The Darkness (PS3) Review
The Darkness
Starbreeze Studios (makers of Riddick game)
Retail Price: $29.99-59.99
Note: Spoilers are key plot points and colored BLUE.
—————————–
So I bought this game off of eBay, brand new for 33 or so dollars, shipped and still in the wrapping. 3 weeks later the gem finally showed up and I was stoked as hell to be playing the game.
BUT, then I did play the game and it sucked. For some reason I couldn’t aim at all. It felt like the cursor just wasn’t at the proper speed and it really bugged me in the demo and it was back again. I adjusted it, still too slow, turned auto aim all the way up (from having it off) and it still didn’t help. I felt like I was playing ratchet and clank, looking at someone and then hoping I was shooting them.
after an hour of trying to get past the intro level I decided it was time to turn the game on wimp mode, what do you know, they can die.
Long story short, the beginning level or two SUCK in this game. The aiming is off, and the AI seems unbeatable because the precision of the cross hair is so bad. Eventually, when you get past it and deeper into the game, you do get used to it (or it feels better I should say).
For those that have no idea, let me set the scene. On the 21st birthday of Jackie Estucado he gets a nice little power. Demon arms and what not come out of his back and he is invincible. So you progress through the story of fighting your uncle, well, trying to stay alive from his attacks, and you end up discovering just how deep his pockets go.
The game then develops from a good vs. bad scenario to a very well done and story driven game in lines of max Payne and F.E.A.R. on the PC. Simply put, if you love those games, this one is one hell of a starting franchise, and it is some very, very compelling gameplay.
One scenario is the death of your great great grandfather in an imaginary realm of being. He is trapped, unable to die, because of the darkness. The scene unfolds with him dying in a boss battle and you hear the following words, ending the scene with the darkness sucking him into the ground and telling you…
http://media.putfile.com/The-Death-of-Anthony-Estucado-The-Darkness-PS3
Anyways, let’s get into the gameplay and the mechanics. When I heard about this game last summer it seemed like it was a pain to play, and it was only worth going on for the story. I disagree. The mechanics of using the darkness were completely refined from my opinions on the demo, and I really enjoy the final product.
http://www.vgevo.com/forums/blogs/viewblog.php?userid=79&entry=109
So, the way the game is laid out is basically GTA meets an arcade shooter. You have an open world where you have to go from place to place, but when you get to a “level” you have to basically point and shoot, or find cover, use powers, etc. It’s a really new way to play a game and I wish more games would do it this way.
As for the graphics of the game, it gets to around 5 or 10 fps at times, but after 3-5 seconds it loads up and boom your back in there. It will happen about 15 times, and the game is around 15-20 hours long (that’s what it seemed like).
Keep in mind the game has a lot of issues. Times when audio clips will get stuck looping in “cut scenes” and you have to walk around the corner and then come back like 30 seconds later. Also, in the train stations you will notice very quickly that there are about 5 character models that just keep repeating. It makes it pretty easy to spot who you need to talk with, they have different clothes. Also, when you play as righty and look back on Jackie, he looks like he is running on a ps1 game, seriously. As for sound, it’s some very, very good voice acting. It’s too bad the characters lips don’t move.
When you play this game it has puzzles, meaning you have areas where you need to use your powers to get something or somewhere. It’s a great mechanic that works well. The unfortunate thing is when you are given a task and you don’t know what to do. I had to use 2 FAQ’s to figure stuff out at times in this game. I think because I did that I got a better overall experience, than if I would have ran around for half an hour.
(I used the one on CheatCC.com and the top one under PS3 at gamefaqs.com if you were wondering)
Lastly, the “Accomplishments” in the game are used to unlock things like videos, drawings, comic books, cover art, etc. and the way you do that is by calling a number. The problem is that some of the “Accomplishments” in the game involve doing outlandish things and I just wanted to urge everyone to not worry about it, play the game for the game, and unlock everything towards the end.
Lastly, again, the death penalty is basically pretty bad. You have to listen to the darkness control you and what not and it is pretty horrifying at times. Don’t play with small children in the room. Also, the loading scenes involve Jackie telling his thoughts out loud. It’s a well done thing to cover up loading, if only it did that. They should have made them all the right length so that you are listening to him instead of watching the other half of the bar load. As you get to the ending it gets a lot better in terms of what he says, and if you go the wrong way (about 90% of the time) you’ll know because he will just play with his pistols and what not.
I don’t want to give too much away, but let me just say I highly recommend this to shooter fans, and for someone looking for a reason to play FPS or TPS games, this is a prime example of what kind of a gameplay you can achieve when you play as a single character in a very well done, deep story.
Scores:
Graphics: (8/10) Phenomenal for one of the starting games on the ps3, a very well done port that has its hitches, but looks very playable.
Sound: (10/10) Some of the better voice acting in a game this generation, Starbreeze is one of the better studios in terms of that, but the animation of the lips just isn’t there. Also, the music is some of the greatest in game music I have heard in a long time. It develops the game into an emotion scenario instead of just another “cut scene”.
Control Scheme: (7/10) In the beginning, horrible, somewhere around level 3 it is very good, but somehow the buttons are all the same.
Story: (10/10) One of, if not THE best endings in a game, and in terms if how story is presented, this game opens a new frontier for the third person shooter, again, just like Riddick did.
Gameplay/Fun: (9/10) Above average is a good way to put it. The game has issues, but it is great to have these powers, and using them for destruction just made me grin from ear to ear (until certain scenes).
Learning curve/Difficulty: (8.5/10) It gets easier from the initial level, but once you get later on the game there are so many enemies that it takes a lot of skill to survive and get through the puzzles.
Environment/Atmosphere: (10/10) Phenomenal in terms of the setting of the game. You connect with the characters (even the minor ones), and the story just engulfs you because of it.
Concept/Design: (9/10) Great on paper, well done (minus levels 1 + 2) in the final product.
Price: (10/10) A Huge bargain at 30 bucks, and one game I wish I could have supported at 60.
Overall Feel of the Game: (9.5/10) the first 2 levels leave a very bad initial taste in your mouth, but when you get past that (much like Lair) you see one hell of a game.
——————————–
Total Score: 91/100
