Devils & Demons: Games

They never come right out and say that the imps and dark forces that populate The Darkness, the recent first-person shooter from Starbreeze Studios, are from Hell, but the writing, as they say, is on the wall. The Darklings that protagonist Jackie Estacado can summon are quite obviously based on the classic image of demonic imps (with a few modern sartorial touches), and the "Creeping Dark" tendrils of which Jackie makes use are, in appearance, like something out of Satan's worst nightmares. And then, of course, there's the fact that, in the comic book on which the game is based, The Darkness' greatest enemy is "The Light." Yep, sounds like Hell to us.

Anyway, while eternal damnation is a constant threat for anyone who wants to traffic with dark forces, it sure makes for interesting gameplay. The Creeping Dark and the ability to summon Darklings put a fresh spin on tried-and-true first-person shooter mechanices, and just kind of look cool. Sure, it might be easier just to gun an enemy down with a shotgun, but isn't it more exciting to tear him apart with demonic tentacles that sprout out of your body? I think we all know the answer to that question.