The Darkness (video game)

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The Darkness
The Darkness cover art.
Developer(s) Starbreeze Studios
Publisher(s) 2K Games
Engine Starbreeze Engine (Proprietary)
Platform(s) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date NA June 25, 2007

EU June 29, 2007 (360)
EU July 20, 2007 (PS3)
Genre(s) First-person shooter, First-person action, Psychological horror
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: M
BBFC: 18
PEGI: 18+
OFLC: MA 15+
Media DVD, blu-ray Disc
Input methods SIXAXIS, DualShock 3, Xbox 360 Controller

The Darkness is a first-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is based on the comic book of the same name, though some changes to the story have been made. The game takes place in modern-day New York City with the player controlling mob hitman Jackie Estacado, who has been possessed by a spirit that calls itself "The Darkness". This spirit gives Estacado supernatural powers that feed off of the dark, which he uses to survive multiple assassination attempts by his "Uncle" Paulie.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

A Darkling threatens a passerby while the Creeping Dark tendrils and the player are watching.
A Darkling threatens a passerby while the Creeping Dark tendrils and the player are watching.

The Darkness is a first-person shooter, with the player controlling Jackie Estacado. The game includes a range of modern-day weapons that become available over the course of the game. However, as a result of Estacado turning 21 at the very start of the game, the powers of The Darkness are also available to the player to kill foes, with some powers not being unlocked until later in the game. The Darkness powers include summoning different types of imp-like "darklings" that can attack foes, using "dark tentacles" to impale foes or break down walls, using "creeping dark" tendrils that sneak along floors, walls, and ceilings to take out foes from a distance, and creating a "black hole" that sucks anything nearby into it. Over the course of the game, Estacado also comes into possession of the "darkness guns" that are more powerful than many conventional weapons but consume some amount of darkness energy in order to fire. These Darkness powers cannot be used when Estacado is in a well-lit area, but do become more powerful in darker conditions; the player is able to shoot out lights to help increase the amount of dark energy available for their attacks. Additionally, by ordering The Darkness to consume the hearts of the victims of the attacks, the player can further increase the effects of the darkness powers.

The game has several levels based on New York City locales that players visit multiple times. A significantly-reduced subway system allows the player to move between areas. While the main plot is primarily linear, requiring the player to visit each area in a certain order, the player can undertake side missions by speaking with non-player characters that wander the subway stations. For example, one such mission is to win a rigged shell game being run in the subway after getting a tip from another character. Completing sub-missions earns the player a "collectible" phone number which can then be used at any phone to unlock additional game media; collectibles can also be found scattered throughout the level. The Otherworld levels feature collectibles in the form of unposted postal mail that the player can deliver when back in New York City in order to unlock the content.

[edit] Plot

The player takes the role of Jackie Estacado (voiced by Kirk Acevedo, of Oz fame), with the story presented as a future-narrative on the present events observed by the player. On the eve of his 21st birthday, Jackie was targeted for assassination by the don of the New York mafia, "Uncle" Paulie. He finds his body possessed by "the Darkness", a malevolent spirit that has inhabited his family for several generations, with the benefit of Jackie gaining supernatural powers that feeds off the dark. Using these powers, Jackie is able to survive further assassination attempts and track down Paulie, but not before he and the corrupt police chief, Eddie Shrote, kill his girlfriend Jenny and escapes. Unable to stop them due to the Darkness deliberately restraining him, he commits suicide out of sheer emotional stress, noting in the narrative that "That... well, that was the first time I died." He finds himself in the Otherworld, the realm of the Darkness with patchwork undead beings in World War I outfits fighting each other, and physical manifestations of the Four Horsemen. He meets his great-great-grandfather Anthony Estacado, who admits that it was he that brought the Darkness into the family, and tells Jackie how to free himself of the Darkness by invading the castle in the Otherworld and facing the Darkness there. Jackie is interrupted in his journey through the Otherworld and brought back to the living.

Once he recovers, he determines that he must dispose of Chief Shrote before he can face Paulie. Chasing Shrote to his apartment and then confiscating a briefcase containing illicit goods in Shrote's ownership and rigging it with an explosive, Jackie is able to lure Shrote out of hiding, but he is shortly captured. After overhearing about a shipment of drugs that a Chicago mob is entrusting to Paulie to handle, Jackie triggers the explosive, killing Shrote and his men along with himself, the narrative noting that "that was the second time I died." Jackie re-awakes in the Otherworld, and lays siege to the Darkness's castle with Anthony's help. Anthony is mortally wounded in the attack, but before he can tell Jackie the last steps needed to free himself from the Darkness, the spirit pulls him away. Jackie faces the Darkness and surprises it by willingly being taken by the Darkness's power, allowing him to fully control the spirit back in the real world; however, the Darkness tells him that, while he has control now, each time Jackie takes a life, he will become more consumed by the Darkness. He lays an assault on the drug shipment, causing Paulie to flee to the safety of a lighthouse mansion for fear of retribution from the Chicago mob. Jackie takes advantage of a solar eclipse to raid the mansion and finally kill Paulie. The Darkness revels in Jackie's murderous spree, and fully envelops Jackie, shouting "Now you are mine!!"

