The Darkness II is a game with a number of good ideas. Consider the basic premise - you are the head of a crime family, who happens to have a supernatural/demonic entity called The Darkness living inside you. It makes you superhuman, but also wants to break your will so that it can make you its puppet. This is a great premise, from a gameplay perspective as well as a story perspective.

Mechanically, the game mixes up traditional gun-play mechanics with some demonic abilities (a pair of demonic arms, and a familiar called The Darkling). This is admittedly a complex setup, which is shoehorned into a clunky control scheme. Each aspect is serviceable, but feels limited. For example, guns can be dual-wielded for a fast-and-loose type of gameplay. However, this rarely works due to poor accuracy and a general shortage of ammo. The demonic arms have similar limitations. It is ridiculously fun to pick up and throw sharp objects to skewer/dismember enemies. However, only specific objects can be picked up, and they're somewhat hard to find.

The single-player campaign of The Darkness II is interesting, but also short. The narrative has a sense of rhythm to it, alternating grim sequences of violence (during Jackie's investigation) with quiet moments of joy (with Jenny and his family). The game's world reflects this aspect, contrasting brief, brightly lit areas with the more pervasive and grimy darkness.

The co-operative campaign ('Vendettas') - which can also played solo - should be seen as an integral part of the game. It has a storyline that runs parallel to the main story and involves four protagonists with varying Darkness abilities. Having to work with a limited set of abilities is a refreshing change of pace, as you need to adjust your playstyle according to the strengths of each character.

Personally, I felt that there were several impressive things about The Darkness II. However, the distinct lack of polish drags down the overall experience. I did think positively of the game as a whole, and I felt that it was good fun while it lasted. I think there is enough potential here for a sequel, and I plan to keep an eye out for it if it ever arrives. I rate this game a 7/10, rounded down to 3/5 for Grouvee.

Confusing mechanic, 4 different attack buttons. Then, there are the damn lights which impair your vision and fuck your tentacles and you have to blow them up (the lights)...but only some. Others you have to blow a generator. They are immune to your shots. Oh my.

There was this bug, almost showstopper for me. See, the game simulates depth of field. However, there were some times that the whole screen got blurred (out of focus), no matter what I did. Had to get out/in again.

Action parts is repetitive. The controls are confusing. You have zillions of combinations to remember. Some buttons work different depending on the way you are holding the guns (double/single yielding). Sometimes you fetch an item with X, others with LB. When you are getting a weapon, you don´t know if it is going to replace an existing one or not.

The story is ok, save for the non-sense parts (I am not an Comics reader), like, you have the tentacles and such due to the Darkness. Ok. Then, there was this part that the Darkness is out of you and you still have the tentacles and such! The game explains that you have the powers, but not the darkness...oh my. This character, Jimmy Powell, is a blast to hear and see. Take the time to hear the stories he tells in the library of the specials you fetch.

Graphics are beautiful. Animations idem. I can see the quality of the game on the details (e.g. a distant window with a blinding light which recedes when you near it and you can actually see the environment outside it). I liked most the parts that are not action focused (the mental hospital) or semi-action (some parts on the theme park)

However, the action parts and the mechanic of it made the game a drag for me to go on with it. In the end, I forced myself to complete it out of stubburness.

Intro

TD2 is a first-person corridor shooter in which you go from small area to small area to defeat enemies with guns, thrown objects and magic. It also has tons of cinematics and story-only gameplay (walk 'n talk).

The Good

You can brutally murder enemies in a variety of ways. I especially enjoy slicing them in two with shields/sawblades like in Half-Life 2. There's also a fairly decent variety in enemies.

The Bad

• Dead girlfriend revenge plot.
• Basically just 3 types of weapons (pistol, shotgun, repeater).
• You can only carry 3 weapons and the interface is bad (no specific button for each type).
• Maps are very small and cramped.
• You start maps without weapons, even though you're a crimelord.
• Tedious cinematics that i started skipping after an hour or so.
• Not enough ammo in maps.
• Bizarre ramp-up in difficulty after 3 hours.
• Human enemies start surviving multiple headshots even without a helmet.
• Awful boss battles. Just, really boring and poorly balanced.
• Eating a heart (to heal) drops your shield. Why? You have two tentacles.

