The Darkness II is one of the most unabashedly and gleefully gory games of this generation, reveling in its own torrents of blood and shredded viscera. While bullets, exploding heads, and tearing through flesh aren’t anything new in the video game world, the brutal Darkness executions take the virtual carnage to a whole new level. Bodies are regularly torn in half (both crosswise and lengthwise), skulls and spinal columns are torn out through mouths, bodies are impaled with thrown objects, and entire digestive tracts are forcibly removed through enemies' nether regions.

Given that, it surprisingly never makes the player feel like they’re in need of a shower when the bloodshed is over. Games like Rogue Warrior and Soldier of Fortune were just as brutally violent, yet their uber-serious undercurrents simply made them feel like exercises in virtual sadism. Last year’s Bulletstorm, on the other hand, was so over-the-top and silly that the blood and guts really didn’t make any impact at all. The Darkness II manages to strike the right balance between the two extremes, not only making it a better game than the ones mentioned above, but also making it superior to its predecessor in many ways.

The Darkness II ps3*, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: now

now MSRP: $59.99 Official site * = platform reviewed

From comic to video game

?The Darkness began life as a comic book series in 1996 before Starbreeze Studios first adapted it for video games in 2007. Both versions tell the tale of one Jackie Estacado, a mafia hitman who learns on his 21st birthday that he harbors a nasty little family secret: a demonic power called the Darkness. This curse has existed since the beginning of time and is passed down from generation to generation, granting those who possess it various otherworldly powers.

In the first game, Jackie embraced his newfound abilities to avenge the murder of his true love, Jenny, and take over New York’s Italian mob. As The Darkness II opens, Jackie explains that he’s bottled up his power for nearly two years, amid worries that it would come to control him completely. Naturally, things don’t go as planned, and it isn’t long before Jackie is fighting for his life again, using both his Darkness powers and good old fashioned guns to decimate hundreds of enemies.

The Darkness II’s story isn’t quite as heavy-handed as the previous game’s, offering up a surprisingly nuanced narrative that plays with the perception of reality itself. With the Darkness back in his life, and guilt over Jenny’s death pulling his mental strings, Jackie begins to have trouble discerning what’s real and what his surprisingly literal inner demon wants him to think is real. Even the player is liable to get confused from time to time, leading to a climactic player decision precipitating two wildly different endings (both of which are definitely worth seeing). The game offers a lot of ruminations on love and loss throughout, and some of them are surprisingly touching.

Although The Darkness sprang to life as a comic book, the first game eschewed that medium’s trappings to present much more realistic visuals. That’s not the case with The Darkness II, and the game is much better for it. Evoking memories of cel-shaded shooters XIII and Borderlands, The Darkness II looks very much like a comic book come to life. The colors are bright and vibrant, a far cry from the grays, dark grays, and even darker grays that permeated the environments in the original. This is precisely how one would hope a game based on a comic book would look. The visual style makes the cartoonish violence that much more palatable, as the bright red splashes of blood actually complement the garish colors they fall on.

Short, straightforward shooting with a twist

The Darkness II is a fairly straightforward shooter in many ways—bad guys appear in groups, and you kill them before moving on to the next group of bad guys. The game’s archaic level design means you’ll repeatedly find yourself battling a group of enemies in one wide-open area before walking straight into the next combat box. The first game offered some environmental variety, as Jackie could use his tentacles to creep through air vents or create diversions using his Darklings (evil little creatures that wreak havoc on the battlefield), but that isn’t the case here. The game is also surprisingly short; many players will finish it somewhere between four and six hours on the default difficulty.

Jackie’s got a wide variety of firearms at his disposal, and although players will surely fire thousands of rounds of ammunition, the real weapon of choice is the Darkness itself. Jackie’s curse provides him with highly entertaining powers like the ability to fire a distracting swarm of insects at foes or open a black hole near them. It also provides him with two snake-like arms protruding from his back, both of which can be controlled independently to cut enemies in half, launch them into the air, or grab them for up-close-and-personal executions. The easy-to-master control scheme means it won’t be long before you’re simultaneously unloading a clip into one enemy while vivisecting another.

The ability to spend kill points on skill and ability upgrades doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it allows the player to tailor the game to their preferred play style and helps make the game feel more varied than its predecessor. Sadly, the ability to call in multiple Darklings has disappeared, though Jackie does always have one by his side to help out during combat.

Multiplayer disappoints

One of the big knocks against the first Darkness game was its head-to-head multiplayer, which tried to do too many new things and didn’t do any of them particularly well (and its terrible networking code didn’t help much). Competitive multiplayer has been removed completely this time around in favor of a new four-player cooperative campaign mode, and while it’s definitely an improvement, it pales in comparison to games like Left 4 Dead. Each of the four playable characters sports a unique weapon and Darkness power in this mode, though Shoshanna and her Darkness-spewing, one-handed shotgun felt completely overpowered compared to the competition.

At times, The Darkness II is an absolute blast, especially during the many intense firefights when the player has to juggle firing on enemies, shooting out lights, and using the Darkness to regain health. The quiet moments impress as well, especially those that make the player question Jackie’s version of reality. However, the short campaign and disappointing co-op mode ultimately make this one of those games that’s worth renting for the weekend or borrowing from a friend rather than buying outright.??

The Good:

Gleefully gory combat doesn’t get old??

Surprisingly nuanced narrative??

Upgrade system lets you play your way?

The Bad:?

Cooperative multiplayer is just average?

Disappointing voice work and characterization?

At five or so hours, it’s very short???

The Ugly:

Level design is sloppy and archaic ?

Verdict: Try It