The Darkness is one of those games that no one expects to be THAT good, but I was very suprised when I played it. The game as a whole is very cohesive and well-done, I am suprised by the quality of such a game. The story is you are a member of a modern mafia who gets these "darkness" powers on your 21st birthday. A lot of stuff evolves from there, and the story can be very violent and just sick at times. If you have heard about the "break-up" between your girlfriend in the game and you, you know what I mean. For those who don't, it was extremely powerful and rivals some of the most intense scenes seen in cinema. It is a very good scene that is well-deserved on Game Informer's "Top Ten Moments of 2007" list. Basically, the story is very good and serves as an excellent backdrop to the gameplay. In fact, the story is some of the best of last year, and, unfortunately, games like Mass Effect and BioShock stole the spotlight when award season came for story telling.
The gameplay, on the most part, is excellent. Some people have criticized the gunplay, but I feel that the shooting in this game is very realistic and unique for the genre. All guns have laser sights and you use them to aim, and there is a assistive auto-aim that aids with shooting from a distance. The guns in this game are standard fare, but still a lot of fun to shoot. AKs, shotguns, battle rifles, TMPs, and a LOT of pistols are what you shoot for the most part, and it works very well. The whole premise about the game, however, is the Darkness powers, and they are some of the most unique gameplay innovations of last year, portal gun included. There are different powers, like "Demon Arm" which is impaling weapon of sorts that can basically spear any enemy in close range (it is awesome). "Black Hole" is also pretty cool as it can send a black hole in the middle of an enemy crowd and you can watch as they fly across the room. Still, some of the missions are dull. The first "act" (similar to Gears of War) is excellent, then the 2nd one is really boring, and the 3rd one is pretty good, but the 4th one is not much fun. Still, the game's last act is very good, and has a decent ending. I won't say what happens in the 2nd and 4th act because it is quite interesting, but the gameplay is repitive.
Overall, "The Darkness" is an excellent game. I bought this during the summer and I couldn't ask for anything more with a summer game. It really is magnificent. The multiplayer is very mediocre, but the rest of the package is solid. It is extremely violent and sadistic at times, but those elements themselves probably lend toward its excellence.
The gameplay, on the most part, is excellent. Some people have criticized the gunplay, but I feel that the shooting in this game is very realistic and unique for the genre. All guns have laser sights and you use them to aim, and there is a assistive auto-aim that aids with shooting from a distance. The guns in this game are standard fare, but still a lot of fun to shoot. AKs, shotguns, battle rifles, TMPs, and a LOT of pistols are what you shoot for the most part, and it works very well. The whole premise about the game, however, is the Darkness powers, and they are some of the most unique gameplay innovations of last year, portal gun included. There are different powers, like "Demon Arm" which is impaling weapon of sorts that can basically spear any enemy in close range (it is awesome). "Black Hole" is also pretty cool as it can send a black hole in the middle of an enemy crowd and you can watch as they fly across the room. Still, some of the missions are dull. The first "act" (similar to Gears of War) is excellent, then the 2nd one is really boring, and the 3rd one is pretty good, but the 4th one is not much fun. Still, the game's last act is very good, and has a decent ending. I won't say what happens in the 2nd and 4th act because it is quite interesting, but the gameplay is repitive.
Overall, "The Darkness" is an excellent game. I bought this during the summer and I couldn't ask for anything more with a summer game. It really is magnificent. The multiplayer is very mediocre, but the rest of the package is solid. It is extremely violent and sadistic at times, but those elements themselves probably lend toward its excellence.