Maybe it’s to signify your gradual lean towards The Darkness. I tried to consider what the purpose might be of leaving out any deeper interaction with your gangster friends. They gather the intel (read: beat information out of people), rack up bills with prostitutes, and leave Jackie to do the dirty work. They’re always ready to start a ruckus, but as soon as you get into the thick of it, they stand back to hold the fort (or whatever it is they do). They’re typical goons, carbon copies of one another who pass the time sharing crude jokes and swapping track jackets for suits, and vice versa. It’s especially fortunate that Digital Extremes added this rancid creature to keep you company, because your thug friends only play at adding substance to the story or to your character. His British accent and tendency to pee on almost everything ensures that the game isn’t always just a deluge of blood and guts. The Darkling adds a bit of comedy where there would typically be yet another moment to pull some poor soul’s spine out from inside them. Having a companion in an otherwise lonely game has always been a welcomed addition for me. Either way, it rivals the gruesome deaths Jackie’s demon powers can inflict. Some executions will see the Darkling stabbing his thumbs into their eye sockets, or slicing their throat with a freakishly long nail. The Darkling’s main ability involves crawling up a human’s leg to latch onto its neck. Navigating around the light obstacles sometimes involves taking control of the Darkling himself, and you’ll get a chance to experience the fight a little bit lower to the ground. Although you’re not completely defenseless in the light-your human hands will still dual wield guns just fine-it’s distracting and makes you vulnerable to your enemies. As the name might suggest, The Darkness feeds on the dark and diminishes in the light. He’ll lead you in the right direction, and warn you of your important environmental obstacles: namely, light. Latching on to their heads, the Darkling will distract enemies while you tend to the others. Your companion, a Darkling resembling a gremlin with a penchant for sophomoric humor, helps in your endeavors, as well. You’ll be gifted with satisfying visuals like a half sliced or impaled man. This sometimes also involves grabbing saws, fans, and poles to chuck at unsuspecting enemies. A tried and true method I found most appealing involved grabbing the nearest enemy by the leg to throw at another, while simultaneously shooting the pesky guys with guns in the background. But as soon as you do, you’ll be beasting through each level, shredding everything in sight. Jackie is effectively two characters: a mob boss, and also a host to an evil power that both heals and occasionally controls him, all the while helping him inflict savage beatings against his enemies.įor newcomers, it might take a bit of practice to get a comfortable handle on quad-wielding. The unfortunate events leave an emotional scar on Jackie, but like someone in an abusive relationship, he can’t help but be drawn to The Darkness’ powers (mainly because of the burned off leg-who wants to live with that?).īut even as Jackie physically embraces The Darkness-he’s sprouted two demon arms that snap viciously (and playfully) at each other-it’s obvious that he has his reservations about obeying every creepy command whispered in his ear. In the first game, a mysterious entity known only as The Darkness consumed Jackie, helping him survive mafia attacks, but also forcing him to watch his long time girlfriend, Jenny, die. Thank god for mobsters that always come prepared, am I right? The game opens with protagonist Jackie Estacado, already with a half blown off leg, being dragged to safety while forced to quell enemy threats with his free hand gripped around a randomly procured pistol. Uber violent games like The Darkness II aren’t for everyone, and I’m not just talking about the ESRB rating.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |