Darkwatch: Curse of the West Impressions

Southern California-based publisher and developer Sammy unveiled a new trailer for its upcoming shooter Darkwatch at a recent press event. The brief CG clip was introduced as a conceptual "promise" from the team on what to expect from the final game. The clip focused on main character Jericho Cross' entrance into a town that is teeming with the undead, who come up from the ground and overrun the settlement like a pack of roaches. The vampire hero then proceeds to send all of the critters speeding back toward "the light" in record time through the use of his arsenal of weapons, which includes a wicked pistol and some good old-fashioned explosives. The fast-paced clip offered a sense of how Jericho will use his vampiric abilities in tandem with his weapons. During one of the clips, stylized sequences showed Cross performing a powerful leap into the air and firing off a volley of bullets--with crosses carved on them--at the assembled zombies.

Although the heavily stylized CG clip isn't an entirely accurate representation of what Darkwatch's gameplay will be like, the action elements alluded to in it should be very cool if properly married with a solid first-person shooter mechanic. Toss in online play support, and you have a unique game that will be one to watch in the coming months. Darkwatch is currently slated to ship sometime in 2004 on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.