The Darkness II

Review

Common Sense Media says

Extremely violent and gory action game pushes the M rating.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

AGE
12
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that The Darkness II is an extremely violent game, heavily focused on killing humans and creatures using traditional weapons and supernatural abilities, including using your Demon Arms to graphically execute those who stand in your way. Blood and gore can be seen throughout the game, including body dismemberment, impaling, beheading, and ripping someone's spine out. The game also shows sexual acts performed (though with no nudity), contains drug references, and players can hear very strong profanity.

  • Positive messages0
    The game doesn't have any positive messages whatsoever. The game is extremely violent, bloody, and gory; there's sexual activity to be seen and heard while in a brothel (though no nudity); and dialogue sequences have very strong profanity and refer to illegal narcotics, too.
  • Positive role models0
    Aside from the fact the main hero, Jackie Estacado, sometimes kills demonic creatures -- which some might consider a "positive" action -- he is a mafia boss who kills many hundreds of people and beasts throughout the game, be it with guns, swords, or axes or with his supernatural powers called the Darkness (including tentacle-like Demon Arms to impale enemies and perform other execution moves). Innocent bystanders can also be killed if too close to the battles.
  • Ease of play4
    The game isn't too difficult to play -- even if the gamer hasn't played the first The Darkness. It employs familiar first-person mechanics and a couple of other controls explained near the start of the game.
  • Violence5
    THE DARKNESS II is an extremely violent first-person shooter that fuses traditional weaponry -- such as rifles, pistols, and swords -- with the unique supernatural ability to kill enemies with Demon Arms that can tear someone apart. Blood and gore is seen often, sometimes with dramatic finishing moves, plus enemies scream in pain. As the protagonist Jackie, players can also collect human hearts with his Demon Arms, remove spines, and decapitate people and creatures.
  • Sex5
    While there is no nudity, sexual acts can be seen and heard. Specifically, in one scene Jackie enters a brothel and sees a woman performing fellatio on a man (with the head bobbing up and down) and sexual intercourse with a man behind a kneeling woman. Gamers will hear moaning sounds.
  • Language5
    The game has very strong profanity, including words like "f--k," c--t," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," and "hell." It can be heard between non-interactive cinematic cut-scenes as well as during dialogue sequences and combat.
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    There are a couple of dialogue references to alcohol and drug use. One line says something to the effect of "...was too busy snorting coke off a hooker's a-s..."
  • Privacy & safety1
    Serious privacy and safety concerns. This game is playable online with strangers and has open chat that isn't moderated. Therefore, you don't know what you're going to hear and inappropriate solicitations could occur.  
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What's it about?

THE DARKNESS II is a comic book-inspired sequel where gamers once again play as Jackie Estacado, the mafia boss of the Franchetti crime family. Faced with resistance from both the human and supernatural worlds, Jackie not only relies on multiple weapons -- such as shotguns, rifles, swords, and axes -- but a hellish force grants him extraordinary powers in form of Demon Arms. Each with its own mouth and sprouting from his body like tentacles, Jackie's right arm is for bashing enemies and objects like (lampposts) and the left is for grabbing people and objects (like car doors you can use as a shield or toss back at baddies). Or you can use the two together, such as pulling someone towards you with the right arm and while dangling in the air, use the left arm to grab the other leg and rip them apart. Yes, this is one gruesome game. The single-player campaign takes you through various levels as you work your way through the story, plus there's also a multiplayer element for those who want to battle online against others.

Is it any good?

 

For the most part, The Darkness II is a good action game if you're into these kinds of gory shooters. While the game has its issues -- the solo campaign can be completed in only a few hours and the levels can be quite linear so you feel like you're kept on a tight leash -- it still can be quite fun to wield ridiculous powers and see what you're able to do with it all. Plus, you're able to upgrade your abilities over time and do things like summon a swarm of bees or create a black hole to suck enemies into. THE DARKNESS II is a fun and frantic B-grade game that's not quite worth the $60 (or $50 for the PC version) -- unless you loved the original and appreciate the Demon Arms game mechanic. Again, be aware of its mature content; if you can, try before you buy at a video game store or friend's house to see if this violent, gory, sexual, and profanity-laden sequel is for you.

What families can talk about

This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Teen, 13 years old
February 14, 2012
AGE
16
 
The Darkness will consume your soul.Literally.
Yo people,just got this game and have been playing it at least 5 hours a day for the past few weeks now.Ive completed the game and so can confidently say,THIS GAME IS NOT FOR KIDS.Bloody violence and gore is splashed at every opportunity and you fight gruesome enemies,with a huge amount of weapons like Demon Arms which are my favorite weapons in the whole game.Profanity,heavy but kids will get used it,sex is mild but lots of implied references.Take that to get off under 16.
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Adult
February 14, 2012
AGE
5
 
Educational for some children.
First lets start off with these ratings. As far as the sex rating, it says it plain and simple there is NO sex. If you cannot see it in the game and its not then do not rate it for sex since there is none whatsoever. I believe while there is violence, that it is not a bad thing. Introducing violence could not be easier for the parent by simply letting there child play this game. I believe that this is a good thing, and i actually tell my patients that it is a new, tested, better way for teaching your kids. Times are changing dramatically with crime rates going up and kidnappings are on a high right now and violence is now apart of everyday life. Children must be taught violence before going out into the real world only to be a victim of violence simply because they did not know what it looked like. As times have changed so has violence, even if you do not like the idea of your children playing it, you should play it and be able to let your children watch. Just be sure to let them understand that violence is wrong and teach them what is right and wrong while playing the game.
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Kid, 11 years old
February 28, 2012
AGE
18
 
OMG!!! Epic game but not for kids.
Im ten years old and im getting this game for my birthday and have played the demo. Great game but super violent and gory mixed with sex (no nude) and language (well you would swear if youre getting your face ripped off by demon arms) BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!
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Teen, 13 years old
April 11, 2012
AGE
2
 
My 2 Yr Old Loves This Game
My 2 yr old brother loves The Darkness II. He loves using the demon arms to slash enemies in two and laughs at the splashes of blood across the screen; he really enjoys gutting his foes (cue entrails fall out, which he finds hilarious) and he thinks the dual-pistols are amazing! He loves the sections in the brothel and the opening when SPOILERS! two bikini-clad girls are bloodily executed by a sniper. I say, buy this for your kid and he'll love every bloody, gory, shooty second of it.
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This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Topics:magic and fantasy, adventures, monsters, ghosts, and vampires
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows
Available online?Available online
Genre:First Person Shooter
Developer:2K Games
Release date:February 7, 2012
Price:$59.99
ESRB rating:M for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
This review was written by Marc Saltzman
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
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