Interesting review, not one I necesarily agree with, but interesting nonetheless.
Slightly off topic I'd highly recommend moving away from the idea of breaking game discussion down into graphics, sound, gameplay, etc... all of these elements are intertwined in the gameplay experience and I feel looking at them as seperate entities ignores the fact that we never enjoy them as seperate, our experience of them is as a whole.
Anyway I digress...
While I can't argue with the statements made in the review I do disagree with the impact they have on the game.
Stuff such as the skip animation option only popping up near the end of the animation for instance. If anything Starbreeze should be congratulated for this not criticised. Those animations are the loading screens in much the same was as Samus descending elevators were the loading screens for Metroid Prime. That there will be loading pauses is unavoidable, that Starbreeze thought to make them considerably more interesting through the introduction of animations is a good thing. They can't actually speed up the display of the skip button as that will only display as soon as the content is loaded and there is something to skip to. Giving the option to move forward, especially if Jackie is telling a long tale that you have already heard, is a good thing but obviously it doesn't mean you can skip loading so you can't expect it to appear earlier.
I think the main problem I have with the review is that the game doesn't feel like it is being reviewed on its merits as The Darkness. This is a shooter with an adventure bent to it and like so many other titles that genre stradle it is the game as a whole that shines and not the individual elements that make it up.
Take Deus Ex, a classic in a similar vein to The Darkness and Starbreeze's earlier game The Chronicles of Riddick - Escape from Butcher Bay. Deus Ex had shooting elements that we far below par compared to most dedicated shooters of the time. It had some RPG influences but choice was nowhere near as strong as it was in Fallout.
The Darkness is not a dedicated shooter ala Half-Life and while more weapons and a better movement would be good not once during the experience did I find myself longing for these elements to be in play since the overall game was sucking me in for its - admittedly - very short ride.
What is there simply works in the game context. This isn't a game about throwing grenades, it is a game about exploring the power of the Darkness and in this regard it excels.
However there is no denying that it is too short.
Escape from Butcher Bay was a significantly larger title with a more expansive world (strange considering that The Darkness takes place in New York and Escape from Butcher Bay takes place in a high security prison although if you have ever been to New York... :P) and to see Starbreeze create a title that is just as compelling yet so short is a little dissapointing.
Overall I'd also recommend the game as a hire as you will finish it very quickly and while the unlockables are cool only the most ardent achievement whores are going to see the need to slip Jackie's overcoat on once more.
However where I differ is that I will say people should be racing down to the video store in order to do so. Short it may be but The Darkness was an incredible ride.
Smart, engaging and with a great story to tell, The Darkness is one of the better titles to come out this year.
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