Yes; the story is still emotionally driven with some interesting design choices.
Rez: I didn't feel that, but I understand why you think so (
Carnival
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The Darkness II |OT| Mike Patton will eat your heart OUT!
- Thread starter dreamfall
- Start date
Yes; the story is still emotionally driven with some interesting design choices.
Rez: I didn't feel that, but I understand why you think so (
Absolutely not. The story in this is a step above most shooters but it's nowhere near as good as the original.
Yeah, I just remembered what annoyed me in the
section:
.
So, as an advise: get the Swarm ability as fast as you could, because it's immensely helpful when fighting those light-guards.
Edit: And by the way, I absolutely loved the
achievement. I was thinking about that movie the whole time, so when the achievement popped up I couldn't help but to smile. Great Easter-egg.
carnival
There where a lot of instances where I can see an umbrella lit, but can't find the light source. Granted, there might be a (unbreakable) light that I missed spotting, but really, there were somethings that were shining just to obstruct your demons, which pissed me off
So, as an advise: get the Swarm ability as fast as you could, because it's immensely helpful when fighting those light-guards.
Edit: And by the way, I absolutely loved the
One Flew Over
I agree. They take it to some interesting places in the sequel, but I found myself really missing a lot of things from the first game, especially the emotional depth that surprised me way back when I first played it.
fuckin' no
Singularity was a derivative Half Life 2 clone with some of the most placid guns this side of the century. Not only were the two puzzles completely asinine, they were repeated ten times each over the course of the game, never evolving in complexity or involvement. Furthermore, the upgrade system was overpowered and I ended up with an assault rifle that killed in two hits with pinpoint accuracy shooting from the hip, and never needed another gun for the rest of the game.
Tonally it was a crappy mix of what Metro 2033 and Red Alert have already done before, and the game's length was too long for what it offered mechanically.
Despite The Darkness 2 falling short from its predecessor in many ways, atmospherically it is a much better game than Singularity. I hope this emphasises how bad I think Singularity is when I'm saying a shitty comic book Italian mafia super hero game has a better atmosphere than an alternate universe Soviet propaganda time travel plot.
Also, Steve Blum can't do a Russian accent to save his life.
This.
Someone needs to do a "Let's Play" thread for the first game.
Damn I wish they made it on PC. I've always had it on PS3, but I'm thinking about getting the 360 version tomorrow. Better frame rate, better textures, better color grading, motion blur and the ability to install. The difference between the two is massive.
Damn I wish they made it on PC. I've always had it on PS3, but I'm thinking about getting the 360 version tomorrow. Better frame rate, better textures, better color grading, motion blur and the ability to install. The difference between the two is massive.
Revolutionary
Member
Just finished it up. Wow. Fucking great sequel, with a hell of an ending. Sure, the game is missing that "TV with Jenny" moment (although it tries to match it), but there are still a few story elements that resonated with me emotionally. That, coupled with the vastly improved gameplay (individual buttons for all 4 limbs = brilliant).. just a fantastic sequel.
I played on Don difficulty from the beginning so it took me quite a bit longer than the times reported here. About 8 hours I think? Played a bit of Vendettas so I can't go by my recorded Steam time. Vendettas was also pretty cool, but fairly short as well. I'm content with the amount of content in the package.
But anyways, in conclusion: I didn't think The Darkness needed a sequel, but I'm very happy it does now.
I played on Don difficulty from the beginning so it took me quite a bit longer than the times reported here. About 8 hours I think? Played a bit of Vendettas so I can't go by my recorded Steam time. Vendettas was also pretty cool, but fairly short as well. I'm content with the amount of content in the package.
But anyways, in conclusion: I didn't think The Darkness needed a sequel, but I'm very happy it does now.
Messofanego
Banned
First-person dancing
was pretty emotional and heart-breaking, if there's more of that I'm going to be mess!
with Jenny in the cafe
EYEL1NER
Member
Just finished the game. Luckily it got here before Valentine's Day, so I didn't have to worry about my wife complaining about me playing it.
I am very pleased with this game. When the news dropped about there being a sequel to The Darkness, I was ecstatic. I loved the first game.
As more and more news came out, I noticed more and more people talking shit. It was either "The graphics look like shit" or "No Kirk, no buy" or "Where's Starbreeze? Digital Extremes huh? Pass." And now that it came out, all I heard from people elsewhere on the net was "It's like 5 hours long...fuck that. I'll buy it when it's $20."
