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Excellent Multiplayer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Id recommend this game for anybody with an xbox live account but if you dont have xbox live you might want to think about renting it first. How about you come up with your own review instead of ripping it off from gamespot only to change a word or two here and there and taking all the credit for it though S. Areias "secretbuyer"?? There's a word for what you just did and it's called plagiarism.

The wait is over....sort of

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It was a long wait and a lot of extensions to the original release date, but Darkwatch is now readily available on the Xbox platform. How does it live up to the hype? Pretty well.

First of all, this game is in a shooter-genre all of its own. The setting is the Wild West, but with a spin, vampires and undead. If any other games have tried this, I haven't seen them. It really is a refreshing setting and helps to make Darkwatch feel fresh while in reality it is just any other shooter.

As a shooter the game delivers fun gameplay, but nothing stellar, and no real moments that made you say wow - like the dual weild in Halo2 for example. The controls are fluid (as others have mentioned if you are familiar with Halo and Halo2, you will want to use the Cheifton controller configuration right from the get go) but occasionally I found that the charachter just didn't always turn when I told him to, especially when taking damage. This was rare, but odd. In addition, his ability to fan the hammer on his revolver for rapid fire didn't always work by holding the fire button down the first time, and I had to release the button and hold it again. So far, those are the only glitches I've noted.

The maps are actually very small and/or linear and you are limited in where you can run (and thus, your strategy is limited). You have the added ability to lean from side to side, and while I haven't noticed much of a difference using this ability, it could prove helpful. The appearance/mood/setting is very well done, creepy and dark, and mature. Their are corpses and muilated bodies, etc. that push this game into the mature realm.

Now, shooting is the key element of shooters, so on that note, the guns are very, very fun and inventive (but not believable) given the era. You start with a simple revolver but you won't be limited to that for long at all. In the same opening level you get the Redeemer and that is the pistol you will most likely keep throughout the game. While holding an amazing amount of ammo and having rapid fire, the Redeemer also allows you to fan the gun's hammer and thus greatly increase your rate of fire. It is a great way to mow down waves or put rounds into a large target, but it can also eat your ammo and it is difficult to adjust your aim. You will also have the options of dual pistols (fire more lead, but very inaccurate except at close range), a carbine (slow rate of fire, somewhat powerful), shotgun (not really my favorite, only effective at close, close range and slow rate of fire) and Range Rifle (sniper rifle). You will encounter stationary weapons and you can shoot with unlimited ammunition from the back of your horse - undead horse. You can also throw dynamite, and shoot dynamite bolts from a gas powered crossbow. This weapon is fun, great at distances and against groups, but the delayed explosion means that nearby enemies will be on top of you before the dynamite explodes - and you get to blow up with them. All the weapons have a melee attack, and for some, like the crossbow, you may use it more than the primary fire in some instances.

The enemies in Dark Watch all looked amazing to me, and have very good animations - although they are all the same after a short while. They all look creepy and really add to the atomoshere of the game, and are just plain fun to shoot up. Some elements of the world around you respond to gunfire/bashing, but not a lot.

You have some vampiric abilities in Darkwatch, but I found them to be somewhat bland. You earn them by doing good or evil deeds and thus earning good or evil (if you will) powers. The powers are essentially defensive sheilds and buffs to the power you deal with your guns. You have a double-jump that is quite useful from the start, but unlike some other vampire games you don't have a glide, hover, slow fall, or anything of that nature, and you don't have any sensory awareness (radar) to tell you where enemies are - and they will come at you from behind a lot and you won't have any advance notice that they are there. You do have "bloodvision" that turns everything into shades of red and gray and allows you to see the enviroment much subdued and the targets and certain items are easier to make out - they glow pink.

I've completed what I would guess is 50% of the game, not a very long game, but typical for a shooter. I haven't really noted a lot that would make me want to replay the game in full, but I can see myself coming back to it from time to time.

In short, if a Vampire Western theme appeals to you, this game will deliver hours of enjoyment.

