• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

The Darkness: The Official Thread

agree with pretty much everything you said, wispy.

i think the city is something of a double-edged sword. i like the way they designed the city in such a way that you have to read environmental maps, follow road signs, etc. to get around, and that there is a real sense of space. on the other hand--as others have mentioned--jackie isn't exactly light on his feet, and traveling can be a pain. there's hardly anyone on the street, but i'm not sure how i would feel about people being around too much. there was a real sense of depression, loneliness, isolation, and fear when you were doing something simple like walking down a city street.
 
The scene at the end of Act 1 is one of the most harrowing, emotional, and graphic things I've seen in a video game. That's going to stick with me for ages.
 
mik said:
The scene at the end of Act 1 is one of the most harrowing, emotional, and graphic things I've seen in a video game. That's going to stick with me for ages.

Agree with that man! Damn Paulie and Shrode! Im in the Gun Hill now. All i want i to unleash hell on them...
 
mik said:
The scene at the end of Act 1 is one of the most harrowing, emotional, and graphic things I've seen in a video game. That's going to stick with me for ages.

I just kinda felt
Paulie got the last laugh after you shot him once and he gives you the finger and dies. I really wanted to rip that dickhead apart
. One of the the most atmospheric shooters I ever played. I really loved the exploration aspect. Hopefully, we get a sequel down the line. Makes me psyched for the Riddick remake.
 
I might as well post my impressions:

The opening scene was really frantic and did a great job of pulling you into the game immediately. As it went along, the game just got better. The textures looked great and it was some of the best graphics I've seen.

The guns sounded powerful too. I loved the John Woo-esque double pistol fights that I had. Especially during the beginning of the game when you didn't have much of the way in powers, it felt good to just start unloading clips.

I liked the dialog and voice acting, everything was truly top-knotch. The standard NPCs hardly ever repeated the same thing like in Oblivion. I also loved how you didn't have an arrow or something like that showing you where to go. The game was really easy to navigate while keeping with the realistic feeling of it.

The end of the first act was simply awesome. I didn't like what actually happened, but Starbreeze did an excellent job with the emotion surrounding it. From that point on, I really actually hated Paulie. I loved how you would go into the subway afterwards and that music would be playing. It wouldn't play before.

The finale was great.
Going through the mansion with no remorse, just slaughtering people and hearing them beg for their lives was awesome. Then seeing Paulie crawl away and beg. I actually hesitated killing him.

But the game had its faults. I didn't like the boxy looks of a lot of things. The character models were especially bad. With the texture work and the work that went into the graphics, they could have rounded things off some. The characters seemed stiff too. The animations for the enemies were good, but a lot of the NPCs that were your allies and some of the people in the subway moved and talked like they have a 2x4 shoved up their ass.

I HATED the Other World. It's so barren and near lifeless. That's what they were going for and the atmosphere was great. But the enemies just walked straight toward you shooting. There wasn't really a challenge except for the sheer amount of enemies.

I did, however, like the NPCs that were in the village and
Antonio
was a pleasent surprise. The
monster fight just seemed out of place though. But I did like the monologue he gave

Shooting out the lights was a pain as well. I don't think it should be automatic when you walk by because that takes the challenge out of it. But at least take out some of the lights. There didn't need to be that many.

And the last complaint was the lifelesness on the streets. There doesn't need to be GTA-style people out there. But the occasional car and people would be nice. I've never been to New York City, but I would imagine there are more than the occasional person out there.

All in all, excellent game. I liked Riddick, but I really enjoyed this more I think. I'd give it a 9/10. I can't wait for a sequel.
 
once i got the Demon Arm taking out the lights was not annoying anymore.

I really took a 180 with the game. I was really dissapointed in the beginning but then the atmosphere, story, gameplay and Gore really hooked me.
 
Red Blaster said:
I'm in the WWI Otherworld sections now and I really don't like this part.


they get better. i didnt like the trenches at first either but the level design is sorta straight forward once you figure out what to do.
 
Is the PS3 version as buggy as the 360 version? I've had numerous bugs that are just flatout embarrassing to see in a shipped 360 game (and they are EASY to reproduce so what the hell).
 
JdFoX187 said:
Going through the mansion with no remorse, just slaughtering people and hearing them beg for their lives was awesome. Then seeing Paulie crawl away and beg. I actually hesitated killing him.
Yeah, I too hesitated here
I thought by not killing him I would get a better ending but at that point you don't even care cause you just wanna kill that ****er:lol
 
Mr_Furious said:
Is the PS3 version as buggy as the 360 version? I've had numerous bugs that are just flatout embarrassing to see in a shipped 360 game (and they are EASY to reproduce so what the hell).


