Darksiders II Limited Edition with Argul's Tomb Expansion Map Xbox 360

Darksiders II Limited Edition with Argul's Tomb Expansion Map Product Details

Released on 21-Aug-2012

Saddle up and join Death's quest to find out who REALLY started the Apocalypse in Darksiders II.

Darksiders II on Xbox 360 picks up the story from the original Darksiders game. The Horseman War has been blamed - and banished - for starting the Apocalypse early. Death believes War was framed, which leads to less of a sequel and more of a side-story: Death's search for those responsible.

Preorder Darksiders II and grab the Limited Edition, including:

• Argul's Tomb: This new dungeon isn't ready to explore yet, but with a download code included in this edition, it's yours to access as soon as it becomes available!

Darksiders II Features:

• An agile new anti-hero with fierce new weapons
  
• Skill-based armour choices that define your character and style - choose your own Death!
  
• A massive and visually stunning world - dungeons, demons and so much more
  
• Unique locations with unique challenges - from lava pits to lost souls
  
• Loot systems to top up your skills and arsenal

Walk On The Dark Side

Darksiders II not only expands the story, but it expands the Darksiders world, too. Combining combat, platform-style adventuring and mind-challenging puzzles through maps and dungeons that dwarf the scale of the first game. Whether you're in the Overworld or the Abyssmal Plane, each location has its own distinct look, its own distinct challenges, and its own distinct dangers.

Fans of the original game will enjoy the same visual style carried over, with even more unique ghouls, goblins, beasties and bosses to take out, while new players will get to experience this awesome attack on the senses for the first time!

Death Becomes You

As Death, you are nimble and ninja-like, with an emphasis on agility and plenty of opportunities for parkour moves. You're armed with your Harvester scythe - which can split into two blades - and Ghost Hand grappling hook. Plus your handy Steed Despair and Raven Guide Dust are at hand to help you make your way to your goal.

The different armour you choose will influence how your Death fights. From the sorcery of Necromancer to the rogueish Wanderer, your armour is like a skill class that you can build throughout your quest. MMO-style loot systems will enhance your arsenal even further, and you can even build up to full 'Reaper' form to take on the really big bads.

Are you tough enough to ride with Death? Order Darksiders II today!

• Darksiders II - Review

  
  

  

  Something borrowed

  The Darksiders franchise borrows adventure and puzzle elements from The Legend of Zelda, action and combat elements from God of War, and platforming elements from Prince of Persia, before wrapping them all up in a story based on the mythology of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

  War, the first game's protagonist, has been charged with starting Armageddon early, leading to the destruction of mankind. In Darksiders II you step into the shoes of masked horseman Death, who believes War to be the victim of a conspiracy, and set off on a mission to prove your brother's innocence and restore life to all humanity.

  To do so you embark on an interplanetary journey that sees you hopping between increasingly corrupted realms, each of which is packed with dungeons to explore. The dungeons are thoughtfully paced and offer a highly satisfying mixture of enemies to overcome, puzzles to solve and platforming sections to navigate.

  

  There's a great balance between the different gameplay elements, which alternate regularly so things don't get repetitive. One minute you're fighting a horde of demonic soldiers, the next you're running along walls and swinging between platforms, and the next you're trying to figure out how to open a gateway to progress.

  Variety show

  Wielding dual scythes along with one alternate weapon which can range from speedy claws to massive hammers and maces, Death's fighting abilities are more varied and exciting than War's. Combos are fairly simple to pull off, and you're awarded points for kills that can be spent on improving close-quarters melee-based abilities or ranged ones like spell casting.

  A series of giant bosses generally offer thrilling conclusions to each dungeon. Ranging from giant mechanical constructs to insectoid creatures, they often challenge you to memorise attack patterns or expose weak points using recently acquired items to defeat them.

  When you're not fighting through or traversing dungeons, you'll be exploring wide-open areas and visiting hub towns, both of which offer plenty of distractions in the way of optional sub-quests between major plot points. And a new loot system introduces an item hording element to the series - there are tonnes of collectibles to find or nab from enemies, including rare weapons and pieces of armour that can be used level up your character.

  Borrowing heavily from a variety of sources, Darksiders II is the video gaming equivalent of a variety show, but it manages to successfully combine a range of established ideas and gameplay elements to create one of the best action-adventure titles of the year. Improving on the original game in almost every way, it offers a deep combat system, fun platforming, largely rewarding puzzles, a huge world to explore, plus an interesting story and wonderful art direction to boot.

  GAME's verdict:

  The Good:

  • Varied gameplay keeps things interesting.
  • Great hacking and slashing.
  • Compelling worlds with fantastic art design.

  The Bad:

  • Lacking some originality.
  • A few puzzles aren't clear enough.
  • Clunky menus.