Wow! Originality Like You Read About!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

What a simply tremendous FPS with a completely original take on the genre. I don't need to explain the backstory, it's well explained in the game. The weapons are very satisfying, explosions are great too. The act of "flying" is seamless and enjoyable. The "scary" parts of the game are legitimate pants-wetters. 5 stars top to bottom. If you're tired of other FPS's, give this original one a try. Great game at a great price now. Environments are truly spectacular and immersive and the hard-working music score complements gameplay nicely. Even though this game was released awhile ago, it holds up great and is worth return trips to this addictive universe! Plus, any game that gives Rose McGowan any voice-over work is high on my list anyways!
My only problem is that the multiplayer maps are freakin enormous and not really playable as a 2-to-4 player deathmatch. Other that that, this is a true keeper for the XBox FPS enthusiast!

duh

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 7
Date: September 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

why are you people all harping on the fact that this game is for mature people? A LOT OF GAMES ARE FOR MATURE PEOPLE! evil dead. mortal kombat. GTA. halo. breakdown. about 75 % 0f all video games are intended for adults! it is stupid to note a specific game as being for mature gamers just because it involves decapitation. a lot of them do!

if someone gets you this game their not your friend.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 7
Date: May 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

yes the wild west is always a refreshing change in the first person shooter genre. BUT if you're looking for a game with this descpition GO RENT GUN...it's alot better and you won't want to kick your self every time you turn it on.

Just ok...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: January 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a fair game, but if you've played any first person shooters(FPS), you've played this one. You are either shooting monsters or hacking them to "death" with the butt of your weapon.

Like I said, it's just about like any FPS, only set in sort of a western setting that you can't see real well because it is, I guess, appropriately dark.

There aren't many variation within the types of enemies you encounter.

Your character is first person throughout most of the game, except when riding horseback, I don't know why they chose to change it there.

If you are looking for a western game, try Gun. If you want a monster killing game, this is one, but so are so many others out there.

Fun shooter with some nice twists but visually repetetive

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Darkwatch for Xbox is an above average first person shooter (FPS) with a few cool features to seperate it from the pack. I'm sure anyone reading this knows what to expect from a FPS game and there are some good descriptions here, so I'll just add a few comments. My main complaint is that it's visually repetitive (both the characters and worlds). There are probably 12 or so character models in the entire game. I would have rather done without the cheesy cut scenes and spent more budget on varied enemy models.

+ It's fun to run around in the old west for a change, and the levels are nicely laid out to include close-up and long range fighting (I am one of those people who love sniping - carefully lining up a long-range shot and blowing off an enemies' head).

+ Throwing dynamite is always fun.

+ The weapons are fun to use and I like the fact that it matters where you hit an enemy (a head shot kills right away, while it may take several body shots).

+ The game moves along quickly and the difficulty increases at a good rate. Each new level is tougher, but not so much that you want to quit.

- There isn't much variation in character models.

- Most of the characters in the cut-scenes are annoying dorks. The voice acting is good, though. Having the 'ghost' Cassidy say stuff like 'Here they come, you'd better shoot them' can bug you real quick-like. I have yelled "No sh*t" or "Shut the H*ll up" at the TV quite a few times during this game.

- You see the same enemies over and over.

- There seems to be about 7 or 8 enemy types, and they get boring quickly. I would have appreciated if the developer just changed the color of clothing on enemies once in awhile. You'd think with all of the space on a DVD, you would not have to look at 20 of the exact same monster coming at you (over... and... over... and... over...). Come on guys - if there are 5 Banshees coming for you, how about a few different dress colors? It's like playing Robotron or Space Invaders. There's one character model for the guys that help you. It's like you are playing on clone planet.

- Did I mention that the enemies all look the same and keep repeating?

- Also, there are the same character models used again and again...

Does Darkwatch Deliver?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Darkwatch : Curse Of The West combines both the horror and western genre with a first person shooter aspect to gives players some very intense eye catching gaming action. The fast paced gameplay offered in Darkwatch is a fresh and crisp appeal, quickly bringing the player into the feel of a true western environment .

You take on the role of Jericho Cross, an outlaw train robber who makes the mistake of trying to rob the wrong train, a Darkwatch train. His actions release all hell and havok as he blows open the safe releasing the son of Satan, Lazarus. Lazarus in turn curses Jericho as a vampire and unleashes an army of the undead. You now must journey into the west trying to win back your soul in a battle against yourself and the diminions of hell along with the spirit of the former regulator Cassidy by your side guiding you thru the different western terrains as you venture to the Darkwatch headquarters. Darkwatch is a secret mysterious society that has been protecting all of civilization from the evil's of hell since the dawn of time. Clay Cartwright rushes you in as you endure some physical battles to prove yourself worthy in order to become the newest Darkwatch agent. It is up to you to now stop Lazarus & his hoard of evil undead, if you fail then you must walk the earth as another one of Lazarus's damned, however if you succeed then you will win back your soul.

