Sci-fi game titles are all the rage this year. With Mass Effect for the Xbox 360 and also sci-fi title The Darkness for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, we're getting a healthy dosage of sci-fi goodness this year.

Based on the comic book series of the same name published by Top Cow, The Darkness chronicles the life of mafia hitman Jackie Estacado who works for the Franchetti crime family. On his 21st birthday, something very bad happens to Jackie and no; he wasn't suddenly thrown into a river with concrete shoes attached to his feet! The Darkness has somehow awakened in Jackie who decides to use these terrifying powers to slowly but surely move up the mafia family's ladder and wreck havoc on his enemies.

Jackie's main goal however is to eventually take back control of the Franchetti family which is ruled by his uncle Paulie, a despicable man who is almost universally despised.

Game features include:

•   First person action/adventure with a horror twist: you are the horror!

•   Varying manifestations of the Darkness allow you to devour, impale or implode your enemies.

•   Cannibalize the corpses of your slain victims and transform them into Darklings – impish and hilarious demonites that commit unspeakable acts.

•   The absence of light feeds and replenishes the Darkness so seek the shadows wherever possible.

•   Fight your way through the dark and seedy underbelly of New York City as well as the ethereal realm of the Darkness.

•   Play as Darklings in online multiplayer games and face other players in traditional multiplayer modes as well as all-new innovative game modes.

•   Developed by the team behind the award winning, “The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay”.

The Darkness is scheduled for a 29thJune, 2007 release date here in New Zealand.