| Author | Review |
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BillyKlyde
89,663
TA Score for this game: 1,334
Posted on 10 February 12 at 12:46, Edited on 10 February 12 at 13:00 |
This review has 40 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
The Darkness II is a sequel to the 2007 first person shooter of the same name. I am personally not only a fan of the first game but also of the comics of which these games are based on, so needless to say I've been pretty excited and eager for this game to come out for some time now. I want to start off by saying that you do not have to play the first game or go back and read the comics to enjoy and understand everything that goes on in this game. The Darkness II does a great job of filling in any holes in the story that would otherwise confuse a newcomer.
Story:
Now, the story picks up two years after the events of the first game. You once again don the role of Jackie Estacado, the most recent host of the Darkness. Jackie is now the big boss of his mafia family and has been able to control and hold the Darkness in since the last events of the first game. All that changes though when someone puts a hit on him and he is once again forced to release the Darkness and embark on a violent journey in order to get some answers. Eventually he finds out there is a cult called the 'Brotherhood', who know what the Darkness is and
want it for themselves.
This story is very well thought out and constantly keeps you on your toes. The Darkness is messing with Jackie's mind and soul more then ever and it makes for some interesting encounters throughout the game. The set pieces play a much more important role than in the first game, which was sort of more of a restricted open-world expierence. You'll find yourself jumping around (almost like visions or flashbacks) to different environments as each chapter progresses; most notably the "normal" world, a psychiatric hospital and warped version of hell. This is all thanks to the Darkness playing games with Jackie's mind, while at the same time showing him hallucinations of his dead girlfriend Jenny. Throughout the game Jackie is confused and finds himself questioning which reality is actually reality. I won't lie either, I found myself wondering the same thing until the end.
The characters are all very unique and interesting in their own right, if albeit familiar and even a little cliché at times. From Jackie's mafia henchmen who seem like they've been pulled right out of an episode of The Sopranos, to Johnny Powell, who is a nervous, stuttering occultist with some obvious mental issues and a seemingly endess knowledge of the Darkness. One of my favorite characters in the game is your Darkling sidekick who has a much more fleshed out personality and bigger role this time around (mostly because you only get this one Darkling this time around as oppose to the many you could spawn in the first game). He's quite a trip to watch and listen to throughtout the game. From the humorous one-liners he blurts out in his thick British accent, to the way he pisses on dead enemies. It's really interesting to watch an actual friendship develop between Jackie and the Darkling in the game. He really is surprisingly a very charming and endearing sidekick to have for a wise-cracking, farting, two foot tall demon who walks around with a dead cat on his head.
Gameplay:
Gameplay wise it is a lot like the first game, but with some major tweaks. You can now control each of your demon arms individually while at the same time firing one or two guns all at once. This is a new machanic dubbed "quad-wielding," and it works pretty well. You can also pick up random items and use them as a weapon or for protection depending on the type of item it is. Picking up a pipe or parking meter and throwing it at an enemy will impale them and send them flying backwards and sticking them to the wall behind them. You can also rip off car doors and dumpster covers to use as protection while you're shooting, or just throw them at enemies like a frisbee slicing them in half. It's a pretty satisfying feeling, I must admit. You can also grab enemies and throw them or perform 'Executions', which are like mini fatalities that are not only fun to watch but give you health, ammo or whatever depending on what kind you do. There are also small parts in the game where you play as the Darkling for a short amount of time. All you can really do is slash or execute enemies, which isn't much but it is a nice change of pace.
Also new is the 'Talent Tree', which is and upgrade system for your Darkness powers. Throughout the game you'll earn 'Dark Essence' (which acts as your currency for buying the upgrades) for killing and executing your enemies countless different ways. Some powers return from the previous game like the 'Black Hole' which is still a blast to use, but there's new powers as well like 'Swarm', which lets you literally swarm your enemies with flies immobilizing them. Another new one is 'Gun Channeling', which basically gives your guns infinite ammo and ridiculous stopping power for a limited amount of time. There's tons more upgrades, and the more you get, the more unstoppable you feel.
As for the AI, they're pretty dumb and easy to kill. The 'Brotherhood' enemies do offer some variety in terms of how you have to kill them because they use lights and force you to attack a bit more strategically, but overall they're just as easy to kill as your average thug with a gun. All this combined with your Darkness powers can make the game feel a bit easy at times, even on the hardest difficulty. That's not to say it's not challenging at times, but you won't find yourself pulling your hair out or smashing your controller. Now whether this is a good or bad thing, I feel, depends on the type of gamer you are. I personally don't mind it. I would rather be entertained and have fun then be frustrated and annoyed. Then again, I'm a casual gamer and a fan of the comics who is interested in the story, so maybe I'm a little biased in that aspect.