You will come across such enemies as; scythe and gun-wielding skeletons, floating banshees, shadow hiding vipers, blood-spitting oozers and many more evil monsters that will try to stop you in your path. However you will have a variety of weapons available for your access. The weapons provided for your disposal are ; 'The Redeemer' a modified revolver, 'The Carbine' a rapid firing musket, 'The Argus' a four barreled shotgun with plenty of stopping power, 'The Range Rifle' a sniper rifle, 'The Rail Rocket' a mortar hand canon, 'Dynamite' great for clearing out a hoard of the undead. At some point in time you will need to use every one of these weapons to clear out the hoards enemies & pass a mission. Each gun also offers you the opportunity to use it as a melee attack, allowing you to take down many of your enemies with a few butts from your weapon, saving you your ammo for situations in which you may need it more. You will also find yourself capable of taking up position in stabilized turrets and tearing down your enemies with a rain of bullets, however if you are wanting to keep your accuracy rating high then don't just shoot nonstop. You cannot carry all of the weapons so be sure to make your tactical decision upon which weapon to drop & which to pick up. My favorite thing to do is to take and melee attack on the enemies, by doing this you can save on your ammo, which you don't have any trouble finding ammo as you can pick some up from enemies you kill & along with a few other outlets, but it also helps you to keep your accuracy percentage from going so low.

Guns are not the only thing that Jericho will have to rely on in order to take out the undead, but there is an impressive array of vampiric powers that can be earned & used to take out the undead. These powers are earned by releasing tormented souls & sucking the blood of those you come across. There are two sets of powers, good powers & evil powers, both have a set of 4 powers, however you can earn more than just four powers during your journey as you fill up your power meter. Your good powers are; Silver Bullet, Fear, Mystic Armor & Vindicator; the evil powers are; Blood Frenzy, Turn, Black Shroud and Soul Stealer. Depending upon whether you suck blood for the fun of it or for saving the poor condemned people, will decide whether you have a good or bad reputation, it is best to stick with one or the other until you fill up your power meter & unlock all of the powers for the side that you have chosen. You are definitely going to need the vampiric powers in order to beat the boss's , so make sure to check in every place to find any chained tormented souls. So you must choose, will you follow your inner dark side or choose the path of good and righteousness ?

As the vampire curse takes starts to take its course upon you, you will soon find that you have powers such as the blood eye vision & vampire jump. By using the blood eye vision, it will allow you to see enemies, weapons and other key items, as they glow white when you view them with your blood eye. I found that the blood eye is very good to use in order to see snipers. Vampire jump allows you to jump higher in order to reach high ledges and other areas of the game.

The missions are varied, with some allowing you to ride on your trusty steed shadow, trying to take down skeletons on horseback or trying to get close enough to jump on a train. You also ride a steam wagon & can mow down a line of the undead as you go on your way. It is really fun to have the steam wagon and run down the enemies as they rise from the ground. Mostly though you are journeying through different terrains in the west, which are very detailed with the graphics and makes you feel like you have been dropped right in the middle of the west.

My opinions of the game overall are that the game play is fun and can be slightly challenging depending on what difficulty level you play it on. I also like how the controls are very easily set up and it isn't hard to follow or get the hang of them. My complaint is that the game play does seem quite short, I have played and beat Darkwatch on Greenhorn, Cowboy & Shootist level, taking me just 315 minutes to be it on the second hardest level, to me it should take more than five hours to beat a game and when I sit down to play a game I want it to take days to beat & for the story to completely pull me in. With the shortness of game play, there is a bit of loss of the story, it just is not very in depth and to me just leaves a bit of a gap, I love games that can just pull me in & that I can truly feel for the characters & just I overall become consumed by the story. I feel a lot more could have been done story wise. However the cut scenes are nice and short, not drawn out like on some games in which you could run to the bathroom or leave the room for a few minutes , then come back and the cut scene will still be running. There does seem to be somewhat of a lack of some truly satisfying multiplayer gaming. In my honest opinion I say pick up a copy of this game, you will not regret it and you will enjoy a few good hours of intense game play.

capcom comes out with another great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Darkwatch is an unbelievable game. The game is so good, I hope they defenitley come out with another one in the future. The first thing I'm gunna tell you about is the story line.....
Welcome to the Wild West, circa 1876. You are Jericho Cross, seasoned outlaw. Looking for a big score, you raid a secret treasure train. Unknown to you, this train belongs to the Darkwatch, an ancient organization committed to defeating supernatural evils. The cargo of this train is not money or jewels, but a captured vampire lord being transported to the Darkwatch citadel for interrogation. You blow open what you think is the treasure vault on the train, only to release the oldest and most powerful creature of its kind. Perhaps from perverse gratitude, this vampire doesn't kill you. He just bites you, so you slowly turn into a vampire yourself. With growing supernatural powers, you hunt Lazuras , the vampire that bit you. If you gun him down before the curse overcomes you completely, you might win back your soul. If you fail, you will be damned to walk the earth as a vampire, having condemned the West to despair under the rule of evil incarnate.

