Another hidden gem: The Darkness

I got The Darkness (360) in the mail a few days ago and have been playing it pretty much non-stop. I didn't really know much about it going in, and that was probably a good thing. I never would have taken a chance on a game based on a comic book about a Trent Reznor-looking mafia guy that gets evil powers and goes on a rampage in NYC. The odd thing about the mafia/occult mix is that it actually works. There's a good mix of Soprano's style dialogue and horror movie imagery. Before you get bored of one, there's some more of the other. And the first time I "died" and had to maneuver around in the underworld I felt like I was playing a whole new game. So, ya, I'm liking it.
There's also a good mix of weaponry. You earn powers at a nice rate to where you get to choose how you want to play the game. I started out with the dual pistols and trying to run and gun everywhere. As soon as I got to an open area, I saw how it wasn't going to work. That's when I figured out that you can send out this crazy vicious fast moving worm...thing to do your killing while you wait safely in the shadows. The controls in this mode feel a bit off since you slither along the ground and can climb up walls, but it ends up being a lot of fun. The achievements for this title are my favorite kind too. The "kill X amount of enemies using Y weapon" are great since they force you to try out a style of play that may not be the most comfortable for you.
Oh wait, I hadn't even mentioned the summoning Darklings ability. You get this early on and it seems a lot like Overlord. You call up some wise-cracking demons from pits in the ground and direct them where to go do your bidding. The game would stand up just fine without them and they seem a bit out of place, but it's still a neat little addition.
Up next, I'll finish this and start on Mirror's Edge.