Enjoyed 2K Games and Starbreeze Studios' The Darkness (for the PS3 and Xbox 360)? Word is out that Starbreeze is hard at work for Jackie Estacado's second video game adventure, but 2K Games is squashing this as mere rumor. More details in the full article.

 

Even after the minor mishaps that Take-Two Interactive had with D3 Publisher's Dark Sector trailers, the company has still pushed forward with the release of Starbreeze Studios' rated M for Mature title, The Darkness, across North America. The first-person shooter action title is now available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the U.S.

Based off the grim storyline of the comic of the same name, The Darkness will take players through the dark corners of New York and the realm of Darkness in the shoes of Jackie Estacado. And after gaining an ancient power on his 21st birthday, players will aid Estacado in his quest to wreak vengeance on his own crime family. The game also features:

• Different manifestations of the Darkness will allow you to devour, implode or impale enemies, summon darklings, and cannibalize your victims
• Insane multiplayer
• Diverse voice talent
• In-game television content

The game will be available for purchase with a US$ 59.99 price tag. And fans in Europe and Australia don't have to fret: they will soon get their release copies when the game releases on PAL regions on June 29, 2007.

Buy: [The Darkness (Xbox 360)]

For those of us keeping tabs on Jackie Estacado's dark path of revenge in the next-gen FPS The Darkness for the PS3 and the Xbox 360, here's a treat even the Darklings would eagerly chow down on: a two-part developer walkthrough video that explains a lot about the game. Producer Lars Johansson and Art Director Jens Mathies talk of mainly how the powers of Darkness figure into the gameplay and how you use them.

The first part shows a cemetery, and it's where Jackie gets his first taste of the Darkness. Through an uncontrollable cutscene, Jackie watches as the darklings sprouting out from his body make short work of his enemies by literally tearing them apart and eating their hearts (can you say overkill?).

The second part focuses more on the Darkness, its various abilities AND limitations. If one looks at the darklings perpetually hanging over your shoulder, you'll notice they have glowing spots on their heads. This could be considered the Darkness' health indicator - the more you use the Darkness to dispose of your foes, the more energy you expend, and the glow dims accordingly. Fret not, however - you can easily restore this energy by standing in the dark, or draining darkness from your defeated foes.

Certainly something to look forward to, this game. Check back here for any and all updates regarding Starbreeze and 2K Games' The Darkness, and in the meantime, enjoy the videos!

Buy: [The Darkness (PS3)]
Buy: [The Darkness (Xbox 360)]

Want another dose of The Darkness? With the release looming ever so near, let's take another look at what Jackie Estacado can do, shall we?

We've got another gameplay video from Starbreeze and 2K Games' video game that showcases the use of Jackie's faithful minions, the Darklings. In this video, we see the different types of Darklings that can be summoned from "tainted souls". There are actually twenty in all, though we only get to see a few in this gameplay video: Kamikaze, Interrogator, Gunner, and others.

Anyway, The Darkness (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) is scheduled for release in June 29 for North America and June 29 for Europe. In the meantime, check out the video. Enjoy!

The Darkness - a title that engraves fear to the minds of those who know of it. Being based on a comic book, Starbreeze is going all out by making a dark and gritty game without being branded ridiculous. Well, sure, main character Jackie Estacado has powers and all that, but the game is still a hardcore FPS at heart.

In this appropriately named video, we see different ways to kill but mostly with a couple of pistols at hand. The monster behind Estacado helps a lot, but it looks like he can make do without it. Stylish way of shooting coupled with a few kicks and spins make for a deadly man. Here's the video, check it out yourself.

There's something about being evil that's attractive to most people. First, you get to do what you want and not care about what other people say, plus you get a a thousand coolness points. Take Jackie Estacado, for example. He's a Mafia hitman and wielder of The Darkness powers. Good thing he's just fighting for his life and not wreaking havoc.

