Darkwatch (2005)

Darkwatch is a stylish blend of horror and Western, the MC is called Jericho Cross, an outlaw-turned-vampire battling supernatural forces, and one of the most badass characters in shooter gaming history. The game stands out for its unique vampire-cowboy theme, moody atmosphere, and fast-paced, Halo-inspired gunplay, which I didn't knew I liked until I tried it out, since I played Halo after playing this one. Another standout is the originality of the design, especially the weapons, they are very cool looking and fit perfectly in the game's theme.

It features a morality system, eerie environments, and some memorable undead enemies, though while the morality system is very simplistic, not just for a shooter, but in general, it serves the purpose of promoting replayability since it can change your gameplay in the long run. This is definitely one of the most fun shooters that I've ever played, is not just the overall quality, but for me the biggest factor of this game is really the fun you have while playing it.

While the story is pulpy and the level design a bit repetitive, the mix of FPS action and horror-Western flair makes it a cult favorite from the PS2 era. I highly recommend this one, it is a must-play shooter of the PlayStation 2 platform. Unfortunately we never got a sequel due to some management problems in the development company, but at least we had a little footage of what a sequel could've been. And one last comment, this game is heavy on adult themes such as violence and even sex, so be wary.

Not really sure what compelled me to play this game in particular, but having been home sick for three straight days and finally having enough energy to game between sporadic naps, I'm glad I did.

Darkwatch is just a good ol' fashioned shooter with great theming. Reminds me a lot of modern Doom, actually. No XP systems, no weapon mods, no green and purple rarity, just a shooter. Point reticule, make skeleton explode.

Looks really great on 360 too. Sadly, doesn't work on Series X, but it definitely gets some sort of facelift through the 360's emulation. It looks like a modern HD remaster. Some of that is going to be from my mClassic upscaler - which, despite the hate that thing gets, actually works great with 480p/720p consoles - but it does nevertheless look a step above most Xbox games.

Only downside is that this game definitely has that 2000s thing where every female character has massive tits and ass for no reason, which is definitely off-putting, but you hear them far more often than you see them, so I can mostly ignore it. 🤷