|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 26 0 0 |
|
 Excellent  Good  Mediocre  Poor |
|
|
|
|
|
Platform: |
|
Xbox 360 |
|
Genre: |
|
First-Person Shooter |
|
Developer: |
|
Digital Extremes |
ESRB: |
Mature |
Release: |
February 7, 2012 |
Publisher: |
2K Games |
Also On: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Critic Reviews The following reviews are used to calculate the overall reception for this game. All applicable scores are converted to our simplified rating system based on the specifics offered by each publication or the tone of each review. You can read more about how we do this here.
February 13, 2012 - Excellent - Meandering, overlong, and too married to its own mythos, The Darkness wound up being a better first-person relationship simulator than it was a game. The Darkness II feels like an attempt to stick to what worked and cut the fat.
February 7, 2012 - Excellent - Come November, when everyone's blistering their thumbs on new Call of Duty and Halo entries, The Darkness II will probably be a distant memory. Until then though, it deserves a regular spot in your gaming rotation-and in your nightmares.
February 7, 2012 - Excellent - Even if some of the narrative moments fall short of the original, the new content and new powers more than make up for it. The Darkness II didn't knock its predecessor from the top of my list of favorite narrative shooters, but it comes in as a very close second.
February 3, 2012 - Excellent - The Darkness II's copious gore might upset sensitive stomachs, but it's vastly superior to its predecessor in every respect, spinning a frantic, fantastic neo-noir nightmare you won't want to end. Even those who ordinarily dismiss horror with a shake of the head should give it a shot.
February 7, 2012 - Excellent - Without dipping our toes into spoiler water, it's one of the best shooter-stories we've seen in years - justifying its own ludicrous nature in interesting and unexpected ways. If the ending didn't feel like such a cop-out, The Darkness II could have been on par with BioShock. As it is, the gripping narrative and wonderfully empowering combat mean you'll be talking about it for months after completing it.
February 28, 2012 - Excellent - "Corridor" used to be a dirty word in shooters. Time was I thought a linear corridor-based shooter was a lost cause. [...] But then along came the Bioshocks, and games that did such nifty things with the shooting that I didn't mind the corridors. [...] And now The Darkness II, a sequel to a game I didn't even like, drive home the point that corridor doesn't have to be a dirty word.
February 7, 2012 - Good - I applaud everything that developer Starbreeze did to establish The Darkness in video game form, but Digital Extremes takes things a step further and the end results are truly impressive.
February 8, 2012 - Good - At times, The Darkness II is an absolute blast, especially during the many intense firefights when the player has to juggle firing on enemies, shooting out lights, and using the Darkness to regain health. The quiet moments impress as well, especially those that make the player question Jackie's version of reality.
February 13, 2012 - Good - I've certainly been left wanting to see what happens next. I just hope a future game allows for more balanced playing styles. [It's] a must-play for fans of the first game and the comics, but beware the lack of balance between combat and story.
February 7, 2012 - Good - Although The Darkness II is a far-from-perfect shooter, it does tell a compelling story that compares favourably to genre greats such as BioShock, Half-Life 2 and Resistance 3. There's depth and thought here even amongst the New Yoik gangsterism and bloody action.
February 7, 2012 - Good - The Darkness II succeeds far more than it fails. The single-player experience features some genuine emotion in its narrative, something games which don't feature skull-extricating tentacles rarely manage to accomplish. And while the Vendettas cooperative multiplayer content feels lackluster by comparison, it's not bad either and serves to pad out this short but otherwise delightful game.
February 7, 2012 - Good - There's an awful lot to like. Weedy SMGs aside, the gunplay is rock solid, and your evolving Darkness powers encourage experimentation, elevating what would otherwise be a rote shooter. And while the screenshots suggest a hyper-violent fantasy take on the well-worn Mafia tale, The Darkness II is a love story at its core.
February 7, 2012 - Good - Everything old is new again, so by concentrating on character, story and giddy comic-book excess, The Darkness 2 is a more compelling offering in 2012 than it would have been in 2008. It may be little more than a gore-soaked custard slice on the great gaming buffet table, but it's a guilty pleasure worth tasting all the same.
February 7, 2012 - Good - Despite the anticlimactic ending, shoddy boss fights, and lackluster multiplayer, The Darkness 2 is an extremely impressive game. It oozes style, packs an emotional punch, and manages to be effectively balance bombastic violence with understated character development, ensuring that when the Darkness is unleashed you care.
