The Darkness II coming this fall

Because nothing says bad-ass like a mob boss with Demon Arms, 2K Games has announced that it will be revisiting The Darkness in a new sequel for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this fall.

Based on the comics inked by Top Cow Productions, The Darkness II is set two years after the events of its 2007 predecessor which saw made man Jackie Estacado wield his newly adopted demonic powers to cut a swath through all those responsible for his girlfriend's death. Now, as the newly crowned Don of the Franchetti crime family, Jackie finds himself embroiled in an full scale crime war, and at the the mercy of devilish powers that threaten to overwhelm him.

The sequel will not be handled by the series' original developer, Starbreeze, but instead by the Canadian studio, Digital Extremes, whose previous efforts include work on the Unreal series and Dark Sector.

As for gameplay, 2K's presser was heavy on fancy adjectives but light on straight-out details. What it did suggest, however, was that Jackie's Demon Arms will allow players to toss, shoot, slice and dice in four simultaneous ways using the game's Quad-Wielding gameplay.

Top Cow Productions CEO and The Darkness co-creator, Marc Silvestri, also confirmed that the game's story will fall in line with the style and tone set out in the comics, explaining:

"Sometimes that whooshing sound you hear is that of comic fans holding their collective breath. So often [we can be] disappointed when a favorite character gives birth to a lame movie or video game. Us fans have come to expect the worst, and sometimes we get it; but not with The Darkness II. Yeah, call me biased, but this second installment of Jackie Estacado's epic saga is %26ndash; in my humble opinion %26ndash; one of the most brutally cool games I've ever played. 2K Games hammered this one out of the park."

Mr. Silvestri: you, sir, are biased. Regardless, The Darkness fared relatively well, and with Top Cow staying in the picture it's possible that the series still has legs %26ndash; er, arms. Still, a fall 2011 release? 2K better hope Elder Scrolls V, Mass Effect 3, Gears of War 3 and Saints Row 3 all miss their launch windows.

Feb 8, 2011