Mad Decent
Banned
Loving it so far...
Multiplayer is poo though
Multiplayer is poo though
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The Darkness: The Official Thread
- Thread starter SPEA
- Start date
I haven't had any problems knowing where to go. I think during the first part of the game with the
I got lost but I found my way in a few minutes of looking around. It's not as hard as somebody say.
I do have a question though:
helicopter shootout
I do have a question though:
I'm in Hell and stuck at The Hills. I can't get past the damn bell. I've hit it with my darkness arm and it made a bong after about 30 hits, but nothing else.
I really like them. Aside from the cool visual appearance, it adds an additional layer to the gunplay (making it worthwhile to get in for a close range shot). It also solves the issue of jittery enemies running around when you stand too close. It's a very nice addition.jetjevons said:
raYne said:
Sorry about being blunt earlier...Gears for me is in that 8 range...It does everything well except for story and imo multiplayer and weapons. I would weigh both games around the same quality wise as the pluses and minuses balance each other out. For example gears voice acting doesnt come close to the Darkness but graphically the darkness doesnt match gears.
speculawyer
Member
Jirotrom said:
Loooook at all dat Juuuuuuice! :lol
AltogetherAndrews
Member
Jirotrom said:
Really? Again, just going by trailers and such here so I may have been privy only to highlights, but The Darkness seems to sport more detailed textures and more dynamic lighting and shadowing. What about it fails to match Gears?
Kabuki Waq said:
Thats just it. Most of these idiot reviewers do not even really play the games. The pop it in for 20 30 mins.. going through as fas tas they can.. then write a review to be the first ones with a review.
It would do all of gaming a big favor if reviews where out lawed. /oldandbitter
The problem with the visuals in The Darkness is their geometric appearance. Everything appears somewhat boxy and flat. In addition, the environments feel much smaller and the game does not take advantage of streaming to the same degree (Gears could be played from start to finish with no load screens). Gears remains one of the only games I've played that truly appeared to be created from actual materials rather than hard polygons. The rocks, walls, and other surfaces have a very realistic quality to them. The textures in Gears appear more complex and varied as well.AltogetherAndrews said:
Much of Gears visual impact is the result of incredible art direction and design (they truly captured the art work within the game).
In addition, Gears sports smoother animation overall and a better framerate (both are 30 fps but there is more slowdown present in The Darkness).
The lighting is pretty much the only area where The Darkness seems to have an advantage. I prefer the appearance of the lighting in Gears (artistic), but it is more complex in The Darkness. Global illumination is in full effect here while only characters and objects cast realtime shadows in Gears.
Gears works as well as it does simply because all elements work together so beautifully. When you look at something like Lair, for instance, you see an impressive game...yet there are so many tiny elements that don't appear quite right and the overall impact is degraded as a result. Gears nails EVERYTHING. I'd also suggest that something like Motorstorm achieved similar results as it just looks right in motion (despite the fact that DiRT should technically have an edge).
To be honest, I do not believe there is a single game set for release this year that will be able to match Gears visually. OK, there IS one exception and that is Naught Dog's Uncharted...but whether or not they pull it off is still up in the air. Most other games simply do not seem to have the same level of perfection present in Gears. I mean, sure, games like Bioshock, Mass Effect, Blue Dragon, and the like all look fantastic...but they each seem to have their own set of flaws that hold them back. Gears has nothing of the sort.
Imperial Hot
Banned
I didn't know CliffyB posted here.dark10x said:
dark10x said:
I can see the Deus Ex comparison, too, although this is not as RPG-y. But Condemned didn't have much talkin' to NPCs or anything. Also, what with the whole semi-gothy setting, there's a Vampire: Bloodlines vibe, too.
On the visuals--it looks like an Xbox game as far as geometry and character models go, but the texture work is totally next gen. It's as simple as that. Some of the models are really suspect. I haven't really seen enough effects to deem them "next gen-worthy" but ass little as I've played, there has been some nice filtering effects.
I think that's the main negative of the game, the 'open' design that doesn't work.Kabuki Waq said:
But why the f*ck does everybody pais attention to the cons of this game. The Darkness has so many positive points, the atmosphere is great, story is great, audio/visuals are great, the way you can choose how to play is great...
To me the key word of this game is 'stylish'. The opening sequence, the execution moves, the bullet trails: SO stylish, so great.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/member.php?u=9418snack said:
laceystorm
Member
i'm enjoying the game a lot. great production values, characters, story, animation, and graphics. my only beef is with the level design...there's been times i have wandered around in circles for too long, trying to figure out where to go...my first trip to hell comes to mind.