February 7, 2012 - Good - The Darkness II is more of a rebirth for the series than the sequel it's trying to be. The action is mindless and fevered, and Jackie has transformed from a vengeful protagonist into someone who probably listens to "Dream Weaver" as he cries himself to sleep. I found it to be an interesting journey, mostly just to see how different it is from the original.
February 14, 2012 - Good - The Darkness II's less dour, more fantastical take on the shooter is a welcome change of pace to the string of samey combat scenarios publishers have assured us we can't get enough of over the past five years.
February 7, 2012 - Good - The Darkness II is a fun, very short FPS without the authentic atmosphere and subtle touches that made its predecessor so intriguing. Still, if you've got a lust for virtual blood, The Darkness II leaks enough of it to satiate you.
February 7, 2012 - Good - While it lacks some of the openness and emotional pull of its predecessor, The Darkness II is a highly polished, immensely fun shooter that delivers a stellar mix of over-the-top gore, furious action and clever, character-focused storytelling.
February 10, 2012 - Good - If The Darkness III were to combine the best of the first and second games, we'd have ourselves a winner for the ages - as it stands, we have a game definitely worth a playthrough, but probably not worth tripping over yourself to slap down the cash for.
February 7, 2012 - Good - The Darkness still packs plenty of gut appeal, with limbs being sheared and torsos torn asunder. Alas, players cannot sustain themselves on gore alone. Ultimately, the ultra violence will whet your appetite for bloodlust, but fail to slake your thirst for a truly great game.
February 7, 2012 - Good - Within an hour of finishing The Darkness II, I was already set to go back in and get my New Game Plus on--something I honestly rarely do. What can I say? The power of The Darkness II compelled me; odds are, it'll do exactly the same for you.
February 7, 2012 - Good - Digital Extremes deserves credit for delivering an action-packed shooter that balances its mixture of gunplay and superpowers far better than its predecessor ever did - even if those powers will inevitably conspire to turn the game's protagonist into a monster and wreck his entire life.
February 7, 2012 - Good - Despite some problems with polish and a story that takes time to develop into something great, The Darkness II ends up as an early treat in the new year. The narrative elements help the pacing considerably, breaking up Jackie's engaging and brutal murderfests. It may not end up being the best shooter of 2012, but it could very well be the one that makes you feel the most powerful.
February 7, 2012 - Good - There's no doubting that The Darkness II is a fun game, but it could have been so much more than that. Improved pacing could have solved the second act woes and defining a more meaningful way of communicating the narrative would have made the plot and character development more engaging.
February 20, 2012 - Good - The Darkness 2 succeeds in many ways. It lives up to its similarly surprising progenitor, despite being made by a different developer. It's gorgeous, even if it's built in an aging engine. And it's a first-person shooter with a story that's worth a damn, something we don't see very often in general. It doesn't fit neatly into a marketing campaign, which makes it all the more endearing.
February 8, 2012 - Good - Digital Extremes has successfully reinvigorated a series that could easily have been assigned to the bargain bin. Though it offers a much more straightforward and simple slice of comic book action, and falls short of replicating the original game's narrative highs, The Darkness II is still worth a look.
February 8, 2012 - Good - As a package, The Darkness II is an enjoyable story with an appealing visual aesthetic worthy of the R18 rating. Just be prepared for some frustrating moments and, if you enjoyed the first Darkness, you will miss the exploration and side quests - but at least you can turn on all the taps in the mansion.
February 21, 2012 - Good - The Darkness II is good more often than it isn't, but the good ideas that are present serve to contrast with the chances not taken. Digital Extremes has made a game worth exploring more than anything else for the human relationship between Jackie and Jenny, but it's easy to see how much more it could have been.
February 7, 2012 - Good - Despite its short-length, bland level design and forgettable bosses, The Darkness II is a thoroughly entertaining blast from start to finish. Who knew dismembering hordes of enemies would be such a guilty pleasure?
March 5, 2012 - Good - A decent, if somewhat hackneyed, co-op mode offsets the brevity of the main campaign somewhat. And it's to the game's credit that Digital Extremes hasn't crowbarred in a naff competitive multiplayer; something the first game did and suffered for. A well-judged decision that contributes to a game that is, both mechanically and narratively, one of the smartest shooters of recent years.
February 10, 2012 - Good - The Darkness II is fun while it lasts, but sadly doesn't last very long. If you're looking for a pretty unique action game with a decent plot, The Darkness II delivers, but don't really expect anything substantial.
February 7, 2012 - Good - It's a promising start, but the game's commendable mechanics are matched by numerous wonky moments, an awkward cast of characters and some wearying repetition. The Darkness II has plenty of heart, but it needs more soul.
|
|
|