Well, I'm glad I didn't pay too much attention to what any of the detractors were/are saying or let any of it worry me. I went into this expecting it to be good and it was.
The many different ways to kill enemies reminded me very much of Bulletstorm's killshots. The quad-wielding felt so natural and when battles got hectic, multitasking with my arms, powers, and tentacles made me feel like a real badass. The game looked absolutely great.
Mike Patton was phenomenal (though I didn't expect any less from him). I loved Johnny and hearing him tell the stories about all of the different relics.
For me, this stands right up there with Darkness 1 and hopefully the people advising everyone to buy it real cheap don't dick us out of a third game.
The only thing I wish was different (and this is really minor) is that the Limited Edition was a steelbook case, but since this isn't a 'true' LE and all first-run prints are LE's, that couldn't really be expected of them.
I am very pleased with this game. When the news dropped about there being a sequel to The Darkness, I was ecstatic. I loved the first game.
As more and more news came out, I noticed more and more people talking shit. It was either "The graphics look like shit" or "No Kirk, no buy" or "Where's Starbreeze? Digital Extremes huh? Pass." And now that it came out, all I heard from people elsewhere on the net was "It's like 5 hours long...fuck that. I'll buy it when it's $20."
Well, I'm glad I didn't pay too much attention to what any of the detractors were/are saying or let any of it worry me. I went into this expecting it to be good and it was.
The many different ways to kill enemies reminded me very much of Bulletstorm's killshots. The quad-wielding felt so natural and when battles got hectic, multitasking with my arms, powers, and tentacles made me feel like a real badass. The game looked absolutely great.
Mike Patton was phenomenal (though I didn't expect any less from him). I loved Johnny and hearing him tell the stories about all of the different relics.
For me, this stands right up there with Darkness 1 and hopefully the people advising everyone to buy it real cheap don't dick us out of a third game.
The only thing I wish was different (and this is really minor) is that the Limited Edition was a steelbook case, but since this isn't a 'true' LE and all first-run prints are LE's, that couldn't really be expected of them.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
I didn't claim Singularity was original or had great variety anywhere so spending a few paragraphs to say the opposite is silly. Maybe you should have been telling me why The Darkness II is so great in case I missed something of it, as without even considering the II in its name, or the fact it's based on an existing IP, it's not at all original either. It's been a while but I don't think it has greater weapon variety, you just use the best of what the level allows you to for the most part, since there's no continuity between most and you scavenge what is there. There are a couple different SMGs, shotguns, assault rifles, pistols, etc, all with similar traits and accuracy, some with reloading differences, but inconsequential in how you actually play. Gee, I wonder what weapons you used in those final bits! Oh wait, there are only two, against an equal number of enemy types! And if you don't think gun channeling and the swarm (whatever it's called) are overpowered, then lol. It wasn't hard to anticipate when to use them for maximum effect with how predictable the encounters (including the boss patterns) were so don't try telling me they're balanced because of their cooldown. Nevermind never caring about ammo or health thanks to the tentacle finishers that get you a load of either. Maybe mechanically there's more variety thanks to the tentacles of The Darkness II but they're hardly anything to write home about. It's also funny that you mention Half-Life 2 as being copied by Singularity only when The Darkness II too more or less gives you the gravity gun functions. Pick up one object at a time, then throw it at an enemy. Original! Or repeatedly watch gory finishers! As for repeating puzzle-type sequences, gee, I wonder how I'm gonna get past that light for the 100th time! Why do I even try, I'm not even gonna comment on the whole villa and
asylum
jediyoshi
Member
Not trying hard enough.
Messofanego
Banned
The dialogue from all the guys in the mansion is hilarious. Fat Tony quoting Blade Runner(!) of all things and getting plus-size lingerie for plus-size girls in the kitchen. Dolfo and the target shooting, got all the flying rats! Butcher Joyce talking about human ears stuck on his shirt. Johnny Powell is a riot.
I love overhearing the NPC conversations, just like Max Payne/NOLF/Starbreeze games. Right outside the brothel an Eastern European is telling a joke about Tito, Ronald Reagan, and Gorbachev in a plane and knowing which country they're flying over by sticking their hands out the window. Is this an actual joke? Pretty funny.
Had to turn it off because about to enter the brothel, while my dad's having dinner, so can't continue lol. He did like the joke, though
Every mission so far has been pretty challenging (on Hitman difficulty), the Swifty boss battle was really cool with the lights moving around and having to focus on quite a bit of stuff. Throwing the Darkling has been very useful later in the warehouse, when I'm low on health and don't have items to throw around. Can't wait till I get to these mysterious new enemies that seem to be foreshadowed.
