The Top 10 Games of 2K Games

06. The Darkness (Starbreeze Studios)

June 2007 - PS3, X360

In many respects 2007 was a great year for video games and the gamers who play them. After all the year began and ended with massive fun, particularly in the guise of Mass Effect.

Then there was God of War II, Assassin's Creed (little did we know what that game would start rolling!), a very welcome Halo 3, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

On the light-hearted front we had Peggle, and Super Mario Galaxy gave us something to relax with once our fingers were stiff from playing Rock Band all day.

Portal made us afraid of disembodied voices of computers, and thanks to BioShock we had a healthy respect for huge blokes in diving suits, but in the end any legitimate fears that were generated by those games paled when compared to the new kid on the block, a rather misleading title called The Darkness.

Now bearing in mind that the mafia-themed video game was a well-established part of the shooter genre by 2007, what wasn't a part of that familiar formula was a newbie gangster inheriting the family business who also happened to be possessed by a demonic force able to quite literally laugh off bullets and tear enemies limb-from-limb out of annoyance!

While not quite the hero in this case, the protagonist of The Darkness, one Jackie Estacado (voiced by Kirk Acevedo) presented the player with more of a demonically-possessed anti-hero. But thanks to a rather interesting collection of supernatural moves, a predictable but welcome collection of traditional firearm type weapons, and the usual structure of missions and side-quests, The Darkness offered a lot to be appreciated!

Well, that and an additively compelling ability to really communicate with the enemy just how disappointed we are with them by first ripping off one of their arms, and then beating them to death with it. Seriously...

You see, on the eve of his 21st birthday, Jackie Estacado finds that among the gifts he received was a very unexpected one that we are sure, in hindsight, his father genuinely intended to fill him in about - and he would have done so, we are certain, if he ad not died... But that is another story.

Instead of learning about the family curse - or gift depending on how you look at it - instead Jackie finds himself suddenly possessed by a terrifying set of powers derived from a source we know as “The Darkness” and a sudden need to test its limits and get to know it before it takes over.

The sudden arrival of the powers of The Darkness offers an odd dichotomy because, while it certainly makes Jackie a far more effective Mafia Hitman than otherwise, it also presents something of a quandary, because outside of a core group of family and very close mates, allowing the details to become general knowledge might easily lead to our being rubbed out - and that almost happens anyway!

What The Darkness delivers is a practically seamless and rather unique blend of a modern crime drama neatly superimposed upon a supernatural horror story - and the entire debacle is experienced in a first-person perspective (and optionally third-person should you prefer it) of the non-linear story in which, via a combination of present and past events, reveals loads of information - some of which we were better off not knowing.

While Jackie comes to master the use of the powers of The Darkness, the real story - and challenge - comes with the realization that The Darkness has plans for Jackie that do not include Jackie's plans for the future!

The only reason that this title makes its debut in the list in the middle is down to the fact that the list includes a plethora of really excellent games - and that said, if you have never played this game, here is a perfect opportunity to sneak over to your local game store and whisper in the ear of the clerk that you'll be having a copy of The Darkness for your preferred platform.

That way you will always have a new (to you) and exciting (of that there is little doubt) game that you can set aside for a rainy day (or under perfect and ideal conditions, a dark and spooky evening!) that will serve as insurance that you will never again be bored by accident.

The Darkness is available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 - personally we prefer it on the latter rather than the former - and should you find yourself truly in need of entertainment here is a secret you may find incredible: the game sports an interesting soundtrack including some tongue-in-cheek tunes for you to discover.

We will get you started by pointing out such notables as Acid House Kings' “7 Days” and Blinded Colony's “Once Bitten Twice Shy” for starters, and nudge you along to "Captain Midnight" by Tomahawk, and Marilyn Manson's "Cruci-Fiction in Space" -- do I hear a Woot?!

Woot!

When that is no longer enough to keep your claws off of the screen door, flip on the TV and check out the different channels where you will find the FULL feature-length movies including To Kill a Mockingbird, The Man with the Golden Arm, The Street Fighter, and a full episode of Flash Gordon, as well as several "Popeye" and "Gabby" cartoon shorts. If that is not enough, check out the music videos on the music channel...

Just saying, there is no way to be bored with this game in the slot of your console unless you are seriously you know, working on being bored.