Fast paced single player,good sound & gameplay.

User Rating: 10 | Darkwatch PS2
By rohver | Review Date:
Darkwatch is a western themed first person shooter from CAPCOM. It has great graphics, good sound effects and music and great gameplay to go with it. This is not the first western shooter for the PS2 but it is certainly distinct and superior to any western shooters to date. You play as an outlaw who turns into a vampire as a result of his own doings. He must reclaim his soul back from the vampire lord and the only way to do that is to defeat him. You soon join the "Darkwatch", the oganisation sworn to protect humanity from evil. Graphics : The game has great graphics, to say short and sweet. You will be playing through highly detailed levels in different evvironments such as mines, the vast western lands and more. The enemy models are sharp and perfect to match a game of this kind. The NPC dont lack details either. The weapons have a unique and distinct design though they are the same weapons that we know such as the pistol, shotgun, etc. Overall, the graphics are the best aspect of the entire game. The game maintains a steady framerate even when there are too many enemies on the screen at once. It lags a BIT in the multiplayer sometimes, not much to worry about though.

Gameplay : The game offers you two paths of good and evil to choose from often. Its is upto you to decide. These choices dont alter the game much, except for a critical choice in the later parts. Based on these choices of good or evil, you gain the respective good or evil vampire powers. These vampire powers are a great addition to the gameplay (I mean, who wants plain old shoot to kill gameplay these days?) and will get you out of tight spots often. Apart from the powers that you gain, some vampire powers are permanent such as the BLOOD VISION which allows you to see enemies, weapons, doors and other important items. Then there is the DOUBLE JUMP which allows you to, well, double jump. Finally, the BLOOD SHEILD protects you from damage. When you are hit, the blood sheild wears out and from that point, your health decreases if you are hit. The blood sheild regenerates on time (Remember halo?)
Last but not the least, the LIMB BASED DAMAGE is in my opinoin the greatest gameplay aspect. You can chop off legs, hands or even heads off enemies to render them helpless. Sound : The overal sound is good enough tough more attention could have been given to it. There are many western themes heard often in the game. The gun sounds and effects are quite good but still seem to be a bit hyped to sound as if they are more powerful than they actually are. I especially hate the "banshees" (one of the enemies) and their screeching. Not much to say about the sound, its ok.

Value : The short single player could have been longer. Way longer. Its very short and the story is quite boring too. It tends to repel you fom the game but the fast paced action always tries to draw you toward playing more. This is a great rental and I recommend renting it first. The choice of two different paths make it worth playing again too. So, the bottomline is : Its a good game but rent it first. If you want a great multiplayer, look elsewhere.

Other Helpful Reviews for Darkwatch

  • Rating:8

    Despite it's weaknesses, this game is oh so cool!

    By ebbderelict | Review Date: Mar 15, 2010 | PS2

    On paper Darkwatch is a pretty standard first person shooter. In practice it is so much more fun; simple, straightforward, mindless, action packed fun. Set in the old west, the story behind the game is fairly weak. A ... Read Full Review

    10 of 10 users found the following review helpful
  • Rating:8.3

    Good game.

    By abdulrahiem | Review Date: Aug 05, 2006 | PS2

    Umm this was a good game the story was great and the action was amazing and kool.This is one of the good shooters game for PS2 You'll find good moments here because there are moments of insane action with dozens of monst... Read Full Review

    5 of 5 users found the following review helpful
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