Darkwatch

Play Magazine

Quotation forthcoming. [Aug 2005]

GameSpy

A truly remarkable experience. And, while the game itself may not have broken any new ground, the world it introduces more than makes up for that. It will leave gamers hungry for more.

Cheat Code Central

Instantly compelling.

Kombo

Solid game with very few shortcomings. Fans of either westerns, vampires, or both will enjoy this game immensely.

Stuff

The game's nutty narrative would baffle Roger Corman, but the six-shootin' gameplay would make even Yosemite Sam giddy.

eToychest

An excellent title and is one that everybody should try out – provided they have access to the Xbox version. It’s a wonderful and unique experience that really shows a lot of polish.

Game Informer

In terms of gameplay quality, this may be another middle-of-the-road shooter, but the unique premise sets it aside from everything else out there. [Sept 2005, p.94]

VGPub

The type of game that is absolutely perfect for the weekend. Its fast-paced action will keep you hooked from the campaign’s beginning to end.

Next Level Gaming

I really liked the theme of the game, and the controls are almost perfect. The game does so many things right, but it does lack a deep story.

TotalGames.net

An immensely enjoyable shooter with adrenaline-soaked action, a Todd McFarlane attitude and a Marilyn Manson edge. Welcome to the dark side.

Team Xbox

Darkwatch may have a few things that keep it from breaking new ground, but it does have key ingredients such as aggressive AI, tight controls and an interesting storyline that go hand in hand with the deep multiplayer experience that should lead to the game’s appeal with its audience.

GameZone

While it might not change the way we look at first-person shooters, Darkwatch is a competent shooter that wonderfully blends action-packed gunslinging with Capcom’s brand of nightmarish chills. It’s also one of the most enjoyable shooters set in the Old West you’ll find on the Xbox thus far.

Talk Xbox

The solid gameplay combined with the bloodcurdling theme makes for a wonderful gaming experience.

BonusStage

The use of the Havok physics engine, however, is almost as much fun to play with as Psi-Ops. I really do enjoy blowing a shotgun hole right through a bandito’s shoulder.

Inside Gamer Online

While its multiplayer might leave something to be desired, its single player hits its mark.

Extreme Gamer

Every classic shooter fan will dig the unique Gothic Western theme Darkwatch provides. Darkwatch is cool fresh idea that has the goods to deliverer.

DarkStation

Being billed as a vampire/western is sure to raise more than a few eyebrows, as this shooter thrills with more than just an original premise.

Computer and Video Games

It may come across as rough and ready, but what Darkwatch tries to do - providing plenty of gory laughs and thrills - it does well. The best zombie/cowboy action game out there! [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

MS Xbox World

No nonsense, to the point, no “brainer” gaming that not only looks good but works well.

Yahoo! Games

Stylish, solid, and unique... and on the upper difficulty levels, it's hard as hell. It gives a gothic boost to the first-person shooter genre, and a definite shot in the arm to the criminally underrepresented western video game.

Maxim Online

Fighting an army of the undead with a six-shooter is rather challenging, but the game has smooth controls and sharp-edged firearms that allow you to get your gunsu on.

GamePro

Darkwatch mixes its Western Roots with gothic horror and steampunk aesthetics, and the results are uniquely engaging...Just darned good fun while it lasts. [Sept 2005, p.64]

IGN

A solid first-person shooter that does the genre justice, but it's less than strong presentation elements and disappointing single-player adventure keeps it from living up to its true potential.

GameSpot

If you're looking for an intense shooter experience, Darkwatch will not disappoint, offering crisp gameplay, an excellent presentation, and a varied campaign.

Gaming Target

Many of the gameplay quirks are just twists on tried-and-true conventions, but the single-player experience provides some decent gunplay, and there is some multiplayer action to keep the guns blazing a little bit longer.

Deeko

The engine is solid, the graphics are great, the AI is smart, but there are too many things about it that work against it and oftentimes these problems are simply based on the fact that it is too similar to other games in the genre.

GameShark

Although singleplayer is over quick, online play is a lot of fun and unlike other vampire games, Darkwatch sure doesn’t suck!

Detroit Free Press

From a technical perspective, Darkwatch is a crisp, clean joy to play. Targeting and firing your weapons and using your abilities is easy and intuitive, and the controls feel so precise you'll forget at times you aren't playing on a PC.

Gaming Age

It's a fun, fast-paced game with enough eye candy to entertain the undead-killing gunslinger that lives deep inside all of us.

netjak

With the laughably bad art and writing in the cutscenes, and gameplay clocking in at less than a day's worth of casual play, I would MAYBE recommend this at a half-price purchase. This is a definite rental. You definitely should play this, but you definitely shouldn't pay for it.

Official Xbox Magazine

Throw in the aforementioned boobies - crammed into some hot leather corsets, mind you - and Darkwatch is all this bloodthirsty pardner really needs. [Oct 2005, p.104]

AceGamez

The ever changing campaign, which goes from gunplay to horseback and even skeleton crushing buggies, does a good job of offering new experiences to keep the gameplay fresh, which definitely makes Darkwatch one to spend some time with during the next gaming drought.

GamerFeed

The death matching is fantastic, but that aside Darkwatch is like a quality restaurant appetizer, tasty as all hell but not enough to sustain my burning hunger.

Total Video Games

Forgetting the somewhat forgettable Multiplayer experience in Darkwatch, the core Story mode is full of intense gun battles that will satisfy an FPS fan's lust for action.

Game Revolution

Deathmatch and Capture the Flag are online stalwarts, but the unpopular Soulhunter game - which has you collecting soul marbles around the map - is the only new addition. It all feels a bit bland.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Playing good or evil has little effect on the loopy story; although the game kept me entertained, I didn't feel the need to replay for the alternate ending.

1UP

The FPS isn't the smartest of genres to be sure, but there are more creative ways of designing enemy encounters that make the player think "now how am I going to beat these guys?" rather than "how many of these guys do I have to beat now?"

G4 TV

The biggest draw in DarkWatch is the setting. It’s just different enough to remain interesting the whole way through.

games(TM)

The real joy of Darkwatch, however, is its simplicity. It's a pure, no-nonsense shooter, entirely focused on allowing the player to dispose of innumerable undead in ever more amusing ways. [Dec 2005, p.115]

Computer Games Magazine

Quotation forthcoming. [Nov 2005]

Edge Magazine

Nearly all enemy behaviour consists of direct charges, calling on the butt of your gun as frequently as its barrel. While it’s undeniably intense, it soon becomes apparent that this intensity is the only string on the designers’ banjo, plucked with increasingly feverish rapidity instead of ever-changing chords. [Nov 2005, p.105]

XboxAddict

It sort of waffles around with a weak story, and that, coupled with generic gameplay and some sloppy execution on the fine points, makes it hard to press on at some points in the game.

GameCritics

This could have been a great original title, but instead it's a waste of shelf space with just one redeeming feature: it only takes around five hours to beat.