239: Journey Into Darkness

[Sheo_Dagana]

I was very excited to pick up this game. Excited and nervous at the same time - The Darkness is one of my all time favorite comics. An obscure title, often overshadowed by it's sister series, The Witchblade (which at least rings a few bells when the title is mentioned). I knew these guys were going to do whatever they wanted with the game because there weren't going to be enough people in love with it that they felt like they had to make a game like Arkham Asylum.

I was looking forward to fighting the Angelus, maybe even Sonatine or the Magdelina. But it wasn't meant to be. And I have to tell you, I enjoyed this game more than I ever thought I could have. I was actually quite happy they steered clear of the comic's more super natural villians while still managing to stay somewhat true to the comics.

I was glad the the Darkness was given a voice. In the comics it's one part power and one part possession. It usually depends on who's writing the arc at the time. I liked how the game handled it. How this power that you, the player, had come to rely so heavily upon eventually became the game's true villian.

Jackie's a great character. In a world of comic books where the good guys are always good and the bad guys are always bad (and no one ever stays dead), Jackie walks a fine line in between. I wish this game had gotten more recognition. I'd love to see a sequel.

 

[Firia]

I'll have to pick this game up at some point if I see it in the bargain bin,

You're in luck! There has never been such a bargain. [http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=65698] Local EBs will likely have the same thing in your choice of system.

I like! At that price, how can I not pick this up! Thanks!

Glad I could help.

 

[Firia]

I was looking forward to fighting the Angelus, maybe even Sonatine or the Magdelina. But it wasn't meant to be. And I have to tell you, I enjoyed this game more than I ever thought I could have. I was actually quite happy they steered clear of the comic's more super natural villians while still managing to stay somewhat true to the comics.

There is the sequal to look forward to.

 

[Sheo_Dagana]

I was looking forward to fighting the Angelus, maybe even Sonatine or the Magdelina. But it wasn't meant to be. And I have to tell you, I enjoyed this game more than I ever thought I could have. I was actually quite happy they steered clear of the comic's more super natural villians while still managing to stay somewhat true to the comics.

There is the sequal to look forward to.

Really? Amazing! I was thinking they wouldn't get one so I never bothered to look!

 

[Firia]

I was looking forward to fighting the Angelus, maybe even Sonatine or the Magdelina. But it wasn't meant to be. And I have to tell you, I enjoyed this game more than I ever thought I could have. I was actually quite happy they steered clear of the comic's more super natural villians while still managing to stay somewhat true to the comics.

There is the sequal to look forward to.

Really? Amazing! I was thinking they wouldn't get one so I never bothered to look!

I believe they just announced it. I googled it after reading this article. It was a late 2009 announcement, so it's probably still a good year off, at least. That's still more than the last time I googled it!

 

[13lackfriday]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

You mean to tell me the shotgun loading simulator has a...PLOT!?!?

Yes, and a rather spectacular one from the sound of it.

Wow, I can't believe I missed out completely on that.
I was pretty intrigued with the game at the beginning, with a convincing main character, uniquely nasty Darkness killing powers, and the whole WW1-reenactmet in Hell thing, which I must admit totally fascinated me.

Unfortunately, I let all the reviewers' reports of mediocrity get to me, and now all it gets me is a second glance at the $20 bargain bin.
I swear the next time I see it, I'll be making that purchase.
I'm all for effective, riveting plotlines and more than willing to put up with allegedly dull combat mechanics to experience them.

Can't wait to have my emotions cruelly manipulated against me.

 

[PyroZombie]

It's a nice article, well thought out, but the darkness doesn't do it simply because it can. The Darkness is something that was once pure, but went insane from living eternally alone. It loses it's mind and becomes The Darkness, a near-omnipresent being that feasts on pain, anger and sadness, because it grows stronger from it, more and more with every bit, to the point it no longer needs Jackie, so he may pull in more, and more from our world, and inflict it upon humans, why you ask?

Because we can die, while it can't.

Why does it force humans to fight a war that was ended years ago, but never dies?

because in a sense, it knows it can't die, and they become like him to, senselessly lashing out against their enemy, wanting them to feel pain and feeds their insane god.

