Nothing like a good ol' game of Cowboys and...VAMPIRES?!

Darkwatch

Release Date: 2005
System: XBox (also available for Playstation 2)
ESRB Rating: M (Mature) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language and Sexual Themes
Publisher: Capcom

Yes, you read that right - cowboys and vampires.

It's a weird combination, I know - but in "Darkwatch," it happens to work quite well.

"Darkwatch" is set in the Wild West era, and puts you into the role of Jericho Cross, train robber and general criminal. As the game begins, Cross is set to make "the big score" - a train robbery that'll net him a ton of cash.

But c'mon - this is the beginning of a horror/action game, and true to form, things don't go quite according to plan. Turns out the train Jericho hit belongs to the Darkwatch - a society of lawmen dedicated to fighting supernatural evil. And it also turns out that the Darkwatch is transporting one hell of a bad guy - Lazarus, an eight-foot tall, pissed off vampire lord.

Guess what happens next? Yep - in raiding the train, Jericho releases Lazarus, who then turns the outlaw into a vampire and raises the dead for miles around to wreak havoc on the Wild West. Now, Jericho has to join up with the Darkwatch in an effort to stop Lazarus from continuing his bloodbath.

"Darkwatch" is a first-person shooter, which when combined with its Wild West setting makes for a really interesting game. The combination may seem limiting at first due to the low-tech time period, but it actually ends up being very engaging. The weapons you do get - which include a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun and even a rocket launcher (don't ask me how - apparently the Darkwatch were geniuses at making low-tech versions of high-tech bang-bang) - are all varied enough that they demand a different approach to the game depending on which ones you favor. Plus, they never seem to limit the fun of the action despite most of the weapons being inherently lower-tech than the weapons most FPS fans are used to.

Speaking of action, this game has a lot of it. Lazarus mobilizes all sorts of undead monstrosities to keep you from stopping him, from the standard animated skeletons to Banshees (floating women that "scream" balls of energy at you) to Vipers (big hulking guys that can teleport away, have a massive punch and generally ruin your day). These enemies all demand a different approach to dealing with them, in things from which weapons you used on them to the tactics you use against them, which makes for a lot of variety in the action.

"Darkwatch" also has a "Good vs. Evil" element to it. During the course of the game, Jericho will run into situations where he has to make a choice, usually between saving someone's life or drinking their blood to increase his own power. Depending on which choices you make for him, Jericho will gain supernatural powers - either good powers (which include making bullets more powerful or hurling lightning at enemies) or evil powers (like making melee attacks more powerful and sucking souls from all enemies within reach). These choices will also affect the final outcome of the game. The powers are nice to have when the going gets tough, and while the "Good vs. Evil" conflict isn't quite as polished as some other games, it adds another dimension to the game.

The only real complaint about "Darkwatch" is that it's a little repetitive. The vast majority of the game's levels involve much the same thing - shoot at undead, reload, repeat. There are some horse-riding missions that provide a little variety, but the game mostly follows the pattern laid out above, which will likely leave some gamers wanting more in the way of variety.

Still, "Darkwatch" will make for a good time for most FPS fans. Saddle up and check it out.

Score: 7.5 out of 10 (Lack of variety hurt its score, but the game at its core is a very neat idea that's fairly well-executed)

"My night started when I stabbed a guy to death in a bathroom. Things went downhill from there."

Indigo Prophecy

Release Date: 2005
System: Playstation 2 (Also available for the XBox and Windows)
ESRB Rating: M (Mature) for Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol and Violence
Publisher: Atari

When I saw the first previews of “Indigo Prophecy” on G4, it looked to me like another horror game, so I was expecting much of the same things I’d come to expect from “Resident Evil” and other games in terms of controls and such.

I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up the finished product. “Indigo Prophecy” is indeed a horror game, but it’s far different than most of the other games in the genre.

The game begins in a wonderfully horrific fashion that immediately grabs the player’s interest. You’re introduced to the poor schmuck you’ll be following for most of the game – Lucas Kane, an average Joe who’s been seized by some kind of trance courtesy of an occult ritual performed by a creepy cloaked man. Under the control of the creepy man, Kane stabs an unsuspecting man to death in a public restroom.

Shaking off the effects of the trance after killing the man, Lucas is determined to find out who made him do such a thing, and the police are determined to find Kane and bring him to justice. The more Kane investigates, however, the more he finds out that this is not just a random killing – it’s just the surface of a shady plot that could mean the end of the world.

What makes the game so interesting is that the player controls both Kane and the police following him – Inspector Carla Valenti and her partner Tyler Martin. What’s more, many of your actions in one part of the game will have some effect later on in the game. For example, if Kane leaves sources of evidence behind at the murder scene, the cops can use those to track Kane down later.

The control scheme is probably one of the most interesting ever devised for a game like this. While most of the game involves walking around and investigating things in much the same manner as “Resident Evil,” the action controls are completely different. Whenever an action sequence begins – whether it’s running from an enemy or trying to “read” a person’s mental state as you interrogate them – the player taps the analog sticks in a certain sequence (similar to the old home game “Simon”) or presses the shoulder buttons in rhythm as fast as possible. Failure could mean simply missing a clue or missing a life or death jump. It’s not quite as interactive as other horror games’ controls, but it works well for “Indigo Prophecy.”

The game also has a good interrogation system that gives you a choice of several different questions to ask people in your investigations. Given that the game is as much a detective story in the vein of movies like “Se7en” as it is a horror game, this feature is a logical one that cranks up the interactivity.

The game really shines in the story department. Few other games have the ability to draw players in like this on the strength of their story alone. “Indigo Prophecy” is the somewhat Lovecraftian story of an average person caught up in events that are beyond his understanding, which heightens the drama. Being able to control both the police and the Kane also changes things up a lot and keeps the game from becoming boring.

Something that aids this engaging story is the characters the player controls. All three of them have their own personalities and their own backgrounds, all of which factor into the game at some point and help make the player sympathize with all of them. From the conversations with Lucas’ priest brother to Tyler’s wisecracking attitude, all of these details help the player grow closer to the characters.

The game does have a few flaws, however. The biggest one is that the story seems to falter over the last 20 percent or so of the game, losing a measure of quality just as it’s ending. Not much else can be said without spoiling it, but suffice it to say that the story could have been wrapped up better.

Another thing that might turn some off people is the relative lack of interactivity and action in the game. The game’s unique control scheme means that much of the action gamers have come to expect from “Resident Evil” and “Fatal Frame” isn’t really here. The control scheme works for the game that “Indigo Prophecy” is, but it’s not for everyone.

A final complaint is that the game is far too short. It’s a fun ride most of the way through, but most players will be left hungering for more, especially since the game sucks the player in so much that you’ll be playing it non-stop.

If you’re looking for a different kind of horror/thriller game with a decent story, check out “Indigo Prophecy.”

Score: 7.5 out of 10 (if it were longer and had a better ending it would be an undisputed masterpiece, but as it is it's still a good title worthy of playing)