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Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: MysterD on Monday, July 27, 2009, 07:28:55 PM

Title: The Darkness II
Post by: MysterD on Monday, July 27, 2009, 07:28:55 PM
NEWEST - 1-29-2012:
DEMO is out on PSN, XBL, and Steam

OLD:
Youtube -> Artfully Executed Trailer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VdShPPKR5p8)
GiantBomb -> E3 2011 Interview. (http://www.giantbomb.com/e3-2011-darkness-ii-interview/17-4367/)
Gamasutra - Delayed until Feb. 2012. (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35976/The_Darkness_II_Delayed_Until_February_2012.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+%28Gamasutra+News%29)
1Up -> TopCow says The Darkness 2 is being impeded b/c of issues w/ "Rights" being sorted out right now. (http://www.1up.com/news/darkness-sequel-impeded-rights-issues)
GameSpot -> The Darkness 2 won't be made by Starbreeze; 2K might not be publishing it. (http://comic-con.gamespot.com/story/6214257/the-darkness-sequel-uncloaked-report)

Title: Re: The Darkness 2
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, July 27, 2009, 07:51:20 PM
Fucking hell.  If they give that to somebody else, they're going to fuck it up.  I have little doubt.  The Darkness is one of my all-time favorite shooters.  I've gone through it 3 times.  I now expect to be severely disappointed with whatever sequel this ends up being.  I hope someone can manage to surprise me, but... damn it.  I really like Starbreeze.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2
Post by: Ghandi on Monday, July 27, 2009, 08:14:36 PM
I still need to play the first. I always shrug it off when I see it on the shelf - it didn't get great reviews. But I remember reading some good things about it on here.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2
Post by: Xessive on Monday, July 27, 2009, 10:17:35 PM
I only played the demo but I loved it, despite my innate disdain for aiming! ;D
Title: Re: The Darkness 2
Post by: PyroMenace on Monday, July 27, 2009, 10:59:49 PM
Yea, Im not all that interested if Starbreeze isnt behind the wheel.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 12:23:17 AM
The game didn't get great reviews because people are worthless sheep who don't like anything that isn't Half-life 2 or Counterstrike, and wouldn't know an actual story in a game if the plot stabbed them in the heart.  Which is why everyone still thinks HL2 actually had a plot.  The Darkness actually had real character and real storytelling, and while it wasn't perfect, it did a hell of a lot that other games regularly shy away from.  It didn't get nearly the respect it deserved, IMO.  Not a perfect game, and a bit wonky in some ways, but overall very solid and entirely different from almost everything else out there.

I may sound a little bitter, but I sort of am.  I think the game is as close to advancing pure-FPS storytelling as we've come in years.  Really wish other devs would take note.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2
Post by: MysterD on Monday, October 11, 2010, 08:14:07 AM
1Up -> The Darkness 2 is being impeded b/c of issues w/ "Rights" being sorted out right now. (http://www.1up.com/news/darkness-sequel-impeded-rights-issues)
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Being impeded b/c of issues w/ "Rights" (10-11-2010)
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, June 02, 2011, 12:19:32 PM
The Darkness II Gameplay Trailer! (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/02/cue-up-this-darkness-2-gameplay-trailer/)

Are you as psyched as I am?
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Being impeded b/c of issues w/ "Rights" (10-11-2010)
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, June 02, 2011, 12:52:06 PM
Shit. I don't know. It doesn't look awful, but at the same time doesn't look as close to the first as I'd like. And that zombie looking dude looks kind of stupid. The style seems a bit more comic-booky... and I can't tell at all if they got Mike Patton again for The Darkness itself, and it would be a *huge* disappointment if they didn't. He was fucking perfect in the first one. I also can't tell if they got the same guy to do Jackie, and I could be real disappointed there too because he did a standout job on the first and brought out a very specific vision of the character. I'd hate to see them lose either of those guys to lesser actors.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Being impeded b/c of issues w/ "Rights" (10-11-2010)
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, June 02, 2011, 02:42:38 PM
Quote from: Xessive on Thursday, June 02, 2011, 12:19:32 PM
The Darkness II Gameplay Trailer! (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/02/cue-up-this-darkness-2-gameplay-trailer/)

Are you as psyched as I am?