Kabuki Waq
Member
Mesijs said:
because alot of the Pros effect superficial elements like presentation and atmosphere but the cons seem to effect gameplay IMO. You keep mentioning stuff like Style and bullet trails....I would give those up for great AI and Game design any day.
AltogetherAndrews
Member
dark10x said:
I can see the angular argument as being true, but then I suppose that's a "flaw" with urban reality as well.
Gears' greatest strength is really its consistency. There's a consistent artistic direction from start to finish, and everything seems to be cut from the same game world. The result is somewhat limited, but it never really falters. And that aids in creating the illusion of actually being in the game world. So I think the perfection here is largely a result of sticking to one well constructed but uniform path, and risk little by sticking to a few very well designed sets. This is what I think sunk Resistance in the eyes of many as well; had the game focused on sci-fi and snowy environments, chances are the overall impression would have been more positive. Variety is nice, but it comes with a price. Unless you're Valve or something.
I disagree about the quality of materials though. I felt as if everything was wrapped in some form of rubber. Hard to explain, but it had the result of making everything look like one of those elaborate model landscapes. Which is cool in itself, but it never felt like a 1:1 world.
Out of curiosity... this Deus Ex vibe, does that have something to do with the limited, New York-in-your-pocket style of the game? Deus Ex had this incredible Hell's Kitchen atmosphere, but it obviously was a small and very narrow snapshot of New York.
Kabuki Waq
Member
jetjevons said:
rented it.
I am enjoying it for a rental. Its really nice that they have splatter and gore but so far no one has actually dissagreed with my points maybe they are being overwhelmed by the bullet trails and style?
It does start off brilliantly i am just really dissapointed because i was REALLY hyped about this game after the GT preview.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
Well, I mostly agree with him. Gears and Motorstorm (especially in FP view) are good examples of games where the "illusion is complete". Tech and artwork go hand in hand, and even though there are some flaws, there's so much to admire that you'd be crazy to focus on them.snack said:
Very few games achieve this, and I again agree with him about Uncharted and I'd add probably HS and LBP are the only other I can think of that are coming out this year for sure that are in that class.
Strangely, I can think of two small downloadable games that also seem to have that kind of tight consistency: Prince of Persia Remake and SuperStardust HD
What I don't agree is Dark saying that Darkness has "Global Illumination" - it does not, as that term is reserved for something more complex than just every light casting shadow from every object (which is what Darkness does have). The only games I know of that have some kind of simplified/faked GI going on are LBP and SC5 (and probably also Uncharted where it's also hinted at in the specs sheet)
As for Darkness, I again agree with him that graphics leave something to be desired, but I don't really care as I can't wait to experience story and atmosphere.
is it just me or did starbreeze really miss an opportunity with these hidden phone numbers to advance the story... how about instead of totally random and/or unfunny message machines we got in contact with
or at least something along those lines. make hunting for them and LISTENING to them actually worthwhile
past people the darkness has possesed?
I am playing this game on the "hard" setting and it's really not fun. The Darkness is one of those "hard = less health and more accurate enemies" school of design graduates and as such, I'm disappointed the AI is still pretty wooden and there's not a lot of moment to moment tactics at work.
Getting shot 2-3 times and having to watch (and skip) those death cutscenes is getting a little tiresome.
Since there's no way to change your difficulty on the fly, I'm faced with the possibility of starting over.
As a huge fan of Riddick, the Darkness feels like a few babysteps backwards. I tolerated the meandering and fetch quests of Butcher's Bay because, well, it was limited in scope. It seems they decided to really blow out that aspect of the design for Darkness to the detriment of the game's pacing.
I'm not that far into the game yet so I'll refrain from too much bitching, but what's up with the inability to tell if you're definitively in or out of shadows? So much of the game's "darkness" mechanic relies on this fact and yet there's no indicator? This was one area Riddick really nailed -- it remains hands-down the best first-person stealth game to date. In Riddick, when you're hidden or in stealth mode, the screen takes on a sepia tint and goes a little fish-eyed. No messy/cheesy HUD meter, just an elegant, stylish solution to an age-old problem.
Why didn't they do this for Darkness?
Getting shot 2-3 times and having to watch (and skip) those death cutscenes is getting a little tiresome.
Since there's no way to change your difficulty on the fly, I'm faced with the possibility of starting over.
As a huge fan of Riddick, the Darkness feels like a few babysteps backwards. I tolerated the meandering and fetch quests of Butcher's Bay because, well, it was limited in scope. It seems they decided to really blow out that aspect of the design for Darkness to the detriment of the game's pacing.
