 Preview By: Cameron Morris |
Developer: | Starbreeze Studios |
| Publisher: | 2K Games | |
| Genre: | Action | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | TBA | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live | |
| Estimated Release: | 06/25/2007 |
Generally, videogame adaptations of comic books are becoming better - the X-Men Legends series, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and Ultimate Spider-Man are good examples of this trend. True, there are still stinkers floating around, but the overall quality of comic book games has been improving for some time now. The same is true of movie games, to a lesser degree: on the whole they aren't great, but in general they are improving.
Starbreeze is accomplished when it comes to taking a license and running with it to make something great and engaging, exemplified by The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. With luck, the same will hold true for The Darkness, based on the comic of the same name, which has all the ingredients for a great game concept.
Essentially, the player takes the role of Jackie Estacado, a hitman working for the Francetti crime family, who becomes possessed by "The Darkness", a source of incredible power that allows him to manipulate shadows and other sources of…uh… dark. Essentially Jackie can use his powers to tear apart his environment, or summon creatures born of the Darkness: the most notable of those shown in the game's teaser trailer are probably the serpent tendrils which apparently emerge form the shadows of Jackie's trench coat, though the hockey jersey-wearing imps can't be ignored either.
Little is known about how the game will actually play, but the art behind the game is incredible and full of visuals that could translate very well into a videogame. If done properly, the ability to control the Darkness could be an intensely engaging mechanic, and the ability to summon monsters from the shadows is certainly intriguing. Given the quality of Butcher Bay, I'm willing to bet that this game could be a winner too.
More as it becomes available.
Posted: 2005-11-07 13:35:22PST