I didnt run into one bug with the ps3 version. But i didnt do any of the side quests eitther.
 
Shooting out the lights was a pain as well. I don't think it should be automatic when you walk by because that takes the challenge out of it. But at least take out some of the lights. There didn't need to be that many.
It's brilliant once you obtain your second Darkness power, though. Using that tail to destroy lights feels fantastic as you can continue to fight while doing so.
 
Cipher said:
Go towards Eddie Shrote's apartment, right before you get to the door look at the wall to the right with "Mace" written on it. Look up and you should see an open window, use creeping dark to get into the room to kill the guy. There's also a darkling outfit in there.

Thanks man. ^__^
 
Kabuki Waq said:
I didnt run into one bug with the ps3 version. But i didnt do any of the side quests eitther.
I"m less than 2 hours in and I have already had:

1 crash bug just before the 1st TV

NPCs that would be standing but "pop" into their sitting idle (mainly in the subway)

Camera cut showing me sitting down with my gf on couch played twice but the second time I literally sat down behind the couch and into the wall

Crouching when using phone can cause camera to go inside character's head when transitioning back to gameplay

All are easily duplicatable so shame on 2K for letting crap like this slide :(
 
Well, might as well add my own bit of anecdotal evidence. I'm playing the 360 version and haven't experience any of the problems mentioned above. Although, I've never been crouching when using the phone so I have no idea on that one.
 
It's not fun to shoot out lights if you use the dark creep/crawl power frequently and have to keep switching back and forth...
 
Hot damn I just got to hell for the second time around, where am I right now ( in the game ) ?

****ING AWESOME I <3 THIS GAME!
 
mik said:
The scene at the end of Act 1 is one of the most harrowing, emotional, and graphic things I've seen in a video game. That's going to stick with me for ages.

I felt the same way, but
the deaths of Shrode and Paulie could not have been less satisfying. After what they did, killing them should have been the most satisfying experiences in the entire game, but they were surprisingly weak. Hell, you blackout when Shrode dies so you don't even get to see it.
 
Mr_Furious said:
Is the PS3 version as buggy as the 360 version? I've had numerous bugs that are just flatout embarrassing to see in a shipped 360 game (and they are EASY to reproduce so what the hell).
I played through it on my Playstation 3 and not only did it have a solid framerate through the entire game, the only "bug" I encountered was one of the side quest characters repeated his words to me once.
 
Kabuki Waq said:
once i got the Demon Arm taking out the lights was not annoying anymore.

I really took a 180 with the game. I was really dissapointed in the beginning but then the atmosphere, story, gameplay and Gore really hooked me.

Exact same experience here. After I got the demon arm I liked the game a lot more.
 
I just completed the Darkness tonight on PS3. The rest of the game definitely didn't live up to my initial impressions. The world seemed so much larger and polished than it really was. Count me in the "I'm glad I rented it" camp. Fun throughout, but definitely did not live up to its potential. I think it could've used a few more months in development to give us more game play and less filler time devoted to cumbersome travel. If the devs take their time with the sequel and polish the rough edges of this game, it could be an awesome series of games to come. I think an episodic comic book approach would do wonders, tight bite size chunks of game play and story every few months.
 
eshwaaz said:
I felt the same way, but
the deaths of Shrode and Paulie could not have been less satisfying. After what they did, killing them should have been the most satisfying experiences in the entire game, but they were surprisingly weak. Hell, you blackout when Shrode dies so you don't even get to see it.
I kinda disagree, the Shrode sequence was actually pretty good since you basically blow yourself up (and him) in the process of putting a dent in Paulies scheme. Really I was more disappointed with Paulies death and the ending in general to be honest, but it was a fun ride nonetheless.
 
Just started the Darkness and I am enjoying it... but I am enjoying the little interactions with the world a lot more than the actual combat. I love all the dialogue... its very well done for a videogame.
 
I just played the game for half and hour, as I still have to finish up on Oblivion, but OMG the first 30 minutes just blew me away. The presentation is amazing, menus are slick as hell and the graphics are jaw dropping - everything just seems so polished. Not to mention the intro that was pure genius.

I'm normally not into FPSs at all but it looks like The Darkness might just win me over.
 
The great thing about this game is that its just FUN to play which isnt something I can say about most FPS games these days.. The excellent graphics / sound and presentation just top it off, Ive had my 360 since launch (yep it actually still works!) and Darkness is my favorite game to date.
 
Man, I bought this 1 day before VEGAS hit and I've been totally neglecting it. Sounds really great by the impressions of the SP.
 
just use each of your abilities a lot while killing enemies. it will probably happen naturally through the course of the game, but i had to double back a bit to knock off some enemies with my darkness guns and demon arm to get the achievement.
 