I love overhearing the NPC conversations, just like Max Payne/NOLF/Starbreeze games. Right outside the brothel an Eastern European is telling a joke about Tito, Ronald Reagan, and Gorbachev in a plane and knowing which country they're flying over by sticking their hands out the window. Is this an actual joke? Pretty funny.
Had to turn it off because about to enter the brothel, while my dad's having dinner, so can't continue lol. He did like the joke, though
Every mission so far has been pretty challenging (on Hitman difficulty), the Swifty boss battle was really cool with the lights moving around and having to focus on quite a bit of stuff. Throwing the Darkling has been very useful later in the warehouse, when I'm low on health and don't have items to throw around. Can't wait till I get to these mysterious new enemies that seem to be foreshadowed.
Robot Pants
Member
Whoa! I didn't realize this game was already out. I'm buying it tomorrow.
OT title should be, "JACKIE BOYY...."
OT title should be, "JACKIE BOYY...."
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Spoiler question:
Oh, and surprised they haven't done a Witchblade game yet, seeing as it's part of the universe and a pretty popular comic.
If Jackie supposedly dies and goes to Hell, the Darkness no longer has a Host, right? However, doesn't he commit suicide at the end and descend into Hell? If so, how is it that the Darkness is still with him?
Oh, and surprised they haven't done a Witchblade game yet, seeing as it's part of the universe and a pretty popular comic.
Messofanego
Banned
HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT
I finally got out of the
, there's way too much madness to explain in one post!
There's probably like 10 lines out of each of your gang, I probably spent half an hour with
?!
Jackie is crazy to see in the mirror!
I'm fucking pissed
, this is just getting more insane by the moment.
The Brotherhood is an awesome challenge to play against. Light shiners, Brotherhood dudes with guns, and then melee dudes?! Totally have to change up my strategy.
Good thing I checked the achievements and saw that you can dodge the incoming car in the garage.
I don't want this to end!
I finally got out of the
mental hospital
There's probably like 10 lines out of each of your gang, I probably spent half an hour with
Tom's Darkness puppets, Tony's weird fruit fetish, and now Dolfo is Adolf Hitler but who has been alive since WW 2
Bald
The Darkness comics by his bedside lol. And all the cool wall scrawls, a lot of attention to detail in the environment clutter.
I'm fucking pissed
at them killing Aunt Sara like that
I didn't choose which of my dudes to get offed, so it defaulted to the bald Eddie getting shot. And then you bring that up when speaking to his partner in the hospital. Did anyone go for the Left dude on the "snuff" screen?
The Brotherhood is an awesome challenge to play against. Light shiners, Brotherhood dudes with guns, and then melee dudes?! Totally have to change up my strategy.
The torture scene was even better than the drill one by the corrupt cop in the first game.
Good thing I checked the achievements and saw that you can dodge the incoming car in the garage.
I don't want this to end!
This is my interpretation:
That wasn't Hell.
As we all know, The Darkness needs a human host in order to live. Whenever Jackie dies, his mind/soul is placed in a dream realm/ alternate dimension created by The Darkness. This is done to prevent him from going to Hell, while the Darkness can repair his body. To put it simply, The Darkness refuses it's host to die. It will do anything it can to keep you alive so that it can exist.
In the first game, Jackie was sent to realm that resembled World War I. When Jackie became self aware and realized where he was, not only was he able to go back to reality, but he was also able to assume true control over The Darkness.
Essentially, the asylum in the second game is the same thing as the WWI dimension. It's an alternate world to pre-occupy Jackie's mind. When you decide to reject Jenny and jump off the roof, that is the point in which Jackie becomes self aware, thus the "dream" falls apart. He then ends up in the true realm of the Darkness, where it is vulnerable of being controlled. This is also where it's holding Jenny's soul, which it has used as leverage against Jackie since her death in the first game.
Like Victor said, The Darkness hates anything that is intelligent, free thinking and self aware. It prefers a host that it can easily manipulate. It's mistake was creating a world that included people in which Jackie knew in reality. Overtime, as more things made less sense, he realized that The Darkness was playing tricks on him and attempting to gain control over his mind.