As with any game, there are collectables and this game is no different. However, this game is different in that a LOT more thought went into these collectables then most other games. Throughtout the game you collect 'Relics' which are fairly easy to find and also grant you 300 extra 'Essence' each time you find one. The best part about these items though as that each one has its own fleshed out background story about how it's not only Darkness related but history related. The writers did an amazing job of infusing these fictional relics into certain times in history and religious mythology. They really covered the spectrum here too, stuff like Cain & Abel, Vlad The Impaler, World War II, etc. all rewritten to relate in some way to the Darkness. The best part is each relic is explained by Johnny Powell, which is an absolute treat. He describes each item in his stuttering, nervous voice in great detail while at the same time cracking some funny one-liners that actually made me laugh a few times. I could go on about these but I do seriously recommend when you've collected all 29 relics, take the time to check them out because a lot of thought obviously went into them and they'll probably be overlooked or underappreciated by most poeple.
Visuals:
The graphics in this game are very nicely done in my opinion. Instead of making them dark, gritty and realistic like the first game, they went for a more comic-influenced style, and I think they pulled it off very well. A lot of people will see it and compare it to Borderlands, but I think The Darkness II does a great job of making it's own style. By combining cel-shading with hand drawn markings and cross hatching, it creates this perfect blend of a vibrant and gritty. They did a good job of making the colors pop just enough without overdoing it and making the game look too "cartoony." I felt like I was playing a comic book that came to life. The presentation as a whole is just really impressive, and when you have some downtime in between slaughtering people, I suggest taking a moment to look around and really get an appreciation for everything the artists did with this game. Even simple things like the night skyline over the city looks like it was pulled right from the pages of the comic.
Sounds:
In terms of audio, the soundtrack is really good, much like the first game. Overall the music is a nice range of atmospheric to hard rock from the '90s. Everytime I was near a radio in the game I could hear a song from my childhood playing on it. Songs by groups like Blind Melon and Jane's Addiction. It really brought me back and made me feel nostalgic at times. The original score is also nice and goes with the dramatic scenes well, although I think the first game had a more memorable score.
The voice acting is absolutely top notch. Mike Patton picks up right where he left off as the voice of the Darkness without missing a beat and sounds simply amazing. Brian Bloom also does a great job replacing Kirk Acevedo as the voice of Jackie. The scenes where Jackie is sitting in the dark telling a story from his past are some of my personal favorite scenes. The whole cast really just did a great job, and help make the story even more engrossing. Once again though, I feel like Johnny Powel might have stolen the show with those relic discriptions.
Online/Multiplayer:
Multiplayer has been completely revamped for this sequel. Now we have 'Vendettas', a 4 player co-op style multiplayer mode that not only adds replay value but actually fills in some minor holes in single player that might have been missed or forgotton about. These missions run parallel to the main story. This also extends the length of the overall story, as the single player campaign is a little on the short side. Each character has their own unique personality and Darkness powers that changes their style of play (to an extent, but basically control the same way as Jackie). There's the Asian assassin Inugami who wields a sword, a Scottish man named Jimmy Wilson who uses an axe, an African doctor named J.P. DuMond that practices dark magic, and the token girl Shoshanna who uses supernatural guns. They all come with their own 'Talent Tree' as well as stereotypical accents. Now you can play this mode offline by yourself, but obviously it really shines with 2 or more people playing. It really is quite fun, and though I don't see it replacing co-op giants like Left 4 Dead anytime soon, it's still worth playing.
Achievements:
As far as achievements go it's a fairly easy list. Most are either "Kill X amount of enemies this way" or story related achievements. There are some really fun ones though like "2 Guys 1 Pole" where you have to impale two enemies with one javelin, or "Skeet Shoot" where you throw an enemy in the air and shoot him before he hits the ground. So overall there are some creative ones in there but mostly a standard list. It'll be a nice addition to put your completetion resume, but it won't impress achievement hunters out there.
PROS:
+Engrossing story with interesting characters and set pieces.
+Solid gameplay machanics.
+Vibrant graphics and great presentation.
+Superb voice acting and wonderful soundtrack.
+Multiplayer is actually fun this time around.
CONS:
-The AI is as dumb as a box of rocks.
FINAL VERDICT: 5 Stars.
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KJT CD ACD
181,784
TA Score for this game: 1,334
Posted on 10 February 12 at 06:36 |
This review has 24 positive votes and 4 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
The Darkness II
What is there to say about The Darkness? It's a franchise based on a series of graphic novels whose original debut on the video game market dates almost all the way back to the inception of the Xbox 360. In and of itself, the concept of The Darkness is excellent, the story is well presented, and the game-play is nicely polished and generally works well. Overall, both Darkness titles do the franchise justice.
The original game was centred around the life and crimes of Jackie Estacado, a low-life scumbag working for his twisted Uncle Paulie, head of the Franchetti family Mob. As it turns out, Jackie had been questioning his Uncle's motives and the way he did business, which leads to Paulie having a hit put out on Jackie. Unfortunately for Paulie, its Jackie's 21st birthday, the day he inherits The Darkness, a supernatural being that wants to cause as much suffering and death as it can. Jackie uses these new and terrifying powers to hunt down Paulie, but his pursuit leads to the death of Jenny, Jackie's girlfriend, who means everything to him. With nothing left to lose, Jackie seeks his revenge and murders his Uncle.
