The Darkness II

First person is a genre that I grew up with but I believe it's gotten stale. They all seem to be carbon copies, near re skins of one another. They have a gimmick but some are better than others. Sadly for these reasons first person doesn't do much for me anymore.

The Darkness (2007) didn't impress me, it had it's gimmick but the whole thing felt flat. With the sequel I expected more of the same but walked away not only pleasantly surprised but really quite impressed.

It follows Jackie the mobster once again and his bond with the entity known as the Darkness. Not only do you have access to your usual array of guns and weaponry but you also have the dark powers at your disposal which is where the fun really comes into play.

Alongside this the game also has the new Vendetta mode which is a side campaign where you can play as one of a host of new characters, each with their own personal weaponry and power sets.

The story is considerably better than I'd expected which offers great relief from the mindless shooting and action sequences. It's safe to say that I was fairly engrossed and fascinated where the story was going to go next.

So the game plays well, it looks okay, the voice acting is top notch and it was interesting enough to keep my attention despite being part of a genre that I'm more than a little bored of.

The finale was fantastic but alas there was never going to be a part 3 to finish the story and the game very much finishes on a cliffhanger.

A great and final addition to the franchise.

The Good:

Lots of content

Some really fun mechanics

Strong story

The Bad:

Cliff hanger ending with no sequel

Graphics could be a bit tidier

Multiplayer is a bit pants

The game was pretty awesome. It would be nice to have a third. the best that can be said about it is that it is, unlike most forms of torture, mercifully short. The story is contrived, illogical, and inconsistent. The characters are melodramatic stereotypes without depth, sympathy, or reason. Gameplay itself is clumsy and repetitive; the darkness is but a half-hearted chest burster ripoff and every boss is identical to the last, boasting the same special powers and tired dialogue.

During yet another period of my life where my finances were tight, I'd skimp together enough cash to rent this for 2 bucks every Saturday. This is a fairly short game and that made it ideal for a rental. I even got into the comics after loving the story so much. Definitely a fantastic game; great gameplay, story, graphics, everything. Even the little multiplayer mode was fun!

The fact that this game is different from the next meant it wasn't boring in the slightest. Only complaint was that it was too froggin short.

The Darkness 2 made some major changes, some good some bad. Among these, Brian Bloom replacing Kirk Acevedo for Jackie, a new shading for the visuals which made it more sharp and with a comic-book vibe that its predecessor lacked, alterations to the demon powers which were more smooth but felt downgraded and a villain that sadly didn't live up to the rest of the game. The most interesting feature was the collectibles, which act as occult artifacts you can collect and display, each having its own unique history, encouraging you to explore every nook and cranny for these interesting objects. The side quests are done away with and everything feels more linear, which is a bit disappointing. Jackie's mansion which also serve as the hub of the game is a nice touch and shows how much has changed though. Oddly, Darkness 2 feels shorter in length than the first game and is less imaginative, but it remains a solid sequel worth a look, despite its shortcomings.