Not sure if I feel like an asshole for red boxing but yea...this shit is good.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
The Darkness II |OT| Mike Patton will eat your heart OUT!
- Thread starter dreamfall
- Start date
Not sure if I feel like an asshole for red boxing but yea...this shit is good.
So my more in-depth thoughts on the campaign.
Pros
- Great visceral combat. I love the idea of multi-tasking my different limbs to do crazy stuff against enemies. Feels very awesome
- Some really great characters
- Love the music when you can actually hear it, voice acting is good and conveys good emotions all around.
- Cel-shaded is awesome
Bad
- Campaign ends waaaay too fast. Very short even on a casual run through.
- Horrible enemies, the diversity is bad and the AI is crap
- The levels and maps are uninspired. Bland locales make for very uninteresting play and almost everything is a corridor.
- Lights in maps ruin the game. I can understand strategic lighting location, but there are parts where it's just stupidly placed and completely ruins the combat since they blind you and you're limbs go missing. Ugh, this is a huge combat ruiner for me
- The story is all over the place. It tries to capture three worlds. The narrating world, reality, and the dream. Honestly the way it tells it tries to be artsty but blegh.
- Graphics look horrible some times. Bad textures and too bland.
- Weapons don't feel too distinct from each other. Different SMGs but they all work the same.
- Lack of grenade-esque thing, with the exception of black hole, made some fights frustratingly stupid. Especially when people are zipping around everywhere.
Pros
- Great visceral combat. I love the idea of multi-tasking my different limbs to do crazy stuff against enemies. Feels very awesome
- Some really great characters
- Love the music when you can actually hear it, voice acting is good and conveys good emotions all around.
- Cel-shaded is awesome
Bad
- Campaign ends waaaay too fast. Very short even on a casual run through.
- Horrible enemies, the diversity is bad and the AI is crap
- The levels and maps are uninspired. Bland locales make for very uninteresting play and almost everything is a corridor.
- Lights in maps ruin the game. I can understand strategic lighting location, but there are parts where it's just stupidly placed and completely ruins the combat since they blind you and you're limbs go missing. Ugh, this is a huge combat ruiner for me
- The story is all over the place. It tries to capture three worlds. The narrating world, reality, and the dream. Honestly the way it tells it tries to be artsty but blegh.
- Graphics look horrible some times. Bad textures and too bland.
- Weapons don't feel too distinct from each other. Different SMGs but they all work the same.
- Lack of grenade-esque thing, with the exception of black hole, made some fights frustratingly stupid. Especially when people are zipping around everywhere.
Cardshark950
Neo Member
I might just be easily impressed, but I greatly enjoyed the game and am surprised at the consensus 7/10 reviews it has received. It was more like an 8 bordering on a 9 for me. There was one genuine WTF moment for me which was when the game gives you an option of pressing LT or RT (On the 360) to choose a response during a cutscene. I chose LT the first time and the credits started rolling suddenly. At that point I was thinking "what the hell, is that it?" I then went back and realised that choosing RT allows you to continue the game and reach a different, much more satisfying ending.
DevelopmentArrested
Banned
Agree with you completely, kayos.
Just beat the Campaign as well. It was a hell of a ride, but here are my thoughts:
Let me just get out of the way that this game is not better than The Darkness. That game had a perfect blend of action and story, this does not.
The action in this game rocks the fucking house. It is immensely satisfying to play this game. The controls are spot on and pitch perfect, I knew what I was doing with each arm at all times when I was playing. As linear as this game is (and it is VERY linear), the action that happens in the levels is some Grade-A stuff. I was never bored in a firefight, even when I had to replay the same shootouts multiple times.
That said, there definitely is a severe lack of originality once you see what the game has to offer early on. The complete linearity combined with the same old enemies can definitely get tiresome and boring if the combat is not your cup of tea. As you progress further in the game each kill room is the same as the one before it, with maybe a few added enemies or a few harder-to-take-down enemies instead of normal ones. By the end, you just want to be done with it.
The story was refreshing compared to almost all shooters released nowadays. I LOVED the story/emotion in the original, and some of it peeks through from behind the curtain here, but it's definitely not as emotional as an experience as the first one is. I did really enjoy the story, though, and like I said, it was very nice to have a shooter (as balls to the wall crazy as this game is) focus more on the story. It had some nice twists and turns IMO, and definitely kept me interested until the end. Voice acting was top notch throughout the game.
Call me crazy, but I actually like the visual style of the first one more than this one. The gritty realism of it just did a better job of placing me in that world far better than the cel shaded graphics here. Although this game is very nice looking. Sound was also great all around.
Overall I really enjoyed it, and think any fan of The Darkness will enjoy it as well. At least give it a rental...
...Also, the scene after the credits was a VERY nice touch and the closest this game got to the original's emotion. With the music that was playing, I wanted to stay there forever.
Let me just get out of the way that this game is not better than The Darkness. That game had a perfect blend of action and story, this does not.
The action in this game rocks the fucking house. It is immensely satisfying to play this game. The controls are spot on and pitch perfect, I knew what I was doing with each arm at all times when I was playing. As linear as this game is (and it is VERY linear), the action that happens in the levels is some Grade-A stuff. I was never bored in a firefight, even when I had to replay the same shootouts multiple times.
That said, there definitely is a severe lack of originality once you see what the game has to offer early on. The complete linearity combined with the same old enemies can definitely get tiresome and boring if the combat is not your cup of tea. As you progress further in the game each kill room is the same as the one before it, with maybe a few added enemies or a few harder-to-take-down enemies instead of normal ones. By the end, you just want to be done with it.
The story was refreshing compared to almost all shooters released nowadays. I LOVED the story/emotion in the original, and some of it peeks through from behind the curtain here, but it's definitely not as emotional as an experience as the first one is. I did really enjoy the story, though, and like I said, it was very nice to have a shooter (as balls to the wall crazy as this game is) focus more on the story. It had some nice twists and turns IMO, and definitely kept me interested until the end. Voice acting was top notch throughout the game.
Call me crazy, but I actually like the visual style of the first one more than this one. The gritty realism of it just did a better job of placing me in that world far better than the cel shaded graphics here. Although this game is very nice looking. Sound was also great all around.
Overall I really enjoyed it, and think any fan of The Darkness will enjoy it as well. At least give it a rental...
...Also, the scene after the credits was a VERY nice touch and the closest this game got to the original's emotion. With the music that was playing, I wanted to stay there forever.
Haunted
Member
I'm sure he only meant the score range.
I put a good three hours into this last night and came away mightily impressed.
As I've noted above, I was not a fan of Digital Extreme's previous solo jobs. They did a terrible job with Pariah and Dark Sector, I thought, so I was about to write this game off completely. They made the right move by releasing a demo here as that is precisely what sold me on the game.
First and foremost, when it comes to narrative, they have improved immensely from their past works. Dark Sector was a particularly egregious offender with a completely aimless narrative that made little to no sense. Pariah was simply as generic and forgettable as you could get. Yet, with The Darkness II, I'm genuinely excited to see what lies in wait for me. They've done a great job with the carrot on a stick generally providing just enough of a hook to keep the game flowing.
For some reason I had expected them to completely ignore the original game but it's clear that they took a lot of its design decisions to heart. I was expecting the hub worlds to disappear completely, for instance, which is not the case. This sort of downtime between the action is precisely the kind of thing missing from so many shooters these days. I was also surprised that they kept the monologue sequences with Jackie as they have no technical reason for existing any longer. In the original, they used these to hide the lengthy load times, but in this game you can skip them immediately (there is virtually no loading to speak of throughout the game).
It's the actual gameplay that REALLY shines, however. They've done a remarkable job improving upon everything the original offered. As much as I enjoyed Starbreeze's efforts, I never found the combat in the first game to be all that engaging. DE has really managed to deliver a very fast and energetic gameplay experience full of smooth animation and variety. There are times where it almost feels as if you're watching a concept video rather than an actual level while still retaining full control. The average action sequence in this game calls to mind the almost scripted final area in the original game.
There are plenty of flaws I could pull out as well (handling of lights, lack of weapon variety, simplistic AI, etc), but none of them manage to spoil the fun I've had.
I can't wait to continue playing! Kudos to Digital Extremes!
As I've noted above, I was not a fan of Digital Extreme's previous solo jobs. They did a terrible job with Pariah and Dark Sector, I thought, so I was about to write this game off completely. They made the right move by releasing a demo here as that is precisely what sold me on the game.
First and foremost, when it comes to narrative, they have improved immensely from their past works. Dark Sector was a particularly egregious offender with a completely aimless narrative that made little to no sense. Pariah was simply as generic and forgettable as you could get. Yet, with The Darkness II, I'm genuinely excited to see what lies in wait for me. They've done a great job with the carrot on a stick generally providing just enough of a hook to keep the game flowing.