 

[Squiggers]

I personally found it an excellent game - I loved the story/NPC interaction most of all, its one thing that is chronically overlooked in the vast majority of FPS's now. The music as well.. fantastic - once again, overlooked in the game world.

The purgatory/hell levels were.. interesting, to say the least. Deeply twisted, and it did make you feel quite.. ill, with some of the images that popped up. I'm deeply pissed off my 360 died the other day, as I wanted to play through this again, its unfortunate that people don't play online anymore, as it looked vaugely enjoyable.

Mind you, there is a deep sense of satisfaction at impaling something and then lobbing them around. Particularly over the edge of something.

Only thing that let it down? Animation. The lip-sync, and some sections involving animation that is key to a certain section, such as the Harmonica player in a subway.. well, it was really bizzarely done, as far as I was aware you weren't able to play that kind of instrument 3 inches from your mouth.

In regards to the sequel, I wouldn't hold your breath, as Starbreeze aren't developing it (last time I checked), so it could be downright awful. =/

 

[twicesliced]

This game has solid source material, a well-written script performed by quality voice actors, and some truly unique gameplay mechanics... But it's all so disjointed that the experience ultimately falls flat. Much of the music is horribly out of place (some of it sounds more like something from a fantasy game than an FPS featuring a violent anti-hero prowling the streets of modern-day New York), the Darkness powers are poorly managed (why can't I use them all at once? The colour scheme suggests that this may have been the case at some point in development), the free-roaming aspect and side-missions are unambitious and ultimately unnecessary (effectively breaking any narrative flow), and major plot points are either poorly-explained or glossed-over completely... Seriously, the fact that the protagonist has creepy, bloodthirsty monsters protruding from his body is really only noticed by one other main character, and even then, only in passing; the big transformation scene when the Darkness first manifests itself just kinda happens and is promptly forgotten; key scenes in your character's internal struggle are left to chance instead of logic (wander around until you find something you can interact with)... I could go on, but you get the idea. The Darkness isn't a broken game, and it's pretty enjoyable at times, but I just can't get over the fact that it could've been so much better... Ditch the free-roaming aspect and tell me a good story.

 

[Yelchor]

The Darkness has a new, refreshing concept and manages to execute it beautifully. I bought it on its launch, and it was indeed worth it. The combat system was a bit... Restrictive and slow at times, but I never got to a point where it was frustrating or the like.

The real reason I played it was for the story. I'm honestly getting rather tired of all these games that feel more like sports challenges rather then an immersive experience. The Darkness was not one of those. It told a story about a man who's world is suddnely turned upsidedown, seeking to stand by his ideals and protect the ones he care for. But the world grows into a more dangerous and spine-chilling place for every hour.

This game put up a proper background for the story universe to unfold and stretch out further, its ending managed to touch my heart in a wqay only movies or books had managed before. They put effort into creating rich characters and an immersive setting consumed by horrors, which made you care about what was happening.

The Darkness is an experience that I recommend to go through. Now make that sequel, Starbreeze!

 

[bkeyt]

This is one of my favorite shooters, right up there with Half-Life and Bioshock in terms of engrossing story. Having more detailed environments kept it from being a stellar technical shooter, but it's still worth playing just for the narrative. Thanks to Logan for recognizing greatness!

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

The story may have been nice,but the game was so bad.You died in a snap,most of your little companions were useless,and a helicopter was indestructible!I hated that game

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

3 pages and no mention of Steven segal films I am sad panda...

The darkness is a masterpiece ,broken perhaps but damn good, Its so bad so good factor is up there with Infernal and Dark sector!

 

[Chezza]

Boy do you have a way with words Logan. An excellent article.

Indeed this hypes me for the next installment of The Darkness.

 

[Scrustle]

Great write up. I absolutely love this game. One of the few shooters I even like. The storytelling was on an extremely high level and was one of the emotive games out there. It's great there's a sequel coming out after so long. I thought it would never happen. I just hope so much that the quality remains from the change of studio. It's going to be very very hard to top the first game.

 

[sketch_zeppelin]

The Darkness still stands out as one of my favorite FPS games of all time. not because of the action which is fun even though you'll be spending most of it shooting out lights and using the creeping horror, but because of the story. The scene with Jenny is still one of the only turely romantic scenes i've ever encountered in a video game.