Interesting read. I've yet to play The Darkness - perhaps I should look into it. It can't hurt supporting a Swedish developer, either.
Now, let me indulge in this interesting anecdote...
"The story is solid, the characters are inspired, and while it's far from fine art, it's one of the better gaming experiences I've had recently and was completely unexpected."
I know what you mean by this, but I can't help but wonder, as an open question, what is it that you mean by "fine art" and what separates "it" from the Darkness? I know the subject of this discussion is by definition an aporia (essentially, what is art?), so I don't really expect an absolute answer, but I'm curious as to why you felt the need to point out the discrepancy in the first place.
I guess the fact that it doesn't go without saying shows how far videogames have come insofar as their artistic ambition and merit is concerned.
As for an underrated game... For me, that would be the latest Prince of Persia. Not a perfect game by any means, but it was still an ambitious and refined attempt at something more than just another action title. It's too bad it didn't live up to it's full potential (repetitive gameplay and at times shoddy writing did not help). Still, credit where it is due.
