The Darkness II

The Darkness II for PC, X360 and PS3 brings a continuation to one of the best video games of 2007. The second installment is an action game as well, though it was created by Digital Extremes, a developer popular for a shooter game, Dark Sector, the members of which co-created BioShock 2. Because of the exceptional amounts of brutality present here, only adults should play this game.

Plot

Interestingly, Paul Jenkins, a comic book author (Hellblazer, Spider-Man), worked on the scenario for The Darkness II. Again, the player takes on the role of Jackie Estacado here, The charismatic protagonist returns after two years as the Godfather of the Franchetti crime family. His life however, is not a joyful one – memories of the past will not let him live like anyone else; as for the ominous power still lying within the protagonist, it only makes matters worse.

It turns out that the attack on Jackie and the other members of his family initiated a large-scope gang war. What is more, a third-party group stands behind the attack, which is the so-called Brotherhood, led by the mysterious and powerful Victor Volante. The organization wishes to take control over the titular Darkness, which is the unpredictable power Jackie Estacado has carried.

Mechanics

In terms of the mechanics, The Darkness II for PC, X360 and PS3 is based on the gameplay formula of its predecessor. Thus Jackie fights his enemies with several types of firearms, but he also makes use of special powers, such as demonic arms causing chaos in the ranks of the opposition. While one arm is capable of cutting through objects and enemies, different items can be grabbed with the other. In such a way, the protagonist uses four "extremities" at a time - the creators of the game call this "quad wielding".

Additionally, the protagonist's skills can be improved through buying subsequent talents from a relatively extensive development tree. To do so, accumulated power of the titular Darkness is used, which is gathered through killing the enemies in a spectacular manner and literally tearing their hearts out.

Last updated on 09 May 2011