During the six hours it takes to complete The Darkness II you rip men in half, pop off their heads like a child pulling the lid off a felt-tip, slash off their legs, rip their spines from their bodies, and tear out their hearts as they watch. And these are the tame executions. (There's one horrifying kill called 'Assecution' where your tentacles enter a man through his... look, it's one of the most disgusting things. Ever.)
And that's The Darkness II's thing. Violence. It revels in vicious, virtual gore like no other shooter of this console generation. The once-moody, character-led shooter Starbreeze created has gone to a new developer (the aptly named Digital Extremes) and been transformed into a stylish bloodbath. However, that's no bad thing. Although this sequel definitely lacks the nuanced storytelling of its predecessor, it swaps the gentle moments of the first game for relentless horror and grizzly action.
Digital Extremes have a decent stab at the heart-warming tale of demon-infested mob-boss Jackie Estacado and his dead girlfriend Jenny, but much of the sentimentality rests on players having finished the original, which - considering how few bought it and how few of them felt comfortable with the twitchy shooting - means they're preaching to a small flock. However, the way they present Jackie and Jenny's transcendental love story is interesting, and it builds to a fascinating climax for which it's worth enduring the more pedestrian plot elements.
The meat is all dirty mob-talk and comic-book fantasy (not inappropriate considering The Darkness is based on a series of graphic novels) as Jackie's organisation fight a group hell-bent on acquiring The Darkness from him. Although well voiced, this portion of the game feels clumsy next to the clever love story.
SPLEEN STREETS
The action is slick, if predictable, stuff. Darkness powers have been streamlined since the first game - now you have guns, slashes and darkness grabs all mapped to the shoulders and triggers. At first it's confusing, but master the art of blasting one set of enemies with firearms while you slash and yank others apart with demon arms - otherwise-ordinary shootouts can turn into genuinely entertaining massacres.
Throw in the ability to chuck scenery around with your tentacles, impaling unfortunate goons or roasting them alive with compressed gas-cylinders, and most scraps feel unique, action-packed and satisfying.
Your weapons feel almost as beefy and lethal as your tentacles, giving you a real sensation of power, even during fights that leave you overwhelmingly outnumbered. Again, violence is what Darkness II does best, and the developers have been smart enough to design combat in a way that encourages you to be as aggressive as possible. Whether intentional or not, the combat demands a truly bloodthirsty approach to progress, mirroring The Darkness' in-game insistence that Jackie unleashes his sadistic side. Clever.
Comments
22 comments so far...
feeg86 on 7 Feb '12 said:
Disappointing. What appealed so much with the first one was it's atmosphere and pacing. There was a real feel for the world you were in. It sounds like this has lost that in an attempt to pick up some some sales from the CoD audience.
ensabahnur on 7 Feb '12 said:
Still sounds like a delightful little romp to me, my pre-order can just go ahead.
dicky1993 on 7 Feb '12 said:
is there new game + (i skim read sorry if they mention it)
The_KFD_Case on 7 Feb '12 said:
"Digital Extremes have a decent stab at the heart-warming tale of demon-infested mob-boss Jackie Estacado and his dead girlfriend Jenny,..."
One of the single best and emotionally touching sets of scenes in all of the computer and video games I've played over the past 27 years. More of this, please.
I've been anticipating Darkness II and I suspect I'll enjoy it (though I do hope that I'll think there's more story and soul left in the game than this review indicates). It will not be a pre-order nor a day one purchase, however. Those days are all but over for me nowadays.
Earthrod on 7 Feb '12 said:
It doesn't get mentioned in the CVG review but I've read elsewhere that there is New Game + option upon completion.
clifton on 7 Feb '12 said:
But can you watch To Kill A Mockingbird with your girlfriend though?
moogiesboy on 7 Feb '12 said:
Hmmm... you might be right. But have to say, the demo still had that origanal Darkness vibe, to me anyhow. Going to hedge my bets and get this in on rental.
eastldn on 7 Feb '12 said:
cvg use http://wistia.com/ please
silent moose on 7 Feb '12 said:
since when was resistance 3 a genre great
WHERESMYMONKEY on 8 Feb '12 said:
Since it had one of the best single Player campains in this gen of gaming.
Back on topic though. I'm going to guess that the reviewer hasn't read any of the darkness because the whole part about the sect trying to steal the darkness is taken right out of it, they're pretty integral to the whole. Sometimes the apparent good guys ar far worse than the bad guys theme that runs through the books.
Mmmmgrolsch on 8 Feb '12 said:
PSM3 review again.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 8 Feb '12 said:
I thought the demo for this was pretty decent. I loved the art style. Very fancy. I will definitely get this game when the price drops as the reviews say its really short.
IbanezLewis on 11 Feb '12 said:
Just a quick one guys, completed this today, it's hands down one of the best storytelling games I've ever played. The connection that is created between yourself, Jackie and his love for Jenny really captured me in a way no other game really has before. I'll be honest, I shed a tear at the end. If that makes me gay, so be it! I really do advise anyone who wants a great game to play to go out and get this asap.
P.S: In no way has it lost it's atmospheric edge and feel. It's been tweaked and tightened. It's nothing like COD.
MANYOO4EVA on 13 Feb '12 said:
This does look very good but 6 hours to complete the campaign?
Come on, where are the days that a good FPS has a campaign that lasts at least 10 hours?
Again, another FPS with a short capmiagn with tacked on mindless and pointless MP.
Will definately wait for this to drop heavily in price before I pick it up.
Such a shame, but I cannot defend spending £40 on a game that I'll probably complete in a week or less.
ensabahnur on 13 Feb '12 said:
Aye it may be a short campaign but i wouldn't say the MP is a tacked on or pointless. Its a full co-op campaign that'll add another good few hours onto the running time. I'd rather developers did this than just tack on deathmatch modes or just let you play the main game co-op where the other characters don't exist in cut-scenes.
Yes i'd much rather have a longer campaign but when they've taken time to stick in a co-op one as well at least they've tried to add longevity by doing this instead of just creating 8 maps and letting us play team deathmatch. It also means the MP should last for a bit longer instead of people getting bored and going back to CoD/BF3.
Cocopander on 25 Feb '12 said:
This game does look pretty good but man is it violent. O.O
Coldcuts on 26 Feb '12 said:
Didnt think much of this game till i played the demo. The mix between weapons, dark attacks, and enviro objects with what seems to be a good storyline makes me a purchaser of this game.
rivalz on 26 Feb '12 said:
i will play the demo in order to make my decision...
Xan764 on 27 Feb '12 said:
Enorme ce jeu, j'adore
Kalidrimm on 27 Feb '12 said:
Play it , rox game
TehSlenderMan on 27 Feb '12 said:
Great review! Will pick up this game sometime and give it a go.... If not for the story, then definatl for the fun of using demonic arms ;D
woyanger on 27 Feb '12 said:
I really did enjoy the comics some years ago, but these Darkness games didn't give me nothing!