Natalia Antonova

It’s been a depressing kind of week, so I want to take some time to talk about a new video game which offers up some impressive new ways of killing people - and by that I mean, of course, “The Darkness II.”

You don’t have to be familiar with the original game, developed by Starbreeze Studios (as opposed to Canada’s Digital Extremes, which developed the sequel), or the comic book series that inspired it, in order to get into this gruesome adventure about a grieving young gangster who has a dark, terrifying force living inside of him.

I particularly like the cute names given to the different types of executions one can perform in this first-person shooter (and I’m not generally a fan of first-person shooters as a kind of rule - and yes, yes, I know, I KNOW, it means I miss out on a LOT of good games this way).

My favorite one has got to be The Wishbone (WARNING: if you’re sensitive to cartoon-style game violence, do NOT watch the video I am linking), which allows you to tear your enemy from limb to limb with your set of demon arms (you also have a pair of human arms).

The reaction from Russia’s gaming community has been very positive so far - though as this review indicates, the game isn’t in the same groundbreaking territory as its predecessor. And that only figures - 2007 was a different year for gaming. People were easier to impress then, I think. And it was before the global financial crisis suddenly seemed to hit every industry out there - including gaming.

What I like about games like “The Darkness II” is the aesthetic component, really. There’s something about it from “Alien,” there’s something about it from “The Godfather.” The game stays true to its comic book roots, but the developers are obviously keenly aware of the new possibilities the gaming medium offers up. I like that.

If you’re in the mood to kill things - you can at least do it beautifully.