Brutality incarnate.
The game toggles between settings, mostly taking place in the New York complex. However, you will venture to a world known as the Otherworld, where World War 1 eternally fights on, occasionally. The story follows Jackie, a mafia hit-man, on his 21st B-Day. Party, right? Wrong. He is sent to whack a construction leader, and is hearing voices. When his friends die in an accident on the way to the site, he is forced to go on alone. He kills the guys on his way, but a bomb goes off (courtesy of Paulie), and he vows revenge. The tale twists as the Darkness tests its new host, and Jackie's girlfriend, Jenny, gets mixed up.
The action is really as brutal as you have heard. You can kill enemies with weapons, but it's much more satisfying to demolish them with the Darkness. You start out with only a stealthy killer, but you get a Demon Arm, some guns (one of which serves as a rocket launcher), and the Black Hole, which sucks in the enemies and kills them. Each of these abilities uses Darkness, so you much recharge it by being in the dark. You can also devour hearts to gain new abilities. You read that right.
The sound is passable, but the voice work is leagues ahead of the competition. All of the characters sound believable, and the Darkness is sinister and alien. Also, instead of loading screens, you get to listen to Jackie deliver a monologue. Most are original, and depend on the situation in game, but some (especially the subway ones) are recycled, and get less funny each time.
The graphics are good, but some things that should look lifelike look like plastic. The Darkness on your shoulders look evil, and the dark itself looks appropriately dark. The guns look good, and light is the same as ever.
The places where the game gets rusty are few, but they are mentionable. The AI for enemies and the rare ally are below average, and they will often cluster together. The game is difficult when you rely solely on guns, and no Darkness, and sometimes you'll spend too much time shooting out lights. While a neat concept, it ages quickly and poorly. Guns are underpowered, and you'll rarely use the earlier powers when you get the later ones. The multi-player requires online or Lan connections, with no option for local play.
All in all, the game is good, but you wont have much reason to pick it up again.