The Darkness (videogame...not the 80s band)Normally even the mention of another "comic book based" video game is enough to get behemoth-sized producers to sign on, and to have die-hard fans committing hari-kari, before a bastardized and digitalized version of the comic they once knew comes into fruition. After all, every Batman game comes with a certified "Seal of Mediocrity", and Superman games...well, they've at least wisened up to the point of promising any minimum level of quality. After the aneurism-inducing Superman 64 all bets were off.
Superman 64, a tell-tale sign that God is not pleased with mankind. Definitively the 11th plague that the Egyptians would have faced, after the whole first-born son killing thing.I have to admit that my reaction to hearing that The Darkness was going to have a game adaption was along these lines as well. That is, until I caught wind that Starbreeze Studios, a fantastic studio located in Sweden was handling developmental duties. After all, their latest title The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay has the unique distinction of not only not meeting the international standards of "suckage" for a movie-adapted title, but was undeniably a better media product than its film counterpart, and was considered to be one of the best titles of 2004. Long story short, The Darkness was in good hands...after all, anyone that can get "Vin Diesel" and "critical acclaim" in the same sentence should start filling out an "application for sainthood" pronto.
One of the puzzle sequences in Escape From Butcher Bay has Vin Diesel, the academic wunderkind we all know him to be, stumped. Surprised?All background aside, many of you might not be familiar with The Darkness, as a franchise. It started as a comic published by Top Cow back in the mid ninties and ran until about 2001. To certainly cut some corners, and gloss over much of it, the Darkness is one of several powerful entities (including Witchblade and The Angellus) that, while nobody knows how it showed up, has been around since the beginning of humanity. It requires a human host and is passed down paternally, the father dying in the process, and will manifest itself in the new host upon his 21st birthday. So yes, to borrow from Mean Girls, "If you have sex, you will die." Never before (aside from the movie Goldeneye) has this had such literal implications.
You play as Jackie Estacado, a hitman for his adopted father (and New York mob boss) Paulie Franchetti, and just on the eve of his 21st birthday. And as if being able to drink and harboring an ethereal demonic being with symbiotic tendencies wasn't enough, "Uncle Paulie" has put a "hit" out on you...one of the things that the mob tends to do particularly well. Should I also mention that you're trying to balance a relationship on top of all of this? In short, it's Sixteen Candles meets Army of Darkness, with a bit of Goodfellas mixed in for good measure. Needless to say, you're tasked with taking down Paulie and his operation (there's a...say...stronger motivating factor for doing such, but revealing that would be a big spoiler) while attempting to prevent The Darkness from gaining total control of its host (aka, you). Here's a look at the introduction to the game, which is immersive and interesting, but doesn't exactly reveal much:
"Blinded By The Light"...Isn't A Great Idea
By the end of the game, the mob will fear you, and New York will fear you, but lightbulb manufacturers worldwide will praise your name.
You play as Jackie Estacado, a hitman for his adopted father (and New York mob boss) Paulie Franchetti, and just on the eve of his 21st birthday. And as if being able to drink and harboring an ethereal demonic being with symbiotic tendencies wasn't enough, "Uncle Paulie" has put a "hit" out on you...one of the things that the mob tends to do particularly well. Should I also mention that you're trying to balance a relationship on top of all of this? In short, it's Sixteen Candles meets Army of Darkness, with a bit of Goodfellas mixed in for good measure. Needless to say, you're tasked with taking down Paulie and his operation (there's a...say...stronger motivating factor for doing such, but revealing that would be a big spoiler) while attempting to prevent The Darkness from gaining total control of its host (aka, you). Here's a look at the introduction to the game, which is immersive and interesting, but doesn't exactly reveal much:
"Blinded By The Light"...Isn't A Great Idea
By the end of the game, the mob will fear you, and New York will fear you, but lightbulb manufacturers worldwide will praise your name.How does a single mobster assassin stand up to an entire crime syndicate without Rudi Guilani and his suave prosecuting ways? Well, for starters, not everyone is a fan of Paulie's new "methods." Look for allies to provide advice, as well as firepower along the way. Being an "ace shot" won't be enough, however, and despite the eight or nine firearms you can acquire, you're going to need help. This, understandably, comes in the form of The Darkness. As your engaged minds might glean from its self-evident name, this demonic side-kick of yours won't function well with a spotlight pinned on it, or on...well practically any day in Death Valley.
