The Darkness (X360 PAL) review
Posted by Sean McCabe on 07.09.2007
In games you are often the opponent of Darkness. Well, that’s about to be turned on its head.
Publisher: 2K games
Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Platform: Xbox 360 (also PS3)
BBFC rating: 18
Release date: June 29th 2007
The Darkness, adapted from a cult comic book series from Top Cow, IP holders of the original Tomb Raider comics and Witchblade to name a few, is a first person shooter with a twist. The plot has been altered in some ways, mainly in means of its canonical timeline. The main character, Jackie Estacado, is adopted by Paulie Francetti from Saint Mary’s orphanage in New York at a young age, and is made to work as a Mob hitman for the Francetti family. The game opens with Jackie riding in the back seat of a Corvette on it’s way to making some big money deal. However, they are chased down by rival gang members and the police, and eventually crash nearby the construction site where Jackie supposedly must make a hit. However, it turns out to not be the normal working day for him. He is betrayed by his adoptive Uncle, and in trying to survive against a hit squad in a cemetery, finds his body being controlled by dark forces. This is the start of what Quentin Tarantino likes to call, “a roaring rampage of revenge.”
I will take note now that as I do not have Xbox live, I cannot judge this game’s online multiplayer mode, and it has no offline multiplayer, so this review, is purely of the game’s single player experience.
Graphics:
Alright, so where to start. This game is frigging beautiful. Yeah, sounds like a good place to start. Everything from the heads of The Darkness that are present on screen whenever Jackie utilises his powers, to the texturing of the walls and floor, to the hearts that you can devour, everything is rendered in minute detail. This is a game that faithfully recreates an urban setting and makes it come alive. Jackie wanders around a believably scaled Manhattan on his quest for revenge, and every little detail from the fire hydrants, lampposts and signs are all present in such a way as to make it all very realistic. And the beautiful thing is it’s all highly interactive. You can shatter windows, shoot bullet holes in everything, and throw around large objects with your powers. The lighting too, unsurprisingly, needs mentioned. It is very dynamic, and as the light drains Jackie’s abilities, as indicated by the intensity of the colour in The Darkness’ eyes, another nice graphical touch, it is important to try and destroy any sources of light around Jackie when threatened.
Another notable thing is the game’s overall presentation. It switches ever so quickly to third person cut scenes when Jackie interacts with objects such as ladders or talks with people. It’s here where you can appreciate the attention to detail put into the character models in this game. It aims for a quite gritty, realistic look, which is unusual for a comic-based game. There is a lot of live action footage in the game used for the various interactive TVs you find in the game world. Also to disguise loading times, players are treated to montages of Jackie on a black background, and he will either give a monologue or simply show off some gunplay. The monologues are used to add to the story as it’s really the only time Jackie gives the player an idea of his thoughts and feelings over the course of the story, and it works very well. The reason for that, however, is more to do with the game’s sound as we will see.
Gameplay:
First off, I should say that as an FPS, The Darkness just works. It is really good. The controls are responsive, the guns are meaty, the dual wielding is possible the best I’ve seen where you can really go John Woo on everybody’s ass. This is a game where it is fun to shoot people, and that is what an FPS should aim to do. But, I’ve never cared too much for FPSes that just do that, as they can get old quick. What is needed, is a twist, something that breaks up the formula. Or you can just tear up the formula and go your own way, like The Darkness has.
Really you could play a lot of The Darkness without needing to use your guns much at all, mainly for just taking out lights. The Darkness itself is such an effective weapon. When you gain its powers, the only power accessible to you is the Creeping Dark. This ability allows you to take control of a single demon head. You are vulnerable when you do this, so clearly, you want to tuck yourself in a dark corner. The Creeping Dark has a fair bit of range and can well, bite the faces off people. It is definitely a most useful weapon to kill from a distance without putting Jackie in danger. It can also pick up weapons for Jackie and even interact with objects such as doors and switches. However, it can at times be quite irritating to control because of the game’s physics. That’s a minor complaint though. I won’t say too much about the other three offensive powers The Darkness obtains, but I can definitely say lovers of carnage won’t be disappointed. You can also summon four different types of demonic imps to help you out. The one thing that seriously differentiates this game from other similar FPSes is that in most other games, you are the normal person fighting against supernatural monsters. The Darkness reverses this feeling. You are the unstoppable supernatural force. Whilst you are vulnerable to light, in Darkness you are a monster, and you have this sense of being a monster. It is quite a unique feeling and one you don’t get much in games, not even in Manhunt or The Suffering.
