Darksiders Xbox 360

Released on 08/01/2010

• Darksiders Review

  Beginning of the End

  If you're one of those barking nutjobs who rants that the apocalypse is actually going to happen, then you're really going to like Darksiders.

  The premise is that the events described in the book of Revelation have already happened, though somewhat prematurely. Taking the role of War, one of the horsemen of the apocalypse, it's up to the player to find the other three horsemen and discover who triggered the battle, all while being embroiled in a continuing war between the angels and demons. Tough day at the office.

  A Horse Called Ruin

  Initially with only his trusty steed, Ruin, for company, and sporting a much-depleted set of powers, one of War's objectives is to regain his weapons and special abilities in order to unlock new areas of the game and to better take on the foes he will encounter - and what a freakish cast of characters they are.

  Featuring artwork by Joe Madureira, the bloke who brought the Uncanny X-Men comicbooks to life, Darksiders is visually striking.

  Featuring artwork by Joe Madureira, the bloke who brought the Uncanny X-Men comicbooks to life, Darksiders is visually striking with a bunch of characters quite unlike anything you've encountered before. On your travels you'll meet the Charred Council (those responsible for stripping War of his powers), The Archangel of Death, The Destroyer (who rules Hell), and even Death himself, a buddy of the horsemen who wields a mighty scythe called The Harvester (we don't really want to know what that does).

  Post-Apocalyptic Zelda

  Gameplay-wise Darksiders is a bit of a mixed bag. It's been likened, by its creators, to a Zelda game. And it's true, there's a limited amount of exploration and collecting to be done, and the underground sections of the game involve a certain amount of puzzle solving. But a closer comparison might be God of War as much of the emphasis is on combat using weapons and special moves of various descriptions.

  The underground sections of the game involve a certain amount of puzzle solving.

  At its most basic the combat involves War and his foes smacking the hell out of one another until one of them is sufficiently weak to be dispatched with a stylish finishing move. Fighting gets more exotic as the game progresses though. As well as using swords that can be enhanced over the course of a game, War will also acquire more interesting trinkets, like miniguns and spectacular special moves. In this way, what starts out as a somewhat repetitive style of combat later becomes a lot more interesting.

  The only problem is that despite the amazing characters and visual flair of the game, these comparisons with God of War and Zelda aren't going to do Darksiders any favours. Those are big shoes to fill and while Darksiders is without doubt an interesting new creation, it has a way to go before it can stand shoulder to shoulder with games of such a high pedigree.

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • Visuals from legendary Joe Madureira.
  • Amazing characters.
  • Cracking post-apocalyptic plot.
  • Exploration and combat.
  • Upgradable weapons and abilities.

  

  • A bit repetitive.

  Review by: Simon 'Satan's Nosehair' Kirrane
  Version Tested: PS3, Xbox360
  Review Published: 17.12.09

  Published: 17/12/2009

• Darksiders - Review

  Darksiders Review

  
  

  "The God of War..."

  A new year brings new games to look forward to. Thankfully 2010 starts with a bang as Darksiders hits. Granted it's a game about the apocalypse with you facing the forces of Heaven and Hell as War, one of the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse, but what a way to start the New Year!

  From all the screenshots and videos you'd be forgiven if you thought "Ah God of War." You'd be wrong... sort of. There are similarities between Darksiders and GoW, like the fighting, the collection of orbs, the weapons and their upgrades - and not forgetting the vast opponents you'll be hammering your way through. But this is not God of War. Instead, you're a God... called War.

  
  

  Down but not out

  War is a betrayed Horseman who's looking for the culprit responsible for him being called to Earth and bringing about the End of the World. Unfortunately, War has been stripped of his powers and now has only his oversized sword to vanquish the Armies of Heaven and Hell, so this will be an uphill struggle from the word go!

  The opening hour in Darksiders can be a real battle in places due to the amount of enemies and the sheer power that they have. But be patient and Darksiders will reward you with some truly awesome weaponry and powers to use in your fight against the never ending supply of enemies. Your rewards for downing your foes come in the shape of souls: green for health, yellow for Wrath and blue to purchase moves and abilities.

  Darksiders offers a massive world for you to explore, full of chests that contain armour, souls and other bits and pieces. It's your choice whether you search for them all, but as some of these chests contain items to boost War's power, I'd recommend that you do! As stated Darksiders does have a God of War look and feel to it, but due to the massive levels, puzzle solving and dungeon exploration, this to me felt like an X rated Zelda title; I mean the guy even has a horse!

