If you're a seasoned First Person Shooter player like myself, you might be a bit bored of how linear they tend to be. Even most efforts that have attempted to be a bit more open-ended have fallen flat on their face (Far Cry 2, I'm looking at you here), and while The Darkness is not without its flaws, it is a fun sandbox-style shooter that invites exploration and a meditative pace over frenetic run-and-gun gameplay.

That isn't to say that Rambo doesn't have his place in FPS games, because I enjoy mindless slaughter as much as the next gamer, but to that token, this is not a game for the impatient player wanting instant gratification. In The Darkness, a lot of the game consists of trekking from one place to another in search of a contact, with freedom in between to explore the expansive surroundings, even if it isn't especially difficult to find the character you're after. The protagonist has special powers called The Darkness, which allow you to deflect enemy fire and even inflict small imp-like monsters on the baddies. You accumulate this power from collecting the souls of dead enemies and also from destroying all light sources in the vicinity.

Visually, this is hardly indicative of the console's best work, but it is good looking nevertheless, and is appropriatey grimy given the New York City setting. The streets are full of litter and muck, making this a believable, living, breathing world. The sound aspect adds a lot to the atmosphere, reinforcing the sense of dread and tinge of horror, while the voice acting is actually surprisingly good for such a low budget game.

Though not a major entry into the 360's canon, The Darkness is a fun little game that isn't especially challenging, but has a lot of style and gallows humour to offer.