The Darkness gets new, free multiplayer map

by Justin McElroy { Mar 17th 2008 at 11:15AM }

We like to imagine that someone at 2K or Starbreeze Studios recently ran out of batteries for their flashlight. They went rifling through their utility drawer, pushing aside empty light bulb boxes and corn cob holders before they found the AAs they were looking for. But there, underneath them, just to the right of the broken remote for the VHS player ... is that ... a multiplayer map for The Darkness?

If that's not how the situation shook out, we have no other explanation. It's months after the game's release and nobody that we know ever really got in to the multiplayer. At least the price for this new map ("DM_Haunt") is right: Free. So, if your Darkness multiplayer menu option hasn't complied shriveled up and fallen off from disuse, feel free to give it a spin.

Tags: 2kgames, dlc, starbreeze, thedarkness

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Vcize @ Mar 17th 2008 11:18AM

Awesome, awesome game.

But the multiplayer is entirely worthless. I'd be surprised if 10 people download this thing.

xFenixKnightx @ Mar 17th 2008 11:27AM

"Awesome, awesome game."

Really? Did we play the same game. I did not enjoy it at all. =/

NATO_Duke @ Mar 17th 2008 11:32AM

The game was ok - not awesome by any means. IMHO.

I can't even recall if I tried the MP or not - that shows how disinterested I was in the title after the sp game was over.

Mike-453 @ Mar 17th 2008 2:54PM

Yup, was awesome. Would have been if had a faster movement speed anyway, really enjoyed the two playthroughs I had.

Christian @ Mar 17th 2008 11:23AM

Following that link my eyeballs almost fell out. Microsoft actually charges money for themes on the xbox360?

vidGuy @ Mar 17th 2008 12:07PM

Yeah, the vast majority of themes and gamer picture cost USD$1-2. There's a few decent free themes out there, like the GTAIV one. Most of the free ones are advertising though.

JonFitt @ Mar 17th 2008 12:25PM

Here little troll have a biscuit...

Of course MS charges for themes (except occasional promo ones), they charge for everything they can.

They'd charge you for looking at someone else's custom profile icon if they thought people would pay. A per word charge for profiles maybe? You want to use non-ascii characters in your profile name, the extended-character-pack is only 200 MS points.
20 points per umlaut beyond the first. Per month.

vidgrave @ Mar 17th 2008 11:27AM

I'm with Vcize on this one, the multi-player is complete ass for this game...

Vcize @ Mar 17th 2008 11:36AM

To each his own I suppose.

Personally I never understood why Bioshock got soooooooo much more acclaim than this one when really they are very similar. Both are mediocre as pure shooters (if you removed all other elements), both have some cool extra ability with RPG elements to counteract that (plasmids in Bioshock, The Darkness in The Darkness), both have character involvement and development far beyond what we typically see in a first person shooter.

For me, the scene at the end of chapter 1 of the Darkness was even more of a "holy shit!" moment than the would you kindly reveal in Bioshock, though both go down as all-time great scenes in videogames. It's remarkable how similar even those scenes were, with both having the same "you do not have control" theme.

Bioshock did most of these things better, and had Rapture going for it as well. However, I didn't think the difference was as vast as "winner of nearly every game of the year award in existence" vs. "game that hardly ever even gets mentioned".

Just my $.02

Matt @ Mar 17th 2008 12:11PM

I totally agree about the 'holy shit!' moment. I was like, oh c'mon, the dude will save her... but then yah, holy shit.
the time travel stuff kind of annoyed me, but all in all i loved the atmosphere and the storyline of the main character.

Burritoclock @ Mar 17th 2008 12:18PM

I could not agree more, one of the most underrated games ever.

In that vein, condemned 2 seems to be heading that way as well....

Vcize @ Mar 17th 2008 11:37AM

Ah crap, that was supposed to be a reply to Fenix above. Gah, edit button!

xFenixKnightx @ Mar 17th 2008 12:09PM

I hear ya, but I guess to each his own because I thought Bioshock was a masterpeice. The atmosphere storyline, music, graphics, water physics, environments, just the whole game is really well put together from start to finish. I cant wait for part 2. Dont know if I can say the same for Teh Dawrkness.

Mike-453 @ Mar 17th 2008 3:02PM

You mentioned everything but the actual gameplay, which was basically standard shooting. I personally much more enjoyed the combat of The Darkness. Bioshock pwns with its Big Daddies and a few of the plasmids I bothered using though.

caramelzappa @ Mar 17th 2008 8:07PM

@mike. The gameplay in bioshock was only standard shooting if you played it that way. If you had used more of the plasmids/gene tonics you'd have realized how the combat was really up to you. You can get wrench upgrades and camouflage and play it as a stealth game if you perfer, or experiment with different methods of killing, such as luring a splicer into a tornado trap that flies him into a trap bolt. Bioshock had more than an "emotional" choice, it had gameplay choice. You could choose to play it as a standard shooter, or in any other way you wanted. You only experianced standard shooing because you chose it, the gameplay had a lot more to offer, it just doesn't shove it down your throat.

Mystic @ Mar 17th 2008 11:45AM

Just goes to show you how they hold back content from initial release to see if the game does well or not. If it does, then they SALE you DLC content, if it doesn't they give it away free.

Markez @ Mar 17th 2008 11:44AM

I agree with Vcize here, I thought this was an absolutely awesome game. Very fun, good story, great atmosphere. Never touched the multiplayer once. I can barely muster the effort at this point to play Halo 3's single player campaign towards the end of beating it, just too boring.

Sinnix @ Mar 17th 2008 11:58AM

I too thought this game was fantastic... except for the multiplayer. Too bad I traded it in months ago...

Phranctoast @ Mar 17th 2008 12:11PM

I always planned on picking up this title when the price was right.

Mr.ESC @ Mar 17th 2008 12:22PM

I'm probably the only one that loved this game but I guess Bioshock stole its thunder.

The darkness did so many things right, yeah the MP kind of sucked. It was a lagfest and the host advantage was undeniable. The single player was awesome simply because it told an interesting story unlike COD4.

I don't think they sacrifice story for game play but after you get the Darkness powers all weapons turn completely useless.

It was enjoyable but I don't think no one is actually going to play The darkness over COD4,Gears or Halo 3 but at least they are giving the new maps for free unlike Bungie.