As we all know, The Darkness needs a human host in order to live. Whenever Jackie dies, his mind/soul is placed in a dream realm/ alternate dimension created by The Darkness. This is done to prevent him from going to Hell, while the Darkness can repair his body. To put it simply, The Darkness refuses it's host to die. It will do anything it can to keep you alive so that it can exist.
In the first game, Jackie was sent to realm that resembled World War I. When Jackie became self aware and realized where he was, not only was he able to go back to reality, but he was also able to assume true control over The Darkness.
Essentially, the asylum in the second game is the same thing as the WWI dimension. It's an alternate world to pre-occupy Jackie's mind. When you decide to reject Jenny and jump off the roof, that is the point in which Jackie becomes self aware, thus the "dream" falls apart. He then ends up in the true realm of the Darkness, where it is vulnerable of being controlled. This is also where it's holding Jenny's soul, which it has used as leverage against Jackie since her death in the first game.
Like Victor said, The Darkness hates anything that is intelligent, free thinking and self aware. It prefers a host that it can easily manipulate. It's mistake was creating a world that included people in which Jackie knew in reality. Overtime, as more things made less sense, he realized that The Darkness was playing tricks on him and attempting to gain control over his mind.
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Well, in the first game, Jackie does mention that Hell could possibly be a state of mind and not an actual place. However, at least for me, the realm of The Darkness and Hell are two different things.
I replayed and finished the first game again today. It still holds up and is a lot of fun. Atmosphere out the ass.
indigo-cyclops
Member
I agree. Something is off. It sounds like someone trying too hard to take directions like "be more hellish," or something. I'm a Patton fan, in all the ways one could be, but the original game, he sounded much better. It's hokey this time around. Should have had more effects added to it or something.
And now after watching a clip, to remind myself. Holy fuck. It's like night and day HOW MUCH BETTER his VA is in the first game. What the hell happened there?
He had a more more diverse range. Higher highs and lower lows. Plus, Patton displayed many emotions and feelings, including frusturation, fear, agitation, impatience, intimidation, flattery, sarcasm and even humor. Not to mention, Starbreeze added a ton of post processing and effects over his voice to make it sound even more demonic.
In the second game, The Darkness is just angry all the time. It lines were too abrupt and not nearly as long or involved as they were in the first game. In The Darkness, it had horrifying monologues, while in the Darkness II, it has random, short bursts of rage. There's very little variance in it's voice.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Yea, and it just sounds like some guy, in this case Patton, doing a voice-over. I really think more needed to be done to that voice. It really is my biggest complaint from the game, considering how the first one is. I'm watching some parts of the first game and it's astonishing how much better it is. Incredibly intense.
I honestly don't care about "breaking" the game. This is a game about having fun with your quad-wielding ability & other various abilities. Everything's there for you to abuse. Not sure about you or others, but that's a lot of fun to me. This is not like Skyrim's abuse, where you find "holes" to breakthrough and power you character. This is intentionally created for the player to enjoy and have fun.
I'd care about balancing if it was a competitive game, but it's not. It's a fun adventure and I enjoy fun gameplay. No offense but you sound like the people who criticize Mega Man 2's Metal Blade for being too powerful. It may be overpowered, but eh. Have fun dude.
Too bad. I really loved that aspect of the original.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Such balance issues are usually of no consequence to me either, unless they harm said gameplay. I personally mentioned other reasons for not liking The Darkness II much. If you had paid attention you'd have seen that what you quoted wasn't my main issues with the game, as most of it is things I didn't mention in previous posts, but just me showing his reasoning for condemning Singularity alone as shitty is flawed because most of the points he used, the lack of originality, balance, and repeats of puzzles, apply 1:1 to The Darkness II just as well, in the ways I outlined there. But eh. Have fun telling me what I sound like dude.
Fully-controlled quad-wielding is original and tons of fun. And there's no "puzzles" in The Darkness II at all. If you mean the way you fight enemies and figure out how to, say, overcome their different tactics (light, melee, shield) then it doesn't even warrant that much of a criticism because the game itself is short and this variety only shows up around the 2nd third of the game. You have the swarms for the light dudes if they're annoying you, and channeling for pretty much anything you encounter. I usually forget to use them as I'm busy with the tentacles and guns, but they saved my ass whenever I really needed them.
Oh and
All you said in your previous posts are: the game is generic and boring, and it has co-op but you don't care about that. Not sure what I missed and how I didn't pay attention. You not liking its theme or atmosphere is totally subjective and I can't comment on that; I'm not a fan of Mafia and stereotypes but I enjoyed the characters because the VA is superb and, just like the first game, the dialogues were fun. If that doesn't appeal to you then fine. I can't pick on your personal taste but I can discuss facts like game mechanics.
