Darkwatch Review (Cowboys & Vampires) - Gmanlives

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#darkwatch #capcom #ubisoft
Darkwatch: Curse of the West is a 2005 first-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was developed by High Moon Studios (formerly Sammy Studios) and published by Capcom in the United States and by Ubisoft in Europe and Australia.
The game mixes western, horror and steampunk genres, telling the story of Jericho Cross, an outlaw gunfighter in the late 19th-century American Frontier who has been turned into a vampire and then forcibly recruited by the titular monster-hunting secret organization to fight against supernatural forces. The gameplay system of Darkwatch is reminiscent of Halo: Combat Evolved.
Darkwatch was met with a generally positive critical reception, acclaimed in particular for its relatively unique Weird West setting and artistic merits. The game was accompanied by an extensive promotional campaign and was planned to be the first installment of a new media franchise, but its sequel got canceled in 2007.

[@Gggmanlives]

Hey guys, before you ask, the footage was captured with PCSX2. Hope you enjoy the video!

[@GuyWithBadHair]

Just like your mum was.

[@Gggmanlives]

Oof.

[@ivanrzhanoy9389]

@@GggmanlivesShwaked!

[@ColonelNegative]

GmanLives Well done mate. Only thing that bugged me about the game was repetition of enemy types, but for the time it’s expected. Too bad we didn’t get the second game.

[@mikeangelo2886]

Does PCSX2 support mouse control? So you, you know, can play the fps the proper way?

[@snacktime2497]

I remember the time Bloodrayne and the girls of Darkwatch were featured in Playboy. Good times.

[@tonyhawk1948]

Wait, what? Really?

[@solcorvinusoftiktok9907]

@@tonyhawk1948 Yupp.... Girls of gaming issue

[@skylercrookes3197]

@@solcorvinusoftiktok9907 please leave an exact title.

[@solcorvinusoftiktok9907]

@@skylercrookes3197 that’s literally what the issue was called

[@Krystalmyth]

@@solcorvinusoftiktok9907 classic issue. Millennials remember lol.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

I loved Darkwatch back in the day. The bladed guns looked so cool and the world design was awesome. Sucks it never got a sequel.

[@Larry]

I used to get this game confused with Damnation when it was first released.

[@KnightoftheLord1]

Nobody cares.

[@williemasterofdestruction5339]

Dang. I think I did too! I own both. Since we're here in a thread started by one of my favorite yootoobers.ill just name a few hidden gem gaming related channels😁 Thor high heels 👠 Purposeless rabbitholes Leadhead You won't be dissapointed! (Unless you are a wanker that talks smack to Larry bundy 😒)

[@lucasgartley9603]

Hello you...

[@seazonegranec]

Same! I keep confusing both to this day

[@NathanielBTM]

Hello again

[@jamescallahan7834]

Dark: watched Brunette: babed Yee: haw.

[@sbraypaynt]

Hotel: Trivago

[@siddharthchoudhary4278]

lmao!

[@TheGary108]

Six: Nined

[@TotSamiiShaman666]

Brandy: Blacked

[@vash_the_stampede6570]

To Yee and Let Haw.

[@Atrahasis7]

A game with style and sexy girls? What is this devilry?

[@Fallen-Saint]

Devil may cry

[@imperiumgrim4717]

Lol

[@solarstrike33]

@@Fallen-Saint Also Bayonetta, which you're _playing_ as one.

[@Fallen-Saint]

@@solarstrike33 DANCE IN THE MOONLIGHT TELL WE HIT THE CLIMAX

[@solarstrike33]

@@Fallen-Saint L E T ' S D A N C E B O Y S

[@BalgaBear]

This needs a reboot(master)make, wow that's awesome.

[@gingeta5961]

A sequel would be cool too

[@Mextlatec]

no FUCKING reboots

[@weisenbergphoto]

Raditz DBZ what about for games like this that went under the radar?

[@ookiemand]

A sequel in the Unreal 5 engine, unlimited triangles...

[@oisinhutchinson2476]

A remaster, maybe, a reboot, eh.

[@theblackperl]

"big fat banditos" with an Australian accent made my day.

