The sequel to 2007's The Darkness made by Starbreeze(Riddick, Syndicate) is now in the hands of Digital Extremes(Dark Sector, Bioshock 2) and they have done a great job I think. They went for a different art style which at first I was not excited about but now that I've beaten the game, I think the graphics are good and still retain that gritty feel but at the same time it looks unique. The graphics are not cel-shaded as many people believe, they are hand drawn and it looks great considering that The Darkness franchise is based on a comic book.

The story follows Jackie Estacado as he is now a mob boss and his darkness powers can't be held back anymore. The story focuses mainly on Jackie's dead girlfriend(Jenny) who he thinks might be trapped in hell but the Darkness is holding him back from her. The story is good and it does a great job making you feel like you are a mafia boss and a badass. Mike Patton(Faith No More) returns to voice "The Darkness" and while he does a good job, sometimes it feels like its a bit cheesy when he says certain things in his unique voice but its still good.

The gameplay is very fun and the controls are nice and smooth. When the game was being shown at E3 last year they said you could "Quad Wield", now when I heard this I thought you could hold two guns in Jackie's hands and two guns in your tentacles but you can't. You can dual wield different weapon combos in Jackie's hands and you can execute someone with your tentacles. Its very satisfying ripping guys in half and eating bad guys hearts out but later on in the game it kinda feels like a chore a little bit. Now when I heard people say this game is only 4 hours and very short, I was a bit skeptical but this game is not that short. It took me awhile to beat it and when it seemed this game wanted to end, it just continued and towards the end, I felt that the developers might have crammed a little too much towards the latter part of the game but its a pretty lenghty game considering its an FPS shooter/action game.
New to the game is "Vendettas" mode which can be played offline or online with up to 4 other people. This mode is actually good and provides you with a different take on The Darkness story. You can play as different characters who have their own unique powers and weapons but there are no tentacles in this mode though.

At the end of the day, I think this a really good game with a different graphic style, good controls, good gunplay and a good story. While this game might feel somewhat streamlined than the last Darkness game, it still retains that unique look and gritty feel that the first one had. Its just different and it has been 5 years already since the last Darkness came out so you have to expect changes. If your looking for a bloody good time than check this game out.

Final Score: 8/10