2K Games has announced the release of its much anticipated The Darkness II which has finally been made available for purchase in North America for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Claimed by the publisher to break the mold of traditional first-person shooters, the title is scheduled to hit international markets tomorrow for the same platforms.
This new game in the series continues two years after The Darkness and chronicles the story of Jackie Estacado, who’s the head of a New York crime family and also the wielder of an ancient and brutal force of chaos and destruction known as the Darkness. The title is said to have been layered with thematic elements of dark versus light and has its visuals based on the stylistic graphic noir technique that can be found in the comic books it is based on.
Marc Silvestri, founder and CEO of Top Cow Productions and co-creator of The Darkness comics, revealed, “Jackie Estacado’s saga returns in epic form with The Darkness II. There’s a certain level of anxiousness when you see a favorite character move from ink on a page to pixels on a screen. 2K Games and Digital Extremes were able to do it in a way that stayed true to the Jackie from the comic books, while making a brutally awesome game at the same time.”
The gameplay in The Darkness II kicks in a new combat mechanic called Quad-Wielding, which allows players to slash, grab and throw objects and enemies with two Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons. Also new to the series is the cooperative Vendettas campaign that runs parallel to the single-player story. Four players can jump into the co-op mode, assuming the roles of the four new playable characters.
The Darkness II is now available in North America for the PS3 and Xbox 360 at a price of 59.99 USD (approx. Rs. 2,950), while its PC version sells at 49.99 USD (approx. Rs. 2,455).