Looks good - glad it's coming to the PC.

But, really - I'd be more excited if two things were happening:
1. Darkness 1 was getting ported over to the PC
2. Starbreeze was developing Darkness 2.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Being impeded b/c of issues w/ "Rights" (10-11-2010)
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 04:12:49 PM
Delayed until Feb. 2012. (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35976/The_Darkness_II_Delayed_Until_February_2012.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+%28Gamasutra+News%29)
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Delayed until Feb 2012
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, July 21, 2011, 07:58:40 PM
This interview gives me hope (http://www.giantbomb.com/e3-2011-darkness-ii-interview/17-4367/). I hadn't seen it, and I'm still not 100% sold on the art style, but this guy sounds like he gets it and the team gets what made the first game great. I dunno'... that at least gives me hope to hear someone saying what I want them to say. And some of the powers do sound awesome...
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Delayed until Feb 2012
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, October 30, 2011, 04:11:25 PM
Artfully Executed Trailer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VdShPPKR5p8)
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer
Post by: TheOtherBelmont on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 11:38:45 PM
Bumping this thread to let everyone know that the demo for this game has been released on PSN and XBLA. I just played through the PS3 demo and it was awesome.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, January 26, 2012, 12:24:07 AM
I played through it as well, on the 360.  After getting through my initial fears of too much scripting, I was very impressed.  Turns out that the demo has been criticized for jumbling content together (http://www.oxm.co.uk/37880/blog/the-darkness-2-is-great-dont-play-the-demo/) and giving the wrong impression of what the full game is like.  If the game is in fact that much better than the demo, it will be awesome.  I can't wait to read about the full product.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, January 26, 2012, 12:41:28 AM
I just played the PC demo yesterday. It's pretty good! It's much more akin to the comic book art style than the first game. The action is over-the-top and they've done a good job of mimicking Starbreeze's "immersion" 1st-person camera effects.

The PC demo definitely feels like a port but the controls are fluid and responsive if requiring a few finger-gymnastics on occasion.

Just gotta wait for the full game to see how it all falls into place.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, January 26, 2012, 10:44:32 AM
So glad to see positive vibes. I want this game to be as good as the first.
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, January 26, 2012, 03:42:11 PM
Awesome. I'm gonna have to check out Darkness 2 PC Demo.
Now, if we can convince Starbreeze and the publisher of D1 to port Darkness 1 PC over, I'd be VERY-VERY happy.  ;D
Title: Re: The Darkness 2 - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, January 28, 2012, 05:37:22 PM
Tried the Darkness II PC Demo a bit ago today....
Holy crap - that was awesome, though WAY too brief.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer
Post by: gpw11 on Sunday, January 29, 2012, 11:57:14 AM
Yeah, I had a ton of fun with the demo.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Xessive on Sunday, January 29, 2012, 12:57:56 PM
I've tried with both KB+mouse and X360 gamepad and the game plays very well with either option. The gamepad certainly feels more organic, particularly with bilateral structure of the controls in general. The aiming is not bad at all (this coming from someone who hates analogue stick aiming schemes), the autoaim compensates when you aim down the sights but in general it has a very well tuned smoothness to it, much like the Starbreeze games; Escape From Butcher Bay is the first and only 1st-person game I have played and finished on a console (classic Xbox).
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, January 29, 2012, 03:30:41 PM
Quote from: Xessive on Sunday, January 29, 2012, 12:57:56 PM
I've tried with both KB+mouse and X360 gamepad and the game plays very well with either option. The gamepad certainly feels more organic, particularly with bilateral structure of the controls in general. The aiming is not bad at all (this coming from someone who hates analogue stick aiming schemes), the autoaim compensates when you aim down the sights but in general it has a very well tuned smoothness to it, much like the Starbreeze games; Escape From Butcher Bay is the first and only 1st-person game I have played and finished on a console (classic Xbox).