The Darkness II kicks off two years later. Jackie has become the Don of the Franchetti family and successfully suppressed The Darkness within himself. He carries with him a locket containing a picture of Jenny - whose death he blames himself for - as well as keeping a candle lit in his penthouse room for her. A lot about Jackie Estacado has changed, but one thing remains the same; repressed or not, The Darkness wants blood.
The game opens in a restaurant where Jackie sits down to dinner with two beautiful blondes. The perks of being Don, which Jackie seems reluctant to enjoy. Almost immediately, the restaurant is attacked by unknown assailants. A car drives through the wall in front of Jackie, killing the blondes and shredding his leg. Herein proceeds a railway shooter of a weapons tutorial as Vinnie, one of Jackie's cronies, drags him into the kitchens to escape out the back. As they reach the kitchens, however, one of the unknown enemies throws a Molotov into the kitchen and detonates the gas mains. With Jackie burned to a crisp and close to death, he must release The Darkness and harness its powers or die...
The game's story great, but somewhat overdone in places. Several of the scenes focused entirely on the mobster side of the story seem cliché, as if they had been taken right out of The Godfather. Some characters themselves follow clichés to a tee, right down to one of Jackie's cronies being named Fat Tony. For some strange reason, your Darkling companion (having removed the mechanic of summoning random minions to do your bidding, there is only one Darkling to assist you throughout the whole game) takes all the horrendous elements of the stereotypical English hooligan and spits them all out at you at once. In addition, the story is highly predictable in places, and the after-credits cut-scene screams sequel at the top of its lungs.
However, while these drawbacks are ever-present, the story at its core is well constructed and flows quite well, allowing players to be absorbed in the world as they progress. The main hook of the story - Jenny's soul being held by The Darkness in exchange for The Siphon, the only item in the known world capable of removing The Darkness from it's host, which is currently in the hands of The Brotherhood, who want The Darkness for themselves - shows a brilliant interplay between characters and their motivations, and encourages the player to question everybody's motives; The Darkness', The Brotherhood's, even Jackie's at times. This complex web of intrigue, betrayal and anguish is often times a well needed dose of Spac-Filler that smooths over the rough edges and jarring clichés.
After the first mission, the game really kicks off. The combat tutorials are straight-forward and easy to understand, as are the controls. The inbuilt meta-game that is killing for experience points or 'dark essence' is quite well designed, and the variety of ways to earn them is extensive and adds an extra sense of accomplishment to fast-paced killing sprees when watching the number of bonuses scroll down the screen.
Throughout the game, the player uses dark essence to upgrade Jackie's abilities. These include weapon and Darkness Power unlocks, mods and upgrades, defensive upgrades, and a Relic - the game's collectibles, of which there are only 29, yay - Finder (for those who pre-ordered, which is insanely helpful). The upgrades are balanced and well paced, allowing for the player to enjoy the New Game+ with upgrades still to unlock to keep game-play fresh and interesting.
The combat system is well designed. Quad-wielding, entailing two small-arms weapons (pistols and SMGs) and the Darkness Arms, is well thought out, easy to control and very, very fun to play with. Executions with the Darkness Arms are varied and fun to watch every time. It is hard to describe how fun it can be to rip a car door off it's hinges, use it as a shield to you advance on your enemies, empty two SMG clips in their general direction and then fling the door at then, severing their legs from their torso.
The AI do leave a bit to be desired, enemy and friendly alike. Both are prone to ignoring the player and enemies until the player is standing right in front of them, and sometimes won't even register the player at all until they are shot. Some enemies do make up for this, such as the Brotherhood soldiers carrying riot shields, who will rush at you and knock you back unless you wrestle their shield away with your Darkness Arms first. The many different enemies make combat fast, frenetic and challenging.
The game's graphics are interestingly composed. They are almost cell-shaded - in a similar way to Borderlands. This aesthetic choice pays homage to the graphic novel and comic book origins of The Darkness, and gives the game a very rich look. However, at times - especially when the player is confronted by light-wielding enemies or stays in the light too long - the graphics can be hard to look at without inducing a headache. In some places, the game looks like a modern AAA titles, in others it looks worse than the first game.
The 6-hour Campaign would almost have been inexcusable - especially for a franchise such as this from a developer with as good a name as 2K (famed for the BioShock franchise) - if it were not for the 2-4 hour companion campaign that is Vendettas, which serves both as an extension of the single player campaign and as a cooperative multiplayer component. This side-campaign is shown to players from the perspective of four people with Darkness-infused weapons as they take on The Brotherhood under contract to the Franchetti family.
Vendettas is exactly the same as the single player campaign, but differs in one way; instead of having Darkness Arms, the player has a Darkness-infused weapon. The four different playable characters have four different weapons; a shotgun, a staff, a katana and an axe. Each character also has their own unique skill tree to upgrade with dark essence earned in Vendettas and Hit List missions. Vendetta missions take place in key moments of The Darkness II's single player campaign, and allows players to go slightly more in-depth with the world and story of The Darkness II.
