A huge element of what makes video games so addictive is that they allow you to be something you're not: an NFL quarterback, a high-flying ninja, a spaceship pilot.

Shut off the lights and prepare for an entertaining blend of Mafioso-meets-macabre in the new video game ''The Darkness'' for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

News from the virtual world: -HUNTING SEASON: Oh, Rockstar Games. Again and again you get slammed for the sex and violence in games like ''Grand Theft Auto,'' ''Bully'' and ''State of Emergency.'' And yet, you keep coming back for more.