Who ever started describing one game as a combination of others, should have been shot. Now don't get me wrong if a game is like Prey, ok I understand that, then say its like Prey. Don't mix them together, "It's like Prey meets Call of Duty, with a dash of the Crow Movie." (Yes I have heard that combination before) First the comparison is rarely ever accurate, and second more often then not you degrade a great game by lumping it in with trash.

Therefore I will not be doing that; I will say that The Darkness has many familiar elements in common with lots of other FPS. This game will not add anything new to the genera. It has tons of guns and even more bullets, most of the missions are take this package here or go and get that item there, mostly run and gun with some stealth levels thrown in. On the good side It has a cool story (what is the Darkness and were did it come from, not the aulie wants to kill Jackie plot) it has lots of character, and truck loads of dark gritty atmosphere.

The most important part of a FPS is the shooting, so lets talk abut that first, it's rock solid! Jackie dual wields most guns and his arms are independent of each other, so he can target two enemies at once. The left and right trigger operate their respective guns so you can get into a rhyme that lets you kill and reload with out running out bullets at any time. Jackie is also very good at moving his guns around obstacle to get the best shoot, this is great when you trying to hide behind cover, he will position them above the barrier so you can target an enemy, or he will reach around a corner so you can stay undercover.

You use a little red laser dot to target with. One of the best things about it is that it’s sticky, so if you get close, it will auto center on a target, it makes it very easy to get a bead on a foe even when they are far away. It also help a lot on shooting out lights, which you have to do a lot of, and this chore would be supremely annoying otherwise. As smooth and fluid as Jackie is with his guns, he is the direct opposite with his body, he moves like a plastic ken doll, and jumps about as high. There was more then once I got stuck on a small rock, out in the open, and got killed. In a gun fight I need to be able to get to cover!

The next important feature in the Darkness is the special powers, which are hit and miss. When you are in Darkness Mode you are protected by shadows which absorbs a percentage of damage, you'll need it sense the enemies have subs from the begging of the game. Other powers are the Darkness Crawl, a part of the Darkness that will slid along the floor or wall, go through vents and attack bad guy (very hard to control), and the Darkness Arm, a tentacle that can impel people or move large objects (you have to get to close to use it). Both are neat but quickly become just ways to get passed obstacle. The best power by far is the Black Hole! It opens up and sucks everything into in, it's pretty spectacular to see five or six SWAT members flapping and swirling around in the air. The Black Hole works extremely well for killing enemies that hide around a corner.

Finally we have the Darklings. They come in four flavors Berserkers, Gunner, Kamikaze, and Lightkiller. They are all relatively worthless due to the fact they are completely stupid. I understand that they are the servants and I am the master, I'm ok with that, but why are the so dumb that they even lack the most basic survival instinct. Darklings are being spawned out of the darkness, and therefore can not live in the light, what is the first thing they do? You got it, they run right for the light; they don't even try to avoid it. This problem quickly demotes them to keys for solving puzzles, unlock door, and open new paths. I played ninety percent of the game with out spawning them.

I applaud the auto save system, it saves your game when you reach a check point, and with out load screen! Instead it has a very small and usually entertaining monology my Jackie. My last and chief complaint is the placement of the save points, they should be placed right after a big gun fight, so if I clean out the drug den then walk out side and die, I don't want to clean out the drug den again. There were parts of the game that I played for over fifteen minutes, died, and then had to play the same fifteen minutes again. I don't mind it two or three time but this happen eight times, (due to the cheap placement of Uzi wielding mobster in blind spots) I almost quite playing, and I sure game makers don't want people getting frustrated and throwing the controller a crossed the room.