For some reason I had expected them to completely ignore the original game but it's clear that they took a lot of its design decisions to heart. I was expecting the hub worlds to disappear completely, for instance, which is not the case. This sort of downtime between the action is precisely the kind of thing missing from so many shooters these days. I was also surprised that they kept the monologue sequences with Jackie as they have no technical reason for existing any longer. In the original, they used these to hide the lengthy load times, but in this game you can skip them immediately (there is virtually no loading to speak of throughout the game).
It's the actual gameplay that REALLY shines, however. They've done a remarkable job improving upon everything the original offered. As much as I enjoyed Starbreeze's efforts, I never found the combat in the first game to be all that engaging. DE has really managed to deliver a very fast and energetic gameplay experience full of smooth animation and variety. There are times where it almost feels as if you're watching a concept video rather than an actual level while still retaining full control. The average action sequence in this game calls to mind the almost scripted final area in the original game.
There are plenty of flaws I could pull out as well (handling of lights, lack of weapon variety, simplistic AI, etc), but none of them manage to spoil the fun I've had.
I can't wait to continue playing! Kudos to Digital Extremes!
Which version are you playing? I'm on the PC and I've actually been extremely impressed by the visuals throughout. The texture work is fantastic and the performance is absolutely perfect. It's an incredibly sharp looking game, which I didn't expect. I was also pleased to find that it runs at a perfect 60 fps without a single hitch or pause throughout. It's actually pretty uncommon to run across a PC game that moves so flawlessly. The last one that comes to mind was Space Marine, but this looks much more impressive.
I've only finished a handful of games in my time and Chronicles of Riddick, The Darkness 1 and The Darkness 2 are among them.
I loved Darkness 1 and absolutely fucking loved Darkness 2!
Everything about the game is top notch. I loved the atmosphere,the story,the fighting and dialogue. The voice acting was A class.
If there was one gripe it would be the lack of a grenade type weapon for the hectic fights which would've been very useful. Other than that though, i thoroughly enjoyed the short but sweet game.
I eagerly await The Darkness 3!!
I loved Darkness 1 and absolutely fucking loved Darkness 2!
Everything about the game is top notch. I loved the atmosphere,the story,the fighting and dialogue. The voice acting was A class.
If there was one gripe it would be the lack of a grenade type weapon for the hectic fights which would've been very useful. Other than that though, i thoroughly enjoyed the short but sweet game.
I eagerly await The Darkness 3!!
StevePharma
Member
For the people who finished the game:
does New Game+ progression carry over to higher difficulties? Like in Dead Space 2 and Mass Effect 2?
does New Game+ progression carry over to higher difficulties? Like in Dead Space 2 and Mass Effect 2?
Yes, it does. You can select a higher difficulty for the New Game+
StevePharma
Member
Me neither. Nice palate swap from playing the relatively long games FFXIII-2 and KoA this month.
Very good news btw. Thanks for clarifying ArjanN!
So far, I'm pleasantly surprised. I went in with low expectations. DE has done a really good job. Still, after I'm done, I'm going to replay the first game. Anyone who hasn't played it really needs to get up on that.
In spite of being cursed with the inferior PS3 version, I still love it. If you can, get the 360 version. You won't regret it.
In spite of being cursed with the inferior PS3 version, I still love it. If you can, get the 360 version. You won't regret it.
BoobPhysics101
Banned
Ready for the PC version. Darknesssssss <3
TotalBiscuit hates the low PC FOV so much he laid into Elizabeth Tobey (@dahanese), 2K Games' Head of Community & Interactive Marketing:
TLDR: FOV is super low in Darkness 2 PC, TotalBiscuit goes overboard with the hate towards someone just doing their job, 2K employee says FOV is as intended, forum users create workaround, developer announces a FOV patch in response to the complaints.
TLDR: FOV is super low in Darkness 2 PC, TotalBiscuit goes overboard with the hate towards someone just doing their job, 2K employee says FOV is as intended, forum users create workaround, developer announces a FOV patch in response to the complaints.
Well I think this more the case of 2K games just being the tipping point. He's always made his view on a limited FOV setting clear and in a way you can actually see him getting more and more agitated as games comes out where there is no official or unofficial way to change fov.
Throw that in with the developer (who has a history of pc gaming where fov was treated fairly) and you get this rage.
Although I don't think he is right in attacking the CM, considering she is simply the buffer between the gaming public and the dev.
Personally I don't care too much, but I do avoid games with a low fov, since I do suffer from headaches caused by the the constant 'peep' hole effect of a lower fov.