[@Goobers464]

Extremely underrated game! Ah, The memories with this one!

[@dralakba-dusk31]

yeah me and my friend play the coop so much

[@TheTrailerCREAT0R]

“I couldn’t hear the game because of the sound of my erection” 💀

[@MajorPhilGraves]

That's one noisy dick!

[@Sonjaslostson]

If your erection drowns out the sound of a game, you should probably see a doctor

[@mmhrgil]

Classic Gman.

[@PartyQuest]

Savage!

[@HamanKarn567]

Stupid

[@AntonSem]

"Cross of spaghetti western and Legacy of Kain"

[@madwolfdrawing]

I'm glad we agree that brunette > blonde sunny jim

[@MrNuclearturtle]

Really awesome game, love these shooters back in the xbox/ps2 era

[@Lord_Deimos]

As with Blood, i fell in love with Darkwatch when it came out. It deserves a comeback.

[@ninjacreeper48]

Nuclearpoweredturtle PC is better, you console peasant.

[@ninives]

@@ninjacreeper48 It didnt even come out on PC you pc nerd

[@ninjacreeper48]

Fernando Quintero I know that, you idiot. I'm trying to say that FPSes are better when they're PC exclusives.

[@Gruntvc]

Way better than the generic soulless crap coming on consoles and pc today.

[@RileySkye100]

I want someone to remaster this game for PC and release it on Steam much like the case with Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, a criminally underrated platformer and a really good one.

[@omegasupreme5527]

The fact that they never made a pc port makes it that much harder, if not close to impossible. A lot of these games the source code got junked so you have to reverse engineer them. A shame but oh well.

[@13eetle13omber]

Such a fun and cool game. It hits that perfect sweet spot of dark and badass, stopping just before it gets to edgy and lame. I go back and play through it pretty much every year. Will always hold a spot on my top 10 favorite games.

[@hliasliakopoulos9134]

Darkwatch timesplitters future perfect and black are my favourite shooters on ps2

[@rautamiekka]

Commas would be great thing to use even if it's less easy.

[@motomoto7342]

DUDE TIME SPLITTERS AND DARKWATCH WAS MY JAM

[@ubergeneral3652]

Yes true This is the most nostalgic I ever played

[@kamenanew9867]

@Charlie Vetsworth eh, depends on the game. Some were much better on xbox, some were vastly superior on ps2.

[@itaybron]

Awww shiett three Gmanlives videos in the span of a week, must be Australian Christmas.

[@Mekboy_ComputerMonster]

_Oh Jennifer Hale~_ ...Why can't you be the OFFICIAL voice for Samus Aran?

[@JayDee284]

After THAT GAME I never went Samus speck another word ever again :P

[@qebiin]

She did voice some grunts in the prime trilogy, no spoken lines tho

[@Mekboy_ComputerMonster]

@Kevin Garcia That she did

[@Nomad-bl4yw]

@@JayDee284 i feel you But Jennifer hale was pretty good voicing shepard And commander Shepard was badass Pathetic other m samus was just a shit direction choice

[@robertmoorhead2406]

@@phatpandy8389 To be fair to Jessica Martin, if you look at her voice work outside of Other M she's actually pretty good. The problem was that the english voice acting was directed by Sakamoto. Who doesn't speak english. Other M was a mistake on every level.

[@nintendoor1]

i just found this at a yard sale recently for $3. i had never seen it before, but it looked cool so i got it and watching this video, i’m shocked by how genuinely good it looks for a PS2 game

[@I_am_ENSanity]

So many good memories of late night co-op sessions with my best bud and my cat. I miss those days.....

[@mercenary621]

Thanks for reviewing the first shooter I've ever played dude!... well, if you don't count the flash conversion of Doom. Fun Fact: Darkwatch as a franchise was supposed to be similar to Assassins Creed, with different games taking place in different time periods. The next game was supposed to be during Roman times which was briefly teased during a level in the Citadel where Darkwatch-themed weaponry from that era. It's possible the game could've become Shadow of Rome, which would in itself become the basis for Dead Rising.