"If you can see light, you're in for a tough fight," my mother used to say. Okay, she never really said it. I didn't really ever say it either. I just thought a cheesy rhyming device would assist in teaching this esoteric mechanic of the game. So, yes, The Darkness (which, when summoned, causes your guns to do more damage, while providing an increased amount of shielding against enemy fire) would do best to stick to stick to sleezy back-alleys lit up only by the flash of gun muzzles and neon signs pointing to the local gentleman's club. Thankfully, this is where mobsters spend most of their time anyway. Choose to camp under a streetlight, and you'll see these powers slowly diminish until you can "recharge" them in a dark place again. It's an interesting mechanic, but it really just forces you to commit mass genocide against the light fixture community, and early on in the game when you don't have many firearms or much ammo, this can be slightly problematic.
While the gunplay meets the average standards of a conventional "shooter" in terms of variety (pistol, shotgun,assault rifle...rinse repeat) it's the Darkness powers that, while not ushering in a "quantum shift" in gameplay mechanics, are not just regulated to puzzle solving sections (as many shooters tend to do these days) and, if anything else, look terrifyingly cool. The first of these is called the creeping dark, which summons a small snake-like demon that slinks across all surfaces, capable of sneaking into "hard-to-fit" spaces, and scouting out areas before following with Jackie. Another, demon arm, functions as a bullet-less method to destroying light fixtures, while doubling as an effective melee attack, and also has limited usage in throwing cars as well as several other prop items in levels; and the "black hole" ability allows you to suck up enemies, and all surrounding items not bolted down into a vortex. This would obviously win originality points if Armed and Dangerous had not come up with the "black hole gun" several years before.
However, the "weapon that you will eventually find and senselessly exploit to the extent of not using any others" (it feels like every single game these days has one of these) are the aptly (and equally subtly) titled "darkness guns." That's right (and hold on to your seat belts, those that need things spelled out) they're guns...formed *SPOILERS* from The Darkness. Granted, bullet for bullet, they aren't as strong as many of your "higher end" firearms, but if you happen to find yourself bathed in pitch black darkness (Pitch Black, get it, the movie before Riddick) you don't ever have to worry about running out of bullets, or being hurt much.
Presentation is first-rate, but considering that it's a 2K produced title, such is almost a guarantee these days. Consider them as my favorite "large-scale" videogame producer; and if you aren't that familiar with them...they produced Bioshock. The environments on par with many of the better titles on the Xbox 360, offering varied locales, and the variety of phone numbers to call, faux advertisements covering the subway stations, as well as the graffiti art rendered from real graffiti sessions, was impressive. The gritty and dark atmosphere is fitting, and the use of shadows and lighting is impressive. The characters are a little "uncanny valley-esque" however. While you will rarely ever run into duplicates of the same character model, you will be asking yourself if Jackie looks more like he's in his mid-thirties than 21.
Yes, he looks much more like Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code than a 21 year old
And this looks at least a bit younger...or at the very least, looks way cooler.
"If you can see light, you're in for a tough fight," my mother used to say. Okay, she never really said it. I didn't really ever say it either. I just thought a cheesy rhyming device would assist in teaching this esoteric mechanic of the game. So, yes, The Darkness (which, when summoned, causes your guns to do more damage, while providing an increased amount of shielding against enemy fire) would do best to stick to stick to sleezy back-alleys lit up only by the flash of gun muzzles and neon signs pointing to the local gentleman's club. Thankfully, this is where mobsters spend most of their time anyway. Choose to camp under a streetlight, and you'll see these powers slowly diminish until you can "recharge" them in a dark place again. It's an interesting mechanic, but it really just forces you to commit mass genocide against the light fixture community, and early on in the game when you don't have many firearms or much ammo, this can be slightly problematic.
While the gunplay meets the average standards of a conventional "shooter" in terms of variety (pistol, shotgun,assault rifle...rinse repeat) it's the Darkness powers that, while not ushering in a "quantum shift" in gameplay mechanics, are not just regulated to puzzle solving sections (as many shooters tend to do these days) and, if anything else, look terrifyingly cool. The first of these is called the creeping dark, which summons a small snake-like demon that slinks across all surfaces, capable of sneaking into "hard-to-fit" spaces, and scouting out areas before following with Jackie. Another, demon arm, functions as a bullet-less method to destroying light fixtures, while doubling as an effective melee attack, and also has limited usage in throwing cars as well as several other prop items in levels; and the "black hole" ability allows you to suck up enemies, and all surrounding items not bolted down into a vortex. This would obviously win originality points if Armed and Dangerous had not come up with the "black hole gun" several years before.