The gameplay is great. It is a first person shooter and there are great weapons. Ther is the redeemer revolver which has a knife on the bottom of the handle. On all the weapons is a melee weapon that you can use. There are the warmaker pistols which have blades on the handles. There is the blackfish carbine which is like a rifle, it is probly one of my favorites, just seeing the monsters blow back when u pell the trigger. There is the carson range rifle which is a sniper rifle and you can zoom in two times with it. It has a crzy sword on the edge of it. The game also has the shotgun, the FOUR BARREL SHOTGUN. it is so powerful close up and it also has a curved knife. There is also a crossbow which when u shoot an arrow into a monster is blows up, there is dinamite on each of the arrows. There are two swords that come out of the front which you can upercut people. There is also the rocket launcher and it is intense and it has a big hammer on one side of it. You can also get dinamite to throw and sometimes in the game you get to use the scepter which is a sword croiss thing. There is also turrets you can use. The game also has vehicles, there is a darkwatch vehicle which has a gun turret on tope and you use it for various missions, there is also your vampire hporse which you bit during the train incident. The character you are, Jericho Cross, is so cool, if you havn't seen him you have to see him. There is also a whole bunch of enemies in the game so you wont be bored of killeing the same things. After you do some levels you get to join the Darkwatch and then you get to have guys come with you to help you do the missions and you get to choose missions that the darkwatch need to do and you can get guns and ammo from the darkwatch before you start the mission. There is also multiplayer and xbox live where you can verse other people in a gun battle. You can create games and levels to battle in.
Darkwatch is one of the best games I have played this year. I defenitley recommend you getting it. [...] So get this game.

"Dark" one to Watch... with a wary eye

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Darkwatch is, technically, one of the slickest and most responsive shooters to grace the console systems. On the other hand, it's oft-delayed development cycle did nothing to prevent the finished product from coming across half-baked in most every other department.

Interestingly, the game is set in the old West, but with a gothic twist. It seems our protagonist, the outlaw Jericho Cross, has just robbed the wrong train - instead of sacks of wealth it contains an evil vampire lord. Unwittingly unleashing said vampire from the custody of the shadowy organization known as the Darkwatch, this creature of the night proceeds to raise the dead and wreak all kinds of havoc. Sound cool? Yeah, it certainly does, but the implementation of this unique setting leaves much to be desired, and the ensuing plot makes little sense.

This is exceedingly unfortunate, as the gameplay here is well worth any shooter's raised eyebrow. The production values are spot on, and the action has been polished to a blue steel sheen. Think Painkiller meets Halo and you may have some idea what to expect with this one. Blasting countless vampires and other beasties into oblivion with heavily modified old Western firepower is the highlight... and all that blasting is certainly cathartic fun. A cool arsenal and a handful of vampyric superpowers provide action that is undeniably delicious. All of this is wrapped up in tight, responsive controls and a solid frame rate despite the swarms of baddies that fill the game's small(ish) levels.

On the flipside, nonsensical story notwithstanding, the game offers little in the way of variety (and what it does proffer up feels decidedly tacked on, such as one level in which you're tasked to drive a vehicle merely because that's the new trend in shooters). For instance, you'll probably find yourself choosing your favorite weapons early on and sticking to them, and the game's incessant use of Reapers, scythe-wielding undead which are not only the first enemy you encounter but easily the most overused, detract from the overall experience. On top of this, the melee attack (ala Halo) is a little too powerful, and to conserve ammo and make quicker kills you'll probably find yourself bashing enemies in the face just as often as you shoot at them.

The game's single greatest offense, however, comes in terms of its length. This one can be finished with ease on the normal difficulty setting (albeit with one frustrating level near the end that tasks you with jumping through a fiery town killing flying Banshees). There is some slight replay value to be had due to a very gimmicky feature that allows you to make good or evil decisions, but it's just that - gimmicky, and really quite lifeless. The game plays out much the same in either case.

That said, there's still a lot to like about Darkwatch as a first person shootist. Expect the problems, deal with them, and you'll find a slick, fairly addictive action title just beneath the surface. It just had the potential to be so much more, and it's hard not to get the distinct impression that this one was rushed out the door before it could really mature into a grade A product.

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