The Ugly

After 2,5 hours the game constantly, constantly bathes you in light. Enemies will carry lights or ambush you with lamps. This takes away your magic powers, makes your screen shine brightly and plays awful noise. This gets old real quick.

Around the same time you will face enemies who take away your weapons. Because the 2 light weapon slots are random and both eating hearts and picking up weapons is done with 'E' it quickly becomes a total mess. Suddenly you realise you switched your assault rifle for a shotgun, or dropped your pistol for a second uzi. And on top of that the game also has utterly pointless dual wielding, which prevents you from aiming and instead makes you right-click the mouse to shoot the second weapon. Ugh.

The absolute worst part is how the game wastes your time with its stupid story. You start out wanting revenge for one woman, then another one gets killed and you want revenge for her too. Christ. A huge chunk of the game consists of cinematics, conversations and walking around small areas to find people to talk to. It's just bad. I just want to decapitate people with demonic shields, not listen to some nonsense about "the baddies' secret society" and "the darkness" (i always think of the band :-P). Did i mention that the game brightly flashes the screen every time you skip a line of dialogue. Oh yeah...

Conclusion

Simple rule: The story shouldn't get in the way of playing the game & gameplay shouldn't get in the way of telling a story. Also, don't give people super powers only to constantly take them away while overwhelming their senses.

Gameplay: 2.5 /5 Story: 3/5 Presentation: 3/5 Difficulty: / 5

I can't say much as far as a story since I didn't play the first game nor have I read any of the comics, but as far as game mechanics go there was a definite need for polish. The darkness one of your main weapons felt weak and I became much more reliant on my guns which sadly would all run out of ammo way too fast. Half the time grabbing enemies with the darkness wouldn't work and the controls for pc were very rough. For example, slashing vertically is to push down on the scroll wheel and scroll down or up (50/50 if it actually works)

The toon shading was a good look for the comic book feel. It didn't go so far as Borderlands, but It needed to keep a level of realistic detail for its more grim setting. The music was actually really good. It made some of the action sequences a lot more intense even if half the time I was blinded by light trying to survive.

Basis:

Story= plot progression, intrigue, characters, world

Gameplay= Mechanics, gameplay options (freedom), repetition, goals, difficulty

Presentation= graphics, animation, environment/character design, Art direction, Script, music

The second The Darkness is a fast-paced first-person shooter that blends traditional gunplay with supernatural powers in a stylish, comic-book inspired world. The MC is called Jackie Estacado, who wields both firearms and demonic “Demon Arms” that allow for brutal executions and creative combat. The cel-shaded art direction stands out, giving the game a unique visual identity that complements its graphic novel roots. This is not the most unique and original art-style and story-telling, but it is masterfully executed, which is not an easy task.

The story moves quickly, with a campaign that can be finished in under seven hours, offering a tightly scripted but intense ride. While the narrative has some emotional weight, it leans more into action and spectacle than the moody atmosphere of the first game. A cooperative “Vendetta” mode adds some replayability, though it lacks the depth and polish of the main story. It'll be a much more enjoyable experience if you are familiar with the original media this story was told, which unfortunately for me, this was not the case, but I could perfectly enjoy the game, regardless of this fact.

On the downside, enemy AI can feel simplistic, and the linear level design leaves little room for exploration, this was a common trait of shooters at the time, so keep this in mind. Though, it still has a memorable story solely because of the main character, it is the one that carries the whole plot, not to mention (a little SPOILER here now) the game's ending leaves you with a cliff-hanger, which is still unsolved up until this day since we still never got a sequel to this one. Some fans also felt that the shift from the original’s darker tone to a more arcade-like style was a step back in atmosphere. Still, the combat is thrilling, the presentation bold, and the experience memorable despite its brevity, one of the most unique shooters that I've ever played.