Operation Darkness is VASTLY underrated!!

Okay, I know that the mainstream gaming press is stupid, but how could they be so critical of such an awesome game as this?

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Yes, that's a werewolf shooting a dragon with a bazooka.

And, if that's not enough, it has fetishized Nazi vampiresses:

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More importantly, it has an incredibly fun turn-based tactical combat engine. It also has boatloads of realistically modelled WW2 hardware from Sten guns to Panzerfausts to King Tiger tanks.

I don't know what crack the IGN reviewer was smoking when he gave this a 2.5 rating, but it must have been some serious mind-altering stuff. It seems like he was mostly turned off by the graphics (it's a turn-based strategy game, dude, not Halo!), the camera (which, admittedly, is pretty bad), and the difficulty level. Ah, yes, the difficulty level. Only one character can revive fallen fighters, the game loves to throw reinforcements (often in multiple waves) at you just when you think you've won, and there is no in-battle save. Oh, and did I mention that battles can easily last an hour? Still, I am far from hardcore when it comes to these kind of games, and I found it more "challenging" than "hair-pulling".

Anyway, I just wanted to put the word out on this game for those looking for a fun SRPG set in WW2 with Nazis, vampires, and Nazi vampires. And Jack the Ripper. Oh, and this guy:

 

I love these kind of things, but it never came out in Europe and unlike the PS3 i can't import a game to my 360.

 

Fucking console exclusive turn based games.

 

Always wanted to try it but they never released a PAL version.

 

360 only, meh.

Also: Not even the "mainstream" give a shit about IGN.

 

Don't forget permadeath. If a main character dies and you don't revive them before the end of battle, they're gone forever. No "the battle has ended, let us revive our fallen" schtick. Done. Buried. Main characters are also the only ones that have "special powers" like spells and uber abilities. You can recruit cannon fodder and they're useful for absorbing bullets and blocking foes, but forget about them doing anything too heroic.

You also underestimate how shittastic the camera is. It's like virtually jabbing hot pokers into your eyes with its retarded shortcomings (no hoverhead view for tactical assessments, everything is at a crazy angle and you need to micromanage that shit every time someone moves). Basically, you just have to scroll like crazy to get an idea of what is out there.

Other than that, yeah, it's a nice, brutally challenging game. I made it to the last battle outside the Reichschancellery bunker but no further because I was missing a main that died and who had a particularly useful ability. Hitler is also something like an Adept that can Gotterdammerung a giant fist from the sky at will. And if that's not good enough, he'll call in giant dragons later just for the hell of it.

Himmler and his vampire SS weren't that bad, though. Using werewolves to kill panzers is fun as long as you don't die in the next turn for forgetting to move and then get run over.

 

Good points to raise interests in a game.

360 only? Fuck off.

 

I played the demo when it was first released and overall I actually liked it. The camera is a total mess, it really is, but the mechanics seemed interesting enough and I liked being able to set up troops in overwatch... too bad it never got released for PC because my 360 has been broken for years and at this point I don't see any real reason to fix it. I'll also mention Gladius here, regular Xbox game, not sure if it ever came out for PC, but it's worth a play.

 

Thanks. Hadn't heard of Gladius before but it looks cool - torrenting now.

 

Say what you want, but Nazis had some cool ass uniforms.

 

Get the GCN version and Dolphin instead of the Xbox version. Don't know how an emulator handles it, but the loading times are much faster for the GCN one.


Also, LA needs to stop making shitty kinect games and make me a sequel damn it!

 

Wrong game.
This is a Atlus game for the 360 there is no GCN version

 

Talking about Gladius, not OD.

 

It's a pretty fun game...but the camera is one of the worst I've ever encountered.

 

There's also a PS2 version that worked pretty well for me via PCSX2.

 

Yes and thanks to both of you. I got the PS2 version first (it had more seeders) and it play's perfectly in GCSX2 (even though I have a modded PS2). XBox version is still coming down (no seeders).

Fun game. Could never really get past the jRPG themes and look of FFT, even though I liked the combat - so this is perfect.

 

Gladius is a fantastic game. Anyone that likes either RPGs or strategy games AT ALL should at least try it.

But getting back on the original subject, I played Operation Darkness for an hour or so. I actually have a copy of the game. It sounded right up my alley. WWII. Vampire Nazis. Werewolf Allies. Strategy/RPG. I love that stuff.

When I was reading the manual, I was hyped. Then I started playing and I immediately realized the camera is fucking horrid. I don't think I've ever been put off by a camera as much as I was when I tried playing this. I couldn't get a good view of anything. Moving one of my dudes made the camera spin like I was watching home videos that were shot by someone having a seizure. It was horrible. I didn't make it past the first mission.

Maybe I'll try again one day, because the game does seem pretty cool. It was years ago, but I remember it reminded me a lot of Valkyria Chronicles. Did you find the camera easier to deal with after playing a bit?

 

The camera doesn't seem to be that horrible in this video review, but everyone seems to be complaining about it in almost all reviews. Is it mostly about the "can't get a good overview of the playing field" issue or is there more to it? It appears to me as if they were trying to do some kind of a ground-squad-with-limited-visibility thing on purpose, but then again I haven't actually played it.

 

Glorious PC Master Race's shift to realtime got you down?

Don't worry, I hear there's a new X-Com in the works.

 

Yes. After maybe a half-dozen battles or so, the camera didn't really bother me anymore.

Also, you can get a minmap up on the screen at any time showing the location of all units, so I really don't understand the complaints about it being difficult to get a good overall view of the battlefield.

 

I started playing through this game again recently, and it's still completely awesome. And still, sadly, relatively unknown.

Someone did finally get around to writing a good review of it, though:

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/operationdarkness/operationdarkness.htm

 

Man, this is the only reason I was sad when my 360 died. I sure wouldn't mind playing it again.

 

is there really no ohter way to get this game ohter then waiting for a emulator.

 

Buy a used 360 online for $100-150 or less. Really not that complicated.