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What is the Darkness II?
The Darkness II is a first-person shooter that follows mafia hitman Jackie Estacado. It's the sequel to the original Darkness, which launched in 2007. The games are based on a comic series of the same name that debuted in 1996. The franchise deals with a variety of not-safe-for-children topics like violence, sex, crime, and malevolent dark forces. In other words: for mature audiences only.
What's the story this time around?
The Darkness II takes place two years after the events of the first game. Jackie Estacado now runs the Franchetti crime family and has suppressed the Darkness powers in his rise to the top. But after a surprise attack by an opposing mob, Jackie's powers have erupted once more.
To make matters even worse, a mysterious organization known as the Brotherhood is working feverishly to steal the Darkness powers from Jackie. Let's not forget that Jackie is also haunted by the memories of his lost love, who was murdered before his eyes while the Darkness spirit forced him to watch.
Clearly, Jackie has some problems that need solving.
Why does the Darkness II look different from the original?
The first Darkness was developed by Starbreeze Studios, but Darkness II is being produced by a different studio. The folks at Digital Extremes are in charge this time around and decided to use a "graphic noir" visual style for the project.
What does this mean for the Darkness II? It means you're seeing a cross between graphic novels, film noir, and photo-realism. It's a unique blend, which includes a lighting system that creates comic-style crosshatching dynamically across surfaces. This technique gives every object a stylized look.
Furthermore, every texture has been hand-painted by the artists at Digital Extremes, which further enhances the graphic novel aesthetic.
Art is cool and all, but how do I kill things?
With "quad-wielding." This phrase refers to Jackie's ability to carry two guns and use his two demon arms simultaneously for a wealth of offensive options.
For those that love bullets, Jackie can use a delightful assortment of pistols, submachine guns, rifles, and more. But if you're more inclined towards the demonic arts, Jackie's Darkness powers will do the trick. The left arm is used for grabbing and throwing objects, and the right arm is used for melee attacks. If you see a saw blade on the ground, the left arm can pick it up and toss it through a goon's chest, splitting him in half. And if some fool gets too close to Jackie, the right arm can smack him into the air.
What else can Jackie do?
When you stun an enemy and grab him with the Darkness, you can perform a variety of executions. The "wishbone" pulls the poor victim in half while the "spinal tap" rips out the enemy's spine. It's worth noting that the spine can then be thrown at another enemy if you so desire -- oddly hilarious. There are plenty of these executions to unlock along the way.
Do you earn anything for kills?
You sure do! Each kill rewards Jackie with dark essence, which can be used in some way to power him up. Different types of kills will reward him with more or less dark essence, so you're encouraged to go big with executions and headshots.
Can I play with my friends?
So far, there's no news of a multiplayer mode. Darkness II is all about a dark, story-driven, single-player experience.
Sweet. When can I play?
The Darkness II is currently scheduled to launch on October 4th, 2011.