The Darkness (Xbox 360) | 
 enlarge | From: Take 2 Interactive
Category: Video Games
List Price: £44.99
Buy Used: £7.00
You Save: £37.99 (84%)
New (15) Used (43) from £7.00
Rating:  47 reviews
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: horror-action-games
Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
ESRB: Adults Only
Media: Video Game
Age: 11 - 18 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 5026555245623
EAN: 5026555245623
ASIN: B000FJ6WBC
Release Date: June 28, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: 5026555245623
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| Editorial Reviews:
Manufacturer's Description:
The Darkness video game is based on TopCow's cult comic hit of the same name that was written by famed comic-book author, Paul Jenkins, and co-created by famed comic-book artist, Marc Silvestri. The story for The Darkness video game was also written in collaboration with Paul Jenkins.The Darkness is a gritty, first-person, action-adventure game with a horror twist. On mafia hitman Jackie Estacado's 21st birthday, the awesome and terrible powers of the Darkness awaken within him allowing Jackie to wreak havoc on his enemies. In the game, players experience extremely intense and immersive cinematic action. Players will have an array of dark and other-worldly powers available, including cannibalizing the corpses of slain victims and transforming them into Darklings - impish demonites that commit unspeakable acts.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Looks awesome April 6, 2007
Mr. S. M. Tull (N. Wales, Conwy)
30 out of 63 found this review helpful
Luckily, I've managed to get a sneak peek at some gamneplay footage and all I can say is 'wow'
From the same studio as 'chronicles of riddick - escape from butcher bay' is almost a seal f approval in itself. The story sounds very engrosing - its an adapted story of the comic book's which goes a little something like this:
The universe was created, with 3 seperate entities, one being the darkness. it was attracted to humans possibly for their dark nature. anyway your father was killed at the moment of your conception (as the darkness passes on) and you were left in an orphanage, picked up by your new mob father who brings you up to be a mafia hitman. However on your 21st birthday, something inside you has been gathering strength and bursts forth. your father, scared orders you killed. whle wandering hell, someone offers you hope which gets you out and you go on a huge revenge mission. However you're new 'uncle paulie' has gathered whats going on, and to establish himself as the alpha male, video tapes your lifelong friend being murdered and sends it to you. you go and kick ass and take over the mob.
That's the comic's story, as I said it's being adapted for the game. I'm 90% sure of the changes but i don't wanna spoil it anymore.
Gameplay wise it looks awesome. in light you're like any other human. room full of thugs? shoot out the lights and unleash hell basicaly! tentacles sprout out of you, impaling people, biting off their heads, flinging cars around, pulling down helicopters - it's just total carnage all the way.
In one section of gameplay footage, you're pinned down in an alleyway, so you impale a huge bin, put it in the way of the bullets and send a tentacle up an air vent, out the other side and maul the guys to death.
Graphics, they look pretty damn sweet, with the violence looking up to gears standard. if you watch the newest trailer on gamespot, one of the creatures you summon leaps on a badguy, takes him down whist sawing his head off. another uses a pneumatic drill!!
Sounds looks great with a cool classical music score.
they're using every last inch of space on the dvd too, with real tv shows playing in the game on tv's
all i can say from the trailers and backknowledge is WOW. if you're curious, check out wikipedia and read up on the comic.
My only gripe is the consant delay! it was meant to be out already now it's due in the summer!!! ARGH!
AMAZING July 5, 2007
G. Court (Surrey, UK)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Unlike the other review currently listed, I've actually just finished playing and completing The Darkness. Let me first make one very important point - I've never, ever, felt compelled after purchasing any product to go online and write a review. I always wondered why people bothered. Maybe if it's really good or really bad and you want to warn the public sure, but never if it's mediocre. But this game, The Darkness, makes me want to sit every single person I know down, give them a controller, and MAKE them play it because it's one of those things that you just feel is SO good that everyone should have the joy of experiencing it.
I watched the gametrailers review before I bought it and whilst they were positive, they weren't sure about the controls. Let me set the record straight, they are numerous ways of customising the speed, precision, acceleration and accuracy of the control system. Get the sensitivity right, turn off auto-aim and lower the 'free look' option and you can get it just perfect - so much so that even when I had the bigger guns later in the game, I always favoured the pistols because if you get a headshot, they go down, accurate, satisfying. The graphics are simply the BEST I have ever seen in a first person shooter with NO EXCEPTIONS. Gears of War looked amazing, this is in a different realm of realism - you'll be blown away. The voice acting and motion captured movement of the characters is faultless. But if there's one thing that makes this game stand out as one of the best games I have ever played, it's the story and the way it evolves with you. From the intro to the credits, you move with the story, enveloped in its twists, highs and lows. It really makes you feel like you're controlling the anger and emotion of the main character - experience it for yourself.
