Darkness 2 Preview!

         I was a big fan of the first Darkness.  There were a few parts that I absolutely hated(world war hell), but overall I really enjoyed it.  Especially the Darkness mechanics.  But nothing really could have prepared me for the Darkness 2.  The shooting and Darkness mechanics in this game are amazing.  The game makes you feel, more than any in the recent past; like a badass.  The cell shading is barely noticeable as you move from one roller coaster-like sequence to the next. 

       The other interesting thing about this game is that while the open world elements have been dropped.  The player is able to upgrade your Darkness powers by spending experience points you earn by killing enemies.  It will be interesting to see how the full game is laid out, considering the game definitely keeps referring to the first title.  There are televisions strewn around and even one of the Darklings from the first game returns.  He is guide arrow and your little helper.  You don’t have any control over him this time; but he does help you out in story sequences, puzzle solving, and somewhat in combat.  This too, will be interesting to see in the final game.  Too often A.I. companions are too stupid to keep up with fast paced action.  But they have certainly toned down his involvement to lessen the chance of this, but still..

       While playing the demo, I realized that a little bit of this has probably been changed or condensed due to this being a demo.  But I really loved the way things were stitched together.  I’m sure the final game will be just as lovely edited.  Being able to wield two guns and two Darkness tentacles is probably the best thing they could have done.  The best thing about the Darkness 2 is not only is the game obviously mechanically sound but the demo makes me want to know what happens next.  This is a rather difficult achievement in most games. 

    The demo is around a fifteen minutes long and is incredibly action packed but it is story driven.  Even people who have never played the Darkness before will probably be able to easily follow the Darkness 2; which is great.  I WOULD recommend to anyone who likes shooters to play the Darkness.  Starbreeze did a great job with it.  This game is being developed by Digital Extremes, so far they have done an incredible job.  The Darkness 2 demo is up on XBOX LIVE and PSN right now, so go check it out for yourself.  I’ve seen plenty of hands off demos before this and it doesn’t make the same kind of impact as actually playing it yourself.