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DARKSIDERS (X360)
Publisher: THQ. Developer: Vigil Games.
Released: January 2010. Genre: Hack 'n' Slash; Adventure. Other versions: PS3; PC. Posted 5th November 2012. By Shane Battams © 2012 |
It’s probably difficult to imagine
what would happen if God of War, Zelda, Portal and Bionic Commando
were placed into one single experience, but Vigil Games makes it easier with Darksiders. Set in a post-apocalyptic
Earth, players take the role of War as they trek through an adventure that borrows
from many games around it. It can come off as somewhat derivative, but Vigil have
managed to meld these elements into a cohesive, explosively fun experience that
any adventure gamer worth his salt should try.
The end is here for us humans, as Darksiders takes place in the midst of the apocalypse. With humanity dead, all that remains on earth are crumbling buildings, a lot of evil demons from hell and you, War. War is one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but he is on his own after being framed for the destruction of Earth by inciting a war between Heaven and Hell. Now, tied to a leash by a sinister demon, he must return to the remains of Earth and fight to strike down those who caused this disaster. Vigil opts for a summer blockbuster-style narrative instead of an extremely serious plot, with over-the-top voice acting and Hollywood-style camera cuts during cut-scenes. It’s undeniably entertaining, even if you‘d rather not admit it.
As you begin, a sense of déjà vu flows through you: Darksiders' opening level reeks of God of War. A linear level serves as the tutorial for the game, teaching you the basics of combat and platforming while the sides of good and evil rip New York into nothing. You get a taste of some of your cooler moves but, Metroid Prime style, you lose most of your abilities after this level. Following that, Darksiders opens up a lot, with a vast world to explore. Paths are hidden off by weird obstacles like giant ice blockades which can't be accessed until later in the game. As you gain abilities, you end up backtracking to areas which become available, and this can become somewhat monotonous. There is incentive, however, to explore the world with hidden chests giving either a special item or currency to buy upgrades. Special amours and modifications can be found, which makes it worth digging out every single area with new upgrades. The main quest is pretty short, with around ten hours of gameplay, but exploration can bump this up significantly.
The end is here for us humans, as Darksiders takes place in the midst of the apocalypse. With humanity dead, all that remains on earth are crumbling buildings, a lot of evil demons from hell and you, War. War is one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but he is on his own after being framed for the destruction of Earth by inciting a war between Heaven and Hell. Now, tied to a leash by a sinister demon, he must return to the remains of Earth and fight to strike down those who caused this disaster. Vigil opts for a summer blockbuster-style narrative instead of an extremely serious plot, with over-the-top voice acting and Hollywood-style camera cuts during cut-scenes. It’s undeniably entertaining, even if you‘d rather not admit it.
As you begin, a sense of déjà vu flows through you: Darksiders' opening level reeks of God of War. A linear level serves as the tutorial for the game, teaching you the basics of combat and platforming while the sides of good and evil rip New York into nothing. You get a taste of some of your cooler moves but, Metroid Prime style, you lose most of your abilities after this level. Following that, Darksiders opens up a lot, with a vast world to explore. Paths are hidden off by weird obstacles like giant ice blockades which can't be accessed until later in the game. As you gain abilities, you end up backtracking to areas which become available, and this can become somewhat monotonous. There is incentive, however, to explore the world with hidden chests giving either a special item or currency to buy upgrades. Special amours and modifications can be found, which makes it worth digging out every single area with new upgrades. The main quest is pretty short, with around ten hours of gameplay, but exploration can bump this up significantly.
Car-pocalypse! Sorry
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Did somebody mention a weakpoint? I got distracted by a giant lobster
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Combat encourages head-on force
rather than heavy defence. You have light and heavy attacks, as well as grabs
on smaller enemies, though the use of the latter dwindles as enemies grow
larger. The lock-on system borrowed from Zelda
reduces the screen to a letterbox format, and it works well enough. You can
also perform a dodge move, rather than simply blocking. You gain a sword,
scythe and a huge fist to deal damage with, but the game also instils a hefty
amount of combat variety with the ability to pick up environmental objects such
as poles, chairs and tables. As you kill enemies with your assortment of weapons,
you earn experience for them, enabling you to buy more moves and deal more
damage. Combat is brutally satisfying, mechanically works and is fun,
especially with the ECW-style environmental weapons. The boss fights disappoint
though, with repetitive, ‘hit the giant orange weakpoint’ style fights which,
by this point, are tedious.
Darksiders also retreats from simple crate-pushing puzzles. Many of the puzzles revolve around accessories you gain throughout the game. These include the Cross Blade, a boomerang which can detonate special explosives, the Abyssal Chain grappling hook and the Void walker which creates pathways through special surfaces, a la Valve's puzzle hit Portal. Many of the puzzle elements are borrowed from other games, but they all gel together seamlessly. The best puzzles are ones which mix elements together, with the end result being something unique despite the somewhat derivative nature of the mechanics.
Darksiders also retreats from simple crate-pushing puzzles. Many of the puzzles revolve around accessories you gain throughout the game. These include the Cross Blade, a boomerang which can detonate special explosives, the Abyssal Chain grappling hook and the Void walker which creates pathways through special surfaces, a la Valve's puzzle hit Portal. Many of the puzzle elements are borrowed from other games, but they all gel together seamlessly. The best puzzles are ones which mix elements together, with the end result being something unique despite the somewhat derivative nature of the mechanics.
Pain made pretty
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We're genuinely surprised the big guy hasn't fallen into the subway
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With the involvement of Joe
Madureira, one of the pencillers for the Uncanny X-Men comics, it’s no surprise
that Darksiders resembles a comic book, whether it’s the grossly large weapons
or the intriguing character models. It’s definitely an appealing visual style,
especially for comic book fans, and the game looks technically great too, creating
a great post-apocalyptic environment. The voice acting is quite over the top,
in particular the ghoulish demon tied to War, voiced by Mark Hamill. It works
in the context of the game for sure, adding to that silly blockbuster vibe. The
music attempts to create a sweeping sense of epic, but it fails to really stand
out among other games that attempt this, while the squeamish sound effects,
especially during combat, are fitting enough.
Though made up of mostly scraps from other franchises, Darksiders still manages to stand toe-to-toe with the best. Even borrowing elements from a multitude of similar games, Vigil have managed to gel it all together to create an enjoyable action-adventure, while the appealing post-apocalyptic setting mixed with the comic-book style visual design makes it stand out further. It isn’t original, but if you're a fan of action/adventure games, then you should get great enjoyment out of Darksiders.
Though made up of mostly scraps from other franchises, Darksiders still manages to stand toe-to-toe with the best. Even borrowing elements from a multitude of similar games, Vigil have managed to gel it all together to create an enjoyable action-adventure, while the appealing post-apocalyptic setting mixed with the comic-book style visual design makes it stand out further. It isn’t original, but if you're a fan of action/adventure games, then you should get great enjoyment out of Darksiders.
