The Darkness' deeply involving adventure is complemented by a multiplayer mode that trots out a handful of the usual modes - deathmatch, capture-the-flag, etc. - but with a twist. Multiplayer matches in The Darkness enable you to play as either gun-toting humans or wall-crawling Darklings, and the Shapeshifter matches - in which you can instantly transform from human to Darkling at will - are a thing to behold.

It's difficult to find serious fault with The Darkness; while we loathe its draconian just-one-save system, it's a stunning achievement that'll keep you riveted from its startlingly realistic opening car chase to its final, epic massacre. It's enthralling, darkly comic, shockingly visceral and able to bring you close to its characters in a way that few games do. Easily on par with greats like Condemned: Criminal Origins and Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, this is one of the best examples so far of what next-gen gaming can and should be.