[@chrisrichfield8906]

interesting, were did you learn all this? I definitely see the similarities between Dead Rising and Shadow of Rome. Also i just looked it up, and this came out 6 months after Shadow of Rome.

[@mercenary621]

Darkwatch was supposed to take place in different time periods, but I had misremembered a beta video comparing the beta between SoR and Dead Rising having the same weapons at one point, so Darkwatch being Shadow of Rome was incorrect on my part. On the other hand, Darkwatch was supposed to be a massive multi-media franchise complete with a movie, but the only things that came out of it were a short comic run from Dark Horse and a Halloween costume of Jericho Cross.

[@RoadRunner1980]

"Darkwatch is sadly not a perfect game" Well, isn't that true for every game?

[@etank7055]

Road Runner lol

[@notturok7841]

Excuse me! Daikatana 64 is a perfect game dude

[@h.knight]

I think you're forgetting Tetris.

[@commanderzavala9328]

DOOM and Halo are near-perfect

[@isakwennstig6471]

Well as they say, you wouldn't wanna live in a perfect world

[@Makman1994]

Thanks for this review! Not only did you introduce me to a game I'd never even heard of, but it's now a tradition for me to play this awesome game every Halloween.

[@13lood13ath]

4:13 Holy shit, that MJ Thriller reference was super sneaky, I almost didn't catch it. I love that you even added a "woo!" at the end. lol

[@Brimshae]

"What do you get when you cross a spaghetti western with Legacy of Kaine? Darkwatch." Sold.

[@justinbrandt8415]

You are quickly becoming my favorite channel to watch. The delivery, the jokes, and the Australian accent ( oh ya, and the games). God tier content gmanlives

[@Rpground]

One of my favorite games I played when I was younger, still have fond memories of the game. If I remember correctly, the turning point, where you must be evil or good, is really unique in the fact that if you've been good all the way up to that point then turn evil there's unique dialog for that. Vice versa as well. Also, Evil Ending's boss was waaaaaaaay harder then the Good Ending's. Even though they are similar.

[@wilson2369]

I came for the thumbnail and stayed for the great review

[@gub4941]

“Came”

[@dksoulstice6040]

Finally! Requesting a review of this game for months has finally paid off. Let's keep this train going! Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy Gun Headhunter X-Squad Dead to Rights Brute Force

[@theplatformerreviewer6905]

Second Sight

[@vash_the_stampede6570]

Gman got it Right. "Brunette is the Correct Answer" Welcome to the Club my friend.

[@monsterhunter66]

What about redheads?

[@luismoralesacevedo3100]

MonsterHunter 66 What about girls with silver hair?

[@whitewolf3051]

@@monsterhunter66 Or dark green hair like Lyn or light green hair like Tiki from Fire Emblem?

[@ofearghailthefearless6481]

Brunette is definitely the right answer plus she's voiced by none other than Jennifer Hale

[@Crazelord91]

If Bloodbourne was an oldschool FPS

[@dickusbigus]

i think the soundtrack is also worth mentioning. it's amazing in my opinion

[@jchaconrivas]

Great review, awesome game. U should check Cold Winter for ps2, another underrated game!

[@mynthon0]

I played it for the first time a while ago and it has not aged well, IMO. Actually, I don't think it was well received even at the time. A unique IP that was released at the end of the generation, but overall just a mediocre shooter. Darkwatch, while also nothing particularly special gameplay-wise, is MUCH better.

[@DominatorLegend]

I really miss those times when devs weren't afraid to slam bimbo characters into their games... Come to think of it, I just miss 2nd party games. Today is about the scummy 1st party or the limited 3rd party.

[@Mekboy_ComputerMonster]

Never knew there was such thing as a "2nd Party" I always hear about the 3rd ones...

[@DominatorLegend]

@@Mekboy_ComputerMonster That's because it pretty much disappeared. Think of games like this or Bloodrayne, which weren't made neither by big companies nor small indy studios.

[@aliatef7203]

@@DominatorLegend Bro that's called AA, no such thing as 2nd party lol the 2nd party is the consumer

[@D4n0w4r]

Halo: Vampire Evolved

[@hyperwave7202]

"SHWACKED" - generic cod character

[@EdgyZiggy]

I've heard of this game when a friend of mine gave me a "copy." Inside was a disc for GTA 4... why mess with my emotions like that?

