Although The Darkness will not make its debut until winter of 2007, we've already given you previews as to how the game will look like. But what is The Darkness all about anyway? Developer Starbreeze AB, the same team that gave us the The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, lets us in on the details.

Heavily-based on the Top Cow comics of the same title, The Darkness kicks off on Jackie Estacado's 21st birthday. A mafia hitman, Jackie Estacado discovers that he's possessed by the Darkness, an ancient and evil entity that gives bearer sensational powers when in the dark. Starbreeze's love for dark, gritty, and evil things plus an engine that accents light and shadows helped translate the comics' mood into this PS3 and Xbox 360 title.

At the heart of The Darkness is a first person shooter game but the powers of the Darkness plays an even bigger role. Since the main character is a professional hitman, guns will be plenty with the Darkness increasing power and providing players new ways to play the game. Starbreeze has “spent a lot of effort designing darkness powers that will complement the gunplay rather than replace it,” reveals lead designer Jen Andersson. At the disposal of the player are Darklings, small, mischievous creatures scattered throughout the game in bodies of evil people. When these creatures are found, they can be summoned to aid Jackie Estacado with any material they have at their disposal.

Technical director Magnus H?hl reveals that although PS3 and Xbox 360 has their own advantages, “...it will be near impossible to tell Xbox360 and PS3 screenshots apart.”

Capturing the core spirit of the comic, Starbreeze also introduces new and exciting information on the main character with their own interpretation and adaptation. As story and game designer Mikael S?r says, “Jackie's supernatural powers have been carefully defined and made into consistent gameplay. How Darklings come into the world by Jackie's command is one of those things, but there are others. The relation between The Darkness entity and Jackie is also something we have dug into, and the same goes for the story of Jenny and Jackie.” Whatever translates into the video game version of The Darkness will surely fit in with the next-generation console as it tries to achieve a believable world with characters that feel real.

Here are more screenshots for The Darkness: