Game:

The Darkness II (2012)

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The Darkness II is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by Digital Extremes and published by 2K. The game is the sequel to The Darkness (2007) and based on the comic book series published by Top Cow Productions. The player controls Jackie Estacado, a mafia hitman who possesses a mysterious power called "the Darkness" that grants him supernatural abilities and a pair of Demon Arms. The game features elements found in role-playing video games such as skill trees, experience, and a four-player cooperative mode. The player must rescue the soul of Jackie's dead girlfriend, which was trapped by the Darkness in Hell, and confront the Brotherhood, a group of armed cultists trying to take the Darkness away from Jackie.

Digital Extremes replaced the first game's developer Starbreeze Studios, though Paul Jenkins returned to write the script for the sequel. While the main narrative was envisioned to be a personal journey for Jackie, developers described the cooperative multiplayer mode as a "dark comedy". Singer Mike Patton returned to voice the Darkness, and Brian Bloom provided the voice for Jackie Estacado, replacing Kirk Acevedo. The development artists hand-painted the majority of the game's assets to create a comic book-influenced visual style.

The Darkness II was released for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in February 2012. The game received positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the gameplay, story, pacing, and art style. Criticisms were directed at the game's short length, technical issues, and lack of replay value. The game debuted as the third best-selling game in its first week of release in the United Kingdom.

Jackie can use various firearms, such as submachine guns, shotguns, and assault rifles, and has the ability to dual wield some of these weapons.Additionally, he is armed with a pair of Demon Arms, which resemble tentacles and can be used to slash enemies or pick up various items within the environment (parking meters, car doors, etc.) to use as projectile weapons or shields.The Demon Arms can rip out the heart of fallen enemies and devour them for health, pick up enemies for execution, or throw them.The player is guided by a Darkling, a goblin-like creature that assists in combat and gathers weapons and ammo.At several points, the player can directly control the Darkling, allowing them to squeeze into tight spaces that Jackie cannot enter and execute enemies from behind. When exposed to light, Jackie's health regeneration and Darkness abilities are disabled.[9] In addition, his vision will become blurred and he will experience a ringing sound when exposed.The player can disable these sources by shooting them, causing them to malfunction.

The game features elements found in role-playing video games. Killing enemies, devouring hearts and performing executions earn the player Essence, which can be used to purchase upgrades at various talent shrines. Collecting relics, which serve as collectibles, earns a small amount of Essence.The skill tree is divided into four main aspects: Hitman, Execution, Darkness Powers, and Demon Arm.The Hitman aspect consists of passive upgrades that improve the weapon's reload time and magazine size. The Execution tree allows each execution to net more benefits, such as gaining a massive amount of health, ammo or a shield.Darkness Powers and the Demon Arms grant players access to active abilities, some of which have a brief cooldown after use.These abilities include Gun Channeling, an ability that gives the player unlimited ammo and enhanced damage for a short time;Swarm, which distracts enemies; and Black Hole, which triggers a large area of effect attack that sucks enemies into a vortex.

The game features a cooperative multiplayer campaign called "Vendettas" that runs parallel to the main campaign and allows up to four players to play together.The story involves four hitmen working for Jackie as they attempt to stop the Brotherhood from obtaining the Spear of Destiny. Each character has different Darkness powers and is armed with a unique special weapon. For instance, Inugami is a character who uses a Darkness-infused samurai sword, while Shoshanna uses a blunderbuss which can shoot without bullets. Although the mode can be played solo, the experience is significantly more difficult.There is an arcade mode called "Hit List" that allows players to replay certain Vendetta missions and complete challenges