Jackie Estacado and the Darkness are back for another round of revenge and slaughter. Two years after the original game, Jackie is forced to release his demon powers when he and his fellow mobsters are attacked by a crew of unknown hitmen. From there, Jackie and his snakelike demon arms carve a swath though the evil henchmen in the back alleys of New York City as he hunts down who tried to kill him.
“The Darkness II” offers up a lot of plot and some amazing voice acting. And the graphics are sporting a slightly cel-shaded look, which really brightens up the action. A big improvement is the size reduction of the demon arms. Now they don’t take up as much space on the sides of the screen, making it much easier to see what’s happening. Sadly, the arms no longer have as much personality — no more fighting over the hearts that have been ripped out of Jackie’s victims.
There are still tons of ways to kill the plethora of goons, with the demon arms and a better selection of firearms taking center stage. But you can also use car doors, poles, and even body parts by hurling them at your attackers. Just make sure to shoot out ant lights in the area when you get in a fight — Jackie’s powers can only be used in the dark. And then there’s the darkling minion who follows you around — he holds his own in combat while also providing highly inappropriate comic relief.
| ‘The Darkness II’ |
| » Systems: Xbox 360, PS3, PC » Price: $59.99, $49.99 |
| » Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars |
The few solid chunks of emotional storytelling (Jackie’s girlfriend, who was murdered in the first game, makes another appearance) are strung together by very linear levels. This game doesn’t have quite as many touching moments as the first, but it’s pretty close.
A weak AI system is one of the few drawbacks. Some of the smaller bad guys still seem to get stuck. Also, it’s tough to control both Jackie’s guns and the demon arms at the same time. You almost have to pick which one to focus on at a given moment. However, the entertainment value of dispatching all the evil brutes in tons of gory and graphic ways easily overshadows most flaws.
Jackie’s second romp is just what you’d expect of a game touting mobsters and demons. Just make sure to keep the kiddies away.