Accompanying Vendettas are Hit List missions, which are very similar to the Special Ops missions from the Modern Warfare series. Some Hit List missions are replays of Vendetta campaign missions, some missions are only available in Hit List and some missions require two or more players and are thus reserved for online play only. These missions pad out game-play slightly more, but serve little purpose other than to level characters that the player didn't use in the Vendettas campaign or to complete them once and never look at them again.
Overall, The Darkness II provides players with a great story, solid game-play and decent extras. It has plenty to share with players both online and off, and extends the franchise of The Darkness brilliantly. However, a few minor drawbacks such as a short campaign and buggy AI stop this game from being great. While it is good enough to be worth the money on release day if you're a fan of the franchise, one could just as easily put it off until it comes down in a sale. 2K has to be congratulated, though. Not many other companies could have taken an otherwise stagnant game series and made a sequel of this calibre.
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Author's Notes
Hey guys, KJ here.
This is my first review TA game review, I've written a couple before, but nothing recently. I love comments and feedback about my work, I'm always looking to improve, so don't hesitate to give me your thoughts.
Thanks for reading!
KJ
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Balsin Fase
143,797
TA Score for this game: 1,334
Posted on 11 April 12 at 03:12, Edited on 11 April 12 at 03:15 |
This review has 10 positive votes and 1 negative vote. Please log in to vote. |
When I first got my 360, The Darkness was one of those games I picked up on a whim, and was I ever glad I did. They'd somehow made a shooter where the guns were all but useless except as a way of blowing out lights from a distance, giving you powers through the Darkness that made firearms look pathetic. It was awesome to play, but also contained some of the best characters I'd seen in a game storyline. Despite how little time I had with many of them, the writers did a perfect job of getting me attached to them, especially Jenny, Jackie's girlfriend. They also took that attachment I felt to them and made some of the most vicious, tense, and heart-wrenching sequences in video games. It is an amazing game, one The Darkness II can't quite measure up to. It does come close, though.
This game is on par with the violent insanity of its predecessor, but does so in different ways. The powers have been revamped a bit, dealing with some of the balancing issues of the first game. The creeping Darkness power is gone, so no more hiding out behind a corner and slowly whittling away at the oncoming resistance. The Black Hole power has been scaled back, now only showing up as a random drop on a dead enemy rather than being a power you can use to break the game in half at will. The stabbing motion has also been axed, as have the darkling summons, but you won't miss either of them.
So, what do you get in exchange? Well, the powers in this game have been designed to give you a wild fight every single time enemies show up, as you have tons of options at your disposal. You can now do a grab move on stunned enemies, letting you instantly execute them. Not only that, but those executions can work in different ways that give you boosts in ammo or health. That same grab will also let you pick up and throw stuff like the last game, but I felt like it was a bit more useful. It's still not the greatest power in the world, as many of the objects, even on easy mode, won't do enough damage to kill someone. Many do, but I found them to be in short supply when I needed them.
Instead of a weak stabbing motion, you get a huge swing from one of your Darkness arms instead. This is useful for attacking things that get up in your face while reloading, and can knock back large groups of bad guys surrounding you. It's not bad when used in conjunction with the unlockable swarm power, which will let you stun groups of enemies and freeze them in place. The real deal, though, is gun channeling, a power that will let you mow guys down. At full power, this attack shoots through cover, does extra damage, and will auto target anyone you can see. It doesn't last long, but it's an ability worth saving for when trouble hits.
All of these options give you firefights that are pretty crazy. You'll be bouncing between attacks as the enemies pour in on you, switching your plan every second as the fight changes. You're rarely sitting back exchanging gunfire with guys from cover, but are always somewhere in the fray, attacking in almost every direction. When enemies are around, you will never be bored.
The story between the action sequences is another thing, though. Now, this game doesn't do as good of a job with character attachment like it did in the last game, so some of the character deaths fall a little flat. The story about the Brotherhood is also a mess, using some dull cult, headed by a guy Jackie could probably level with a punch, to try to move the story along. Trying to steal the Darkness seems like an interesting premise to keep things rolling, but I just don't understand much of the Brotherhood's motivation. It seems to bounce between desire for world domination and a need to trap the Darkness. You could argue that they were trying to trick Jackie, but I doubt that's it. It seems more like bad writing instead.
The story does shine when it touches on Jackie's attachment to Jenny, the real motivator behind the game. The story of the Brotherhood may not be good, but all it does is provide the action that backs up a game about Jackie's search for Jenny. You get to see a little bit more of their relationship this time, with periodic flashbacks to their time together, that remind you of how normal and caring their relationship was. It pushes itself right up to the point of being heavy-handed, but never goes over the edge. Also, some of the ending scenes in the game are absolutely touching, including one point where you're given an option at the very end. Pressing X has rarely had this kind of emotional payload. I just wish they'd had the courage to end the game with that moment rather than the stupid one that follows afterwards.