You're entitled to your opinion, and even if there's no "flaw" in the game you're not supposed to love it either. But I think you're channeling too much anger at the game that's not warranted. I'm not trying to prove you wrong and simply enjoying discussing it, but I don't fully get your complaints. When others criticize the story and how the first game nailed it better, I see that as a valid argument despite what I think (and I agree with them) but your complaints are just that.
Get laid.
Baloonatic
Member
Pleasantly surprised with Vendetta mode but that may be because I didn't even know it existed before buying the game.
Still, 4 characters with unique abilities and new dialogue and stuff is pretty cool. Even most (all?) of the levels are new.
Still, 4 characters with unique abilities and new dialogue and stuff is pretty cool. Even most (all?) of the levels are new.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
I have no idea what you're on about with this "hate" and "anger" talk, again you must have not been paying attention. Or you're projecting your feelings for me as feelings I have showcased myself. Whatever, it's not the subject at hand. I made a few passing remarks as I was playing and finishing the game and that all there is to it. I'm sorry if any of that offended you.
Then came the confrontation with Kritz that caught your attention. Again, the post you first quoted isn't hate about the game, just taking the points made against Singularity, which I made the mistake of saying I liked better, and showing they also apply to The Darkness II. Because they do. If facts are hate then I don't know what to tell you. And yes, there were frequent light puzzles that had nothing to do with how to beat enemies in the game, just taking a second to figure out how to bypass a given obstacle in front of you, by disabling a generator, shooting a light bulb blocking your darkness, whatever else, not dissimilar to other easy puzzles found in FPS games during action downtime. You probably didn't give them much attention. I didn't either, just as I didn't pay much attention to the puzzles in Singularity that Kritz slammed. They were still there however, in both games rather than just in Singularity, which was my only point in that post, as I never said most of that stuff was the reason I didn't find it very good. If I thought such traits are enough to condemn a game for, then I clearly wouldn't have enjoyed Singularity, which shares them.
I dunno why I even have to repeat any of this, my previous posts were clear enough, but you keep missing half the shit in them, yet are still compelled enough to respond to them, for whatever reason. As for your recap of what I've said, lol. I also find it weird that you think it's ok for someone who played the first game to say he didn't like the story of the 2nd as much yet someone who hasn't played the first game and just said he also didn't like some of those things, is just complaining. But whatever works for you.
I could fall to your level and mention what kind of person tries to insult others in this manner but eh, lol.Echoes said:
What did I miss? You said you didn't like A and B and I tried to address those things. You say the gameplay is harmed because of how the abilities are unbalanced and that makes zero sense.
Because they pointed out what made the story in the first game so compelling in opposed to the 2nd game. You, not playing the first game, has nothing to do with this.
You don't have to justify your opinion or complaints, but when you do they make absolutely no sense to me. I'm mainly speaking about the gameplay and not the atmosphere or theme.
And hey, I was joking. Sorry.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Hey man, it's what I like/don't like. What's so hard to get?
Uh, I never said that. Again, for the whateverth time, here's how it went. I made a few short remarks as I played the game, among which I said I thought Singularity is better. At that point I never mentioned the balance or anything. A dude responded saying Singularity is shitty, for such and such reasons. Such as the lack of balance. I responded saying but hey, The Darkness II has such and such reasons too. Such as the lack of balance you agreed is there but to you inconsquential. Which I agreed it is. That wasn't me saying The Darkness II is shitty because of it, or shitty at all, that was me saying Singularity can't be shitty just for those claimed reasons since The Darkness II, which wasn't called shitty by him, includes pretty much all of them, as shown. Simple.
Sorry, I can actually not like the story/characters much even without playing the original. Dunno why's that hard to get.
Dunno why. Too bad.
If I can be free to give some advice: it's just that the tone of your last couple of posts was pretty negative, which leads other people to be snarky back.
If you go back and calmly read this post:
you'll notice how it kind of reads like a giant blob of nerdrage. And I don't even disagree very much with the points your making.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
It's an 1:1 analogy of the points made against Singularity, ie, outside few exceptions in that post, not the reasons I didn't like the game for. So yes, nerdrage showing that's all those same points against Singularity were, as both games share those traits but only one was called shitty (and not by me, and I didn't call The Darkness II shitty or anything, the most I said of it was "not very good" with "boring and pointless instances" "dodgy characers" and a "stupid ending sequence", which is my opinion and that is all).