Can't comment on the multiplayer - that's not why I bought it. There are so many multiplayer deathmatch games out there, none of them as good as the Halo experience and few with a solid single player, so it's great to have a brilliant single player game on the market.
My only criticism is that sometimes it can be annoying travelling between destinations for those impatient amongst us, but in the grand scheme of things, if you plan what you're doing at each location, it doesn't effect your enjoyment of the game one bit.
In sum - BUY THIS NOW. I'm a videogame enthusiast, I have good taste, I don't buy rubbish and I don't get excited about a game unless it's really good 'cause normally I don't have the time to sit and play. So a game has to be good to get me to sacrifice everything else - The Darkness was it. Became obsessed, completed it, now want a sequel. I only hope Starbreeze Studios read this review and get on with Part 2!
The Darkness: Best game so far this year! July 1, 2007
Ads (UK)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
Honestly, I've never had so much fun. The level of immersion and atmosphere in this game is unbelievable.
It starts with a dramatic car chase, which wouldn't be out of place in a mega-budget action movie. From there you can explore the subway station. Lights hum and flicker as you get near to them, people go about their own business, trains come and go, you can even use telephones, call customer services and even watch the TV, change channels, and watch entire films, cartoons and music videos. The level of realism will freak you out.
At the same time the game is so creepy. Ultra-realistic lighting makes the game almost photorealistic at times. The use of sound effects and eerie music, along with the voices of the darklings, will make your hairs stand on end.
The ultimate next-gen experience. If you have a 360, you really must get this game. If you don't, buy one today!
 Over-hyped July 1, 2007
John Hancock
6 out of 17 found this review helpful
I guess this just shows you should ignore reviews written off the back of demos and pre-release footage. This game looks absolutely fantastic and is very slickly produced - the opening level absolutely blew me away and I thought I was in for a real treat. As an FPS however it is not very good, the character moves incredibly slowly, the range of weapons is very limited and you always seem to be short of ammo. The Darkness powers are interesting but the minions you summon are stupid and weak. By the time you've turned off or shot all the lights in a room so they can actually be effective, you may as well have just shot all the people yourself (if you've got enough ammo). And to be honest, I've got better things to be doing than running around shooting light bulbs. The map is vague and I seem to find my way through levels more by luck than judgement. The main character also really gets on my nerves in his little monologues between scenes.
Bottom line, this does look great and there are some good scenes but it doesn't really satisfy as a complete package.
 Goodfellas meets the crow, with hellraiser thrown in?......cool! July 3, 2007
S. J. Charlton (York England)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
First off I shall apologise I have never read the comic that this game is based on, but have played a good 4 hours of the Darkness and can give you an idea what to expect from the Darkness!
You play Jackie a young mafia Hitman who along with two other wise guys has managed to bocth a simple collection job given to him by the Don uncle Paulie. Now uncle Paulie is less than pleased and thinks Jackie boy has pocketed said dollar, and when you decide to carry on with your 2nd assignment taking out a forman on a building site, Paulie takes his revenge, and you suddenly have the cast of soprano's on your ass.
This would normally mean the end of Jackies short but eventfull life, he's only 21 and today happens to be his birthday. What does Jackie get for his 21st? a new car? No a new puppy No? not even a new shotgun! He gets possessed by the Darkness! which not only speaks to him with a very cool demonic voice but also manifests it's self as two snake like creatures that come out of his shoulder blades and sit each size of the screen. These don't only look freeking sweet but they move, snap, snarl and hiss making them look really alive. The Darkness also allows you to see better (erm..in the darkness) and when you kill some sumbag it is very rewarding to stand over a body tap A button and watch the snake thing rip out his heart, the other head even trys to grap it from him and tug the heart till it rips in half!!!! You can even control the arms independantly by the RB button. Stab them through someones chest, run one thru an air vent and kill an unreachable thug or create a black hole and suck them into oblivion plus loags more cool stuff. yes I do love this game.
The game plays very well and is very fun, the graphics are great, the story is very well written and really drags you in to it and you actually care about the charcters. It's a fairy lengthy game too which makes a refreshing change nowadays (cough GOW, GRAW2). BUT there is always a but isn't there! the game does let its self down a bit, when I read the box I thought cool turn into demonic beast and send hardened criminals running scared! erm no. Not one enemy seems the slightest but bothered you have huge snake like demons coming out for ur back or glowing eyes! In fact i din't think they could even see them till one shouted "Ur demon s**t don't scare us??? Even the main charcter Jackie doesn't seem to notice them, he doesn't even wonder whats happened to him! he seems more bothered about his uncle being cross with him than being possessed by this darkness he doen't even mention it in a cut scene for the first 4 hours!
These are minor gripes that just bother me probable not any one else, this game is still the best FPS i have played in a long time and would def reccomend it especially to anyone who is bored of your run of the mill shooters this is definatly different!
Not sure what Marlon Brando would make of it?
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