The Darkness 2 is not nearly as good as the first one, but very different from it as well...
Story
Let's just say the story is the strongest aspect of The Darkness 2. It revolves (without a doubt hey) around Jackie Estecado, who now, is the boss of the Franchetti family – a mob/criminal organization active in the regions of New York/New Jersey. The story is adherent to the comic books somewhat, so Jackie soon finds himself in a search of an "organization", which is in pursue of The Darkness for "some' reason. I wouldn't say more than that since I do not want to spoil you. During the storyline we get to meet familiar faces from the first game like – Butcher Joyce, Jimmy the Grape, Jenny Romano etc.
9/10
Graphics
The Darkness 2 is very different than its predecessor in graphical representation. It uses cell-shading techniques, seen in games like Borderlands for example. This makes it look "cartoonish", which in turn makes The Darkness 2 resemble its roots – a comic book. So, if you are used to what the first game showed - dark and gritty world, you would be skeptical of seeing a lot more color in the sequel. So, I would like to reiterate – The Darkness 2 adheres to what the comic book provided us with.
7.5/10
Soundtrack/Voice Acting
This is where The Darkness 2 "dropped the bomb" in my opinion. Why wouldn't they use Kirk Acevedo as Jackie again? Why? You know, how would you feel if let's say, Marcus Fenix's voice from Gears series changed for the second or third installments? What about changing John Marston's voice IF there is a new game with him? Bottom line is: once introduced to the audience, a lead character SHOULD stay the same throughout its life…Now don't get me wrong, the voice acting of TD2 is great. There are a lot of voice artist from the Mafia 2 game, coming in and doing a great job. But, it is just that feeling when you hear Jackie's voice, I expect it to be with Acevedo's voice. As far as the soundtrack goes, the second game is very inferior to the first one. The musical score is more instrumental rather than a mixture of alternative rock/R&B and old-school Rap – the exact mixture we witnessed in the first game. Once again I want to reiterate – The Darkness 2 follows the comic book, so one would say that this is how the game should have started nevertheless.
7/10
Gameplay
The Darkness 2 is a very linear, first-person shooter. There are no side missions, no "content unlocking via phone calls" as seen in the first one. What The Darkness 2 does have is better shooting mechanics and better usage of Darkness powers. Trust me, it is a lot of fun trying to think of different and creative ways to kill an opponent – you could be eating a heart, while demon-arm-slashing an enemy, while shooting it with pistols. The controls are very responsive and overall, great improvement over the mechanics is the first game. In The Darkness 2 Jackie's darkness powers are always on display and cannot be toggled on or off. Once you are exposed to a light they disappear briefly.
9/10
Overall, The Darkness 2 brought us back to its original roots – the comic book. While not as engaging and not as good on the ear as the first one, it does satisfy your need for another adventure in the world of a mobster, possessed by a demonic presence. What more could you ask for?
8/10
EvilSelf