Take a step back from the familiar and comfortable, and prepare to embrace The Darkness...
Developer: Digital Extremes
Publisher: 2K Games
Engine: Evolution Engine
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: February 7, 2012 (North America) February 10, 2012 international.
Synopsis
It’s been two years since Jackie Estacado, now the Don of the Franchetti crime family, used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend’s murder. He’s been unable to shake the memory of Jenny’s death since bottling up his supernatural power, and now The Darkness wants out. A sudden, unprovoked attack on Jackie’s life heralds the start of a full-scale mob war, which has clearly been orchestrated by some outside force. The botched attempt opens the door for The Darkness to reemerge, and sets Jackie on a journey to hell and worse, as he unravels the mystery behind the attack and the motivations of The Darkness itself.
Gameplay
The Darkness II breaks out of the sea of conventional first-person shooters with its fervid Quad-Wielding gameplay, which will allow players to slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with their Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons. The game is layered with the use of dark versus light, steeped in deep and twisted storytelling, and engulfed in stylistic violence that is visualized through a hand-painted graphic noir technique that stays true to its comic book origins.
The game textures will be more aligned to the comic book and are designed using a cell shading technique, similar to the style used in Borderlands, to give this effect. There will also be the ability to use your demon arms for 'finishing moves', whereas the player can execute the enemy in ways such as ripping people into two, and your darkling can also use special attacks, such as urinating acid on enemies. The character and player will feel more uncomfortable in light, with exposure to light resulting in blurring of vision occupied with a high pitched ringing. Light will be more of a physical threat as well with there having a 'light vs darkness' feel. The voice of The Darkness will again be voiced by musician Mike Patton, however the voice of Jackie Estacado has been replaced by Nolan North.
So far there have been two demos that have been released exclusively to game critics and have been received with high praise. The first depicts Jackie being crucified and torched by a mob who want him to give up his Darkness powers. The second one shows Jackie experiencing an unexpected attack in a restaurant and then ultimately having a gun fight on the railway lines before being struck by an oncoming train.
“The Darkness II is a well of dark and imaginative violence, and it’s a stylized and beautiful nightmare,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “The Darkness II continues the 2K Games tradition of delivering quality, innovative games that are filled to the brim with atmosphere and deep storytelling. The game takes a unique stance on fighting in the dark versus light. Combined with the arsenal of weapons at Jackie’s disposal and the gruesome attacks of the supernatural Demon Arms and Darkness powers, we’re proud to announce another title that delivers on our core values of creating games for gamers.”
“Sometimes that whooshing sound you hear is that of comic fans holding their collective breath,” said Marc Silvestri, founder and CEO of Top Cow Productions and co-creator of The Darkness comics. “So often disappointed when a favorite character gives birth to a lame movie or video game, us fans have come to expect the worst. And sometimes we get it. But not with The Darkness II. Yeah, call me biased, but this second installment of Jackie Estacado’s epic saga is – in my humble opinion – one of the most brutally cool games I’ve ever played. 2K Games have hammered this one out of the park.”
SCREENSHOTS:
VIDEO:
GDC 2011 - Interview - March 4th, 2011
E3 Trailer - June 2nd, 2011:
E3 2011 - Gameplay Walkthrough - June 6th, 2011:
What is the Darkness? Story/Gameplay Trailer - September 23rd, 2011:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
www.embracethedarkness.com
