The Darkness has just been released on Xbox 360 to some fanfare down here - but we'll have to wait a little while for the demo, it's still being tweaked a bit.

That's okay, the kids in Germany have to wait a while for the actual game to be released, so we get off lightly.

Still - if you're waiting for your copy, we've got a breakdown of the four types of Darklings, little things that play a big role.


The game itself is set in the seedy, dark underbelly of New York City, as well as the ethereal realm of The Darkness. You step into the shiny shoes of Jackie Estacado, mafia hitman and heir to "The Darkness" - an ancient power that is manifested on his 21st birthday. To seek revenge on his own crime family, Jackie must utilise traditional weapons as well as learning to master his terrible new powers.

Sound familiar? You may recognise the story from the best-selling comic book series of the same name, by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis and David Wohl, launched in 1996 and currently published in 19 different languages world-wide.

So - why couldn't it be released in Germany along with the rest of Europe?

Largely, the problem is the Nazi symbolism contained ingame. It's currently illegal (and punishable) to show swastikas or other Nazi symbols in Germany, for various historical reasons. Those are being removed, and a few other changes are being made while they're at it. Four of the Darkling kill methods are being removed, and a "ripping out heart" animation is replaced by sucking out the victim's green, misty soul.

Just in case you happen to be in Germany (or considering travelling there), don't worry about importing or trading the uncut European version - even possessing a copy of the game (or any other games that fall into this category) can carry up to three years of jailtime - and while this game's good - it's not that good.


Anyway. Those pesky Darklings.

	Berserker Darklings are vicious and will use whatever is around their environment to eviscerate Jackie's enemies.		Light Killer Darklings will destroy all the lights they come in contact with.
	Gunner Darklings are gung-ho, military, and born to kill! Using her trusty Gatling gun she will stand at a distance and unleash hell on her enemies.		Kamikaze Darklings are more than willing to take one for Jackie. He will run into a crowd of enemies and blow himself up!

...as if that wasn't enough, the Bezerker Darklings are fashionable little things, Jackie can find various outfits (and weapons) to provide new looks for his minion:


The latest looks for Bezerker Darklings - Baseball Fury, Greg Norman or Jason Voorhees
I could stay here all day regaling you with stories about the Darklings and how they work with the storyline, but really - I'm just taking up valuable game-shopping time. Go! Get!