But besides the point, at the end of the day at least PC gamers gain from his rage. In getting official support for FOV in a patch. Where if no one threw out their toys, we would not have gotten this (considering the official response until now was this was intended)
EYEL1NER
Member
I don't know who this guy is. And going off his douchey tweets, I'm not going to bother finding out.
Anyway, my game gets here Monday and I can't wait. I want to be playing it right now, especially since Visa won't let me make charges to Newegg for some reason, so I had to cancel my order for Kindoms of Amalur. The only thing that will suck about it getting here Monday is that is the day before Valentine's Day. So I pretty much have to sit down and play it to completion Monday night. I would rather take my time with it and savor it, but oh well. I typically don't run through games again right after beating them, but I might make a NG+ run on this one.
Unhandled Exception
Member
TB is one of the blandest personalities to arise from the gaming community. Not sure how his popularity reached the level its at considering that.
Appreciate the pro/con list from above - will wait for the heavy discounts.
Appreciate the pro/con list from above - will wait for the heavy discounts.
-Stranger-
Junior Member
Wow 5 hours? :|
I swear the first game was atleast 10-12 hours long.
I'll be waiting for this to hit the $30-40 (AUD) mark
It's not worth $100 for a 5 hour game with little replay value.
Well, at least some good might come out of it, even if he did kind of act like an asshole.
That's actually a big enough spoiler for me to not playing this anytime soon. ;(
ROBOKITTYZILLA
Member
A little disgusted by that TB twitter conversation. I like his videos but the more I see of his actual personality, the less I like. At least we get an FOV fix out of it.
Pimpbaa
Member
I was disgusted too, but even more disgusted at DE for lying about why they didn't put in a fov slider.
Why the fuck does that bother people so much? Why not simply enjoy the way the game was framed? I mean, I can appreciate a wider FOV as well, but it's pretty clear that the game was visually designed for the default FOV. It's not as if this is a competitive game where it might be necessary.
They really should include a slider from the start, though, as people always end up bitching about it.
Pretty much identical from what I understand. DF should have the in-depth comparison soon.
I dig it. You can play offline and online. For the most part, it's just fighting through waves of enemies to complete the objectives. And if you liked the story, you'll be pleased to know that the co-op story covers up the loose ends and things we didn't get to see with Jackie.
Plus the characters are pretty cool. It's like Borderlands, really. It's a very nice addition to the game, and LEAGUES better than the original game's crappy multiplayer mode.
Because a narrow FOV can cause headaches and dizziness in some people. It's not a competitive thing.
Yeah, it never bothers me, but I know people who easily get motion sickness tend to be sensitive to it.
Hey guys! I wrote a review for The Darkness II. Tell me your thoughts about it or comments! Anything that I can do differently or any feedback in general would be great.
http://kokugamer.com/?p=32242
http://kokugamer.com/?p=32242
Thanks for the impressions bud. I was wondering if you could play it alone if necessary. And that story stuff sounds pretty neat.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Finished the campaign. Fun ride. Good story. But if they don't make The Darkness III, that's just cruel, especially with that ending.
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
I just watched a few videos and pretty much sold on the game. Does the 'Vendetta' mode actually have a story, btw?
Just beat it. I gotta say, DE really did a great job. I'm a huge fan of the first game and how it played. Even though this is very different, it was still very fun. They did a great job at making you feel powerful. Gun play is solid and there more abilities than there were available in the first game. Oh, and the story (though based off an existing comic license) was well done.
If there is a third game, I'd love to see the best elements of both games combined.
EDIT
I do have to say this...
Mike Patton....eh....he was better in the first game. He was a bit over the top this time, but not in a good way. It's almost as if he was imitating himself or doing a parody of some death metal vocalist. That, and most of his lines were too short and far and few between. He was much more vocal in the first game and his lines were much longer. I just started playing the first game again and it to me, it appears he took himself a little more seriously. Plus, in the first Darkness, his range was more varied and much creepier and demonic and less like some angry white dude.
If there is a third game, I'd love to see the best elements of both games combined.
EDIT
I do have to say this...
Mike Patton....eh....he was better in the first game. He was a bit over the top this time, but not in a good way. It's almost as if he was imitating himself or doing a parody of some death metal vocalist. That, and most of his lines were too short and far and few between. He was much more vocal in the first game and his lines were much longer. I just started playing the first game again and it to me, it appears he took himself a little more seriously. Plus, in the first Darkness, his range was more varied and much creepier and demonic and less like some angry white dude.
vitaminwateryum
corporate swill
Anyone have trouble with the FOV edit? I copy / pasted the hex code into cheat engine but it's only bringing up one result instead of two.