The Darkness II
The Darkness II | |
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PAL: February 10, 2012 OS X
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Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The Darkness II is a 2012
Digital Extremes replaced the first game's developer Starbreeze Studios, though Paul Jenkins returned to write the script for the sequel. While the main narrative was envisioned to be a personal journey for Jackie, developers described the cooperative multiplayer mode as a "dark comedy". Singer Mike Patton returned to voice the Darkness, and Brian Bloom provided the voice for Jackie Estacado, replacing Kirk Acevedo. The development artists hand-painted the majority of the game's assets to create a comic book-influenced visual style.
The Darkness II was released for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in February 2012. The game received positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the gameplay, story, pacing, and art style. Criticisms were directed at the game's short length, technical issues, and lack of replay value. The game debuted as the third best-selling game in its first week of release in the United Kingdom.
Gameplay
Jackie can use various firearms, such as submachine guns, shotguns, and assault rifles, and has the ability to
The game features elements found in
The game features a
Plot
Jackie Estacado (Brian Bloom) has become head of the Franchetti family, and has learned to suppress the Darkness (Mike Patton), an ancient demonic force in his bloodline. Jackie is haunted by the memory of his murdered girlfriend, Jenny Romano (Stephanie Frame). Jackie and his crew are attacked in a restaurant by a rival gang. Wounded, Jackie restores his powers using the Darkness. Aided by the Darkling (Peter Newman)—a goblin-like familiar—Jackie pursues his attackers into the subway. A vision of Jenny appears, then Jackie is apparently hit by a train. Jackie seemingly awakens to find himself in a mental institution, where various members of his crew are patients and staff. Among them is estranged occultist Johnny Powell, who tells Jackie to find him.
Reawakening with his men, Jackie plans a counterattack. Jimmy the Grape (Frank Ashmore), provides a lead that points to Swifty, a crime boss. Swifty is subdued; he explains that a shady group at the Brimstone Club brothel paid him to put the hit on Jackie. The Darkness murders Swifty to silence him. Vinnie (Rick Pasqualone) enlists his contact at Brimstone to help them. At the club, Jackie encounters armed cultists of the Brotherhood, a secret society who ordered the hit and wish to use the Darkness for themselves. They ambush Jackie with blinding lights that inhibit the Darkness, and Jackie is knocked out. Waking up, he finds himself crucified and a device (the Siphon) draining his dark power. He is greeted by Victor (William Salyers) who offers to take the Darkness from him in exchange for the lives of his family. Refusing, he loses consciousness and finds himself in Hell where the Darkness keeps Jenny's soul.
Jackie breaks free but Victor threatens to murder Jackie's Aunt Sarah (Bridger Fox). As the club burns, the Darkness offers Jenny's soul in exchange for the Siphon. Jackie and his men retake the penthouse, but Jackie is shot by Bragg, a Brotherhood enforcer, who murders Sarah. Jackie awakens in a psychiatric ward where Jenny and his crew are staff and patients. They tell him that his mob stories are delusions. At Sarah's funeral, the Brotherhood launches another attack. Jackie subdues Bragg, who says Victor is based in an abandoned theme park. Victor shuts Jackie in an
Victor drains the Darkness from Jackie. The Darkling helps Jackie escape and retake a small portion of the Darkness. Jackie pursues Victor through a mansion once owned by Carlo Estacado, Jackie's father. Jackie learns from Victor that Carlo had promised the Darkness to the Brotherhood to keep Jackie free. Jackie kills Victor and impales himself with the Siphon, regaining the Darkness and killing himself to rescue Jenny from Hell. Jackie once again wakes up in the psychiatric ward where the staff offer to take him to Jenny. The Darkling sacrifices himself to help Jackie escape. Jackie is confronted by Victor, Jenny, and an orderly who attempt to convince Jackie that his life as a mob boss is a delusion.
On the roof, the player is given a choice to stay with Jenny in the ward, or reject the asylum and attempt to reach Hell. If the player chooses to stay, Jenny and Jackie slow dance, and the game ends. Otherwise, Jackie jumps from the roof and falls into Hell. The Darkness sends demons to stop Jackie, but Jackie releases Jenny from her bindings and the couple embraces. In a post-credits scene, Jenny is revealed to have become the new host for the Angelus, who has seen the destruction Jackie and the Darkness have caused. Jackie is too powerful and must remain trapped in Hell; leaving him screaming as the screen fades.
Development
Publisher
According to director Sheldon Carter, Digital Extremes agreed to assume development responsibilities as the team wanted to create a shooter with a large emphasis on the story.
The Darkness comic was a large inspiration for the team. The team read the comic and decided to adopt a comic book-influenced "graphic noir"
The team decided to make the title more action-orientated in an attempt to differentiate itself from its predecessor.[29] The shooting mechanic was refined,[20] and the concept of "quad-wielding", which allows players to engage in combat using both the Demon Arms and duel-wielding weapons, was introduced. Carter explained that they saw the Demon Arms as an opportunity to make the combat more "up close and personal".[20] The team changed the game's abilities to supplement this, such as turning the ability of Black Hole into a random drop from enemies.[30] The quad-wielding mechanic enabled the combat to have more variety, allowing players to approach the same scenario with different combat styles and encourages players to experiment with different tactics. The gameplay was designed to be violent, with some execution animations being removed for being not "extravagant" enough.[18] To ensure the game was not too easy, the team disabled Jackie's powers when he is exposed to light and created various enemy types to challenge the player in different ways.[31]
The game's cooperative mode Vendetta features a story that runs parallel to the game's main narrative. The team envisioned Vendetta as a
2K unveiled the game in May 2011.
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | (PC) 77/100[37] (PS3) 79/100[38] (X360) 80/100[39] |
Publication | Score |
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Destructoid | 7.5/10[40] |
Eurogamer | 7/10[1] |
Game Informer | 7/10[41] |
GameRevolution | [44] |
GameSpot | 7/10[43] |
GamesRadar+ | [42] |
IGN | 8/10[45] |
Joystiq | [46] |
PC Gamer (US) | 80/100[47] |
The game received generally positive reviews from critics upon release, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[38][37][39] It was the third best-selling retail game in its week of release in the UK, surpassed by Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Final Fantasy XIII-2.[48]
The story received critical acclaim from players. Mikel Reparaz from
The gameplay received a positive response from critics. Daniel Bischoff from
The game's presentation received mixed reviews. Gilbert praised the art direction, calling it "gorgeous" and "impressive".
References
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- ^ "GDC 2011: The Darkness 2's Darkling is a crude companion". VentureBeat. March 5, 2011. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
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- ^ GamesRadar. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ Grant, Christopher (June 12, 2011). "The Darkness 2 gets 4-player co-op mode in 'Vendettas,' we count the wieldings [update: video, more screens!]". Engadget. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ Washington Post. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ Laughin, Andrew (June 12, 2011). "'The Darkness II' Vendettas co-op multiplayer preview". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
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