MMaRsu said:
How do I get this?

Darkness Master
100GP
Only for those who are completely in tune with the Darkness
Go to the achievement list from the pause menu and scroll down to that achievement. It will tell you your progress towards getting it.
 
I'm about 5 hours into the game and I'm liking it. Yeah, after you get the demon arm the killing the lights mechanic actually becomes quite enjoyable.

However, this game has some strange transitions from playing to in-game cutscenes. The dialog and the voice acting is great, it's just really strange to not hear Jackie talk sometimes, when you'd expect him to do so. Like the scene at the end of Act 1. He should've been cursing, screaming empty threats and finally break down and cry. Or something.
 
Just finished the game, and what an awesome ride it was. While their were some minor issues that annoyed me every now and then, but it didn't detract from the overall experience. And the game still has some of the best sequences I've ever seen in an FPS game. Even though I just finished it, I'm ready to dive back in for another play through.
 
Picked this up yesterday for PS3 and it's awesome. The single player game is very well done, but sadly multiplayer seems to be pretty weak options wise. Hell I couldn't even find a single game going for it.
 
Just finished it. There are a lot of things that annoyed me, but somehow the overall experience is greater than the sum of its parts. The Darkness powers are really cool, and you definitely feel like a bad ass by the end of the game, especially through out the last level. The story telling, characters, and atmosphere are really top notch. If the game had been fine tuned more, it could have been one of the best single player FPS ever. There are definitely glimpses of that potential in cetain parts of the game. I never thought much of the comic, but I think Starbreeze surpassed the source material.

That said, I would probably be a lot less forgiving if I had shelled out $60 for the game instead of renting it, but I'm really happy I played it. It's definitely worth trying, but rent it or get it on sale.
 
Help please. I am fighting the
evil bastard at the end of the devil world that looks like the Rancor, and I have no idea how to beat him. I tried just shooting him in the face alot, but apparently that would be way to easy.
 
C4Lukins said:
Help please. I am fighting the
evil bastard at the end of the devil world that looks like the Rancor, and I have no idea how to beat him. I tried just shooting him in the face alot, but apparently that would be way to easy.

Nevermind. I finished it.
 
C4Lukins said:
Help please. I am fighting the
evil bastard at the end of the devil world that looks like the Rancor, and I have no idea how to beat him. I tried just shooting him in the face alot, but apparently that would be way to easy.

Keep shooting it in the mouth, it will work after ten times or more(don't try to find anything logical about that boss)
 
u_neek said:
Does anybody know how to get the Romantic achievement?
When you meet Jenny in her apartment sit down and watch "To Kill A Mockingbird" with her at the TV until the achievement unlocks.
 
When I first got this game I was quite disappointed I have to admit. Fortunately the game really picked up for me after the first plot twist and I've really enjoyed it since. Gameplay is fairly standard but well delivered. Aliasing still hurts the experience for me, it jars with the mood for me.

I agree with all the reviews that gave it a 8.x. Enjoyable and without a doubt worth the purchase but definitely not groundbreaking.

Once I finish this I got Ninja Gaiden Sigma waiting for me :).
 
I have never enjoyed cutscenes as much as in this game. This game has plenty of flaws but its more memorable moments shine so greatly that I don't care.
 
If I had one small wish it would be to keep everything (not in a cutscene) in first person, like the ladder climbing. It didn’t make sense to see Jackie climb and not have The Darkness visible on him as well.
Or better yet, imagine if you could use The Darkness to climb up like Doctor Octopus or something.
I was also a little disappointed not to see the game taking advantage of the standard HDD on the Playstation 3. Even a small install probably would have reduced load times (not that they are exorbitantly long or anything).
 
Okay, thinking about the game some more this morning and I had a few final thoughts:

Did anyone else feel a bit cheated when the game took control through the last half of the final level? Even though those cutscenes were fantastic, I was a little pissed that I never got the chance to take down a helicopter myself. I understand that it was meant to show the Darkness was finally seizing control of Jackie, but it seemed like a little bit of a cop out.

I hated the gunplay in the game. I never found a setting for the sensitivity that worked for me, so any time the game forced you to use guns without your Darkness powers, I would get really frustrated. It also seemed like the amount of damage you dealt with guns was pretty random. Sometimes guys would go down in one shot, and sometimes it would take half a clip to bring them down, regardless of what gun I was using and where I was aiming. It never turned me off the game completely, but I felt like it went back and forth between being incredibly easy and incredibly frustrating. A little more balance would have been nice.

The additional side quests were cool, but I wish they had a bit more depth or helped unlocked new abilities or weapons or something. I feel like I spent more time riding the subway back and forth than I did on the actual quests.
 
Top Bottom