The Darkness

"A Light in the Darkness"

The Darkness “ A Light in the Darkness”

The Darkness is a first person shooter, made beautifully by Starbreeze, the same people who brought you Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Whether or not The Darkness is better than, or even up to par with Riddick, is solely your opinion. I was pleased with the Darkness, however, there were a few things that disappointed me. So let's cut to the chase, and get to the good points- and not so good points of the 360's Darkness.

Story -10/10
For those of you who weren't aware, The Darkness was originally a comic book, and this game is based upon that comic book. You are Jackie Estacado, a hit-man, and it's your 21st birthday. Your uncle Paulie has sent you and a couple other goons to make a hit, when suddenly the hit goes wrong, and you find out that uncle has set you up. And reasons to be told later- the Darkness decides to bestow it's gift upon you. The darkness is basically a parasite, and needs a host, and relies on your violent and evil deeds to keep it fueled and to grow more powerful. As Paulie hunts you and turns every aspect of your life into hell, the pursuer soon becomes the hunted. Great story and dialogue, which really kept me entranced with the game , and impatiently waiting for the next events to happen. A mix of mafia shoot outs, twisted alien powers, and a couple trips to The darkness' personal hell. A sweet and old familiar tale of revenge and punishment, with a grotesque twist.

Game-play- 7/10
Okay, I have to admit, this has to be one of the most fun games I have played all summer. (single player) It should get a 10/10, but it doesn't. The game has its good points, such as using the darkness/shade/shadows etc., to enhance yours powers and make you potent. The stronger you get, the more unstoppable you feel, and it just feels great! Devouring people's hearts, sending black vortexes, watching your minions self destruct or saw off an opponent's head, or even just have the guns blazing. The game play in my opinion was awesome. But things that made me think different. Were A.I. were incredibly unaware of my presence at times, and at other times fully aware when I was stealth. While in gun battles, they rarely ran and duck for cover, and seemed to react so lazily to the danger they were in.

Other problems were I often found myself with the “What do I do now?” syndrome. Lack of direction or information often left me running around in circles, trying to find probable solutions, only to find the most simple solution was under my nose the whole time, just not explained that I could use it. Also the downtime within the subway station is so slow, and just utterly boring. Often finding yourself doing simple and meaningless tasks which usually require you jump from train to train, and one side of the station to the other.

My biggest problem with the game, was the length. I honestly beat the game within 9-12 hours. And I really believe it shouldn't take any longer for anyone else. It was a very quick game, and left wanting to play more. I found a large percentage of the many collectibles, and wanted to play some more. So I took my desires to online play…

Multi Player- 3/10
All I have to say is- you can tell they spent all of their time and effort on the single player version of the game. I have nothing good to say about multiplayer, except for it is fun shape shifting into a darkling and climbing and maneuvering on the walls and ceiling for stealth kills on unsuspecting players. But by the time you do that, you'll be so frustrated with the lag, and lack of control, and not to mention off target shooting that you probably won't care. This was horrible addition to the game, and I feel, could have been left out.

Graphics/Audio- 10/10
Definitely one of the better points of the game. You can really tell the developers and artists took their time in creating the game. The graphics are beautiful, and the very few characters have their own distinct voices and dialogue. Gruesome sound effects and matching visuals when you are terrorizing your enemies. As well as a very haunting and enticing soundtrack, as you slash your way to Paulie.

Re-playability 5/10
The Darkness definitely makes you feels like a bad ass. But when the game is over- there really isn't much to do. You could go back and search for the collectables that you missed. You could feed your need and desire to watch gruesome deaths. Or you could face something worse the Darkness itself- it's horrible online play. Point is, the Darkness doesn't offer much of anything once you have beaten it once.

To Buy or to Rent?
I am going to be perfectly honest. Rent it. I wouldn't say it was a mistake that I bought it- I just expected there would be more.

Overall 6.5/10
That's the best way to put it- The Darkness is a great game that just needed a little bit more. The single player was beautifully made, and worth the play. But the multiplayer is a complete let down. And the story mode was way too short, and could have been a bit longer. It's a great game, but some things could have been better, but then again it's a lot better than a lot of the first person shooters out. Its good, not the best, but definitely not the worst.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/07