Darksiders (PS3/360)

[saturn-gamer]

About 2 hours into it on the Ps3 and what a brilliant game this is. Gives you a free roaming infamous like feeling and atmosphere, but with God of War ish action gameplay. I think that sums this game up the best.

Stages have multi routes and feel big and broad. At some point I had to roam the stage to find enemies to slaughter for their souls, then return to deliver them. At other points you are climbing walls and dodging lava, or doing a puzzle. You can power up your moves, as well as gaining new moves and special abilities. Some are ofcourse required to advance, like in Metroid and more recently; Arkham Asylum.

Graphically this game seems to be on par with InFamous which is actually good enough for the mayhem it throws at you. You can also pick up cars, vans and lanterns, and smash enemies with it. Production values are neat, the VA is really good as is the overall atmosphere.

Its really baffling that this game hardly gets any attention so close to release (although its out over here since today, to my surprise), its simply amazing and fun. Top quality stuff so far, I freakin' love it. Buy it, you won't regret.

[mekanor]

I'm pretty pumped for this. My preorder is down but due to being on holidays I won't be picking it up till next week. bit disappointed to hear it looks on par with infamous. maybe it was because I came straight off uncharted 2 but it looked a bit average to me. still, I'm a Wii fanboy, why am I complaining about graphics?

[Shozuki]

really pleased to hear the positivity. I also need to wait until next week, but I cant wait.

[fuse]

I have literally began to know of this game in the last week or so but already I am pretty intruiged by it. Not sure if I'll get it on launch given my current backlog (also money blah blah) but the second it drops in price I'm going to be all over this.

[Steakman]

I'm really looking forward to this game and have been for a while, Bayonetta too, hope they don't dissapoint! I need something to draw me away from MW2.

[Largo]

I hadnt payed any attention to this game or infact any jan releases except bayonetta, but i checked out the preview on gametrailers and it looks pretty damn good, glad to hear it delivers,

think ill check it out

[saturn-gamer]

Darksiders doesn't hold a candle to UC2's visual splendor but the settings are much, much grander in scale. Arkham Asylum comes to mind, but much bigger than that too.

The Zelda meets God of War references that are being thrown around, they are very true. The dungeons are Zeldalike. You have to find a new gadget, open up new areas with it and advance. That, along with environmental puzzles, the possibility to revisit other dungeons with your new gadget to reach hidden spots make it a really fun game. I started on Apocalyptic as IGN's review adviced, and its quite challenging. Certain enemies but especially bosses can obliterate you if you're not paying attention.

There are no QTE's either. A finisher is just O on the Ps3, and that will ensure a victory. To some who hate GoW's QTE's this might be a plus.

[Dezm0nd]

Thanks for the impressions, it's suddenly jumped on my radar

[ezee ryder]

Just started playing this (360 version) and it is actually quite good. The "hack n slash" combat is solid (even though at the moment it is just a case of hammering the X button) and it seems like quite a few cool/fun options will open up as you progress. Most of the enemies (apart from the "zombies") provide you will some sort of challenge too, which is nice.

The storyline is actually quite interesting, although it took me a few minutes to grasp what was actually going on! The cut-scenes and voice acting are great, really well done. Initially I wasn't too impressed by the graphics but after playing for a bit now I seem to have "adjusted" to the look of the game and it looks pretty decent. There is some screen tearing present and the frame rate does seem to dip during the more frantic battles but nothing too major really.

So far it seems like the content will include a nice mix of combat, "platforming" and puzzles which is fine by me. With Bayonetta getting released on the same day, I'm not sure if this will get much attention which is a shame really because it appears to a well crafted game. To be honest, what I have played so far of Darksiders I enjoyed a hell of a lot more than the Bayonetta demo.

[Largo]

Mark hamill voices a character too, just remembered that, always a plus

[ezee ryder]

Hmm. Yeah this is actually alot better than I thought it would be. The quality of the game gets better and better with each new area. I can certainly see why it has been getting good reviews. The hack n slash combat combined with some great puzzle sections and a hint of platforming is as good as it gets really.

As I mentioned before the game hinted at offering you some cool/fun upgrades and boy does it deliver on that front. Just got the first real new weapon and it is so much fun to use. Not only is it great help during combat but it used superbly during some of the puzzle sections too.

I am really enjoying this way more than I thought I would. It's a title I didn't really know much about but after reading a couple of reviews here and there I picked it up and I am so glad I did. Top game.

[saturn-gamer]

I've conquered 2 dungeons now, and they were both massive. The upgrade system is not entirely original, but extremely well done. Got a nice selection of weapons now, among them is one that can slam certain rocks. Its also great to launch enemies with the scythe and then slicing them with the sword. The combat gets better the more you upgrade and collect weapons, but ofcourse its never a Bayonetta like depth.

The characters and settings intrigue me, you can easily spot the hand of a respected comic book artist.

Really, really good. Like, perhaps GOTY contender good. I think I like Darksiders better than Arkham Asylum already. These HD consoles are obviously lacking in Zelda type of games and this is just it.

[ezee ryder]

Hmm. I dunno if Darksiders is better than Arkham Asylum, mainly because I think the style and overall set-up of the games are very different.

Saying that though, yes, Darksiders is a very good game. Just finished a rather huge session and am still very much enjoying it. I have quite a few weapons and moves at my disposal now which is just adding to the overall enjoyment. Speaking of enjoyment, I am loving the puzzle/exploration sections, they compliment and break-up the combat really well.

I have to mention the boss battles too, they are great. I have completed about 2 or 3 so far I think and each one has been immensely fun and different. Like I said in my earlier post, pretty much every aspect of the game is very well crafted.

I say "pretty much" because the screen tearing I mentioned earlier has been present throughout my playthrough. It's not constant by any means but it is there and it does become noticeable. It hasn't hindered my enjoyment of the game but I know some people like to be weary of this stuff so I thought I would mention it anyhow.

saturn-gamer, from what you're saying about the two massive "dungeons" you cleared it seems like we are around the same point in the game at the moment. I just defeated

->Open Spoiler<-

The Griever

and thought that whole section was just fantastically designed, with the

->Open Spoiler<-

water and fire puzzles

. That whole section was just full of some quality gaming!

[saturn-gamer]

Yeah, i'm past that point and it was awesome as hell. I also beat the score of the big guy by about 4, its a trophy and enhancement.

The tearing is not present on my Ps3 version it seems (its hardly noticable, if at all). I've read its a 360 issue.

If I have a complaint, is has to be the blocking system.

[ezee ryder]

Just finished this (took me 16 hours) and everything I said before stands plus more. It really is a fantastic game, one which I never thought would be this good.

It is a superbly designed game, never once did I get frustrated or annoyed with it. The combination of combat, puzzles and exploration is spot on. Most games like this tend to focus on one aspect too much and as a result other parts become "broken" or feel like they are unfinished; that is not the case with Darksiders. The combat, puzzles and exploration are all just so damn enjoyable.

The storyline wasn't actually too bad either, a little confusing at times but still pretty good. I really loved the voice acting aswell. The guy voicing War really does sound like one cold hearted dude! Mark Hamill makes an "appearance" too! I will let you guys find out for yourself what part he plays, even though it is quite obvious as soon as the character opens his mouth!

Impressive, very impressive. Even with the occasional screen tearing and frame rate dips Darksiders manages to be such a great game. I really hope it doesn't get lost in all the hype around Bayonetta and people actually give it a go. The ending (which is fantastic) hints at a sequel and hey if it is as good or better than this then I would certainly welcome it!