Don't let this great game pass you by!
GAMEPLAY: (9) At the out start this will seem like a basic FPS, and there will be many times throughout the game where you will play it that way. However, as you get near the end of the introduction you are introduced to what makes this game special, Jackie's (your protagonist) Dark Powers. These take the form of two huge snakes that appear over your shoulders and allow you to eventually call forth four different dark powers - Creeping Dark, which allows you to explore areas that would normally not be accessible, Demon Arm, which can be used to put out lights and attack enemies, Darkness Guns, a powerful set of handguns, and finally the Black Hole, which creates a very impressive vortex that destroys anyone and anything in its path. In addition to this you are also able to eventually summon four different helpers known as Darklings. One is a basic melee attacker, another is a suicide bomber, another a machine gunner and finally another specializes in putting out any nearby lights. As you might imagine the powers of the Dark do not like lights, and it weakens them considerably. So, even though almost the entire game is set at night, pretty much everywhere you go there are numerous lights that you'll want to put out using either your guns, your Demon Arm or you Lightkiller Darkling. The Darklings are a great addition as they constantly make humorous remarks as they are tearing apart your enemies, though admittedly their AI sometimes doesn't work as well as hoped. The Darkness Powers are very impressive and I never grew bored with using them. In order to level up your Darkness Powers you need to "feed" it. This is done by going up to dead enemies and letting your serpents devour their hearts in an appropriately gory manner.
GRAPHICS (9) This game does take place mostly at night in a very gritty New York City. The colors are very subdued, I can't recall anything that was bright or pastel, and it did a great job with creating a dreary atmosphere. You can tell that a lot of time and effort was put into creating a very detailed environment, at times appearing photo realistic. While the typical enemies were average, the main characters you interact with are also very detailed and lifelike.
SOUND (9) Nothing too memorable as far as the music goes, generally your average fast beat when the action picks up. Sound effects were fine. Where this game shines is the voice acting. Between Jackie, who sounds to me a lot like Robert DeNiro, and the characters he interacts with you'll hear some great conversations that are very believable, though be ready for a fairly high amount of profanity.
VALUE (7) I don't know exactly how long this game took. Reviewers have listed it at 8 -10 hours, though it seemed like it took me more like a dozen. Decent for a FPS. Throughout the game you while have numerous optional sidequests, and if you ignore these then the game will be considerably shorter. I tried to complete every sidequest I came upon. As you go into new environments you can look for glowing pieces of paper, and as you collect them you can turn them in by using a payphone which will first give you a humorous phone message and then will unlock a bonus feature. Most of these were artwork from the comic book, and now I really want to try to find a copy so I can read it in full. Many of the collectibles are in areas you wouldn't come across and that's where the Creeping Darkness comes into play as it can go through open windows or vents to get into areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. There are multiplayer modes which I haven't tried but I see at least one of them involves being able to play as the Darklings, which sounds interesting.
SUMMARY - This game turned out to be just as much fun as I had hoped. The story was excellent, much better than what you would expect from a FPS. You'll really begin to care about what happens to Jackie and also be intrigued as the origins of The Darkness become revealed. This is definitely an adult-oriented game with some extreme violence and language, another one of those "don't play when the kids are around" type games. As long as you are not offended by those issues I highly recommend this to not only FPS fans but to anyone that wants to experience a great story with some very unique gameplay.