Since I use arrow keys for movement, I basically moved the Tentacle picking-up/throwing to Right Control key.
Since I use arrow keys for movement, I keep most of my keys on the right 2/3rds of the KB
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, January 30, 2012, 12:27:56 AM
The best way (for me) is to split the commands almost evenly between mouse and KB. The mouse (since I'm right-handed) has all the right tentacle/weapon controls, and the KB has all the movement and left tentacle controls.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, January 30, 2012, 12:45:49 AM
I just went with the pad.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, January 30, 2012, 05:44:04 AM
Quote from: gpw11 on Monday, January 30, 2012, 12:45:49 AM
I just went with the pad.
I might too, since I'll probably play it on my TV; it is a heck of a lot easier to get headshots with the mouse though. Overall maneuverability and view control is better with the mouse but that's whole other thread of discussions.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, January 30, 2012, 11:58:21 AM
Damn you people.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, January 30, 2012, 07:26:09 PM
Quote from: Xessive on Monday, January 30, 2012, 05:44:04 AM
I might too, since I'll probably play it on my TV; it is a heck of a lot easier to get headshots with the mouse though. Overall maneuverability and view control is better with the mouse but that's whole other thread of discussions.

Yeah, I can't think of another FPS where I'd opt for the pad, but it just seems a lot more intuitive for the other controls.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, February 07, 2012, 01:30:16 PM
Quote
If you are a fan of the original game, bear this in mind: The Darkness II is a fun, very short FPS without the authentic atmosphere and subtle touches that made its predecessor so intriguing.
Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/the-darkness-ii/reviews/the-darkness-ii-review-6349634/)

Goddammit . . .
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, February 07, 2012, 05:09:41 PM
*sigh*

I second that.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: MysterD on Tuesday, February 07, 2012, 07:37:12 PM
GameSpy -> PC Review - 4 stars (of 5). (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-darkness-ii/1218168p1.html)
PC Gamer -> 80 (of 100) for PC Version. (http://www.pcgamer.com/review/the-darkness-2-review/)
IGN -> 8.0 (of 10) for PS3, X360, and PC. (http://pc.ign.com/articles/121/1218151p1.html)
GameTrailers -> 7.4 (of 10). (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-the-darkness/726583?)
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, February 09, 2012, 12:17:03 AM
Just activated The Darkness II via Steam.

While the demo showed off the first stage of the game it did it in a very deceptive "flashback" format. The game plays out linearly, with Jackie narrating between chapters. In the demo, you got up close and personal with "the man with the limp" but in the final game (i'm done with the first and second segments) and he's still a complete mystery. I've only glimpsed him once and Vinnie has mentioned "a guy with a limp" in a conversation. I guess the demo was a bit of a spoiler, particularly for anyone who hasn't read the comics.

The game looks great and plays well. Takes a bit of getting used to the controls but now I move like a freakish tentacled beast on land, whipping and shooting my way through foes.

I'm looking forward to the story and eventually the 4-player coop Vendettas. Impressions on that to follow ;)
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, February 13, 2012, 12:44:28 AM
I've wet my beak with some Vendetta mode action. Unfortunately I was not able to play it online with anyone. Doesn't seem like people are playing.

The missions are run-of-the-mill but the way they incorporated them as part of the singleplayer storyline is cool. They run in parallel with the plot and you play one of four hired specialists infused with Darkness abilities to complete missions given to you by Vinnie and relic info provided by Johnny Powell.

Playing it offline is alright but it can get monotonous. The Darkness powers are actually split between the four members, each with one major power and a subset of passive abilities. For example, playing as Inugami "the Darkness Ninja" you wield a katana in one hand and a submachinegun in the other (default) and you have the Swarm ability. It's important to note that a good bunch of the passive abiltiies are actually support for the other team members, for example with Inugami improves his allies melee attack damage. It's definitely geared to encourage coop play, it's just sad that I haven't been able to get any coop going on at all!
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, February 23, 2012, 07:47:30 AM
Yahtzee's review. (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/5394-Darkness-2)  It's worth watching just for the "history" on how he got to where he is today.  :)

The common theme to all reviews so far is shortness.  Shortness demands cheapness.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, June 01, 2012, 01:34:32 AM
Got this for $12 at Best Buy the other day (thank you, idol), and I'm so glad I did. It's a shame that the game seems to be shorter than its predecessor, but it seems like all filler has been removed and you're left with raw story and gameplay for the most part. There are some hub areas where you can talk to people and such, but it's more direct.

