Darkwatch does bring in some new scraps that distinguish it from the crowded FPS marketplace.  Along the way you can go ‘good’ or ‘evil’, by choosing whether to sink your teeth into potential victims or set them free. In practice this doesn’t alter gameplay, short of a slight change in the story and a different set of special moves, but it does get you emotionally involved in the game. Darkwatch also incorporates a nice Time Crisis -esque horseback section, which breaks up the action and reinforces that Western vibe. Other than that, this game is an innovational vacuum.

But if you’re going to copy something, at least do it right, and this hits all the high notes as it weaves its merry way around the Old West. Darkwatch is blatantly draws a lot from Halo - but hey - that’s not a bad stencil to trace around. It creates an atmospheric world that draws you in, and achieves all the basics of a thrilling, well-designed shooter.