After months of internet speculation, 2K Games has officially announced a sequel to the critically acclaimed first-person shooter, The Darkness. Developed by Starbreeze Studios, the original featured a lower rung mafia hitman named Jackie Estacado who discovers he has inhereted demonic powers, which he uses to track down the men who killed his girlfriend. The game was interesting for its combination of contemporary gangster and gothic underworld settings, as well as the central gameplay mechanic in which the player is able to wield twin-weapons and various powerful tentacles capable of impaling enemies and smashing down walls.
Set two years after its predecessor title, The Darkness II puts Estacado at the head of the Franchetti crime family. He has managed to surpress his Darkness powers, but an attempt on his life brings them right back with a vengeance – with, no doubt, catastophically bloody consequences. Jackie must now work out who wanted him dead before his dark powers suck him back to hell.
This time round, development duties have gone to Canadian studio, Digital Extremes; it previously handled the multiplayer on Bioshock 2, and co-developed several titles in the Unreal series of first-person shooters. Once again, the story is being handled by award-winning comic book writer and video game regular, Paul Jenkins, who the press release claims will provide, "a tightly integrated narrative that weaves dark humor with hardcore tenderness."
'Hardcore tenderness'?
