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May
13th, 2011
By Requiem
Genre: First Person Shooter
System: Playstation 2, Xbox
Developer: Sammy Studios
Publisher: Sammy Studios
Release Date: November 2011
The first person shooter genre is filling up by the dozens
these days. In an attempt to flood the market with the insane
success of Halo, more FPS's have come out than you can take
out with your BFG. This means, though, that not only will
most of the games be terrible and rushed, but that they will
all be inevitably compared to Halo. This is not a new trend.
Before Halo we compared everything to Goldeneye, and before
that it was DOOM 2.
So
how can an FPS dare to be original? It isn't easy, but Sammy
Studios has found away to do it: by not caring. Their whole
goal with Darkwatch is to make a great FPS the way they want
to without cloning whatever else is already out there. The
game takes up back to the Old West. It has everything you
could hope for in the time of showdowns at high noon; shootouts,
wagon chases, and evil vampires trying to take over the world.
You
are Jericho Cross. Your occupation? Cowboy, of course. However,
instead of finding baddies taking Miss Kitty, you stumble
upon a vast legion of vampires who are killing any in their
wake. Not only that, but you "accidentally" unleash
their leaderm who in turn bites you. I know what you're saying:
haven't we had enough games playing half-vampire cowboys?
What
makes Darkwatch stand out is the open world that you have to
explore. The game is said to be extremely plot driven, but that
doesn't mean that you have to play through a solely linear path
to accomplish your final goal. Not only can you take several
paths through a mission, but the places and people you meet
will react to your every action. This is definitely something
that is rare amongst the FPS genre. If you ride into town with
your guns blazing and you take down a few dozen innocent villagers
along the way, the next time you come back you'll be a might
feared (and hated) man. However, you can instead take the "behind-the-shadows"
path and dispose of your enemies from rooftops and back alleys.
This
is great and all, but we mustn't forget that Jericho is now
half-vampire. What good would that be if you couldn't use
the powers of the undead to your disposal? As your power grows,
Cross will be able to attain special abilities that give him
an advantage in his quest. The majority of these are still
under wraps, but this kind of character and plot development
is very intriguing for the genre.
Still
a ways away, Darkwatch will hit shelves in November. Until
then, go stick in Devil May Cry or Castlevania and remember
how good it feels to kill Dracula.
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