The Darkness II takes place a couple of years after the original, and Jackie is still mourning the death of his girlfriend Jenny. He has managed to hold the Darkness within him at bay and is the don of the Franchetti crime family. He is trying to enjoy himself in a restaurant until he is attacked by a group trying to take the Darkness for themselves.

The demo starts off with Jackie being crucified and taunted by their leader, a limp and scarred old man who wants to persuade Jackie to give up the Darkness since the host has to do it willingly. Let’s just say instead of asking Jackie nicely, torture will do the talking.

One of the major aspects about the gameplay of The Darkness II is you can really mix it up how you deal out punishment. Quad Wielding allows you to use two guns and both demon arms at the same time. The Demon Arm on the left is reserved for grabbing items, weapons, and enemies. Jackie can even use it to throw objects when ammo is low, and car doors as a shield and projectile weapon.

The Demon Arm on the right is the mean one, and it is used to slash the environment and unlucky bad guys in half.

The gore comes in buckets when you use your arms to perform execution attacks. A couple that comes to mind are the “Wishbone” attack that rips your enemy in half by the legs and the “Anaconda” which will simply impale them through the heart.

The gunplay is pretty basic for a FPS, but I am not holding it against Darkness II because you have plenty of other ways to defend yourself. When combat becomes chaotic, that is when you will find that the Quad Wielding mechanic works extremely well in this game.

Dark Essence is collected from your victims and can be used to unlock powers. The demo introduces you to your first power, the ability to eat hearts. Feasting on hearts regains health, but stay out of the light because it impedes your ability to regenerate health.

The Darkness is usually accompanied by a group of small creatures called Darklings. They are deadly, mischievous, and were very helpful in the first game. This time around the focus is on one Darkling in particular who wears a Union Jack shirt and speaks with a British accent. The Darkling will help Jackie solve puzzles, interact with the environment, and attack enemies in some pretty funny ways. This simple change makes the game more story driven and now Jackie can share his dark journey with a companion.

Even Jackie’s dead girlfriend Jenny appears as an apparition in the game. I am not sure what role she will play this time around, but maybe Jackie will have a second chance in saving her?

This game has so much going for it, especially in the story department. The demo ends with a cliff-hanger as the Darkness lends a helping hand to Jackie as he escapes torture.

Starbreeze Studios originally developed The Darkness in 2007, but Digital Extremes has done a great job being handed The Darkness franchise. The demo has made me very interested in this adult story crafted by comic book legend Paul Jenkins, and the cell-shaded graphics are a perfect choice for a comic book game.

Simply put, Darkness II is a gory, bloody, action-packed good time with an engaging story.

I think you better sleep with the lights on tonight…

The Darkness II  arrives on February 7th for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

• The Galaxy Note combines the best features of a smartphone with the larger viewing screen of a tablet and advanced technology in the S Pen™ — delivering an all-in-one device that allows users to work more efficiently and maintain productivity, while communicating in a unique, personal way.
• The Galaxy Note boasts the world’s first 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED™ screen (1280×800), one of the largest screens on a smartphone, for sharp, clear colors and readability – both indoors and out.  With the expansive high-resolution screen that provides an immersive viewing experience, customers can take full advantage of the large display, to create and consume more.
• The Galaxy Note includes a highly advanced tool called the S Pen, which delivers fast, responsive and precise control to create fine lines and detail on the device display, much like an ink pen and pad of paper.  With the S Pen, users can easily sketch drawings, jot down notes, or write emails and texts quickly and easily in free-form handwriting.

Mass Effect 3 releases for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 6th in North American and March 9th in Europe

Valve is now putting Steam in your pocket, or purse, with a new app for iOS and Android mobile devices.

The app is free and now in closed beta, and all you have to do to join is download the Steam app and login to your account.

If only life was that easy.

Source: Press Release

The company has gone through some rough times lately and the Wii U’s release date came after an earnings report in which Nintendo adjusted sales and earnings forecasts, and reduced shipments of the Wii and 3DS.