In these two new trailers of 2K Games and Starbreeze Studios' The Darkness (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), we see Jackie and his demon minions in action. The setting is a bit confusing since it looks like a warzone but it's really the Otherworld which is ruled by lost souls and demons. After a bit of munching hearts, maiming enemies, getting rid of light sources, and gunning down shooters, Jackie finds a person (we're really not sure what to call it) on top of a hill, tied to what looks like crossed flags. The minions say some creepy things like, "Hell has no form, it bends to my will." Plus upon the discovery of the tied person they say, "One of the four."

Interesting eh? Anyway, before we spoil all The Darkness fun for you, you better go ahead and watch the videos. Enjoy!

Watch the other video of The Darkness gameplay after the jump.

Speaking with gaming news site Kikizo, Patrick Liu, associate producer of Starbreeze's comic book-inspired video game The Darkness, admits that The Darkness has some similarities to their previous games. Of course, this doesn't distract them from what the game is all about: the action.

Patrick Liu explains: "There's a blend of genres between the adventuring and the action. The focus is still on the action - it's mostly a shooter."

Moreover, Liu reassures that what will be unique about this action shooter is that it should feature non-linear gameplay.

To further emphasize their attempt to make their take on the shooter genre unique, Liu noted the many superhuman powers that lead character Jackie Estacado should be able to obtain as the players progress through the game. He also ads, that there "aren't very many first-person shooters where you are the monster".

Whatever it is Liu has to say, a lot of us here at QJ don't really care. Not because we think that the game isn't worth our time, but because most of us are already sold on it. Given that damned promising opening sequence, we'd be really disappointed if this game doesn't turn out to be what we hope it would be. The Darkness should be available for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 come June.

Can't wait for more The Darkness? Good news for those of you who are looking out for this one. GameTrailers scored an interview with producer Anthony DeLuca and Marc Silvestri (founder of Top Cow and creator of the comic book). Plus there's a Heart Eating montage - not for the faint of heart. (Excuse the pun.)

The Darkness' Jackie Estacado is certainly no saint and we'll see why as the creator himself explains it. Silvestri also discusses the collaboration of Top Cow and Starbreeze. DeLuca discusses the gameplay of The Darkness briefly and the multiplayer mode of the game where players can play as darklings. The video montage aptly called "Heart Eating" features the Dark Tentacles... well, eating enemies' hearts out.

The Darkness both for the Xbox360 and the PS3 will be making a dent on the shelves on June 25. We'll quit the prattle and let you watch the videos. Enjoy!

Marc Silvestri and the Heart Eating trailer over at Full Article!

We know that the video's slightly dated, especially since April 5 is eons ago in Internet time. Still, the sheer awesomeness of the intro for the The Darkness must be shared. For the benefit of those who care, no, this is not heavy news, so no complaints.

What's noteworthy about this intro is that we all thought we just there to sit down for the ride, then the instruction to shoot the Shotgun showed up. This blogger was instantly wowed. I have been known to be shallow, but hey, it's Jackie Estacado, you can't decry Jackie Estacado's coolness.

The Darkness was initially criticized by some as something that could turn out to be yet another shooter. If this cinematic intro, it's mesh with gameplay, and the fact that it's heavily based on the comic book of the same name, then it seems that it's likely to meet the hype and be more than just another "brown and bloom" shooter.

The game is set to be spewed upon PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers come the 29th of June later this year. Thank MySpace for that bit of info.

Now, here's a bit of character background for those who have been waiting for the game The Darkness which is published by 2K Games. Remember that Estacado guy? Well, people comment that the character Jackie Estacado from The Darkness (360, PS3) is a little too violent, but such rage should have emanated from somewhere, right? We don't mean the malevolent entity which possessed him, but we're talking about the events that occurred before Estacado's 21st birthday.

We know that aside from his enemies from the Otherworld, Estacado is scouring the New York underworld to wipe out his former Mafia employers. They used to work together, and somewhere along the line, something happened that turned everything sour. The story trailer below doesn't spoil much of the story, but it hints on several things that will leave your mind reeling with speculations.

The Darkness is a mix of modern day crime drama and supernatural horror that uses both FPS and third-person perspectives. The story of Estacado originally appeared in a comic of the same title which was created by Top Cow, and developer Starbreeze Studio decided to bring it to the video gaming universe.

Set for a Q2 2007 release, we can't wait.