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Darkwatch: Curse of the West
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Developer(s)	High Moon Studios
Publisher(s)	Capcom (United States), Ubisoft (United Kingdom)
Engine	Proprietary; uses RenderWare, Havok, and Quazal
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release date(s)	August 16, 2005
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Mature (17+); PEGI: 18+; BBFC: 15
Media	DVD
Input methods	Gamepad

Darkwatch: Curse of the West is a first-person shooter video game about a Wild West outlaw who is turned into a vampire. The game was published by Capcom and developed by High Moon Studios (formerly Sega Sammy Holdings) in the United States; in the United Kingdom, it was published by Ubisoft.

[edit] Plot

The game follows the exploits of Jericho Cross, an outlaw-turned-vampire, and his employment in the titular organization, an ancient vampire-hunting order known as the Darkwatch. After unwittingly releasing the Darkwatch's greatest enemy, a vampire lord named Lazarus Malkoth, Jericho is conscripted into the Darkwatch as an elite operative. Jericho, however, is slowly turning into a vampire himself, after being bitten by Lazarus. The game outlines either Jericho's struggle for humanity or his descent into darkness, depending on the player's actions.

The game begins with Jericho attempting to rob a Darkwatch train that is transporting Lazarus Malkoth to the Darkwatch Citadel, a frequently mentioned and often visited location in the game, and in doing so releases Lazarus into the West. In a seeming bit of mercy, Lazarus bites Jericho and gives him the curse of the vampire, causing him to slowly turn into one of the same. The game continues with the introduction of Cassidy, as well as the appearance of Shadow, a horse that Jericho turns into a vampire.

As the game progresses, Jericho finally make his way to the Darkwatch Citadel, where he meets Clay Cartwright, the leader of Darkwatch, who brutally tests him to see if he deserves to be a Darkwatch Regulator. The test completed, Jericho begins to do missions for the Darkwatch. Missions include fixing some of the damage he has caused, to acquiring Darkwatch equipment, such as the Darklight Prism, a stone that allows vampires within its vicinity to use their powers and walk in sunlight. On some of the missions Jericho is accompanied by his new partner, beautiful Tala, and other Darkwatch forces.

A final showdown ensues with Lazarus attacking the Citadel and bringing about a massive fight, in which Jericho arises victorious, and a choice is given. Either Jericho rids the west of the Curse of Lazarus, or he become the Curse. The player's choice determines how the game ends. If the character were to choose the good option, then the climactic fight will be against the vampiric Tala, and if they player chose to take Lazarus' curse for himself, then he must fight the ghost of Cassidy. The bad ending shows Jericho killing Tala and riding into the night, while the good ending shows Cassidy's soul being released.

[edit] Gampelay

Jericho is met with multiple choices of a good or evil variety, allowing the player to select morality awarding Jericho different powers based on the same choices. The evil powers tend to be more rage oriented and deal higher damage per use, while the good powers deal less damage but tend to be more effective against enemies in general. During the daylight hours, Jericho's powers are gone, and as such he has to fight as a normal human. Along with the arrival of these powers, Jericho meets many enemies and a discovers a wide variety of weaponry, from the Redeemer to the Gatling gun-equipped Coyote Steam-Wagon.

[edit] Characters

Jericho Cross (voiced by Christopher Corey Smith): The protagonist of the game, Jericho is an infamous outlaw before joining the Darkwatch. During his "one last job" on a train, he releases Lazarus Malkoth from his prison in a failed attempt to steal the contents.
Cassidy Sharp (voiced by Jennifer Hale): The first female protagonist, and the very same agent who attempts to stop Jericho on the train in the game's opening sequence. After the explosion of Lazarus' prison, she joins Jericho, but is later murdered by Lazarus. Cassidy returns as a ghost and befriends Jericho, aiding him in his mission to stop Lazarus.
Tala (voiced by Rose McGowan): Tala ("Stalking Wolf"), a Native American shaman and Darkwatch agent, is the second female protagonist until she seduces Jericho and persuades him to bite her during sex. The next day, she uses her new abilities for her own benefit. A nude illustration of her character appeared in the October 2004 issue of Playboy.
Lazarus Malkoth: Lazarus was an Roman who first founded the Darkwatch society in 66 AD in order to battle vampires. He eventually himself became a powerful vampire and turned on the organization he founded, raising an undead army to aid him in his task.
Clay Cartwright: The ruthless commander of the Darkwatch in the rank of Brigadier General. Cartwight snipes Jericho and enslaves him, forcing him to participate in a series of trials before inducting him into the organization.
Shadow: Jericho's vampiric horse that appears at his beckon. Shadow never tires, and he never slows. When riding on Shadow, Jericho is granted unlimited ammunition and high attack speed, at the cost of only being able to use the Redeemer handgun.

[edit] Multiplayer

In multiplayer mode, the player may choose to be two or more players pitted against each other in a regular deathmatch game mode, though a co-operative play mode is available on the PlayStation 2, where both players play as a Darkwatch Regulator. The game is also capable of using the Xbox Live system, but a System Link mode is lacking.

[edit] Reception

Darkwatch has received positive reviews from many reviewers, including 7.9 at GameSpot and IGN. The game's Metacritic score stands at a 75 for the Xbox version and 74 for the Playstation 2 port.

[edit] Soundtrack

The developers licensed Ennio Morricone's main theme from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly which was remixed to fit the horror feel of the game. The remaining music on the soundtrack is completely original, co-composed by Mike Reagan, a veteran film and game music composer, and Asdru Sierra, front-man for Latin Grammy-winning indie band Ozomatli.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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