The Darkness II Co-Op Hands-On Preview

OXCGN delves deeper into the Darkness…

by : GrathiusXR

©2011 Arthur Kotsopoulos

It’s never an easy task for a different developer to bring out a sequel to a game that received high praise when it was originally released.

Especially when the wait has been so long.

The Darkness was released way back in 2007, yet somehow Digital Extreme have managed to craft The Darkness II into something not quite the same, but still uniquely from its world.

2K Australia invited OXCGN down to the Flinders on Flinder St., just off Sydney’s infamous Oxford Street, where they had set up 4 consoles for everyone to test out the newly unveiled Vendetta Campaign Mode.

Darkness Vendetta

In the Vendetta campaign you can choose from 4 different characters, Inugami, Shoshanna, Jimmy and JP, each with their own unique Darkness ability to turn the tide whilst gunning down the undead or mobsters.

Following the same structure as Valve’s Left 4 Dead, this campaign has you and a team mate completing objectives to ultimately take down the Brotherhood.

When I picked up the controller for the first time I was a bit wary because I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this sequel.

Was it going to play and feel like the original The Darkness? Would it be too different and alien? Will the cel-shaded graphics tone down the violence?

All my questions were thoroughly answered.

By the end of the session I honestly could not stop playing whether it was because I liked the challenge of playing on Hard or the fact there aren’t many good co-op games out at the moment.

Regardless of the reason I walked away impressed that the sequel isn’t just a cash grab but a sequel to please the fans.

New Co-Op Features

Initially when you play the Darkness II there is a learning curve as shooting is more arcade than sim; melee starts off a tad awkward and the locked camera during certain gameplay events does detract from the experience.

As this was the first time I had played The Darkness II, the game play and new features did catch me by surprise, but once I was accustom to the frantic pace of the game and had a good partner who didn’t keep needing to be revived every 5 minutes we were well on our way through.

Going guns blazing didn’t work 70% of the time as enemy damage is quite high on Hard so a level of tactics is required as well as teamwork to pass each area.

If you don’t work as a team then you won’t be passing certain levels which definitely require you to communicate.

Stay cautious of stray street lights and lights powered by generators as standing in the light will make your character weaker.

You will know when you’ve stepped into the light because your screen goes all white as if you’ve entered the gates of heaven, so double check the environment before running in and copping a shotgun blast to the face.

Be sure to use each character’s darkness ability to you and your partner’s advantage such as Jimmy’s Black Hole ability. In an area where there are a good dozen enemies, using this will rip open a black hole sucking in every unfortunate enemy around you awarding you upgrade points in the process.

Upgrade points are obtained by killing enemies similar to EPIC/People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm which can be spent during the start of each mission and can benefit you in many ways from extra damage to an aurora around your player that heals you and team mate over time.

Also check the environment for ammo as you will run out of ammo during most gun battles and then you’ll struggle.

There is definitely more of an emphasis on team work in Vendetta Mode, made more apparent by the fact that you can restore health by destroying the hearts of fallen enemies.

If your partner is low on health, direct him to dead enemies to destroy their heart or else you’ll be scrambling for cover in the next area.

They are easily distinguishable: look for the purple smoke and light up heart that emits from their dead bodies. A sweet animation follows at you stab your characters special weapon into their heart followed by a splash of blood everywhere.

Gore Rating: R for Repulsive

The gore has not been toned down in this sequel regardless of the new developer or decision to go with cel shaded graphics. A perfect example of this is Jimmy and his Midnight Stick- when nearing an enemy you can levitate them then twist their body in half ripping them into 2 pieces.

Inugami on the other hand brutally stabs the enemy with his katana directly into the heart ripping it out when he’s finished. This will definitely please fans of the first who had a blast running around eating peoples hearts.

I know I was pleased. [ED: Seriously Arthur, you scare me )

There is great audio as guns sound like they really pack a punch, but it’s melee that really has some visceral feeling behind it.  It’s always pleasing to listen to blood splatter along the wall, and the combination of both creates a dark gloomy atmosphere regardless of the over the top Italian voice-overs by characters.

When I had to put the controller down and went to grab some nice alcoholic refreshment, I had a chat with some of the other games journalists to grab their thoughts on the game, and I can safely say that most were pleased with what shown.

It may not be graphically impressive or feature tight controls like MW3 but it’s a sequel with a solid co-op experience that is needed ASAP amongst all the current Multi Player experiences.

The Darkness II is due out in February 2012 and rather than picking it up to continue the story of Jackie Estacado, I’ll be buying it for the co-op experience alone.

Make sure you do as well, or else the darkness might slowly consume you. (OK that was quite lame but hey it was worth a try!)

©2011 Arthur Kotsopoulos

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Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, Demo impressions, Game Impressions, New Game Information, New Xbox 360 Games, PS3 News, Software News & Updates, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 3rd Party Games, Xbox 360 Game Previews Tagged: | 2K, 2k australia, Bulletstorm, Digital Extreme, Left 4 Dead, The Darkness, The Darkness 2, The Darkness II