I'm not that far into the game yet so I'll refrain from too much bitching, but what's up with the inability to tell if you're definitively in or out of shadows? So much of the game's "darkness" mechanic relies on this fact and yet there's no indicator? This was one area Riddick really nailed -- it remains hands-down the best first-person stealth game to date. In Riddick, when you're hidden or in stealth mode, the screen takes on a sepia tint and goes a little fish-eyed. No messy/cheesy HUD meter, just an elegant, stylish solution to an age-old problem.
Why didn't they do this for Darkness?
I'd recommend this. I also ran into the problem you describe (started on Hard after hearing it was an easy game) and decided to start over. The second time has been more rewarding as I have a grip on how to play the game. It simply feels more satisfying to me now.
AI is not bad but not like the best either. I don't see this as a con.Kabuki Waq said:
Game design is a vague term. What is it that you don't like.
And please, stop b*tching. I love this game because of the gameplay, great story etc. The whole atmosphere is a big part of the experience.
Yeah, well, I think it's a good replacement for a hud. I suddenly realised that there are moments when there is nothing of a hud at all on your screen and really, it feels great.Pastry said:
Agree a bit with the night vision, but I set the brightness on my tv a bit higher and then it was np.
also helped with the stupid footsteps in the Potter game. :lol
i don't know if the motion blur missing from ps3 version is still being discussed.. i haven't been keeping up with this thread since i last posted in here... but i played this game for a bit last night and at no point did i say to myself "that really would have been better with some motion blur!"
so if for some reason this was holding anyone back, i believe this issue has been overblown and really isn't that big of a deal
so if for some reason this was holding anyone back, i believe this issue has been overblown and really isn't that big of a deal
The Gamer.nl review is up. It's based on the PS3-version and the 360-version, it's a multi-review with the same rating. I wrote it along with the guy with the 360-version (I played PS3).
It's three pages, read it HERE.
I'll translate the conclusion out of dutch:
"The Darkness fulfills all it's promises and more. From beginning to end there's always sensation, the style and manageability (not the exact word, 'souplesse') are impressive. The storyline and atmosphere are great, so you have all the ingredients for a very good first-person shooter. And The Darkness is one."
+
Great audiovisual presentation
Very stylish action
Very strong narrative
Impressive atmosphere
Play the way you want
-
Open approach doesn't work out
Final level isn't so good
Multiplayer funny but laggy
Rating:
9 out of 10
It's three pages, read it HERE.
I'll translate the conclusion out of dutch:
"The Darkness fulfills all it's promises and more. From beginning to end there's always sensation, the style and manageability (not the exact word, 'souplesse') are impressive. The storyline and atmosphere are great, so you have all the ingredients for a very good first-person shooter. And The Darkness is one."
+
Great audiovisual presentation
Very stylish action
Very strong narrative
Impressive atmosphere
Play the way you want
-
Open approach doesn't work out
Final level isn't so good
Multiplayer funny but laggy
Rating:
9 out of 10
i seem to be stuck again. bug?
on my way to the bathhouse, i stumbled upon
help.
on my way to the bathhouse, i stumbled upon
duval. i got past the room with the green gas by using the creeping thing to go through the vent and open the door from the other side, then fought and killed duval. but now i'm trapped in the room where duval died. teh door i came in through wont budge, and the creeping arm can get to the other side but still i'm unable to open it. there is a barred off way right past where duval was sitting, and while i can get the creeping thing through to the other side with some manipulation, there doesnt seem to be anything there to get me across.
darkressurection
Banned
op_ivy said:
There are locks on the gates on either side that you can shoot off
Edit:Beaten
op_ivy said:
There is an NPC that asks you if you are up for a wager and then throw coins onto the subway track. You're supposed to dash out, collect them, and then return them. Well, the first time I jump out the train freaks me out and I abandon the bet, figuring I'd have another shot. Second time, I nab three of four. Third time I can't get the option anymore, even though she threw coins out. They just aren't there and I can speak to her anymore.
Kabuki Waq
Member
Mesijs said:
AI is a big part of any game it is pretty bad at times. By Game design i mean Level design, World Design, Loading and animation. I have a just as much right to bitch about the game as you have to Champion it. So far the reason you love it seem to be :
Great audiovisual presentation( nothing to do with gameplay)
Very stylish action( again Stylish)
Very strong narrative( not gameplay)
Impressive atmosphere(not part of gameplay but important)
Play the way you want ( NO YOU CANT)