Multiplayer
Sadly Multiplayer on the Darkness was included as an afterthought and it immediately shows. Up to eight players can fight over Xbox Live or System Link. Of course, playing as eight Jackie Estacado’s would get a bit silly so gamers can take the role of either mobsters or Darklings. The Darklings are fast, nimble buggers who can leap over incredible distances but are rather weak, whilst Mobsters have more hit points and can pick up and carry weaponry.
Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Survivor are the four modes available but the included maps aren’t too good. When I finally connected to an internet session, a miracle in itself I might add I found the map rather poor, and then came the intense lag - a well complained about feature for a good reason.
According to the developers MySpace page these are the over-the-top requirements needed to initiate a multiplayer gaming session. I say over-the-top because most people barely have an upstream that can handle 3 players on this game. I’ve got a 1.3mb upstream and that is extremely high for a home Uk ADSL connection. 4mbits? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Check your bandwidth speeds and follow these guidelines. This should ensure that you minimize or completely eliminate the lag.
- Below a 1.5 megabit/s upstream, host only up to 3 players
- 1.5 - 4 megabit/s upstream, host only up to 4 players
- Above 4 megabit/s upstream, host up to 8 players.
Conclusion
I have to admit that I hated this game upon first playing it. It felt like Prey, but slightly more polished and that wasn’t saying much. Then again it was my fault for going through about half of the game with guns blazing, whilst I ignored Jackie’s amazing powers. It is only when you begin using these powers that you realise the game’s hidden charms. The Darkness powers are unique and superbly implemented into the game and they really do make it fun to do sneak attacks on individual enemies or you can just go all out and hit them with your strongest power available. The Darklings add a much needed comical touch to the game, and upon summoning one you’ll quickly see why.
The plot is rather polished and Jackie himself makes a good character that I’m sure gamers would love to see more of in a future sequel perhaps? The engine is already in place, and a year down the line could have be improved enough for a sequel. The only downer for this title is the poorly tacked on Multiplayer code, and given that a good proportion of its gamer points require you to play games over Xbox Live means that a lot of gamers won’t even bother with the multiplayer achievements at all.
Is this game worth a buy? Hell yes, especially since 360 games are dropping in price and I managed to grab this for just £34.99. I’ve got myself a great looking game with a top plot, and enjoyable gameplay to boot. I can’t complain there!
Rating: 9/10
Pro’s:
- Detailed city environments
- The Darkness powers are fun and original
- Detailed, well animated PC/NPC models
- Great, involving plotline
- Good voice-over cast
- Jenny is ‘tha bomb!’
- Neat menu presentation & cutscenes
Cons:
- Could do with more outdoor environments
- Laughable multiplayer code
- Nothing really ‘next gen’ about the game, but an extremely good effort