In the epilogue, Jackie finds himself in a dream on a bench in Jenny's arms; Jenny explains that they are only allowed a few minutes to be together one last time. Jackie tries to ask how, but Jenny just quiets him, allowing them to enjoy the last moments together before Jackie wakes back up with the screen fading to black.

[edit] Movie

In December 2004, Dimension Films paid an undisclosed six-figure sum to develop a possible movie based on the comic, planned for release in 2008. The comic was pitched as a movie which would be similar to The Crow, also produced by Dimension.

[edit] Reception

Review scores
Publication Score
PSM
9 of 10
1UP
9 of 10
GameInformer
8.75 of 10
GameSpot
8.5 of 10
EuroGamer
8 of 10
GameSpy
4 of 5
Game Revolution
B-
IGN
7.7 of 10
Official UK PlayStation Magazine
6 of 10
X-Play
2 of 5

The Darkness received favorable reviews from critics. Most praised the single player campaign, the story, and the game's graphics across both platforms, but warned readers about unreasonably bad lag in multiplayer sessions and advised to ignore multiplayer altogether until a patch is released. The Darkness received the "Game of the Month" award in the August issue of Game Informer. Reviewer Andrew Reiner gave the game an 8.75 out of 10, stating that "Players are immersed in an adventure that brings out the best of humanity."[1]

As of July 7, 2007, the Game Rankings score for The Darkness is 83.[2]. The Metacritic score is currently 82.[3].

[edit] Ban in Singapore

The game was banned in Singapore according to the distributor New Era. The reason for this was due to the local censorship board dubbing the game "swear words" and graphic violence.[4] The game had been scheduled for a July release before the ban.

[edit] Soundtrack

Music includes [song (artist)]:

[edit] Sequel

A sequel to the game was accidentally revealed due to a letter from a 2K employer to a Dutch rap artist, along with reports of a Top Cow Comics employee letting slips of the title's production.[5] According to several articles, apparently developer Starbreeze Studios is currently working on the sequel, to be released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with plans for a late 2008 or early 2009 release.[5] No other information has been revealed about this game since, although it is said to follow directly after the events of the first game.[5] As of December 7, 2007, publisher 2K Games has currently dismissed the reports as "just a rumour" and has refused to comment further on the matter.[5] No official announcements have been made to confirm a sequel to The Darkness.

Starbreeze Studio,spoke at NYCC 08 and have gone as far as saying: "We can't say Darkness and video game sequel in the same sentence, so Darkness. Wink. Sequel."


[edit] Trivia

  • All the graffiti throughout the game was made by a group of active, anonymous Swedish graffiti artists. Upon beating the game, the player can see a graffiti "making of", narrated by a Starbreeze employee. He reveals that they intended to use real New York graffiti, but could not do so because of copyright issues. As a product of this, the player can find many tags written in Swedish (ex: "hata alla" ("hate everyone"), "läskväska" ("soda bag"), "kuk"("cock")).
  • There are several more references to Sweden, including a humorous conversation in a bar and a garage door painted as a Swedish flag.
  • The tag "Lizardking" appears a few times in the game. This is the demoscene pseudonym of Gustaf Grefberg, a Starbreeze employee that composed the musical score for several Starbreeze titles.
  • It is possible to get robbed, though it occurs at random with players going through the game without being robbed once.
  • There are many billboards, posters, and fictional adverts in the game with some containing telephone numbers which the player can call to unlock hidden content like concept art and early screenshots.
  • As you are about to sit down with Jenny to watch To Kill a Mockingbird, you will have the option to tell Jenny that you love her. If you choose this option, Jackie will say, "Hey, Jenny?" Jenny will say, "Yeah?", to which Jackie replies, "Nothing." Throughout the course of To Kill a Mockingbird, many conversations between Jem and Scout play out similarly.
  • Before the game's release, it was revealed that there would be two exclusive darkling outfits. One could be obtained in any copy of the game purchased from a retailer in Europe or Australia and the other from a game purchased at GameStop or EB Games. In reality they are not actually exclusive and can be found in any copy of the game through use of specific phone numbers.
  • The Angelus was abandoned for the game; however several concept art for the character can be unlocked. There are also several hints about the Angelus throughout the game, such as a man in the subway preaching about angels appearing at the Orphanage after the bombing and Anthony in the Otherworld speaking of the balance between the darkness and the light. Rumours abound that the Angelus may be a major villain in the sequel, or get her own game possibly based on the pilot season comic.

[edit] Game of the Month

The Darkness was named the Game of the Month by Gameinformer in the August 2007 issue.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Game Informer's Review
  2. ^ [http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/927014.asp GameRankings: The Darkness (Xbox 360)
  3. ^ MetaCritic: The Darkness (Xbox 360)
  4. ^ http://www.gameaxis.com/home/?blog=1674. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
  5. ^ a b c d http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=175929 CVG: The Darkness sequel "just a rumour", says 2K. Retrieved December 7, 2007.

[edit] External links