You're right, I'll refrain from telling people to go get laid. Oh wait...
Aaanyway, I'm done here, standing by my 1st post's gist and that's all there is to it.
Messofanego
Banned
You didn't get the Limited Edition? It has a double-sided poster with him in the throne on the front.
omg awesome double sided poster inside the case.
Uh huh.
Well, in the mean time while you're banging on about being attacked personally or something,
The Darkness 2 is great because of how visually involved the player is with anything happening on the screen. At any one moment you're gravity gunning game objects or bodies at dudes, anything you throw is exploding, you're setting off black holes and shooting dual revolvers with explosive ammo and you're ripping dudes in half. And this stuff never stops. Ignoring the story segments, there's hardly ever a moment during combat where shit just isn't going off the wall.
To compare that to Singularity, you are shooting the same gun the same way at the same dudes. You get a 20 frame animation of a gun firing, and you see a dude ragdoll at the other end of the screen. Sometimes little swarming enemies attack you, and that's a barrel of fun. Sometimes you fight a big bug thing which takes about a whole clip of ammo to kill. I think the game had grenades? Not that you ever used them.
I'd argue that being overpowered is plot vindicated in The Darkness, because you're this crazy snake god. In Singularity, you're some fucking dude with a gun. In The Darkness, the "puzzles" were integrated into the combat as opposed to closed off sections trying to fill up the "how do we copy half life 2 some more" quota. They weren't good combat puzzles, they were just another thing the game wanted you to shoot.
I'd want to assume that the dumb QTE door opening sequences were done for loading time reasons / to prevent you from blowing through the level when badguys were around, but I suppose that doesn't excuse them. I never felt that they were much of a thing to complain about, though. As far as time wasting obstruction I found them inoffensive.
I'm not here to argue that Darkness 2 is better than Darkness 1, because it isn't really. The combat's better, for sure, but I'm not down with a lot of other elements. Having said that, I think I might as well do the "fun" argument. So rarely in The Darkness 2 was I not having fun playing it - I enjoyed talking to dudes in the mansion, I really enjoyed murderin' dudes during missions, though I wasn't super fond of forced stealth section. In Singularity it was so rare that I was ever enjoying myself. There were some alright slow motion shooting sections towards the end of the game, and the morale choice thing at the end was interesting in that there were three ways to resolve it. That's about it.
More or less, I didn't enjoy playing Singularity at all. It had so little to like, it bored me to play, I didn't care about any of the four characters the game had and I was playing it simply to finish it.
Also, dude, don't overreact when someone wants to have a conversation with you. What the fuck was going on here:
"Oh wait, I didn't actually try, I just said what I think of the game and some people had to try and tell me my opinion is wrong"
"As if I said everyone should agree when I mentioned I wished I agree with those who find this better (or even just great). Well, have fun, I didn't have much of it, or as much as with Singularity, end of story. "
"If you had paid attention"
"again you must have not been paying attention. Or you're projecting your feelings for me as feelings I have showcased myself. "
"I'm sorry if any of that offended you."
"but you keep missing half the shit in them, yet are still compelled enough to respond to them, for whatever reason."
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Finished. All in all, this game will go down with Bulletstorm and, to a lesser extent, Singularity, as one of the better pure run-and-gun first person shooters of this generation that most people ignored. Pros and cons.
Pros before hoes:
- Extremely satisfying gunplay. The sound, weight, animation, kick back and visual/audio feedback from every shot and impact was basically perfect. It felt fucking good to simply shoot stuff. Sharp, punchy crackle of gunfire, gutsy splatter of gore, and great visual effects that made it feel like you were really ripping everything to shreds. Satisfying gunplay is the number one priority of every first person shooter, especially a run and gun shooter, and The Darkness II nailed it.
- As with the above, the integration of darkness powers into the combat scheme is smooth and accessible. Juggling between picking up garbage to use as a shield or weapon, slashing, and performing executions while also shooting and managing your guns was never tedious or clumsy. Good stuff.
- Gorgeous art. The game looked really stunning and nailed the 'comic book' vibe. Fantastic use of colours and contrasting tones, pencil sketch textures and pen outline. I fucking loved the look of the game and the way the artist imagined each environment. Very distinct and original, and pleasing to the eyes. Pretty lively character animation too.
