Sat 27 Aug 2011
Playstation
The Darkness – Review
This game blew me away. I loved the somewhat cliché characters and the meticulously crafted, sufficiently dark environments. You play a character named Jackie, a sort of gothic looking Mobster with long black hair and a trench coat who just turned 21, although playing this game, this guy does not look like he’s 21, he looks more like a thirty year old but it is a video game after all. I have to admit as cool as the character looked, I would never have guessed that this guy was part of the mob, he kind of looks like a teenager or raver of some sort, nevertheless you quickly find that this guy is one bad ass mofo. The story begins with an attempted assassination on the character (you). The first thing that hit me when I started playing this game was the gothic, city like atmosphere and its sheer scale. Despite being initially a comic book, this game didn’t feel cartoonish; it had a very realistic look and feel to it. The Darkness is one of the best looking games out there, but not just because of its graphics, every game now a day’s looks pretty good, but the art and detail of the world is so detailed and so imaginative, the environments are meticulously crafted, the subways are not only believable but very well designed, the game does a good job of portraying the New York City Streets as a filthy, dark and unforgiving, but somehow you love being a part of it, I even found myself just viewing the wallpaper on the walls and reading the graffiti. This game reminds me a lot of Spawn, it has a way of humanizing the less fortunate and the character interacts with people who most people would normally avoid. The game also has support for HD television up to 1080p.
The gameplay is great, not only are the mechanics of it original in the realm of FPS’s, but they’re also well implemented. Jack has more than a pistol on his side, he has a host of hellish creatures that he can summon to do his bidding which creates some fresh and unprecedented gameplay mechanics. For instance you can summon these snakes like creatures and send it off around corners to quickly eliminate unsuspecting enemies while abstaining from putting yourself in a dangerous situation. One creature you can summon will pop out of a hole in the ground and wreak havoc on all your enemies while you sit back and watch the carnage unfold. The only catch is to summon these monstrosities you must be in the dark. Yep, that’s how gothic this game is, basically in the shadows you are stronger, but when in the light your character is weakened and unable to use his special abilities.
I loved this game, I loved the gothic, city like atmosphere, the concepts are somewhat adjacent to games Batman or movies like the crow, the voice acting is really well done, the characters weren’t always entirely believable but the game is based on a comic book so I wouldn’t call it out on that. The Darkness is a brilliantly crafted game that offers a visceral, frightening experience that takes you beneath the dark crevices of New York’s city streets where only the most psychologically twisted and dangerous individuals lurk in the darkest hours of the night. It is a truly liberating game with innovative gameplay mechanics and an intriguing story. This game should be at the top of your list.
Rating - 95%
Pros
The Darkness is one of the best looking games out there
It would be my pick for best voice acting
Dark, violent, and oddly funny
Intuitive controls and interface let you focus on the game
The Darkness spins a yarn that you will actually want to pay attention to
Cons
As you grow more powerful, the game gets much easier
Multiplayer is nowhere near as strong as the single player game
The gameplay is great, not only are the mechanics of it original in the realm of FPS’s, but they’re also well implemented. Jack has more than a pistol on his side, he has a host of hellish creatures that he can summon to do his bidding which creates some fresh and unprecedented gameplay mechanics. For instance you can summon these snakes like creatures and send it off around corners to quickly eliminate unsuspecting enemies while abstaining from putting yourself in a dangerous situation. One creature you can summon will pop out of a hole in the ground and wreak havoc on all your enemies while you sit back and watch the carnage unfold. The only catch is to summon these monstrosities you must be in the dark. Yep, that’s how gothic this game is, basically in the shadows you are stronger, but when in the light your character is weakened and unable to use his special abilities.
I loved this game, I loved the gothic, city like atmosphere, the concepts are somewhat adjacent to games Batman or movies like the crow, the voice acting is really well done, the characters weren’t always entirely believable but the game is based on a comic book so I wouldn’t call it out on that. The Darkness is a brilliantly crafted game that offers a visceral, frightening experience that takes you beneath the dark crevices of New York’s city streets where only the most psychologically twisted and dangerous individuals lurk in the darkest hours of the night. It is a truly liberating game with innovative gameplay mechanics and an intriguing story. This game should be at the top of your list.
Rating - 95%
Pros
The Darkness is one of the best looking games out there
It would be my pick for best voice acting
Dark, violent, and oddly funny
Intuitive controls and interface let you focus on the game
The Darkness spins a yarn that you will actually want to pay attention to
Cons
As you grow more powerful, the game gets much easier
Multiplayer is nowhere near as strong as the single player game
