<s>
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2012	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Digital	O
Extremes	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
2K	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
and	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
comic	O
book	O
series	O
published	O
by	O
Top	O
Cow	O
Productions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
controls	O
Jackie	O
Estacado	O
,	O
a	O
mafia	O
hitman	O
who	O
possesses	O
a	O
mysterious	O
power	O
called	O
"	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
"	O
that	O
grants	O
him	O
supernatural	O
abilities	O
and	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
Demon	O
Arms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
must	O
rescue	O
the	O
soul	O
of	O
Jackie	O
's	O
dead	O
girlfriend	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
trapped	O
by	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
in	O
Hell	O
,	O
and	O
confront	O
the	O
Brotherhood	O
,	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
armed	O
cultists	O
trying	O
to	O
take	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
away	O
from	O
Jackie	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Singer	O
Mike	O
Patton	O
returned	O
to	O
voice	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Brian	O
Bloom	O
provided	O
the	O
voice	O
for	O
Jackie	O
Estacado	O
,	O
replacing	O
Kirk	O
Acevedo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
in	O
February	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
upon	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
critics	O
praising	O
the	O
gameplay	O
,	O
story	O
,	O
pacing	O
,	O
and	O
art	B-Device
style	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
involves	O
four	O
hitmen	O
working	O
for	O
Jackie	O
as	O
they	O
attempt	O
to	O
stop	O
the	O
Brotherhood	O
from	O
obtaining	O
the	O
Spear	B-Application
of	I-Application
Destiny	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wounded	O
,	O
Jackie	O
restores	O
his	O
powers	O
using	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
murders	O
Swifty	O
to	O
silence	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
club	O
,	O
Jackie	O
encounters	O
armed	O
cultists	O
of	O
the	O
Brotherhood	O
,	O
a	O
secret	O
society	O
who	O
ordered	O
the	O
hit	O
and	O
wish	O
to	O
use	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
for	O
themselves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
ambush	O
Jackie	O
with	O
blinding	O
lights	O
that	O
inhibit	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Jackie	O
is	O
knocked	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
is	O
greeted	O
by	O
Victor	O
(	O
William	O
Salyers	O
)	O
who	O
offers	O
to	O
take	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
from	O
him	O
in	O
exchange	O
for	O
the	O
lives	O
of	O
his	O
family	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Refusing	O
,	O
he	O
loses	O
consciousness	O
and	O
finds	O
himself	O
in	O
Hell	O
where	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
keeps	O
Jenny	O
's	O
soul	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
club	O
burns	O
,	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
offers	O
Jenny	O
's	O
soul	O
in	O
exchange	O
for	O
the	O
Siphon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Victor	O
drains	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
from	O
Jackie	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Darkling	O
helps	O
Jackie	O
escape	O
and	O
retake	O
a	O
small	O
portion	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jackie	O
learns	O
from	O
Victor	O
that	O
Carlo	O
had	O
promised	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
to	O
the	O
Brotherhood	O
to	O
keep	O
Jackie	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jackie	O
kills	O
Victor	O
and	O
impales	O
himself	O
with	O
the	O
Siphon	O
,	O
regaining	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
and	O
killing	O
himself	O
to	O
rescue	O
Jenny	O
from	O
Hell	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
sends	O
demons	O
to	O
stop	O
Jackie	O
,	O
but	O
Jackie	O
releases	O
Jenny	O
from	O
her	O
bindings	O
and	O
the	O
couple	O
embraces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
post-credits	O
scene	O
,	O
Jenny	O
is	O
revealed	O
to	O
have	O
become	O
the	O
new	O
host	O
for	O
the	O
Angelus	O
,	O
who	O
has	O
seen	O
the	O
destruction	O
Jackie	O
and	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
have	O
caused	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Publisher	O
2K	O
Games	O
approached	O
Canadian	O
developer	O
Digital	O
Extremes	O
to	O
develop	O
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
replacing	O
Starbreeze	O
Studios	O
which	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Starbreeze	O
's	O
CEO	O
Mikael	O
Nermark	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
not	O
given	O
the	O
option	O
of	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
sequel	O
and	O
was	O
already	O
busy	O
working	O
on	O
Syndicate	B-Application
when	O
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
biggest	O
requests	O
from	O
players	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
was	O
to	O
have	O
Mike	O
Patton	O
return	O
to	O
voice	O
the	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
comic	O
was	O
a	O
large	O
inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
read	O
the	O
comic	O
and	O
decided	O
to	O
adopt	O
a	O
comic	O
book-influenced	O
"	O
graphic	O
noir	O
"	O
art	B-Device
style	I-Device
,	O
as	O
they	O
believed	O
the	O
comic	O
's	O
use	O
of	O
high	O
contrast	O
colors	O
contributed	O
to	O
its	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
used	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
assets	O
made	O
by	O
Starbreeze	O
as	O
a	O
reference	O
,	O
and	O
created	O
new	O
ones	O
using	O
their	O
own	O
internal	O
proprietary	O
game	O
engine	O
named	O
the	O
Evolution	O
Engine	O
,	O
which	O
powered	O
the	O
studio	O
's	O
previous	O
game	O
Dark	B-Application
Sector	I-Application
(	O
2008	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
tonally	O
very	O
different	O
from	O
the	O
main	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
hoped	O
that	O
players	O
would	O
use	O
the	O
Vendetta	O
mode	O
to	O
"	O
blow	O
off	O
some	O
steam	B-Application
"	O
after	O
experiencing	O
Jackie	O
's	O
story	O
in	O
the	O
main	O
narrative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
who	O
pre-ordered	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
have	O
upgraded	O
to	O
the	O
Limited	O
Edition	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
gameplay	O
bonuses	O
,	O
illustration	O
drawn	O
by	O
Marc	O
Silvestri	O
,	O
and	O
digital	O
download	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Darkness	I-Application
Origins	O
Volume	O
1	O
and	O
Volume	O
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
demo	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
January	O
2012	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
upon	O
release	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
third	O
best-selling	O
retail	O
game	O
in	O
its	O
week	O
of	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
surpassed	O
by	O
Kingdoms	B-Application
of	I-Application
Amalur	I-Application
:	I-Application
Reckoning	I-Application
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XIII-2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mikel	O
Reparaz	O
from	O
GamesRadar	O
described	O
the	O
narrative	O
as	O
"	O
part	O
mob	O
drama	O
,	O
part	O
surreal	O
comedy	O
,	O
and	O
part	O
supernatural	O
revenge	O
romance	O
"	O
,	O
though	O
he	O
disliked	O
the	O
cliffhanger	B-Application
ending	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reiner	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
new	O
art	B-Device
style	I-Device
did	O
not	O
capture	O
the	O
eerie	O
feeling	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gallegos	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
reviewed	O
copy	O
suffered	O
from	O
software	B-Error_Name
bugs	I-Error_Name
,	O
broken	O
animations	O
,	O
glitches	B-Error_Name
,	O
and	O
frame	O
rate	O
issues	O
and	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
marred	O
by	O
polish	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
