I recently had a chance to demo an early build of The Darkness 2 by Digital Extremes and 2K games at a press event in LA. Though it’s sad to see that Starbreeze (developers of the underrated Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay on 360) would no longer be developing the title, Digital Extremes has an equally impressive resume as well with titles like Unreal Tournament, Bioshock, and Dark Sector under its belt.
The biggest draw to me of the game is the “graphical noir” art style in the game. It’s not quite cel-shading because it involved a gaggle of Digital Extremes artists painstakingly hand drawing textures to make the game really “feel” like a 3D graphic novel. Most cel-shaded games are algorithmically rendered by the graphics engine — this one contains actual hand-drawn art everywhere. It looks strikingly beautiful and there’s really no other game out with the same visual style.
My full preview is up on ComicsAlliance if you care to learn more. As a certified potty guy, I leave you with this tidbit about the new Darkling from the preview:
Instead of having to be micromanaged by the player, Darkling will act as an autonomous companion, distracting and attacking enemies, picking up weapons and ammo to bring to Jackie, and dispensing post-mortem justice via urinating on fallen enemies. (No I did not make that up.) He’s got a bright Union Jack logo on his frontside and even talks in a cheery British accent. While it’s sad to see some of the more strategic elements of controlling Darklings go away, there’s just no substitute for the satisfaction value of having your diminutive British demon companion drench fallen foes with green pee.
Read More: ComicsAlliance Demos ‘The Darkness II’ Game & Free Comic Book Day Tie-In