What we know:

The Darkness II is a first person shooter that is being developed by Digital Extremes and will be published by 2K Games, a follow-up to a title launched in 2007 starring the same main hero.

Jackie Estacado has used the power of the Darkness to rise to the top of the criminal world and we get to know him again just as he is being attacked by an unknown organization that calls itself the Brotherhood and claims to be protecting the world from the monster inside him.

The leader of the Brotherhood has managed to corrupt his peers and now wants the Darkness for himself and the gamer, in control of Jackie, needs to make sure that he never gets it.

When it comes to the gameplay the duality of gun and Darkness use will still be there and players can expect a more in depth skill tree which will allow Jackie to launch powerful attacks as the game progresses.

The look of the game has also changed slightly, with a cell shaded look added to most of the assets and more stylization for the characters.

The Darkness II has a launch date of February 7 in the United States and ten days later in Europe, where it will be playable on the PC, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

Why it matters:

The Darkness II might just be the earliest mainstream release and how it does commercially might just set the tone for the rest of the year.

It will also be interesting to see how the extra depth in the game, based mainly on the addition of extra horror elements, plays with those who are just looking for an over the top shooter experience.

The full Incoming 2012 series of articles can be read on Softpedia right here.