It hits you fast and hard, too. Of all the complaints I've heard about this game, the biggest one was that it was short. What you call short, I call concise. Like I said, both plots have their downsides, mainly because neither of them could possibly be sustained for long. As for the boring cult plot, there is no mystery about them at all, short of it being unclear as to what their motivation is supposed to be. Bad writing mars their motives, making for some cookie-cutter villains, but at least you don't have to deal with them for hours and hours. As for the good emotional plot, it's weight doesn't lend well to dwelling upon it. If this game kept talking about how much Jackie missed Jenny for much longer, it would have gone from touching to irritating. The game felt like it was just the right length for both plots.
Perfect for the gameplay, too. As wild as every fight is, it's done in such a fast-paced way that it can't sustain its momentum forever. All said and done, you only have a handful of animations and actually useful attacks, and short of throwing more armored guys at you with floodlights, the game doesn't do much to push your limits. The bosses are all phoned in, minor variants on regular guys that are pretty much the same save for the different places you fight them in. None of those locations provide anything new or interesting to do, either, so don't expect to feel any kind of excitement at running into something new and challenging.
Putting lights that shut off your powers in places you can't see or reach seems to be the developer's only way of challenging you. It makes for a new way to keep combat fresh, since none of your powers or health regeneration work in the light. Like I said, floodlights are how the game makes your life difficult, shining in every direction while you fight ridiculous hordes of enemies. Those same guys would be a pushover in the dark, but it's finding the light sources that makes things harder. This is especially true in many of the later areas or some of the Vendetta missions, where light sources are hard to identify or take out. At some points, the only real difficulty isn't the guys flooding the room, but rather figuring out where the stupid light is. It's not bothersome often, but the few times it is, you'll be driven crazy.
If you find the game's still short instead of just right, there's a mode that will send you baying for the hills. The Vendetta's are the developers way of saying that they noticed that the game was short, and that they've included extremely dull, watered-down multiplayer to try to make up for it. In the Vendettas, you and up to four antisocial loners can pilot one of four ethnic stereotypes through a series of challenge rooms that are built to test your patience more than your reflexes. Honestly, these areas are all dull beyond belief, and are just filled with a stupid amount of enemies. Instead of having many different ways of dispatching them, each character in Vendettas is limited to one Darkness power. So, the already imperfect combat becomes far less interesting, and you get a much closer look at the tedious shooter that lurks beneath The Darkness II's hood. Don't even turn this mode on, no matter how bored you are.
I still had a really good time with the short main game of The Darkness II.
It's many flaws don't become apparent during the little time you'll have during your initial playthrough up until the very end, and even then the emotional plot was more than interesting enough to keep me going with a smile on my face. It succeeds in breathing life into what would otherwise be a dull shooter, even if it can't hold up its initial momentum after a few hours. If you only have a weekend rental, or can only manage an hour or two of play a night, this game will be a fun ride. If you're expecting any kind of longevity from it, be it through its multiplayer or through its vicious combat, you'll find it getting old fast. As cool as the Darkness powers are, it's the same as being able to eat ice cream at any point you want as an adult. After a while, too much of a good thing just gets boring.
If you liked The Darkness II, you might also like...
The Darkness – Big surprise, he's suggesting the first one. Well, I liked it better, in retrospect. There were some fun little diversions that helped flesh the world out, and Jackie's character development was weaved into the story a lot better in this game. I also can't help it if the introduction of the Darkness was much more interesting than hearing about the lame cult that's looking for it now.
Mafia II – I already told you guys how much I liked it a long time ago, but many of this game's more interesting parts reminded me of it. I like seeing bad guys having rough lives, so watching Jackie's continuous problems made me think of the highs and lows of Mafia II. Both of them fall a little flat on the gameplay side, but the bonds between their characters carry them through. They're some of the few action games that I can say I genuinely felt for the characters in them.
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Ozzy InFeRno
130,411
TA Score for this game: 1,334
Posted on 10 February 12 at 13:35, Edited on 10 February 12 at 13:39 |
This review has 12 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
The Darkness 2 Review (Take 2)
Welcome to my review of the Darkness 2, this is my second attempt at a review and I would like to thank everyone who commented on my previous review. Let’s get started.
Single player: The story of Jackie Estacado is continued in The Darkness 2, it’s been 2 years since the events that took place in "The Darkness 1" and Jackie has learnt to control The Darkness, Giving him the ability to become Don of the Franchetti crime family. After an incident in a restaurant Jackie is forced to unleash The Darkness to survive, wreaking havoc upon any and all that stand before him. The Darkness has many abilities including, Being able to pick up poles or pool cues and hurl them at enemies impaling enemy’s in to walls and such, Grab objects to throw at enemy’s or grabbing the enemy’s themselves (To pull off beautifully gory executions with the tap of the A, X, B, Y buttons) Each Button has their own style of execution depending if you have unlocked them with the Talent tree or not. (The Talent tree is a collection of ability’s available for purchase with Essence, Purchase one ability it unlocks another branch of ability’s, so on and so forth). Essence is obtained by getting kills, the more creative the kill the more essence you get. The new "Quad Wielding" feature also is a nice touch, giving you the ability to use both the demon arms as well as both your equipped weapons. (In one instance I used the left demon arm to pull a door from a van and use it as a shield while slashing with my right demon arm and firing both of my MP7's). In all the story is a great one showing us Jackie’s struggle to put Jenny’s death behind him and is ability to overcome even the most impossible odds.