[@paaatreeeck]

Eh, could have been worse i guess.

[@KvltKommando]

@@paaatreeeck nah GTA 4 is so bad

[@movement2contact]

@@KvltKommando whatcha on about..?

[@hornybastard3034]

I loved gta IV

[@mattreynolds4488]

@King Ninja that's because at the time Darkwatch was released the gaming climate had a bunch of memorable, creative games that at the very least introduced new mechanics, ideas, tried to set a trend or launch a genre style and none of them were quite the same. Any more games are all cookie cutter, trend following bullshit that won't even have a story mode most of the time. Instead it's all about selling DLC or in game currency. Devs have become complacent because of the games as a service philosophy. They don't make any adjustments to games if everyone keeps buying, instead of trying to make a sequel to atleast be as good as the original they'll just rake in your cash on reskinning the same game three times over while adding some bells and whistles to each one to make it just slightly different.

[@Ghosttea]

cowboy and vampires? sounds like a pretty cool game!!

[@williamjones4117]

Man, I love this game! Still have the PS2 copy I bought on release day. Glad to see someone finally talking about it.

[@jay-zdenton6094]

2005 review "This game is alright but there are better alternatives." 2019 review "Holy shit, this is awesome! Like a breath of fresh air after coming out of a goddamn sceptic tank!" I really miss these types of games. I don't need 5h cutscenes, pseudo-intellectual oscar bait storytelling ("dad games" like Last of Us or God of War '18), open world, battle royale, RPG elements, ADS, sprinting, 2 weapon limit and all that "games as a service" bullshit. I just want FPS games with badass, manly protagonists killing bitches with visceral weapons and powers. I want to paint entire levels red with a double barreled supershotgun or rapid fire rocket launcher. Without being interrupted by cutscenes, walking sections or tutorials, thank you very much. Is all that too much to ask for?

[@IDrinkLava]

I feel the same way. I get really sad when I look at games that would've been 7/10 at best in their heyday that _feel_ like 10/10s just because today's games are so buggy and aimless.

[@Mayhzon]

Best part: Whole thing in couch coop multiplayer.

[@LaEve]

You should seriously consider playing Boomer shooters (especially indie titles).

[@jakejutras5420]

I fucking loved this game.

[@Dustpan]

Classic game. One of the few OG Xbox titles I still own physically.

[@ThePunisher2346]

Yoo same

[@123doomdoom]

@@ThePunisher2346 yooooo

[@ThePunisher2346]

@@123doomdoom ayeeee

[@tjsource]

Over 7 thousand views within an hour, you are a god of all retro Reviewers. Please do knights of the temple please I’d love to see your perspective

[@LeoKasper47]

I really liked this game. I ever picked up the associated "Art of Darkwatch" book because I liked the art direction so much.

[@onizate]

Loved this game, and i loved the mythology and setting especially. Reminds me of the movie "Priest" which is also awesome!

[@thaiwin6173]

You're asking for demonitization with that thumbnail...

[@memebot6490]

Thai Win The funny thing is, I think that thumbnail is official art. The leather vampire chick was actually featured on Playboy lmao

[@Gggmanlives]

You don't know how demonitization works.

[@gub4941]

Thai Win tiddy

[@ParasiteXX]

Rose McGowan has always been crazy. She just got crazier.

[@TheBatbike]

@Trainwreck727 Wait what?

[@Ulquiorra4163]

Still got my copy of this somewhere and I loved this game. They actually took alot of time and effort to flesh out lore for the game to help set up sequels in later and earlier time periods like the world wars, pre wild west and even somewhat distant future with small details to help plant the seeds for any future releases so the lack of follow up games sucks all the more. They even explained why all the weapons you use have some sort of melee function like the axe blade on the shotgun in lore of being for the regulators to use after events happened to use those ideas as "oh shit" moments like caught during reloads or no ammo.

[@coreychristmas2133]

This was my favorite game growing up, glad to see one of the few reviews on it.