The world isn't open anymore, either, but that isn't really a problem. The narrative is solid and the story keeps you wanting to move along, and you get time to breathe between levels, which helps character development and such.

Anyway, it's phenomenal. The combat is amazing. You can, for instance, throw a guy in the air, shoot a guy in the head, slam the guy in the air down to the ground, pick up a car door, slice a guy in half across the room, use dual uzis to perforate a guy to your right, grab a metal rod to your left, then shoot another guy in the face while simultaneously impaling the dude right next to him with the rod. They did a fantastic job. Upgrade paths are interesting and let you work out combos of skills as you progress.

The story is fantastic so far. I don't know exactly where it's going, but despite using some tropes that have been done before, it really pulls off what it goes for and makes you raise your eyebrows. The characters are all great and it keeps you playing. I don't know if you'll be totally lost if you haven't played the first, but certainly it will carry more meaning for you since a lot of the faces are familiar ones.

Speaking of faces, the art is top-notch. The texture work is absolutely brilliant, and the comic style that to me came across so very poorly in early press is just amazing when you get to see it up close. It looks real and like a comic book at the same time. It's really good, and the textures have a real yet painterly quality to them. It's very unique. I can't recall anything that's looked like this.

The voice work is great too, and the story presentation. Mike Patton is back, and while The Darkness doesn't seem to talk to Jackie as much this time around, it's still perfect and crazy exactly as it should be. Slightly disappointing is that Jackie isn't the old Jackie. The new guy doesn't do a bad job at all, and sometimes even manages to sound halfway like the guy from the first game, but I'm still sincerely disappointed that the same guy didn't get to do it again. I think the game just didn't have the budget. He was a TV actor and played what I thought was one of the most unique characters we've gotten in a modern game. Jenny is also voiced by who I guess is a no-name actress despite having previously been played by an HBO girl, though she seems very much in line with Jenny from the first game. Either way, everyone does a good job.

So yeah, I just wanted to drop by really quick to say that anyone interested in this should definitely consider grabbing it. I'm playing the PC version and it's fast, looks beautiful, and doesn't feel even remotely like a port. Checkpoint system is still there, but at this point that's a design decision a lot of games make outright anyway. It works very well here, probably better than the first game. Everything else has been perfect and feels very solid.

I still think that the first game ranks as one of the best of its kind, and am pleasantly surprised that everything seems improved in the sequel, barring length (though to some degree they clearly tried to distill the overall experience into something more potent). I don't know exactly where it's going to go, but I've heard it has multiple endings and that they're both heads and tails above most game endings, so I'm very much looking forward to beating it and probably immediately going through it a second time.

It's also probably the most violent thing I've ever played. It's ridiculous. It's amazing that such a gore-fest can have so much heart at the same time. This does feel a bit more like a comic book, and doesn't have quite the heart of the first game, but the people who made it definitely understood why the first was so good, and I'm so relieved to see that they've done their best to build a game that's faithful to the original formula while not being content to merely do the same thing over again. My hat goes off to them. This one will probably end up largely unnoticed just like the first game, and that's a shame. This is everything games should be.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, June 01, 2012, 07:53:40 AM
Thanks for that.  Idol's post peaked my interest too.  If it stays in that neighborhood, I have no doubt I'll pick it up sometime.  Right now, I have my hands full, and not just with games.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, June 01, 2012, 11:08:40 AM
Well, it's back up to full price again. I think that sale lasted a day or two. But I've no doubt it will drop before long, and honestly, it's worth more than budget price. Even with shortness, I can definitely see this being a repeat play, especially with multiple endings and so much fun story stuff worth watching.
Title: Re: The Darkness II - Update: Artfully Executed Trailer; Demo Released.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, June 01, 2012, 06:36:42 PM
Quote from: Quemaqua on Friday, June 01, 2012, 11:08:40 AM
Well, it's back up to full price again. I think that sale lasted a day or two. But I've no doubt it will drop before long, and honestly, it's worth more than budget price. Even with shortness, I can definitely see this being a repeat play, especially with multiple endings and so much fun story stuff worth watching.