Final Thoughts On Single player: The story in all was greatly told, with small cut scenes with Jackie telling his story. I am now on my 3rd play through of the single player (Don Difficulty) and still find the story amazing. 5/5
Multiplayer/Co-op: The Multiplayer aspect of The Darkness 2 is all Co-op based. You and 3 Friends can play through either "The Vendettas Campaign" which happens alongside the Single player or you can take on the hit list together.
The Modes Explained: Vendettas Campaign is about 4 Darkness hosts, Shoshanna, Inugami, JP DuMond and Jimmy Wilson hired by Vinnie and Jackie to help out with the Brotherhood problem. Each Darkness host has their own upgradable Talent tree and a unique weapon. Unfortunately the campaign is not very long, only taking 3 mates and I 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete on Don Difficulty.
The Hit list: Hit list is a mode where you and 3 friends complete certain sections of the campaign. There are 6 chapters each consisting of 3 missions. Again these missions weren't long at all with some of them only taking 5 to 10 minutes to complete while others took longer.
Final Thoughts On Multiplayer/Co-op: Both modes were quite a lot of fun, especially with 3 other friends. My only quarrel with both these modes was their length. 3.5/5
Final Thoughts On The Entire Experience: The Darkness 2 is undoubtedly an amazing game, I'm now on my third play though and taking a lot longer due to difficulty and admiring the graphics of the game. In my last review I gave it quite a negative mark when it came to graphics, but as now I’m not rushing through the world I notice where the shading really comes into play. The Developers Digital Extremes created a beautiful world. So please take a step back in the game and admire the streets and the buildings, down to the dimly lit rooms and subway tunnels. The Darkness 2 truly is an amazing game and I would highly recommend it to anyone. 4.5/5
Thank you all for reading this review of The Darkness 2
Ozzy. 
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coloneilfrost
68,057
TA Score for this game: 1,334
Posted on 21 February 12 at 03:49, Edited on 21 February 12 at 22:56 |
This review has 9 positive votes and 2 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
As many know this game is based off a comic in which a man named jackie estacado becomes cursed by the darkness.
the darkness 1 The player takes the role of Jackie Estacado, with the story presented as a future-narrative on the present events observed by the player. On the eve of his 21st birthday, Jackie was targeted for assassination by the don of the New York mafia, "Uncle" Paulie Franchetti. While hiding in a cemetery bathroom, The Darkness (voiced by Mike Patton), an ancient force that has inhabited his family for several generations, awakens within Jackie and slaughters the remaining mobsters, with the benefit of Jackie becoming the possessor of seemingly unholy demonic abilities that feed off the dark.
STORY: the darkness 2 takes place 2 years later after the darkness 1 and now jackie has contained the darkness. Jackie gets attacked by a group of mobsters which causes him to unleash the darkness in order to survive. he later finds out that the person that attacked him is after the darkness, now he has to kill the person before he takes the darkness from him.
GAMEPLAY: the game play is just like the first game except its more violent and has a new thing called a talent tree. the talent tree is basically for you to upgrade certain powers and make them better/stronger with essence from killing people, it also upgrades your weapons for faster reloading and extended clips etc. the talent tree also lets you unlock new executions which gives the excecutions give you certain things. gives you ammo, refills your powers, gives you health, and gives you a shield. each of these executions are very gruesome. the gameplay is very fun like the first, my only problem is that the campaign is only about 6-7 hours mixed up with 19 chapters which is kinda disappointing after waiting 6 years for a sequel. better short and sweet then long and boring i guess heh. also like the first you MUST stay in the dark in order to use your powers. this game also has collectibles which are relics their is a total of 29.also there is a vendettas campaign in which you play has 4 different people. each person has there own unique powers which you can upgrade using the talent tree. in vendettas you can do hit lists and other missions. hit lists require you to hunt certain people down and kill them. you can do vendettas solo or co op.
SOUND: the sound is pretty good and the music is not that disappointing. from the gun fire to music i guess its pretty decent.
ATMOSPHERE: the atmosphere is pretty good and is not disappointing even with the cartoon graphics.
GRAPHICS: the graphics are mainly cartoon oriented but it never seemed to bother me but it may disappoint some. BUGS/GLITCHES: haven't run into any.
ACHIEVEMENTS: the achievements are pretty easy and it wont take long to 1000g.
overall this game is really fun but the length is to short so its best to rent for a week or two. pros: fun gameplay, decent story, decent sound, decent atmosphere, fun easy achievements. cons: short.