- The soundtrack, while subtle, was something I really enjoyed. Good mood setters during the slower sections, and a great backing soundtrack when you're blowing stuff up.
- Despite being heavily scripted, something I usually dislike, the narrative was consistently engaging and interesting, largely thanks to a water tight script and some of the best voice acting I've seen in a game for some time. Characters were convincing and authentic, and not a single line seemed out of place. The lead up to set pieces and important plot points never dragged or felt bloated with information run-downs. Scripty shooter developers should take note, because this is how you create a great, enjoyable narrative.
- I liked the story. Simple, interesting, and had good hooks to keep me playing and guessing. It took it's basic premise and ran with it, never bloating it into something more than it is, nor rushing through important exposition. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I guess they're leaving room for another game, it it did make sense in the context of events (it was also quite predictable).
Cons:
- Worst FOV in the history of FOVs. It was like I was looking down a scope for the entire game. Goddamnit game, who do you think you are, Killzone?
- Very, very short. Consistently fun, but yeah, very short.
- Wasn't too big of a fan of the 'stealth' sections. They played well enough, weren't tedious and offered a nice twist, but I didn't really care for them. Didn't dislike them, but yeah, I wouldn't miss them if they were gone.
- Flash light dudes were a bit annoying from time to time. I liked the dynamic they introduced to encounters, but there were a few moments where the AI seemed to bug out and a flash light guy and a solder would camp at a single chock point. Once I was out of ammo when this happened, and I was pretty much screwed until I found something to throw and kinda glitched the game to get the shot in.
- I thought most of the encounters were well designed, as the levels were more or less funnelled, but there was one or two where enemy spawns came from behind and other unexpected entry points, which lead to a little bit of trial-by-error gameplay, which is not good. Few and far between though, so not a huge complaints.
Otherwise I cant really think of anything else. Very short game, but I thought it was sublime. Felt good to shoot stuff, the action was exciting, darkness powers worked well, gorgeous graphics and excellent presentation, all wrapped in an interesting and well paced narrative. Again, like Bulletstorm, it's a pure run-and-gun shooter with some modern trimmings and it's own unique twists, and deserved to be played.
GOOD STUFF.
EDIT: Also, and I'm sure this has been mentioned, but during one of Jackie's intermission monologues, you can clearly see that
Pros before hoes:
- Extremely satisfying gunplay. The sound, weight, animation, kick back and visual/audio feedback from every shot and impact was basically perfect. It felt fucking good to simply shoot stuff. Sharp, punchy crackle of gunfire, gutsy splatter of gore, and great visual effects that made it feel like you were really ripping everything to shreds. Satisfying gunplay is the number one priority of every first person shooter, especially a run and gun shooter, and The Darkness II nailed it.
- As with the above, the integration of darkness powers into the combat scheme is smooth and accessible. Juggling between picking up garbage to use as a shield or weapon, slashing, and performing executions while also shooting and managing your guns was never tedious or clumsy. Good stuff.
- Gorgeous art. The game looked really stunning and nailed the 'comic book' vibe. Fantastic use of colours and contrasting tones, pencil sketch textures and pen outline. I fucking loved the look of the game and the way the artist imagined each environment. Very distinct and original, and pleasing to the eyes. Pretty lively character animation too.
- The soundtrack, while subtle, was something I really enjoyed. Good mood setters during the slower sections, and a great backing soundtrack when you're blowing stuff up.
- Despite being heavily scripted, something I usually dislike, the narrative was consistently engaging and interesting, largely thanks to a water tight script and some of the best voice acting I've seen in a game for some time. Characters were convincing and authentic, and not a single line seemed out of place. The lead up to set pieces and important plot points never dragged or felt bloated with information run-downs. Scripty shooter developers should take note, because this is how you create a great, enjoyable narrative.
- I liked the story. Simple, interesting, and had good hooks to keep me playing and guessing. It took it's basic premise and ran with it, never bloating it into something more than it is, nor rushing through important exposition. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I guess they're leaving room for another game, it it did make sense in the context of events (it was also quite predictable
).Cons:
- Worst FOV in the history of FOVs. It was like I was looking down a scope for the entire game. Goddamnit game, who do you think you are, Killzone?
- Very, very short. Consistently fun, but yeah, very short.
- Wasn't too big of a fan of the 'stealth' sections. They played well enough, weren't tedious and offered a nice twist, but I didn't really care for them. Didn't dislike them, but yeah, I wouldn't miss them if they were gone.
