Others say...

"Very, very dark"
First off, this is a game for adults only.
And I mean that in no uncertain terms. (This is a game that visits the worst human tragedy in known history - World War I) Violence, language and general depravity considered, even an adult might want to rethink her/his steps when purchasing this item. Some of the actions and environments were so intense, they literally made me feel weird and bad. I truly felt anger at the end and actually cried during the final sequence.

If you can shrug off these warnings, you are in for arguably the most substantial experience on the 360 so far.

Even in its earlier releases, Starbreeze prided itself in challenging the player to think outside the bounds of what was possible within a game, and The Darkness continues that legacy. From a first person perspective, the player inhabits young hitman Jackie's persona as he unravels the mystery of his (unexpectedly granted) powers. The plot thickens as Jackie's battle with his own (Mike Patton voiced) demons escalates as does his confrontation with a previously patriarchal uncle-turned-nemesis. With just enough twists and unexpected surreal moments, the ride is a perfect, if taxing one. For a superb shooting mechanic, sick & constant sense of humor, and moments of shock that truly shock, you can't do better than the Darkness.

On the minus side, there are long wait times between Entrance/Exit points and the map is virtually useless. Glitchy controls with regards to the (Primarily most useful tool of) Creeping Dark slow down the otherwise frenetic pace of confrontations. Achievement Hounds should also be warned: some of the achievements in this game are ambivalent, to say the least. I'm a fan, and have yet to unlock many of them.

Such qualms aside, this is the game people who loved "Riddick" should be ready to expect: A rock solid shooter that feels more like an RPG or sandbox game.
Insane attention to detail, impeccable visuals, and a nasty sense of reality.
The most profound and simultaneously profane experience the 360 can offer.
You have been warned.




"Excellent single player game"
The story in this game is one of the best I've seen in recent FPSes, the Darkness powers are awesome, the level design is clever and never repetitive, and the light/dark system is interesting and fun.

This game can be beated in a good 12-16 hours (less if you skip the side quests), and there is a multiplayer mode too (though I haven't played it). Though this game is over somewhat quickly, it's a great ride while it lasts, and you can't beat the bargain bin price.

"A lot of talk for an average game"
For all of the hype and potential this game had, I was left a little disappointed.

The Darkness is an action FPS in which you take the role of Jackie Estacado - a mob enforcer in present day NYC, with a being called The Darkness living inside of him. The Darkness gives him an array of powers and the ability to spawn controllable subordinates called Darklings, in addition the guns he has at his disposal. The game follows Jackie's plot to whack his former employer, mob boss Paulie, who wants him dead.

The Darkness powers are inarguingably the defining trait of this game. You can spawn controllable, snakelike drones that can kill enemies from afar, scout around, and slip through narrow spaces that Jackie can't reach. Another one is a sharp tentacle that can impale enemies or lift heavy objects like dumpsters. There are other powers, but I don't want to spoil all of them for you. One involves a liberal use of physics, however. You can also command small demons called Darklings, which are specialized to provide firing support, kill any lights, and other tasks. These abilities need power, which is recharged by (naturally) staying in the dark. Because of this, you'll need to balance out your powers in unison with the firearms.

The conventional weapons are (for lack of a better description) very conventional. Akimbo pistols/revolvers, akimbo machine pistols, two shotguns and three rifles round out the guns in this game. I found myself using the akimbo pistols until very late in the game, which is a testament to the lack of distinguishable characteristics between each weapon. The shotguns felt underpowered, unless you stood close enough that the tentacle's one hit kill would be in range, and the pistols, machine pistols, and rifles more or less operated the same way.

Adding insult to injury is the choppy aiming and the above average difficulty. There is an auto aim feature that kicks in when your crosshairs are close enough to an enemy, but is less effective than the aim assist that games like Halo have. I'm a hardcore FPS player, but I still had my share of deaths on the normal difficulty. This led to a very deliberate pace to fighting.

The game has a wealth of unlockable extra content that you can discover in the game world and by completing sidequests - in a nod to Starbreeze's previous outing, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. More than the standard concept art, development videos and the like; you also have access to a few comic book issues that this game is derived from. It's a nice way to fill in the backstory that the game seemingly didn't have time to cultivate.

The game was lacking a little polish and it showed in the story and the occasional bugs that showed up. It's a shame that the story wasn't fleshed out more. There are a couple key elements to the narrative that felt rushed, which compounds itself when major plot points are unceremoniously revealed. Even the game's ending feels unsatisfying. There were times when either Jackie or the snake drone (called the Creeping Dark) would get stuck on something, objects would suddenly disappear when they clip against surfaces while being carried by the tentacle, enemy AI would be nonresponsive and certain subquests would reset themselves if you don't wrap them up quickly. For one of the submissions, I postponed it to pick up the main story and I realized later that a plot item that I recieved for the mission was missing. I feel there are also alot of missed gameplay opportunities with the darkness powers that could have been used for environmental puzzles and the like. There's a handful of instances where you needed to use a specific Darkling or a power to create a path or activate machinery. It would have added a nice change of pace to the game to add more gameplay mechanics like this.

This game is graphically violent and I love it. Close range execution moves, devouring dead enemies' hearts to level up, broken exposed bones and a torture scene faintly reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs adds up to an experience that's on par with the Condemned series and Gears of War.

Overall, it's an okay game with the potential to be so much more. Given Starbreeze's critically acclaimed hit, Escape From Butcher Bay, the game fell short of expectations.

"Hoping for something better"
Wanted to play this game since it dropped - glad I waited.
Gameplay is less than desirable.

"should of won game of the yesr! (if it didnt)"
i love this game, my fav, great story, good acting (for a game) and just fun!