Developer: High Moon Studios Publisher: Capcom Release: Genre: FPS
When Halo hit the market it hit big. It took the ball that Goldeneye established and ran with it and is probably the most important first person shooter released in the new millennium. That naturally meana that there were many games that would attempt to follow in its footsteps to varying degrees of success. This would especially apply to the PS2, the market leader at the time that had no real answer to Microsoft’s juggernaut. Capcom and High Moon Studios teamed up to create Darkwatch, a Wild West take on the fps that is, “ahem”, heavily inspired by Halo but a great game in its own right.
Jericho Cross is an outlaw trying to make a living in the Wild West whose only obligation is to himself. But his selfish demeanor backfires while robbing a train. Instead of riches he unknowingly releases the ancient vampire lord Lazarus who turns him in to a creature of the night. He is coerced in to joining the Darkwatch organization to make amends for his crime and to prevent Lazarus from taking over the world. Darkwatch is heavily story driven which is surprising as there are only five or six main characters. There are a large volume of cutscenes as the developers seem to be proud of the tale they have crafted. The story however is cliché and predictable but at least well told thanks to the top notch voice acting talent.
If you sent Master Chief hundreds of years in to the past and gave him a duster and fedora you might end up with Darkwatch. From its mechanics to its control scheme it follows Bungie’s title to a tee. You can carry two weapons simultaneously, dynamite is on L1, and every firearm doubles as a melee weapon in a pinch. Personally I used melee attacks more often as they easily behead most enemies in one shot but I digress. Cassidy is your Cortana, warning you of danger and providing guidance. It even has its own version of the Warthog with the same annoying controls. The game does not have an original bone in its body. But it also means that it has a solid foundation to build upon and it does so brilliantly.
In the first level you become a vampire and that comes with strengths and weaknesses. You gain a regenerating shield, a double jump, and vampire vision highlighting points of interest or secrets in the environment. Every enemy drops blood orbs that replenish health which, considering the sheer number of waves you deal with is a blessing. Between the orbs and the shield you would think the combination of the two would be game breaking. But it takes seconds for any enemy to shred both. Since you are a vampire sunlight nullifies your shield and you will immediately feel your vulnerability. You will also learn a variety of vampire powers which brings the game’s morality system in to play.
Darkwatch takes a page from Knights of the Old Republic and has good and evil choices throughout the game. These usually involve offering salvation to an innocent bystander bitten by Lazarus or taking their life. Your choices will send your vampiric powers down two paths with unique abilities in each. You can mix and match to an extent but the best results involve sticking to one path. The game leans heavily on the good side; the evil abilities sound cool but in practice are lame. Outside of one choice near the end of the game your morality decisions do not affect the story sadly.
The Wild West theme means there is not a great deal of variety in set pieces. You spend most of your time in abandoned mines, dilapidated towns, and empty desert. However the pacing of the campaign does its best to distract from that. Each mission has multiple segments that changes the gameplay from moment to moment. One minute you are locked in an enclosed space and must survive waves of undead and the next you are on horseback attacking a train. Your fellow Darkwatch members will often fight beside you and the additional firepower is welcome. Still the game relies too heavily on its arenas with seemingly endless waves for my liking. It highlights the lacking enemy variety and considering the length of the campaign grows tiresome. More boss battles and even mission objectives would go a long way toward making the gameplay stronger.
What does keep the game exciting in light of this is the intelligent enemy AI. Basic zombies are stupid but will almost always attack in groups which are especially dangerous in tight corridors. Gunslingers smartly attack from long range and actively avoid your attacks. Watching them take cover and roll to dodge your melee strikes is annoying but exhilarating. Banshees coordinate attacks with one another, making them some of the most difficult enemies to deal with. Later enemies like Banditos and Vipers are resilient and will aggressively come in to melee range. Almost every encounter is exciting In spite of the lacking enemy variety but I still wish there were more. The game does a lot with what it has which is why the campaign is enjoyable despite my few faults.
In Closing
Darkwatch rises above its borrowed mechanics to be a great first person shooter in a setting that is still hardly explored today. The pacing is good, the mechanics are excellent and the presentation is absolutely stellar on both platforms. I enjoyed this play through just as much as I did back in 2006 and recommend this one wholeheartedly.
