Infusing classic mafia style storytelling with dark supernatural twists, never been a better combination...
Developed by Starbreeze and inspired by Top Cow's comic of the same name (surprised and ashamed i've never read it before playing this game) The Darkness is a first-person shooter with a interesting twist; you also command an ageless power over the dark that span from controlling demons, slashing and goring victims with long black tentacles, and even cheating death.
The game follows the mob hitman Jackie Estacado as he celebrates his now technically ruined 21st birthday they only way he knows how, taking out a hit on a target for his uncle and the games antagonist Paulie Franchetti, but after being betrayed by his "Uncle" and fighting for his life in a cemetery, he is possessed by a power older than time known as The Darkness. As a result of Paulie's attacks (one being most significant in the story), Jackie goes into an all out war against is uncle and the corrupted police of New York, all the while fighting to gain back control of his body and mind from the malevolent spirit that inhabits him.
When it comes to graphics, this game excels greatly, rivaling the likes of Epic Games titles such as Unreal Tournament and Gears of War when it comes to graphics. Being a concept artist major, the level of detail with the people, environment an objects is amazing (even detailed graffiti art scattered around the city never failed to catch my eye, being a fan of graffiti it was a treat) and the different environments you find yourself in always put you in the right mood, most often that being fear and uneasiness (every time i play it, i get squeamish to go through The Hills again, the place freaks me out). As far as sound goes, the music and voice acting can make you feel like your in the gritty streets of New York amongst it's inhabitants (listening to the old gangsters talk makes you sound like your conversing with a wiseguy from the movies)
The gameplay is what you expect a first-person shooter; point gun at bad guy and pull trigger. Though the impact doesn't do to impress and even the execution moves that come with different guns does little to set it apart from others, what becomes the game changer is the darkness powers that manifest in the form of two serpentine demon heads on both sides of the screen . When active, you have a nice variety of perks at your disposal, one being very useful and in my opinion unappreciated is the darkness shield that allows you to take a few extra hits provided you have enough power, and provided you stay in the dark (remember, the light is your enemy!).
Along with that comes other powers such as black tendrils used for goring and slashing, ancient guns used to channel the darkness, and even the power to create black holes (you can find the others on your own). All of the work well and give interesting results and possibilities in combat, but one power in particular can be useful and a pain at the same time.
The power to summon little demons known as Darklings, while with their different purposes are usable, tend to sometimes be unresponsive to the commands of the player and just do what they want (sort of ironic to me). In battles, the enemies can be easy, provided you stay in the dark and their numbers to get to big. And then there's the multiplayer, which is notorious for it's extreme lag and tendency to graphical glitches. Playing as darklings in multiplay turned out to be a deathwish, as they were easy targets and were extremely hard to walk on a wall, let alone kill someone. but other than that, playing a deathmatch as a human can be good fun.
I know there's plenty I didn't talk about but since this has been out long enough for a sequel to be in the making (can't wait for it) I'm pretty sure most have either played it and or I've said enough to get some intrigued enough to play it. On an ending note remember to embrace the darkness.