- Flash light dudes were a bit annoying from time to time. I liked the dynamic they introduced to encounters, but there were a few moments where the AI seemed to bug out and a flash light guy and a solder would camp at a single chock point. Once I was out of ammo when this happened, and I was pretty much screwed until I found something to throw and kinda glitched the game to get the shot in.
- I thought most of the encounters were well designed, as the levels were more or less funnelled, but there was one or two where enemy spawns came from behind and other unexpected entry points, which lead to a little bit of trial-by-error gameplay, which is not good. Few and far between though, so not a huge complaints.
Otherwise I cant really think of anything else. Very short game, but I thought it was sublime. Felt good to shoot stuff, the action was exciting, darkness powers worked well, gorgeous graphics and excellent presentation, all wrapped in an interesting and well paced narrative. Again, like Bulletstorm, it's a pure run-and-gun shooter with some modern trimmings and it's own unique twists, and deserved to be played.
GOOD STUFF.
EDIT: Also, and I'm sure this has been mentioned, but during one of Jackie's intermission monologues, you can clearly see that
his shadow is projecting a 'bald' Jackie, as he appears in the asylum, not the one with hair.
exmachina64
Banned
I agree with EYEL1NER. I loved the art style, story, and quad-wielding. Yes, the campaign was a little short, the voice actor changed, the game is more linear, etc., but I feel we're going to lose something unique if this doesn't sell well enough. Here's hoping for a Darkness 3 or a Witchblade game.
keltickennedy
Member
Beat it over the weekend. Enjoyed it over all. I dug the new "quad wielding" mechanics and leveling system. As for overall story and atmosphere, i prefer the first game hands down. In fact after beating 2, I actually went back and started replaying the first game again. Really wish they incorporated more of the same world structure as the first game with the sequel. I liked the new cell shaded "illustrated look" for the sequel, but again prefer what Starbreeze did in the original with the textures and lighting.
indigo-cyclops
Member
I don't know, the voice of the Darkness in this one, I think, is downright silly. Just compare the original to this one and you'll shake your head in shock. The direction of the V-acting must have been off or something. It just sounds...lame.
The Darkness in the first game was gut-wrenching and horrific, as it should be. It shouldn't sound like a human voice AT ALL IMO, let alone one trying to sound crazy. Patton's versatility is a great basis for the voice, but it needed so much more.
mysocksarepink
Banned
I seriously fucking love this game. It's so satisfying blasting away with duel wielding desert eagles while simultaneously ripping someone into half
But rly? $60 for a 5 hour campaign? I wish they included a far more fleshe out version of the original darknesses multiplayer... I got a strong natural selection vibe from it.
This is one series I want to see continue... so I hope the sales warrant a sequel
But rly? $60 for a 5 hour campaign? I wish they included a far more fleshe out version of the original darknesses multiplayer... I got a strong natural selection vibe from it.
This is one series I want to see continue... so I hope the sales warrant a sequel
I seriously fucking love this game. It's so satisfying blasting away with duel wielding desert eagles while simultaneously ripping someone into half
But rly? $60 for a 5 hour campaign? I wish they included a far more fleshe out version of the original darknesses multiplayer... I got a strong natural selection vibe from it.
This is one series I want to see continue... so I hope the sales warrant a sequel
You do realize you can play the co-op campaign solo?
I was amazed by the length(3-4hrs) and quality of the co-op as well as the hit lists, something the reviewers fail to mention when complaining about length.
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
Man, it bums me to read about the Patton voice direction
Nice review EatChildren, that's pretty much how I felt about the game.
Digital Extremes best game so far, guess doing mercenary work for a while (Bioshock 2 multiplayer, Homefront PC version) payed off.
It's odd that all the other voice work is fucking amazing. Johnny Powell is a great character.
Aside from Patton's delivery, the Darkess doesn't really have that much dialogue in this game, so that might be part of it.
Digital Extremes best game so far, guess doing mercenary work for a while (Bioshock 2 multiplayer, Homefront PC version) payed off.
Man, it bums me to read about the Patton voice direction
It's odd that all the other voice work is fucking amazing. Johnny Powell is a great character.
Aside from Patton's delivery, the Darkess doesn't really have that much dialogue in this game, so that might be part of it.
keltickennedy
Member
Man, it bums me to read about the Patton voice direction
I'm just glad they got rid of Nolan North for the role of Jackie. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
http://youtu.be/swTcGAVR7GY