The Darkness 2 puts you back in the shoes of mobster Jackie Estacado as he hunts down a secret society known as The Brotherhood to help discover the reasons for an attack on his criminal empire. Along the way he must face the demons of his past, namely his deceased girlfriend. Hold on to your seats this is going to be one wild ride.
The first thing I can say about The Darkness 2 is that it's different to the first game, like I mean really different. Everything from visual style to audio design has been overhauled to reflect the games graphic novel origins. This is a fantastic move as it brings a style more reminiscent of games such as Borderlands than the previous entry in the series and it really brings out the spirit of the comics. Blood flies often and in great quantities as the Darkness unleashes its powers on lowly gangsters, resulting in some brutal finishing moves that can only be described as jaw dropping.
However while for the most part this new visual style works well I had problems with the lack of enemy character models as it was confined to only one model per enemy type when fighting The Brotherhood, but this was not as true for most of the other enemies. On the topic of character models I felt a few of the main character models where not as detailed as some of the other characters. This is particularly true of Jackie's character, as he doesn't feel as fleshed out visually as his character is story wise. This wasn't game breaking in any sense but it was one of the only gripes I had.
The combat and overall gameplay has also improved with the controls and shooting mechanics much more responsive than that of the previous game and the overall feel of controlling the darkness is much more enjoyable than last time. They have also implemented a new upgrade system (much like Bulletstorm), which has a large number of upgrades that improve the power of the Darkness. These are earned by performing creative and brutal kills, a new focus point for the series. These new improvements have really changed the overall feel of combat in a way that feels fluid and enjoyable, while retaining the core feel of the original.
On the topic of the original, many of the powers have been shuffled around to reflect the new gameplay. The dark hole is now a late upgrade that is randomly found in the bodies of dead enemies to replace their hearts, the Darkness guns have been replaced by "gun channeling" where your guns become Darkness fueled death machines and the creeping dark has been replaced with 2 sections where you control your Darkling. There are 2 things that I really miss from the original game, namely the customization of the Darklings and the brutal hand-to-hand kills. The new Darkling really doesn't have any real meaning in terms of gameplay aside from being a guide and an ally through the game. However this is made up for as he is an interesting character that you can connect with.
The most interesting thing I found with The Darkness 2 was not its graphics or its game play, but its amazing story that time and time again made me question what was going on at any one time and trying to second guess what was going to happen with little to no success. This is one of the most enjoyable single player campaigns I have played in a while, which is really saying something. Another high point in the story was the characters, which since the first game, have evolved and really become worth investing into emotionally. A particular standout was the relationship between Jackie and his girlfriend Jenny as you go through points where you see hallucinations of her and moments in her past. These moments really slowed down the pace of the story and provided a reason to keep going.
The biggest problem with The Darkness 2 is its length. I got all the achievements in 3 days not playing religiously which may me a turn off for some (a reason to buy it for others, Boosty I'm looking at you) but the length of the campaign is not something you realize until you have had a while to digest it. This is due to the incredible sense of satisfaction that you get at the end of the game (as well as a WTF moment after the credits). When the single player is done there is new game plus to mop up achievements and unlock the last few upgrades as well as a co-op mode called Vendettas.
Vendettas consists of 6 campaign missions that occur as the main story is happening and a number of hit list missions where you complete objectives on the campaign maps. The campaign revolves around 4 of Jackie's disciples/hit men who are tasked to hunt down people, as they get involved in Jackie's battle with the Brotherhood. Each of the characters has their own special ability and weapon, as well as a colorful personality. Each is fun to play and the missions all map out differently giving you a fresh view of the map.
Overall The Darkness 2 really shocked me with its story and not many games can boast this accomplishment. It's overall re-haul has fixed everything that was wrong as well as keeping most of the stuff that was right with the first game. to be honest I really didn't pay much attention to the pre release hype that it seemed to have going for it and as I was playing, I was preparing to take the pinch of salt. However this game delivered on such a level for me I am glad I played this game as soon as I could.