Shrote, have taken Jenny. Before he can go in to free her, the Darkness takes control of Jackie's body, and forces him to watch as Paulie murders Jenny. As Paulie and Shrote flee, the Darkness lets Jackie go, telling him that Jenny was holding him back from his true powers. However, in emotional distress, Jackie commits suicide by shooting a gun into his mouth. As the screen fades to black, Jackie can be heard saying "That... well, that was the first time I died."

Jackie wakes up in a bizarre landscape based on World War I, though the people he meets have patchwork faces and he sees the physical manifestations of the Four Horsemen (Pestilence, Famine, Death and War). As he wanders the landscape, he eventually meets Anthony Estacado, his great-great-grandfather. He admits that it was he that brought the Darkness into the family and that this place is its realm, the Otherworld. Anthony tells Jackie that the only way to get control of the Darkness is to destroy it at its castle. Throughout this period, the Darkness lies to Jackie in an attempt to stop his progress. Ignoring this, Jackie seeks out and locates an enormous cannon and begins to drive it towards the castle but blacks out as the Darkness manages to bring Jackie back to life on earth after repairing his "head ball".

Waking up, he finds himself back in New York some time after Jenny's death. Seeking out old acquaintances, he learns that the only way to get to Paulie is to take out Eddie Shrote. After several missions in which Jackie undermines both Paulie and Shrote, he manages to chase Shrote to his apartment only to witness his escape on a helicopter. Butcher Joyce, Head of Cleanup after mob hits, helps Jackie locate and retrieve a briefcase of illicit goods that Shrote would want back, and then rigs the case with an explosive. Jackie goes to return the case at Trinity Church, but it turns out to be a trap; Shrote's forces are able to subdue Jackie and keep him in the light to prevent the use of his powers. As Jackie is tortured by Shrote, one of Shrote's underlings talks about the "Mother of God" coming in, immediately causing Shrote to tell him to shut up. Eventually, the underlings block enough light for Jackie to use the Darkness' powers to cause the rigged briefcase to explode, killing everyone. When it fades to black, Jackie can be heard saying, "that was the second time I died."

Jackie arrives back in the Otherworld which is revealed to be the mind of the Darkness itself. He is in the cannon's control room, arriving at the castle, but lacking ammo. He meets up again with Anthony who assists him into getting where the ammunition for the cannon is stored, but a large monster mortally wounds Anthony. Anthony then realizes that mankind was the big mistake, through all our chaos and endless time the Darkness went insane. Anthony tells Jackie what he believes is the only way to take control of the Darkness, but before he can fully reveal it, the Darkness opens a hole in the ground beneath Anthony who falls in. Jackie manages to move the ammunition to the cannon and load it, breaching the doors to the castle. Inside, he finds various extraction machines, which help him to remove the Darkness. The Darkness reforms itself into a dark version of Jackie that challenges him to accept his fate. Behind him is a bright light (the light in the darkness) where Jenny can be seen and communicates with Jackie. Jackie willingly gives himself to the Darkness, the only way a host can control it. Having control of the Darkness and stronger than ever, Jackie blacks out and wakes up in the orphanage, some days after the church explosion.

Jackie seeks out information on the "Mother of God" and discovers that it is a ship used to secretly carry drugs in from Chicago. Jackie manages to lure the ship in by tricking it on a radio he seizes control of in a front owned by Paulie, killing the crew and ruining the deal to further ruin Paulie's standing with the Chicago mob. Paulie, realizing that Jackie's back and that he no longer has the support of Chicago, flees to his lighthouse mansion. Jackie gets a ride to the mansion, but arrives in the middle of the day preventing the use of his Darkness powers. However, as he infiltrates the island, an eclipse begins, and the Darkness manifests itself within Jackie as he slaughters all of Paulie's men in his search. The Darkness taunts Jackie, telling him that with every death, it grows even stronger. Jackie chases Paulie up to the lighthouse top and wounds the Don. Paulie attempts to reason with Jackie as the Darkness urges Jackie to finish his work. After Paulie attempts to retrieve a hidden gun, Jackie is forced to kill him. The snake-like appendages start to cover Jackie, the Darkness gloating over its victory. "Now you are mine!!"

In the epilogue, Jackie finds himself in a dream on a bench in Jenny's arms; Jenny explains that they are only allowed a few minutes of time to be together one last time. Jackie tries to ask how, but Jenny just quiets him, allowing them to enjoy the last moments together before Jackie wakes back up with the screen fading to black.

Characters

Jackie Estacado The protagonist of the game and the character controlled by the player. He is a hitman who has found himself under the control of an entity known only as "the Darkness". Voiced by Kirk Acevedo.

Jenny Romano Jackie's girlfriend. The two were both orphans at St. Mary's Orphanage and became close friends there. Jenny has just moved into her own apartment in New York City at the start of the game. Voiced by Lauren Ambrose.

Uncle Paulie Franchetti Don of a New York Mafia gang who deals in drugs and pacts made with the police. Serves as the primary antagonist of the game. Voiced by Dwight Schultz

Anthony Estacado Jackies's great-great-grandfather, trapped in the Otherworld. He claims to have brought the Darkness into the Estacado family. He did this by accepting the Darkness so that he could avoid certain death in the hands of the Germans.