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ryanlegend95
135,371
TA Score for this game: 1,334
Posted on 30 October 12 at 22:48, Edited on 30 October 12 at 23:46 |
This review has 7 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Jackie is back in a brand new adventure with his best buddy Mike Patton. I mean Darkness.
Yes that's right The Darkness finally has a sequel. The first one was great and was almost perfect but needed a bit of tweaking here and there. Will this one be perfect or a total mess. I can tell you now that it's very close to perfect but yet still needs a bit of tweaking.
A few years have gone by since Jackie's last encounter with The Darkness. Jackie still has it locked inside of him but he has found away to tame it. Kinda sounds like the Incredible Hulk doesn't it.
I told you that you wouldn't like me when I'm angry!
Because of this he has made it to the top as Don of his mafia gang. People respect him and now he has this fancy new haircut that looks a lot better than his curtain look. (That's the name of the style for those who don't know).
He is living the dream but it doesn't quite cut it for Jackie. He misses his girlfriend Jenny and just wants her back. He still believes that Jenny is still alive some how and wants to find out where she is.
Jackie is now relaxing and does his own thing rather than killing everyone that dares try to kill him.
At the start of the game you see Jackie enjoying a lovely meal with two very attractive women. When he least expect it an unknown gang tries to kill him. An explosion occurs and Jackie was trapped in the radius. He is seriously injured and the wound won't repair. In order to survive Jackie had to release The Darkness to save himself and others around him. Was the unknown gang's intention was to release The Darkness? Well find out for yourself.
Now time for a second review of the franchise.
Graphics:
The graphics have changed since its first game. Where is the first one looked more dark and grimmy. This one looks more catoony and hand drawn. It looks nice and surprisingly fitting. The character models look fantastic with great animations. Great textures and a fantastic atmosphere. The special effects are great and The darkness powers look more frightening than ever. There are quite a few repeated character models. It's not that noticeable due to the amount of chaos that you are causing so all is good.
Three guys = Piece of cake. A hundred guys = Total chaos caused by you.
The game also performs well with perfect frame rate and no signs of screen tearing. There are some texture pop-ins here and there.
Overall it's a great looking game and that's why I'm giving it an 8/10.
Sound:
The sound design is perfect in every way. The guns sound metallic and the soundtrack creates the mood. The voice acting is better than ever. The first Darkness had great voice acting. But this is extremely well done. Mike Patton no longer is the on hit wonder in the game. Everyone deserves credit. They do so well at telling the story and Mike Patton again is the perfect role for The darkness with an assisting hand by Brian Bloom who does the voice of both Jackie and The Darkness. A different Darkness voice for each head. The voice actor for Johnny does a convincing crazy guy impression. How can this guy read the lines so fast and sound crazy at the same time. Maybe he is crazy.
See what I mean.
I give the sound score a 10/10. (100 if I could).
Gameplay:
The first Darkness game had a pretty clunky gameplay experience. This game however backhands that clunkiness and gives this game one of the most satisfying gameplay that any game has seen. The game is unbelievable. It's like Bulletstorm but 1000 times better. There are so many ways of killing your foes. You can just shoot em up until they are into bits and pieces or you can use The Darkness powers to rip open rib cages. That's how extreme this game is. No wonder why it was banned in Singapore.
Ahh I'm going to eat yaaa! Get in my belly!
The game has a great single player but it doesn't last long. The game is only about 6-8 hours long but because of it's fantastic gameplay there is a lot of replay value. Just can't stop ripping rib cages.
There is also Co-op which is just as good as the single player. The gun fights are massive and entertaining. Especially with 3 other players. Shame that the last boss battle was rubbish.
Overall the gameplay is ridiculously fun and that's why I'm giving it 9/10. Shame about its length.
Storyline:
The story is just as good as the first game, if not better. It goes into a lot of depth and there are many mysteries to uncover. The characters and the voice actors is the main reason why the story is so good.
I give the storyline score a 10/10.
Is it your cup of tea?
-If you loved the first then you will fall in love with this.
-If you want a great story then put down your Harry Potter book. (Or fifty Shades of Grey).
-If you want chaos then you've got it.
Summary:
Good
-Superb voice acting.
-Ridiculously fun gameplay.
-The perfect story.
Bad
-Change of pace from the first.
-Too short.
-More money wasted after re-buying the first one.
Overall this is a fantastic game with plenty of replay value. I give this game an overall score of 9/10
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Silent Dirge
122,586
TA Score for this game: 1,334
Posted on 12 February 12 at 20:09 |
This review has 8 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
The norm nowadays is shooter campaigns lasting only 6 or 7 hours. The Darkness II unfortunately also falls victim to this trend. The Darkness was a much longer game compared to the sequel but The Darkness II packs an equal amount of punch into a smaller shorter package. The game absolutely blew me away, it was the sequel I had hoped it to be and more. From the intuitive "quad wielding" to the gripping story line it was a near perfect game but the mere fact that I finished the game in one sitting left me wanting more. No spoilers but the game was left with a slight cliffhanger which has me hoping for a another sequel.