Finally, one more thing I love about this game is the structure. You have access to much of the game map from the start once you clear the beginning sections. You can wander around and talk to people, and the game’s two subway stations act as hubs where you can get subquests and use the public phones to find what you need to do next. Although the game is somewhat linear, it disguises that fact extremely well, and that is what I like to see in games like this. Also there are a lot of really neat touches to the game. For example, random hoods in the street will try to hold you up for your wallet. Also, when you return to a scene of carnage you created earlier, it’s not unusual to see the police around cleaning up your mess. All of these things just add spice and realism to the game and make it all the more immersive.
Sound:
Alright, the game’s music is quite a mix of orchestral, ballad melody and heavy rock, all used at the appropriate times. Whilst the music doesn’t stand out hugely, it gets the job done effectively. The sound effects are much the same. Where the game is truly outstanding aurally is in the voice acting. Jackie is played by Kirk Acevado, and I must make clear he delivers a tremendous performance. Paulie is played by Dwight Schultz, who also does a tremendous job playing a Mafia psycho that makes Tony Soprano look like an angel. Everybody else does great to, but it’s these two performances that really stand out, as it should be as the entire concept of The Darkness is about the business of these two characters. One a hitman with a conscience, a belief in respect and whom treasures the small amounts of innocence he can find say to day, mostly in his girlfriend, and one who is the most morally reprehensible, selfish, arrogant, monstrous assholes walking God’s green earth. You want to see Jackie put a bullet right in Paulie’s head, and that is what great acting does, makes you want to see the resolutions to conflicts like these. Add in The Darkness and it’s constant battles with Jackie in order to try and control him, and you have yourself easily one of the most enjoyable plots in an FPS for quite some time… and so much of it is all thanks to convincing acting.
Lasting Appeal:
Okay, well here we get to the game’s major weaknesses. Whilst the game is absolutely worth playing through by anybody with an interest in FPS or atmospheric horror games, the fact is past a relatively small amount sub quests and around a hundred collectables most of which aren’t really worth playing the game through a second time to obtain, its raw replay value is quite low. That does not mean it isn’t worth replaying, because basically the story and gameplay are so fundamentally good, this is probably a game you can keep on the shelf and replay through periodically just to immerse yourself in such an intense and enjoyable experience, much like why I keep Condemned and Breakdown around. There is very little else like this game, it’s not a cookie cutter FPS and no other game may really provide the experience that this game provides. For that alone, it has replay value. But that may not be enough for some people. There is however an online multiplayer. As I said, I can’t judge it, as I’ve not played it, but I’ve heard it’s fun. It would certainly add to the game’s lifespan I should think for those that can play it.
Fun Factor:
I want to talk about one last issue I had with the game. There are some segments that are set in a ghostly version of World War II, and in truth, these sections are nowhere near as fun to play as the New York Present day segments. They are still reasonably enjoyable but all the WWII games there’s been in recent years really makes these sequences feel rather monotonous, even with the supernatural edge to it. The most fun part of these sections beyond a shadow of a doubt though is a tank-riding scene. Still, the game as a whole is immensely fun. I love it when a game that seeks to be cinematic without sacrificing interactivity succeeds in its endeavours, and there are many parts of The Darkness that are incredibly fun and exhilarating. Perhaps the very end of the game is the greatest example. Not to spoil much, but let’s just say for a game that is so conclusion-orientated in the build up of its plot, it does not disappoint.
The 411:
The Darkness is the kind of shooter that I enjoy. It is built around more than just shooting. It gives you a wide range of powers with which to play. It gives you people to interact with. It gives you a story that is worth caring about. And it makes you feel as if you are The Darkness itself. However, because of the relative brevity of its content, some basic bugs and flaws that are still present, and the minor annoyances of the controls of Jackie’s powers, it is far from perfect. However, this is pretty much a must play shooter, if not quite the classic I was hoping for.
Graphics
9.2
Dark, gritty and beautiful, The Darkness presents a feast for the eyes, although you'll need to forgive the odd glitch.
Gameplay
9.2
The gameplay is ever interesting and there's always something new to try out.
Sound
9.4
The music and sound effects are great, and the voice acting perhaps goes as far as to set a new standard for excellence. Only MGS maybe better.
Lasting Appeal
7.0
The game's main achilles heel, it has decent replay value but not everyone likes to replay games just for the sake of it. Online Multiplayer might increase the lifespan.
Fun Factor
8.5
This game for as long as it lasts is very fun, and only really hiccups during the WWII segments.