It was one of those [one day] "Deal of the Day" that Best Buy been doing, here & there.
Title: Re: The Darkness II
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, June 02, 2012, 02:20:37 AM
Fuck me. Just stayed up until now to finish. I dunno, it didn't feel that short to me. I got two solid nights out of it. I started tonight at about 11:15 and finished the game at maybe 3:45. I feel like my first session was somewhere around that also.

Anyway, just a fantastic game. I'm so happy with it. It really is everything that I loved about the first game with very few exceptions, and it carries through all the way to the end. There are some twists and surprises, suspense, and overall a pretty decent story. The first was probably a much better story overall, but the presentation here is just great. For being as completely outlandish as it is, it's pretty believable, and there are some great setpieces and cinematic moments along the way (though not so much that this makes you feel like it's a movie first and a game second).

Already started a New Game + on the hardest difficulty. It was somewhat tough going at the end, but not as bad as some of what I'd read. If you choose skills that compliment one another and make sure you're using everything properly, you shouldn't have too much trouble. But you really do have to use your environment, pay attention to what the enemies are doing, figure out who to target first, and I don't just mean kill. You can throw guys in the air, you can knock them into a vulnerable state where you can grab and execute them in I think 4 different ways (one gives health, another ammo, another a shield, and one recharges your powers faster), and there are a number of different types, including guys who can disarm you, guys with portable lights that can knock out your darkness powers, guys who shift rapidly upon getting hit, guys with shields you have to break through, and melee guys who rush you. The more advanced of these don't start appearing until a good ways in, and toward the end, they're all mostly hardcore versions with armor, preventing one-shots almost completely unless it's a weaker enemy. The darkling is much more useful here than in the first game also. There's only one, and he's basically AI, but if you pay attention to what he's doing it can make your life easier, and you can unlock a skill that lets you basically use him as a distraction by tossing him at an enemy, which will keep them occupied and potentially kill them.

So yeah, there's a lot to consider. This is some of the busiest combat I've ever enjoyed. There's so much to do and consider at any given moment, it's easy to get overwhelmed, but when you find a groove, it's sickeningly satisfying. Health regens, but there are 4 tiers. Keep it above the line in any tier, you can regen up to that tier in health if you back off. Lose beyond that line, and you can no longer regenerate up into the next tier, you'll have to get there by killing using health+ executions, eating hearts, etc.

The ending I got was pretty crazy, and the whole last bit of the game really ramps up into crazy town. But in a good way. They definitely allow room for a third game, and oh god do I hope they make one now. I had such very low expectations for this game at the start, but I think this one means about as much to me now as the first, and immediately after beating it, I started the NG+ and want to try the other route. I also very much want to play through the first game again. I really wish they'd done a PC version.

So yeah, A+ from Que. If you have even the least bit of interest in this, go get it. Buy multiple copies. Do whatever, just throw them some money, because I fucking want to see a Darkness III.
Title: Re: The Darkness II
Post by: Xessive on Saturday, June 02, 2012, 05:59:23 AM
Awesome, dude! Glad you enjoyed it!

It was a different approach than Starbreeze but it was well done.

The 4-player coop is pretty decent, it helps prolong the lifespan of the game too. Story-wise the missions work in parallel to the singleplayer plot. I've always liked that dynamic in coop games.
Title: Re: The Darkness II
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, July 29, 2012, 07:07:07 AM
Just finished the Single Player campaign for The Darkness II.
Took me about 10 hours, according to Steam.

END SPOILERS
(click to show/hide)

Awesome shooter. Already hoping for a Darkness III.
Title: Re: The Darkness II
Post by: Xessive on Sunday, July 29, 2012, 10:26:51 AM
Well...

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: The Darkness II
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, July 29, 2012, 10:37:50 AM
@X
Thanks for the revelation!