The Button Presser

Developer-Digital Extremes
Publishers-2K Games
Release Date- February 7th, 2012
Price- $59.99 MSRP




The irresistible Darkness returns



The Darkness II continues the story of Jackie Estacado, a man who currently possesses the evil entity that is the Darkness, and takes place years after the events of the first game. Now the Don of his Uncle's crime family, Jackie slowly begins to adjust to life after he suppresses the Darkness when he is ambushed at dinner by armed men, who were under the orders of a mysterious group called the Brotherhood. While Jackie has kept the Darkness suppressed and doesn't want it out, he has no choice but to unleash it once again to combat the Brotherhood, who seem to know quite a bit about the Darkness. Jackie also has to deal with Jenny, who he still can not get out of his mind.


While the campaign is a bit shorter than the original game, it is still worth checking for fans of the comic and original game, as well as action game fans. Quad-wielding is a term used by the new developers, Digital Extremes, and fits the game perfectly, as you can use both darkness arms and dual-wield weapons, all at the same time. It sounds complicated, but it is set-up pretty well. The triggers are used for aiming and shooting both guns, while the bumpers control the separate demon arms. Upgrades are available too, and collected essence from kills and collecting relics help power up Jackie. Darklings return to aid Jackie, and can even be thrown at enemies, or just up in the air for hilarious reactions.

The look of the game has changed as well. It reminds me of Borderlands, with it's cel-shaded esque visuals, which help make it feel like a comic since the Darkness games are based off of one. It's really colorful but not enough to distract from what you're supposed to be doing, and helps amplify the violence as the game is pretty bloody. Executions are a back in a big way, and offer up more essence based on the variation of kills and executions used.

Competitive Multiplayer has been removed in the Darkness II, and instead there is Vendetta and Hitlist, two primarily co-op modes that help fill in bits of the main story. In these modes, you'll play as four unique characters who possess specific Darkness abilities. Jimmy Wilson for example, has the ability to summon Darklings while wielding his throwing axe, and the sword toting Inugami has the ability to create a swarm of darkness, giving players a chance to run in with his sword, the Kusanagi. Vendetta is the co-op story mode, while Hitlist focues on set missions to complete. Upgrading is available to co-op as well, and carries over when playing alone or with three others. No online pass either, so new, used, or rented, anyone can check out these modes.

The story mode took me about two days to finish, and I clocked in about 7-8 hours of play. The co-op mode actually seem to be a bit longer, and encourage re-playability. Speaking of re-playability, there is a New Game+ for the main campaign, so you can go through with all of your upgraded abilities and try them out on a higher difficulty.



Overall, The Darkness II is a solid sequel, but is less linear than the original game. Digital Extremes still wanted to cater to original fans, but also introduce the Darkness to new players, so that may be why certain elements of the original were changed.

I loved the first game and enjoyed the Darkness II, and would recommend it to players looking for something new and original fans who want to see the continuation of Jackie's story.

"The Darkness II is an intense first person shooter that puts you in the role of Jackie Estacado, don of a NY crime family and wielder of an ancient supernatural force of chaos known as The Darkness."

Today marks the release of the Darkness II and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. I enjoyed both demos of these games, and will be trying to check them out sometime.

Don't forget next week is the release of the Mass Effect 3 demo, which will give you items for Kingdoms of Amalur upon completion of the demo. For downloadable releases this week, Gotham City Impostors will be making it's way to the Sony Entertainment Network and Xbox Live, as well as Shank 2.

Two cool new demos have been released today to check out. First up is the Darkness 2, which is the sequel to one of my favorite games and continues the story of Jackie and his struggle with the Darkness. Next is Action-RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which is being worked on by some great talent. There's also a cool thing going on the Amalur demo: Complete it and you'll be able to unlock content for Mass Effect 3! When the Mass Effect 3 demo releases, you'll also be able to unlock content for the full version of Kingdoms of Amalur, so both game demos have great incentives for the full releases. Pretty neat!

Check out more on Darkness 2 and Kingdoms of Amalur below:




"Embrace the Darkness and download the demo. Become Jackie Estacado and master your demons as you experience the thrill of Quad-Wielding: slash, grab and throw with your Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons."

Link To Content- The Darkness 2 (1.40 GB)




"The minds of New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston have combined to create Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a new role-playing game set in a world worth saving. Build the character you’ve always wanted and continuously evolve it to your style of play with the revolutionary Destiny system. Choose your path and battle through a master-crafted universe featuring some of the most intense, responsive, and customizable RPG combat ever."

Link To Content- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (1.90 GB)

A sequel to the 2007 hit and one of my favorite 360 games, The Darkness, has just been announced for 360, PS3, and PC and will arrive sometime in the fall.

Details on the game are a bit slim at the moment, but I hope it retains all the great aspects from the original since that formula worked out great for the Darkness. Can't Wait!

Source- Joystiq Xbox




Press Release:

2K Games Calls for Return of Chaos and Destruction with The Darkness™ II

Quad-Wielding combat, ruthless story and hand-painted graphic noir art style breathe new life into first-person shooter genre this fall


New York, NY – February 8, 2011 – 2K Games announced today that The Darkness™ II, the sequel to the million unit-selling 2007 title, The Darkness™, will be coming to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC in fall 2011. Developed by Digital Extremes and based on the supernatural horror comic book series created by Top Cow Productions, Inc., The Darkness II takes players down a brutal and personal path as Jackie Estacado, wielder of The Darkness – an ancient and ruthless force of chaos and destruction.

The Darkness II breaks out of the sea of conventional first-person shooters with its fervid Quad-Wielding gameplay, which will allow players to slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with their Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons. The game is layered with the use of dark versus light, steeped in deep and twisted storytelling, and engulfed in stylistic violence that is visualized through a hand-painted graphic noir technique that stays true to its comic book origins.

"The Darkness II is a well of dark and imaginative violence, and it's a stylized and beautiful nightmare," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "The Darkness II continues the 2K Games tradition of delivering quality, innovative games that are filled to the brim with atmosphere and deep storytelling. The game takes a unique stance on fighting in the dark versus light. Combined with the arsenal of weapons at Jackie's disposal and the gruesome attacks of the supernatural Demon Arms and Darkness powers, we're proud to announce another title that delivers on our core values of creating games for gamers."

The Darkness II will feature award-winning comic book writer, Paul Jenkins, who will provide a tightly integrated narrative that weaves dark humor with hardcore tenderness.

Take a step back from the familiar and comfortable, and prepare to embrace The Darkness.

It's been two years since Jackie Estacado, now the Don of the Franchetti crime family, used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend's murder. He's been unable to shake the memory of Jenny's death since bottling up his supernatural power, and now The Darkness wants out. A sudden, unprovoked attack on Jackie's life heralds the start of a full-scale mob war, which has clearly been orchestrated by some outside force. The botched attempt opens the door for The Darkness to reemerge, and sets Jackie on a journey to hell and worse, as he unravels the mystery behind the attack and the motivations of The Darkness itself.

"Sometimes that whooshing sound you hear is that of comic fans holding their collective breath," said Marc Silvestri, founder and CEO of Top Cow Productions and co-creator of The Darkness comics. "So often disappointed when a favorite character gives birth to a lame movie or video game, us fans have come to expect the worst. And sometimes we get it. But not with The Darkness II. Yeah, call me biased, but this second installment of Jackie Estacado's epic saga is – in my humble opinion – one of the most brutally cool games I've ever played. 2K Games hammered this one out of the park."

The Darkness II is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on The Darkness II, please visit www.embracethedarkness.com.