  
  

  Speaking of puzzles, Darksiders will test you're grey matter quite a bit in places as you shunt train cars back and forth, raise lifts to get to platforms and light torches to set bombs on fire. Darksiders has a real flare for puzzles, but some of them can be a royal pain in the rear. Yet when you eventually solve a puzzle you'll inevitably slap your forehead at your own stupidity; one of the hallmarks of great game design. The combat in Darksiders is slick and easy, with one button used for your sword, one for your secondary weapon and another button for grabbing, you'll soon see that Darksiders is easy to pick up with impressive moves that look complicated being very easy to pull off. The key to Darksiders' combat is timing. As well as melee weapons there are also long distance weapons should you want to keep your enemies at bay, from an oversized throwing star to a kick ass revolver that packs one helluva punch!

  
  

  The apocalypse never looked so good...

  Thankfully the enemies that you'll be fighting have had a great deal of thought put behind them and look great, thanks to X-Men artist Joe Madureira. On Hell's side you have the standard Zombies which hobble about and can be despatched with ease, then you have mutated Bat things, hell hounds, and a whole assortment of vile creatures for you to hack, slash and dismember!

  Heaven's forces meanwhile look a little more battle ready and not very angelic! Oh sure they have white wings and wear gold. But the gold they wear is gold armour. Big chunky armoured suits that protect them from the ass kicking that you are giving. On top of that there is the weapons that heaven have. Not only do you have to content with Swords, you will have to defend yourself against projectiles and a "plasma" cannon-type-thing (which you can pick up.)

  Darksiders is leading the charge into 2010; thankfully it's leading the charge with style. Yes it has a few flaws here and there and yes it does appear to have borrowed a bit from two very popular game franchises, but you can't deny that the end result is a fantastic beginning to what looks like being a really great gaming year.

  

  Darkside

  • + Nice fluid combat
  • + Fantastic character design
  • + Looks great
  • + Awesome start to 2010

  Lightside

  • - Some Head-slapping puzzles.
  • - May have borrowed too much.
• New Release Round Up: 8th Jan 2010

  Two amazing titles start the gaming calendar off with a big bang. This week's all about supersized action gigantic setpieces, huge and epic combat. It's a big week for games...

  Big scores
  Bayonetta bursts from the twisted brains behind Devil May Cry and Resident Evil: a superpowered witch in a skintight catsuit and guns in the heels of her shoes. Bayonetta is all about big, balletic, button-pummelling fast combat. And it looks unbelievably beautiful.

  Bayonetta's big setpiece combats are designed to look great whether you're a gaming novice or action master with controls that easily let you get into the action but huge depth in the layered system of combo moves, upgrades and finishing moves.

  Combat doesn't come bigger or better than in Bayonetta. And that's official the game was recently given a rare erfectscore of 40 from influential Japanese magazine Famitsu. Rave reviews don't come bigger than that.

  Big battles
  Game themes don't come bigger than that of Darksiders. As War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, you're tricked into setting off the final battle between heaven and hell too early. In the ruins of Earth, you've now got to find those responsible for the ultimate trick.

  Darksiders combines epic and button-hammering combat as War fights through damned and angelic legions, with dungeon-delving puzzle-solving and adventure as War tracks down those behind the devastation and brilliant gothic visuals from renowned comic artist Joe (X-Men) Madureira.

  Think of Darksiders as a cross between God Of War III and The Legend Of Zelda: The Twilight Princess. That means an action-adventure that's positively epic in scale.

  • Find out more about Bayonetta
  • Find out more about Darksiders
  • Back to more New Release Round-Ups

  Published: 08/01/2010

• E3 2011: Darksiders 2 unveiled

  THQ has finally lifted the lid on one of its most anticipated games, giving us a brief pre-E3 glimpse of the apocalyptic action adventure title, Darksiders 2.

  According to Eurogamer, the sequel to the smash hit 2010 game will see Death taking over from War in the lead role. The story will play out in parallel with the first game, as another of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse sets out to save his brother and find out why Earth has been smashed to pieces ahead of schedule.

  THQ has hinted that Death has surprises in store as well, as the story sees him stumbling across an ancient grudge that may threaten all of life itself. The publisher also promising a larger world, new weapon and armour upgrade options, bigger dungeons to explore, and a ton of new enemies and bosses. "We have taken the best parts of Darksiders and improved on them with a host of new mechanics and features. You will see great things from this epic game," said THQ core games chief Danny Bilson.

  Darksiders 2 will be released on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and wee sure to get a better glimpse of it next week in LA.

• Darksiders II to receive tie-in novel

  Fans of the Darksiders series will be able to read a new novel set in the game's universe in May 2012, coinciding with the launch of the upcoming sequel Darksiders II.

  THQ has teamed up with publisher Del Rey to produce Darksiders: The Abomination Vault, a book by Ari Marmell which takes place millennia before the events of the first game.

  The Abomination Vault builds on the story of the legendary Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who are tasked with keeping the balance between heaven and hell, but discover a plot to unleash mystical weapons of terrifying power.

  Horseman Death must ally with his brother War - the protagonist of the original game - to uncover the roots of this plot before the fate of the universe is put at risk.

