The last we saw of mob-boss-to-be Jackie Estacado, he had been taken over by the Darkness, an evil demon force that uses a pair of monstrous limbs to do the bidding of whoever possesses it. But somehow, Jackie has managed to contain this presence within himself, despite the fact he’s never forgiven it for holding him back while the true love of his life, Jenny, was murdered by a corrupt official. But aside from keeping this force at bay, Jackie has bigger problems. Along with maintaining the status quo of his crime family (while keeping them alive, natch), he suddenly finds himself contending with a vicious psycho named Victor, who heads the Brotherhood. These guys have been supposedly protecting the Darkness for years, and now want it for their own personal gain. Jackie almost seems ready to give it to them, but it relents, stating that if Jackie gives it to them, Jenny’s soul is doomed. So, stuck between a rock and a hard place – literally – Jackie has to fight back. Thus begins The Darkness II, the follow-up to 2K Games’ original Xbox 360 shooter, based on the Marc Silvestri/Top Cow Productions comic of the same name.
Development has shifted gears, moving from the team at Starbreeze (who did the original) over to Digital Extremes, but it’s a transition that works surprisingly well, thanks to some notable gameplay improvements and an added multiplayer option that, unlike the first game, provides something of merit. The big change to gameplay with The Darkness II is being able to use the demon limbs more directly. Not only can they hack and slash in their own right, but they can grab objects in the environment, such as a car door or a metal spire, and hurl them like projectiles, ripping an enemy to shreds. They can also grab baddies themselves and do all sorts of damage, like tearing them in half (the Wishbone) or ripping through their heart, Alien-style. Just make sure you feast on their hearts, or the Darkness has had it. The game gets more challenging as you go, as more demented members of the Brotherhood surface, including flashlight-dwelling fiends and those who teleport like madmen. The Darkness isn’t entirely effective against these guys, but luckily, you have plenty of firepower in your arsenal. In addition, the Darkling makes a return, and can do your bidding in a number of situations. At one point, you even take control of him, crawling through an air duct and slashing a few necks for good measure.
We’ll admit, the gameplay is pretty damn addictive. Mixing up attacks between your weapons and the Darkness never gets old, and you can come up with some really nasty ways of killing guys if you time it just right. Furthermore, a level-up tree helps you power up to the best of your ability, adding new perks as you earn points for each venomous kill. The crazier your fatalities get, the better you score. As for the campaign length, well, it’s over in a few hours time, though the ending is a bit of a smile-inducer for fans of the series. But if you’re looking for something extra, 2K Games has added it with Vendettas, a cool co-op mode where four of Jackie’s Darkness-laden disciples perform various feats. Players can join up together and really unleash some great stuff here, and though it too comes to an end, it’s still far more favorable than the flawed multiplayer we had to put up with in the original game. We’ll take this any day we can get it. Aside from that, the only real downfall to The Darkness II is occasional pacing issues. Sometimes you’ll go through flashbacks, caused by the trauma that the Darkness creates. And you can’t skip through them real fast, only going line by line with the dialogue. It would’ve been better to just hit a button and be done with it.
For The Darkness II’s art style, Digital Extremes opted for a funky sort of look with cel-shaded characters. Not that that’s a bad thing, but there are times that the models look the same, especially when you’re ripping them apart the same way. Regardless, the game as a whole runs smoothly, and the levels, ranging from the inside of a burning warehouse to a cemetery to a run-down amusement park, are very good. The demon limbs are fun to watch too, as they taunt each other and rip up guys without a care in the world. The cinemas aren’t bad either – and those you can skip, if you choose. As far as the audio goes, it’s top notch. Mike Patton once again puts passion into his voicing of The Darkness, hissing and growling like a boss. The other actors are very good too, and the music and sound effects are on par with the mood that Silvestri set with his comic books. We couldn’t imagine it getting any better, outside of some occasional death metal. Even though we liked the original game in limited ways, The Darkness II is a fresh sequel that avoids the pratfalls of most comic book licensed games, instead opting for ridiculously bloody gameplay, a solid (for the most part) presentation, and a multiplayer add-on that doesn’t feel like a cheap addition, for once. If you can’t get enough of the Top Cow comics or just need something unique from a first-person shooter in general, go on, embrace the Darkness.
