So the game, then, is about balancing Jackie's normal weapons fire (he can wield everything from dual pistols to shotguns to rifles) with his Darkness powers. Because the snakes that serve as the game's HUD also do things like absorb incoming fire and eat the hearts of enemies to gain new powers as well as level-up existing ones and heal Jackie, but are subject to the light, there's a constant mix of punching out lights and, well, shooting out enemies' lights. The game is even packed with a couple of contextual execution moves depending on the weapon being wielded.

In fact there are a few bonus powers that factor into gunplay too. Jackie's powers effectively allow him to create anything he has a proper understanding of, so it's possible to create, say, a gun out of the darkness that fires ethereal bullets that pulse out a Matrix-style shockwave. Since the gun is make from The Darkness, it never runs out of ammo, allowing for a stunning amount of firepower -- for as long as there's Darkness power reserves. Other powers like being able to see in pitch black (and yes, that's a bad Riddick reference) certainly don't hurt either.

The demo we sat through started with the now-familiar chase through the tunnels of New York with a massive shootout (cars went flipping and flying, passengers in the car got iced, and all the while the driver was weaving between traffic), but we did get to peek a little at the game's hub system, which is in effect a re-creation of the Canal and Fulton Street subway stops in New York. Starbreeze peppered the world with interactivity, including everything from breakdancers that'll dance for money to tourists that ask for directions to a payphone that you can use to call characters in the game (and, if you happen to find them, you can call the developers to get hidden bonus comments -- one of many easter eggs that count among them unlockable comics and full TV shows that stream to the TVs in the game).

From these hubs, you'll take the subway out into the world to begin missions proper, but even here the game does something interesting. Rather than showing a simple loading screen, you're treated to a monologue from Jackie as he sits under a spotlight in a chair, recounting what it's like to live his life. You'll learn about his responsibilities, the things that keep him up at night, and it just generally helps thicken up the player. Very, very slick indeed.

It's an example of just how cinematic the game is going to be, and between these loading screens and a part of the game where we had to sit through Jackie getting tortured with a drill, baiting cops over to block out a searchlight so that his Darkness power could build up showed just how good Starbreeze was at presenting things from a constant first-person camera angle. Little touches like the screen blurring and the treble dropping out of the audio as Jackie moved in and out of consciousness just make it that much better.

But it wasn't all real-world pain and punishment. We also got to peek at The Otherworld, a never-ending demonic world war that left Jackie subjected to some of the most gruesome scenes of wartime execution yet presented. Rather than going for heroism of a realistic depiction of battlefield bravery, this was the dark, ugly side of war, and even as we watched a stitched-together Nazi-looking dude cap a trio of guys in the head while they begged, and then eventually helped some disfigured soldiers fight back, there was no definite "right" side to things.

The uncompromising translation of the comics to game seems to have been carried out with plenty of respect, and though we really only have a couple more weeks or so before we can finally play through the final game, we're chomping at the bit to see if it can all hold up as much as our short-lived impressions. We'll have the review soon.