  The book will give fans a taste of what is to come from Darksiders II, which follows Death on a quest to undo Armageddon.

  Coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and later to Wii U, the game features a much larger world than the original, with new weapons, abilities and enemies, as well as a greater level of challenge.

  Published: 02/02/2012

• Darksiders 2 offers bonus gear for players of the first game

  Did you play Darksiders, the grandly gothic 2010 action adventure from THQ? If not, you should have. Not just because it was a real treat, with beefy combat, compelling characters and a gameworld that expanded the more skills you acquired, but also because that save file could give you a head start when the even more ambitious sequel launches later this month.

  Should Darksiders 2 notice a Darksiders save file on your hard drive, it'll generously unlock the Pauldron of the Horsemen, a level five armour set that increases both stats and damage for Death, the grumpy apocalyptic horseman who stars in the sequel. For those dedicated souls who completed Darksiders the there's an additional bonus in store in the shape of Chaos Fang, a powerful scythe weapon that will give Death the edge in combat.

  Darksiders 2 is out on August 21st for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. That gives you just enough time to pick up the original and earn those freebies. Get moving!

• Darksiders - Review

  
  

  

  "The God of War..."

  A new year brings new games to look forward to. Thankfully 2010 starts with a bang as Darksiders hits. Granted it's a game about the apocalypse with you facing the forces of Heaven and Hell as War, one of the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse, but what a way to start the New Year!

  From all the screenshots and videos you'd be forgiven if you thought "Ah God of War." You'd be wrong... sort of. There are similarities between Darksiders and GoW, like the fighting, the collection of orbs, the weapons and their upgrades - and not forgetting the vast opponents you'll be hammering your way through. But this is not God of War. Instead, you're a God... called War.

  Down but not out

  War is a betrayed Horseman who's looking for the culprit responsible for him being called to Earth and bringing about the End of the World. Unfortunately, War has been stripped of his powers and now has only his oversized sword to vanquish the Armies of Heaven and Hell, so this will be an uphill struggle from the word go!

  

  The opening hour in Darksiders can be a real battle in places due to the amount of enemies and the sheer power that they have. But be patient and Darksiders will reward you with some truly awesome weaponry and powers to use in your fight against the never ending supply of enemies. Your rewards for downing your foes come in the shape of souls: green for health, yellow for Wrath and blue to purchase moves and abilities.

  Darksiders offers a massive world for you to explore, full of chests that contain armour, souls and other bits and pieces. It's your choice whether you search for them all, but as some of these chests contain items to boost War's power, I'd recommend that you do! As stated Darksiders does have a God of War look and feel to it, but due to the massive levels, puzzle solving and dungeon exploration, this to me felt like an X rated Zelda title; I mean the guy even has a horse!

  Speaking of puzzles, Darksiders will test you're grey matter quite a bit in places as you shunt train cars back and forth, raise lifts to get to platforms and light torches to set bombs on fire. Darksiders has a real flare for puzzles, but some of them can be a royal pain in the rear. Yet when you eventually solve a puzzle you'll inevitably slap your forehead at your own stupidity; one of the hallmarks of great game design. The combat in Darksiders is slick and easy, with one button used for your sword, one for your secondary weapon and another button for grabbing, you'll soon see that Darksiders is easy to pick up with impressive moves that look complicated being very easy to pull off. The key to Darksiders' combat is timing. As well as melee weapons there are also long distance weapons should you want to keep your enemies at bay, from an oversized throwing star to a kick ass revolver that packs one helluva punch!

  

  The apocalypse never looked so good...

  Thankfully the enemies that you'll be fighting have had a great deal of thought put behind them and look great, thanks to X-Men artist Joe Madureira. On Hell's side you have the standard Zombies which hobble about and can be despatched with ease, then you have mutated Bat things, hell hounds, and a whole assortment of vile creatures for you to hack, slash and dismember!

  Heaven's forces meanwhile look a little more battle ready and not very angelic! Oh sure they have white wings and wear gold. But the gold they wear is gold armour. Big chunky armoured suits that protect them from the ass kicking that you are giving. On top of that there is the weapons that heaven have. Not only do you have to content with Swords, you will have to defend yourself against projectiles and a "plasma" cannon-type-thing (which you can pick up.)

  Darksiders is leading the charge into 2010; thankfully it's leading the charge with style. Yes it has a few flaws here and there and yes it does appear to have borrowed a bit from two very popular game franchises, but you can't deny that the end result is a fantastic beginning to what looks like being a really great gaming year.

  GAME's Verdict

  The Good:

  • Nice fluid combat.
  • Looks great.
  • Fantastic character design.

  The Bad:

  • Some Head-slapping puzzles.
  • May have borrowed too much.
  >

  Published: 07/01/2010

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