FPS games all follow the same basic template: shoot what moves, either as a one man army or as part of a squad. It is how the developer interprets this template that provides for memorable experiences, and Darkwatch breaks the mold by combining simple-but-fun action with a setting that is a first for the genre.
Most modern shooters take place either in some wacky alternate future or on the beaches of Normandy, but Darkwatch is set in a trippy pseudo-steampunk re-envisioning of the Old West. After a train robbery goes horribly wrong, newly-minted vampire Jericho Cross is forced to join up with the titular Darkwatch, the long-standing organization devoted to hunting down the bloodsuckers.
The setting is appropriately dark and gloomy, but the action is anything but. The arsenal in Darkwatch isn't large, but all of the weapons feel downright brutal. Your arsenal is limited to two at a time, which helps to add a bit of strategy to the fast-paced antics. Also contributing to the depth is the inclusion of two sets of vampire powers that you earn through making choices to align with good or evil throughout the game.
The graphics are nicely done, but there is little to separate the levels from one another in terms of setting and tone. Voice acting fares better, with top-notch performances turned in by each of the primary characters. Overall, Darkwatch does a fine job of combining the blazing action of a game like Painkiller with a setting never before seen in the saturated world of first-person shooters.
-George
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