[@MrHatetheplayer]

i'm glad this showed up in my recommended. it's been so long but i recognized it straight away, and knew i'd enjoy revisiting the experience. good game, great review, cheers mate.

[@ryanjackson7387]

6th Generation was Amazing Xbox, PS2 , Gamecube, Dreamcast to start it. Darwatch is underrated and one ofmy favorite games in my xbox collection. Another gem is Van Helsing btw.

[@phatpandy8389]

Thank you for this. I always talk about this and no one knows wtf it is. Seriously love your game reviews. No one ever asks for them, but there what we all needed without knowing

[@INT0XIFADED]

Was one of my favorite games on ps2! Thanks for making this 😁👌

[@PhantosTheHedgehog]

This was one of my favorite shooters as a child and I'm so happy to see it getting attention!

[@crowcorvan]

My sister and I used to play this when we were younger on PS2, loved that game. Still do, I got a copy for my 360 from eBay

[@cactusmanbwl1990]

This game NEEDS to be backwards compatible on Xbox One.

[@clongoram]

Yes!! If only.

[@CryonicArrow]

And a pc port

[@stevemc6010]

I want that and the old CoD console only games (Big Red One and Finest Hour)

[@southpaw117]

At least it's fowards-compatible on the 360, and runs perfectly on it!

[@andyborboa7421]

Finally I see a good review of one of my fav games when I was a kid. I do believe is a hidden gem of it's time. It is not perfect but I always like those two genres, wild west, and vampire lore. Recent games till use these two genres to sell well, so the fact that they combined them so well back in the day it is awesome. I am surprised, however, that nobody follow this formula for other games.

[@mkultraenjoyer]

I got schwacked twice in a row today, time to schedule my therapist appointment

[@Morgan_Blackhand]

Dude, you hit me with nostalgia, I remember this on the PS2 when I was a kid, I don't know how I forgot about it in the first place.

[@ivangambino4135]

it really makes me happy seeing you review this, this was probably one of my favorite ps2 games and i still have my disk and case

[@madeofmeats]

My dad used to play this on his PS2 when I was young, I vividly remember him drinking from the horse and turning it into a vampire

[@ela_mainmaster99]

One of my favorite games for that era! Specially Co-Op mode!

[@HeyImNFSW]

My god i remember this game and when i saw you post you were working on this review I've been waiting impatiently thank you.

[@GameplayandTalk]

Nice to see a review on this. I picked this game up right when it came out back in the day and really enjoyed it. I've gone back over the years and while it takes a moment to get the hang of things again, the combat still holds up really well and is quite fun. I don't remember having an issue at the halfway point (probably due to the combat being so satisfying), but I'll have to make a point to go through the whole thing again soon just to see.

[@PANNARALEJ]

Not going to lie, when you said you were reviewing Darkwatch, I actually got (unmentionable) It is an under rated game, that had to compete with other great titles at the time, and sits proudly in my collection. I would love for there to be a sequel, or a remaster rerelease on PC.

[@SuprememessageNG]

I love this game, I had it when I was younger and loved it. So glad to see someone talk about it.

[@UncleRedsnow]

Thanks for all the content recently!

[@ScorpioCesar]

Always wondered when you'd cover this game, I remember playing the demo way back when it was available for the OXM magazine. Thoroughly enjoyed it, I think I'm going to have to hop on ebay after this awesome review.

[@pencilquest9409]

I absolutely LOVE this game. To me, it was like playing a B movie. The story is garbo, the level progression didn't seem to make much sense, etc., but it was so charming. The consistency in design across the weapons and clothing was so good. You didn't even mention the (spoiler) town sinking into LAVA. Thank you so much for dragging this monster back into the light. :D

[@jaredadams620]

"A Western mixed with Legacy of Kain" Yes. Jennifer Hale & Rose McGowen Yeess. That arsenal, wait..Evil West and Witchfire YES!

[@parkzm21]

This was my absolute favourite game as a youngster. I'm gonna try to find a way to play this again.

[@sbraypaynt]

Why do I feel that death metal rock is missing from this game?