The final specs for the Wii U are still a mystery, but current rumors have it being twice as powerful as an Xbox 360.

The collection has been remastered to feature 720p HD visuals, stereoscopic 3D compatibility, and will also feature over a hundred trophies and three platinum trophies.

All on one Blu-ray of course…

The Playstation Blog has a sneak peek on some of the trophies you will be spending your time trying to collect.

“We won’t be making any more Resistances,” It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

Ted Price released a video message to Resistance fans explaining why Insomniac is walking away from the franchise, and thanking the fans for their support.

Sometimes you do have to walk away from something you created in order to move on to the next success.

Insomniac’s mulitplatform title Overstrike is definitely on my radar.

Source: Game Informer

Kotaku has reported that SNK Playmore may be getting back into the hardware business with a new device simply called the Neo-Geo Portable. The new handheld comes with a 4.3 inch LCD display, four face and shoulder buttons, AV output, an analog stick, SD card support and 2GB of storage under the hood.

You won’t just get the device alone, as the memory card is preloaded with the following titles:

World Heroes, Ultimate 11, Top Player’s Golf, Sengoku, Nam-1975, Mutation Nation, Last Resort, King of Monsters, Frenzy, Cyber-Lip, Fatal Fury Special, The Art of Fighting, Super Sidekicks, League Bowling, Metal Slug, Magical Lord, Baseball Stars Professional, Samurai Showdown, The King of Fighters ’94, and Fatal Fury.

The Neo-Geo Portable was apparently leaked on a Japanese blog, so the images could very well be a prototype.

SNK has not confirmed or denied if the Neo-Geo Portable actually exists.

If it does, let’s hope it doesn’t cost you the same as the original Neo-Geo console.

Where do I begin with this epic fail of a game? Before I get into it, let me tell you the back-story.

A long time ago I was a guest on the Warzone with Torrence Davis, Hip Hop Gamer and several of us were blown away when we saw the trailer and so on. Fast forward to now…and I have to say that this game is a@#! I deleted the game shortly after a few playthroughs.

Some of the specifics were:

• Developed by Cyberconnect2
• graphics were terrible, I mean Unreal Technology

You play as Asura of course. What I gather from the demo is that Asura is a God who has been set up/betrayed by another God, exiled to Earth, and they have captured his daughter.

I may be off with that description.

The game is a mixture of styles. Action Adventure, Anime, and Quick Time Events wrapped up in a big bag-a-sh#t. There are several elements of game styles presented in this game, and it fails at everyone. Capcom has put out some very nice looking games this generation, but when they let Unreal touch this…FAIL. I looked past this during the first load up phase, because I was anticipating this game.

The dialogue, sound, damn near everything about the game is so cheesy you wonder, “How can anyone sell this?”

I’m not going to put anyone on blast in my review, but I heard comparisons to God of War 3, which is laughable. Since I’ve heard ridiculous comparisons and the game does try to emulate many games, I will finish by giving the game an exact non-sensationalized comparison.

The Anime/Action Adventure Style probably best describes this game. If that is the style of game you are into I would highly pass on this and suggest picking up Afro Samurai.

There are two episodes in the demo; Episode 5 & Episode II. They both feature you free roaming like Afro Samurai, but there are more camera switches during boss fights not to mention QTE’s.

The difficulty in Asura’s Wrath is childish. It is the worst button smashing game to date.

The list of Action Adventure games that are better than Asura’s A@# with QTE’s (Asura’s A@# is now its official name) are; Heavenly Sword, Bayonetta, Castlevania: Lords of Shadows, and of course God of War 3. It’s not necessary to list every title, but it’s safe to say that this is probably one of the worst, if not the worst, game this generation.

The demo is 718MB, download at your own risk.

Microsoft Points will also be converted to cash after the switch, and the report also stated that Mobile developers have already been warned about the change.

You can already use Microsoft Points to buy content on app stores but Microsoft has been gradually requiring currency to purchase large games.

This is just a rumor, so don’t jump up and down just yet.