Skip to main content

The Darkness 2 pre-order incentives revealed

the-darkness-2-e3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2K Games will release The Darkness 2 on February 7, 2012. The game was originally set to make its bow this month, but the release was pushed back probably at least in part because there’s some incredibly stiff competition this holiday season. The Digital Extremes-developed sequel isn’t the marquee title that some of the other upcoming games this month are, so the delay makes good sense for all involved.

We can still talk about the game though, especially when 2K is going to go ahead and reveal all of the nifty bonuses fans can get for pre-ordering a copy. A press release issued this morning reveals that all Darkness 2 pre-orders will automatically upgrade to a Limited Edition version of the game. You’ll get a custom illustration from The Darkness comics co-creator Marc Silvestri, a free digital download of volumes one and two of The Darkness Origins and, of course, some in-game boosts.

There’s an alternate Darkling outfit — Jackie Estacado, the game’s protagonist, is constantly followed around by a little implike creature called a Darkling — which is probably just cosmetic, giving your companion a look called “Crazy Abdul.” There are also two ability upgrades offered in the Limited Edition: Gourmet Hearts, which gives you an experience bonus for eating the hearts of dead enemies, and Relic Hunter, which helps you find the collectibles scattered throughout the game. Sounds like a good package for Achievements/Trophy-seekers.

Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
Overwatch 2’s story missions are the light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel
A giant turret in set up in Gothenburg in Overwatch 2's story missions.

Overwatch 2: Invasion finally brings three PvE story missions to the competitive shooter, but it was an arduous process to get here.

When Blizzard Entertainment first announced Overwatch 2 in 2019, the game’s main hook was new cooperative story missions that would finally give players the Overwatch narrative content they yearned for alongside more replayable Hero Missions and a Talent skill tree system. When Overwatch 2 eventually launched into early access in October 2022 after several leadership changes, it was free-to-play and lacked any narrative content. To make matters worse, a May 2022 announcement from Blizzard that it canceled work on the Hero Missions system put the future of PvE story content into question for many Overwatch players.

Read more
Lego 2K Drive melds the best parts of kart racers and Forza Horizon
A custom car built drives around Lego 2K Drive.

Forza Horizon 4's excellent 2019 Lego expansion worked so well that it seemed obvious that an open-world Lego racing game should become its own thing. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long to see that become a reality. Visual Concepts and 2K Games have announced a multi-title partnership with The Lego Group that begins with the open-world racer Lego 2K Drive, which launches on May 19.
I was recently flown out to 2K's Novato headquarters to go hands-on with Lego 2K Drive ahead of its announcement and came away impressed. The Lego and open-world racer combination still works quite well, harkening back to some great-playing racing games with aesthetics and a car customization system that gets as much mileage out of the Lego association as possible. Whether you're a fan of this new wave of open-world racing games or want to build and then race the weirdest Lego creations possible, you'll be thoroughly entertained by Lego 2K Drive. 

Entering a Lego world
My hands-on time with Lego 2K Drive encompassed the game's opening hours. The central premise is that players are trying to qualify for the Sky Cup Gran Prix, a race in the sky that only attracts the best drivers from this Lego world. To qualify, one must win four Grand Brick Arena circuits in each of this game's biomes. But first, I had to learn how to drive. After designing my Lego character, I was let loose in Turbo Acres. In this smaller open-world area, it's manageable to learn the basics from an experienced Lego driver named Clutch Racington.
"We wanted to feel like you are playing with your Lego sets in the real world"

Read more
5 features AEW: Fight Forever needs to set itself apart from WWE 2K23
Multiple wrestlers posing for cover of AEW: Fight Forever.

The upcoming release of AEW: Fight Forever marks the first major professional wrestling video game outside of the WWE 2K series in a long time. But just as the two promotions have major differences, so, too, will the games. The WWE 2K series was in rough shape following the infamous release of 2K20, but after taking a year off, it came back swinging with the solid WWE 2K22.

Still, it's not perfect, leaving a major opportunity for AEW: Fight Forever to steal the show. This upcoming release is being created by veteran developer Yuke's (the studio behind genre classics like WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain) meaning the team has plenty of experience making wrestling games. Not only that, but the project is being led by Hideyuki "Geta" Iwashita, the director behind Nintendo 64's iconic WWF No Mercy.

Read more