However, the "weapon that you will eventually find and senselessly exploit to the extent of not using any others" (it feels like every single game these days has one of these) are the aptly (and equally subtly) titled "darkness guns." That's right (and hold on to your seat belts, those that need things spelled out) they're guns...formed *SPOILERS* from The Darkness. Granted, bullet for bullet, they aren't as strong as many of your "higher end" firearms, but if you happen to find yourself bathed in pitch black darkness (Pitch Black, get it, the movie before Riddick) you don't ever have to worry about running out of bullets, or being hurt much.
Presentation is first-rate, but considering that it's a 2K produced title, such is almost a guarantee these days. Consider them as my favorite "large-scale" videogame producer; and if you aren't that familiar with them...they produced Bioshock. The environments on par with many of the better titles on the Xbox 360, offering varied locales, and the variety of phone numbers to call, faux advertisements covering the subway stations, as well as the graffiti art rendered from real graffiti sessions, was impressive. The gritty and dark atmosphere is fitting, and the use of shadows and lighting is impressive. The characters are a little "uncanny valley-esque" however. While you will rarely ever run into duplicates of the same character model, you will be asking yourself if Jackie looks more like he's in his mid-thirties than 21.
Yes, he looks much more like Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code than a 21 year old
And this looks at least a bit younger...or at the very least, looks way cooler.The voice acting, as an ensemble, is strong. Kirk Acedevo as Jackie seems to suffer from the "world-weary apathy" school of voice acting that many leading male voice actors borrow from these days, but his performance isn't detrimental to the title...just average. Lauren Ambrose of Six Feet Under fame is excellent as Jenny, but *SPOILERS* there are reasons why you won't be able to enjoy her voice talents as much as you might want to. The clear surprise is Mike Patton as The Darkness. At first, you might find the voice abhorrent and annoying to put up with, but that's exactly the point. The script and strength in the dialogue writing only accentuates these strengths in the voice department.
Once the story's done, there's not a LOT to do, but there's enough to keep things interesting. Chances are you likely missed a couple of the optional sidequests...and unlike many games these days, all (or at least most) are still accessible. Perhaps the only thing that's gone for good would be the letters you acquire in *SPOILERS* Hell. The unlockables in this game are actually quite first-rate. Everything from readable comic issues of The Darkness and Witchblade, concept art, early 3-D renders of characters, even videos of how the graffiti was collected for the game, and then rendered into it. Other games could learn from this, as a lot of us want to know what went into creating a game, just as much as playing the end product.
The Recap: The Darkness securely fits the definition of the "sleeper hit" title; the critics will rave and the plebeians will pass over the title in favor of more familar fare. The production values are high, the storyline is compelling, especially many of the in-game first person sequences that convincingly advocate for an end to the "Sit back and watch" prerendered sequences, and while the gameplay isn't highly original, it provides enough nuances on a well-trod genre that it isn't bothersome. If you're ready to be challenged with the concept of a narrative FPS...The Darkness is an excellent example. If you'd rather stick to your DOOMs and Medal of Honors, that's fine. Just let me know when you'd like to move beyond "princess rescuing" and "killing nazis" as plot points. At that point, I'll happily escort you to the "Big Boy Table" of video games.
I have this odd addiction to The Darkness concept art, can't help it.
Once the story's done, there's not a LOT to do, but there's enough to keep things interesting. Chances are you likely missed a couple of the optional sidequests...and unlike many games these days, all (or at least most) are still accessible. Perhaps the only thing that's gone for good would be the letters you acquire in *SPOILERS* Hell. The unlockables in this game are actually quite first-rate. Everything from readable comic issues of The Darkness and Witchblade, concept art, early 3-D renders of characters, even videos of how the graffiti was collected for the game, and then rendered into it. Other games could learn from this, as a lot of us want to know what went into creating a game, just as much as playing the end product.
The Recap: The Darkness securely fits the definition of the "sleeper hit" title; the critics will rave and the plebeians will pass over the title in favor of more familar fare. The production values are high, the storyline is compelling, especially many of the in-game first person sequences that convincingly advocate for an end to the "Sit back and watch" prerendered sequences, and while the gameplay isn't highly original, it provides enough nuances on a well-trod genre that it isn't bothersome. If you're ready to be challenged with the concept of a narrative FPS...The Darkness is an excellent example. If you'd rather stick to your DOOMs and Medal of Honors, that's fine. Just let me know when you'd like to move beyond "princess rescuing" and "killing nazis" as plot points. At that point, I'll happily escort you to the "Big Boy Table" of video games.
I have this odd addiction to The Darkness concept art, can't help it.
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