[@solarwind3656]

Amazing game, surprised you didn't talk about the unique enemy types

[@nunyabusiness4404]

I know we saw clips of most on screen. Should have given brief explanation of each at least. Hell should have seen more of him engaging an oozer up close.

[@Shaljroan30750]

Well structured video, i respect you.

[@malelonewolf80]

Holy ..., why is this concept not used in more recent games. A Vampiric first person shooter, I would so love that, when done right. Games featuring vampires are few apart, and especially games where vampires are not some generic monster. Imagine this game, with its flaws corrected and some added humor (duke nukem/shadow warrior/blood style), in the unreal 4 engine with that level of graphic fidelity running on modern hardware. Would be an instant buy for me.

[@vashtanerada100]

I would love to see the painkiller guys remake this.

[@rupitbhandari-studio.death8100]

What is it with Ubisoft and underrated Westerns?

[@MetaMetro3]

Must be their thing though to be fair they only published Darkwatch in Europe, Capcom published it in North America and neither of them developed it.

[@patrickb.7072]

Ubisoft didn't make this. They just published it -- and only in Europe I believe?

[@rupitbhandari-studio.death8100]

Neither did they make Call Of Juarez. But they did publish it.

[@tysonbell3524]

Can't wait to watch more of your reviews 😊

[@hawnsoo]

Great video as always. Keep up the good work. I had totally forgot about this game as one of my childhood friends played it in front of me once.

[@igodreamer7096]

"Darkwatch 2 when?" Anyway, great video Sonny! xD

[@kennyburkamp5146]

This is where he starts training for no apparent reason for a moment other than the rhyme sounds metal 4:14

[@qiff6667]

he is quoting thriller.

[@Intrania]

Great video. Cool game! Keep up with the good videos G!

[@smileyjayofficial2888]

I remember being about 6 or 7 renting this game from my local video store, this game didn't disappoint, only thing that sucked is, it seemed I was the only one who knew about this game at the time! Great review!

[@jamesrandell384]

no wonder I've heard of High Moon Studio. They made the Deadpool game for Activision.

[@nathangordon4891]

James Randell they also made the two best transformers video games, war for cybertron and fall of cybertron

[@rafaelribeiro404]

This game was epic. I loved the gameplay, the characters, the settings etc...

[@JMsolidsnake]

One of my favorite ps2 fps. I still play this game about once a year.

[@nunchuckduck1667]

i remember having my original xbox chipped and my mum bringing this Game home to me one day.... i loved it! thanks for the review dude!

[@TevyaSmolka]

i remember darkwatch it was really interesting game

[@karljohan2300]

hmm now we only need pro darkwatch

[@TheLegendOfTerry]

I remember this game fondly for PS2. Thought it wasn't that expensive, and really fun.

[@dbsommers1]

As always, you give the best reviews.

[@KingJerbear]

Damn, another badass game I'd never heard of. The visuals are impressive for the time.

[@TartarusPyro]

reminds me of upcoming game witchfire

[@maltsutty]

Thanks for reviewing this !!! Hugely underrated game along with psi ops

[@EndlessDream]

I think the upcoming Evil West is a spiritual successor to this.

[@JustinY.]

"KZbin only allows family friendly content"

[@Gggmanlives]

And how is this not family friendly content?

[@Mimoudoesgames]

All kids need to know the vampire hunting basics anyways

[@JustinY.]

@@Gggmanlives It was a joke about the thumbnail

[@DominatorLegend]

@@Gggmanlives Forget it Gman, this guy just appears everywhere to leave silly comments. He probably hasn't even watched the video...

[@Nor1998_]

Justinnnnnn

[@DragonHindiX]

You ever heard about GTA Punjab! It's actually a really bad GTA vice City mod

[@rekius328]

*sighs* punjab is a pakistani citu

[@shadoekim]

Nobody effin cares bruv

[@petev5789]

New GGG Review? Count me in!

[@lobstergod8993]

i remember playing this splitscreen so much fun

[@krakixel]

You know, the shwacked thing is getting a bit run into the ground. Then again, so is CoD.

[@TheKproductionsful]

I wonder how he came up with that too 😂