Police Capt. Edward "Eddie" Shrote Corrupt Police Captain who is on Paulie's payroll. One of the main antagonists in the game. Voiced by James Mathers.

The Darkness A mysterious force that feeds off the dark and must possess a live human body to exist. The Darkness was introduced to the Estacado family by Jackie's great-grandfather Anthony (with details in the game hinting that this occurred at some time during World War I), and manifests itself in its host when they turn 21. During the game, it sometimes speaks to the player, with its comments earlier in the game being angry and commanding, while its later quips are submissive. Voiced by Mike Patton.

Butcher Joyce Go-to guy for information, friend of Jackie, and never chooses a side, which explains how he survived so long in the Mafia underground of New York. Helps Jackie with finding Paulie's safe house. Voiced by Mike Starr.

Aunt Sarah She is revealed approximately halfway through the game. Aunt Sarah was one of the only people that cared for Jackie. She has an apartment next to the Green Olive Grove Restaurant, in the Lower East side, which is reached from the Canal St. Station.

Gameplay

At its core, The Darkness is a first-person shooter, with Estacado's skills as a hitman allowing him to make use of a wide variety of guns, from basic 9 mm handguns and submachine guns to high-powered assault rifles and automatic shotguns. While Estacado primarily uses these guns in well-lit environments, where he cannot use his Darkness Powers to summon creatures and artifacts from The Otherworld and Hell, the hitman can also use his arsenal in the dark supplementing his Darkness powers to maximize damage. The Darkness feeds off the dark to recharge its power and to influence the strength of the attacks; by shooting out nearby lights, Estacado can increase the strength and rates of his attack.

The powers that Estacado gains from The Darkness include:

Darklings Estacado's main Darkness ability is the summoning of Darklings, hellspawn imp-like creatures that do the bidding of the current recipient of the Darkness, in this case Estacado. Darklings can only be summoned from specific spots visible only while The Darkness powers are active. If left alone, the Darklings will follow Estacado and seek out nearby foes or insult and urinate on corpses, but the player can direct Darklings to any point within his vision. This can allow the Darklings to draw enemy fire away from Estacado, allowing him to progress more easily through well-defended areas. Darklings do not have a large amount of stamina and will disappear into blackness after taking a few damaging hits. There are four types of Darklings that can be summoned, some which are not available until later in the game. Berserkers will generally attack anything close, Gunners carry a mini chaingun to take out enemies from a distance, Kamikaze Darklings will throws themselves into the middle of battle and ignite the explosives they wear, taking out all those nearby, and Lightkillers will also attack any light sources, creating more darkness for Estacado's powers to work in. An optional mission in the game is to collect outfits that the Berserker Darklings will randomly wear when they appear, including two that are unlocked using special telephone numbers.

Dark Tentacles Dark Tentacles are huge, incredibly strong appendages which grow from Estacado's back when summoned. They can lift and throw heavy objects with ease, allowing them to smash through barricades and tear down walls to allow Estacado access to difficult-to-reach areas, and they have no difficulty in crushing enemy characters to a pulp. Their tough, resilient surfaces mean they can also form an effective bullet shield in front of Estacado, protecting him from harm.

Creeping Dark Estacado can extend these tendrils and direct it across the ground, up walls, and through narrow spaces to take out distance enemies close up. While the Creeper Dark power is active, the player views the level as from the Creeping Dark, leaving Estacado vulnerable to attack; should Estacado take damage, the tendril is immediately retracted.

Demon Arm Impales the target on a dark tentacle, allowing you to move or throw it.

Black Hole One of the more devastating Darkness abilities, this allows Estacado to summon a small piece of the darkness and force it to collapse on itself. A single Black Hole opened in a room full of enemies can clear the area in moments, making it an excellent weapon when assaulting defended buildings. The Black hole has a limited range, it will open in mid-air if you target a far object. You can also cause the hole to explode, dealing less damage, but in a larger area.

Darkness Guns The Darkness Guns are acquired within The Otherworld. The gun that Jackie wields on his right harnesses the element of lightning, sending small projectile bursts, similar to a gatling gun. The gun in his left hand harnesses thunder into a concussive shockwave, similar to a shotgun. Instead of depleting ammo, each gunshot consumes Darkness energy. In the storyline, the Darkness Guns are the only thing capable of controlling The Darkness; due to the ammo being of light. The guns can also be used in Hell (other world) to permanently kill the zombies.

The game has several levels based on New York City locales that the player will visit multiple times. A significantly-reduced subway system allows the player to move between levels. While the main plot is primarily linear, requiring the player to visit each level in a certain order, the player can gain side missions from talking with non-player characters that wander the subway stations. For example, one such mission is to win a rigged shell game being run in the subway after getting a tip from another character. Completing submissions earns the player a "Collectible" phone number which can then be used at any phone to unlock additional game media; Collectibles can also be found scattered throughout the level. The Otherworld levels feature Collectibles in the form of unposted postal mail that the player can deliver when back in New York City to unlock the content.