  

  Published: 23/08/2012

• Darksiders II - Review

  
  

  

  Behold The Pale Rider

  If you played the original Darksiders, you'll know that it's a hard game to top. It tells the thrilling tale of War, one of the famous four horsemen of the apocalypse, and a man framed for a terrible crime. War has triggered the end of the world a little too early, and the time has come to try and clear his name and undo all of the damage.

  With great combat, spectacular dungeons to explore, and luminous, chunky comic book visuals from famous artist Joe Mad, it's a proper classic - and now Darksiders II is here to best it in every way that matters.

  Horsing Around

  Darksiders II casts you as Death, another of the four horsemen, and a close ally of War. While his brother returns to the ruins of Earth to try and seek his salvation, Death rides to a distant Forge World to see if he can sort this terrible mess out once and for all. What he finds there offers the same blend of action as the original game - the same overworld to explore on phantom horseback, and the same deep dungeon-based set-pieces - but it's bigger, bolder, and absolutely jam-packed with content everywhere you look.

  

  Death's a more nimble horseman than his brother, relying on a dodge rather than a block, nipping in and out of combat, landing blows, and then retreating to a safe distance. Without War's massive sword, he must rely on twin sickles for fast slashing attacks, and they come together when he's properly powered up to form The Harvester, the classic Grim Reaper scythe which does gigantic amounts of damage.

  When Death isn't brawling, of course, his more athletic nature allows him to get about a lot faster than War ever could: wall-running, scrabbling from one beam to the next, and back-flipping around increasingly complex spaces without breaking a sweat. If you love the balletic parkour in games like Assassin's Creed or Prince of Persia, you'll be right at home here, and Death's fleet-footed movement adds a whole new dimension to what was already a massive and detailed adventure.

  The biggest new addition, though, comes in the form of loot, which now spills from every downed enemy and allows you to constantly upgrade your character and tailor him to your own playing style. Whether it's armour sets, magical talismans, or even brand new weaponry, you'll have plenty to pick through and keep you busy. Every few minutes you can change out some old kit for entirely new treats, revelling in items that boost critical hits, defensive stats, or even throw in elemental damage.

  

  One Scythe Fits All

  On top of all that, Darksiders II offers one of the biggest campaigns we've seen outside of an RPG this generation. It will take you a minimum of twenty hours to work through just the basic storyline here as you hop between different realms, fight colossal bosses, and explore dozens of different dungeons. After all that's taken care of, you've still got plenty of side-quests and bonus dungeons to get stuck into as well as a new game+ option, giant storerooms filled with the best loot, and a decent arena-brawling horde mode that encourages you to really refine your combat ability.

  Any problems? Very few really: the frame-rate sometimes takes a hit when there are lots of enemies on screen at once towards the end of the game, and while the single-player campaign is more than adequate, we'd love to be able to dabble in some multiplayer too. These are tiny annoyances, though, and when stacked up against a game as gloriously generous and beautiful to look at as this one, they seem truly insignificant.

  The art's even better than before, and the brutal bone-crunching combat's even more intense: with Darksiders II, THQ has really pulled off the impossible. While we'll never forget the time we spent with War in the first game, Death's adventure is even more thrilling. It may be the end of all life on Earth, but hopefully this amazing, colourful, inventive, and action-packed series is only just getting started. Another horseman down - bring on the next guy!

  Our Verdict: 9.0

  What's Good?

  • Brilliant art!
  • Awesome combat!
  • A massive campaign!

  What's Bad?

  • Occasional frame-rate issues
  • No multiplayer
  • We want more!
• Darksiders reborn?

   

  When publisher THQ collapsed earlier this year, most of its games were snapped up by other companies. Saints Row 4 and Metro: Last Light both ended up with Dead Island publisher Deep Silver, for example.

  Some titles remained unsold however, resulting in a second auction. Now Nordic Games has splashed out and picked up the rights to series such as Red Faction and Darksiders. It's the latter title that has gamers buzzing at the moment, after word that original developer Vigil Games - now part of Crytek - still wanted to work on a new game in the apocalyptic saga.

  It seems that Nordic Games agrees, and while owner Lars Wingefors won't confirm who he's been talking to, it seems clear that Darksiders 3 is something he's definitely interested in.

  "We are not a developer," Wingefors said in a Eurogamer interview. "We should not create a sequel. We need to find the best creative team to look into a sequel.

  Does that mean he'll be tapping the former Vigil team to continue the series? "Without saying we have been in contact with Crytek USA, I'd love to do something with them if we can find the right set-up," he said. "I have a great respect for those guys. They made very good games. But I'm sure they have a full agenda. Making games takes time."

  The previous two Darksiders games are among the most underrated of this console generation, so here's hoping this is more than business chatter.
  

  Published: 24/04/2013

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