Graphics- The graphics are amazing simply put. The Darkness II uses a comic book feel for its graphics much like the way borderlands did except a darker more gory rendition. They fit very well with the way the games plays and they make you feel as if your reading a beautifully drawn comic.
Gameplay- The majority of the game focuses in the idea of "quad Wielding" which involves you controlling the darkness in the form of two snake like creatures with the bumpers and a gun in each hand with the triggers. It works a lot better then the controls in the first game and allows you to eviscerate yours enemies many different ways with ease. The controls are easy to pick up and very responsive.
Replay Value- The darkness two has a significant amount of replay value due to its many difficulty levels and new game + option which allows you to keep all your abilities and replay the game. Not only that but there is a separate co-op campaign and various co-op side missions to complete with friends.
Sound- The game sounds absolutely visceral during gameplay which I find to be very satisfying. The voice acting is marvelous especially on the part of Mike Patton who voices the darkness itself. The story driven narrative by Jackie really adds to the immersion in the game as well.
Overall- All in all it's a great game for both those who are fans of the series or the comic books and to new gamers alike. Though a little short it's definitely a game to play even if that means merely renting it. Hoping for a sequel. 5 out of 5 from me.
TheDarkPresence
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dudecrazy108
153,347
TA Score for this game: 739
Posted on 15 March 12 at 01:15, Edited on 15 March 12 at 01:15 |
This review has 6 positive votes and 6 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
The Darkness 2 Xbox 360 Game Review
Released : Feb. 7th, 2012
Reviewed : March 14th, 2012
Genre : First Person Shooter
Review :
The Darkness 2 was a huge surprise hit for me after not really caring for what was The Darkness. This game almost feels completely different than the original while at the same time continuing the story.
Now Darkness 2 picks up two years after the ending of the first game and you continue to play as Jackie but soon notice that he now runs the Mafia and for the most part no longer has the Darkness. No sooner do you notice that when you soon find out a hit on has put out on you and thus the darkness returns. Soon enough you find there is also a cult coming after you that wants to harness the darkness for their own needs. The story actually plays out very well constantly shifting between scenes using flashbacks almost including the normal world, a psych ward, and what is a messed up version of hell all thanks to the darkness playing with Jackie’s mind. This then leads to Jackie constantly questioning his mind and really it had me questioning what was actually going on.
The characters you encounter are all great with a personality of their own including crime bosses who are bad to the bone to mob members who are a mess. By far the greatest character is your Darkling though because he’s your only one unlike the first game which had you spawning tons of Darklings. This guy has a great personality and is funny just from his banter (some of which is in a British accent for some reason) to his actions which include peeing on dead corpses. Throughout the game he turns out to become a very good sidekick and it’s funny and almost weird to watch the friendship develop between Jackie and the Darkling.
The gameplay for the most part plays like the first one with the addition of “quad dueling” which lets you control each arm of the darkness while also firing two guns at once. It works out very well and it easy to control and within 30 minutes of playing you’ll have it down and you’ll be doing some insane things. With having all that power you can do some insane things from throwing cars doors to split enemy’s in half, to grabbing guys and performing executions, to throwing them across the room. It’s a nice change of pace and give’s you freedom on killing. You also play as the darkling for a small portion which is a nice change but what you can do with him is extremely limited.
New to this game also is a leveling up system in the form of a “Talent Tree”. By leveling up you can earn addition powers like the “Black Hole” which makes it’s return to the game to new powers like “Swarm” which sends tons of flies towards your enemy thereby blinding him for a moment. The AI though is dumb as a box of rocks and easy to kill. Now that’s not a minus by any means as it gives you freedom to kill in as many ways as possible. There are also 29 Relic collectibles in the game to collect and each one has it’s own story to it and gives you XP.
Visually the game is great. Instead of being dark and gritty like the first one, this game took the comic route and gave the graphics almost a cel-shaded feel. The voice acting is also top notch and the radio in the game features many big name artists including “Jane’s Addiction”.
Now the game does add multiplayer to it by adding Vendetta mode which is a 4 player coop story which runs along side the single player. This game mode gives you 4 new characters to play as which are all different in what they do and all have their own talent tree to level up. This game mode can be completed in less than 3 hours and while it is fun, doesn’t really have tons of replay value. Based on the fact that you can complete the story in around 6 hours anyways.
Achievement wise it is a pretty simple list consisting of stuff involving playing thru the single player and multiplayer, leveling your guy up in both modes, kill “x” with “x”, collectable, and 2nd playthrough.
Overall it is a really good game to rent over a weekend or buy a cheaper price. It will warrant a lot of fun in both single player and multiplayer but just isn’t long enough or have enough replay value to make it worth a full price.
Score : 8/10
This review was wrote for and published on my site :
www.dcmetal108.wordpress.com
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