I've had several high-end clients use one of our darkest floors in the basement and loved it! They also spent an extra $5000 on lighting...because of how dark the space was. There is alwasy a trade off. A well lit basement can accomodate ANY finishing you want...but you have to have the lighting fit the space. If you like dark...be aware that your floor will turn 3-5 shades darker down there. This might take it from "dramatic" to "black whole" in a heart beat. You can bring it back to "dramatic" with lighting. It is that simple (expensive...but simple).

Here is a sample of the flooring we were thinking of.