Darksiders: Wrath of War

[briggaman]

I think I have mentioned this game a couple of times before yet I don't remember making a thread on it. Anyway, this game (Darksiders: Wrath of War) looks as if it could be quite good in my opinion. I'm not sure on the release date as it seems to keep getting pushed back.

It appears to mix some elements of Zelda, DMC and Tomb Raider from what people seem to be saying. The footage I have seen so far looks really good. The artwork is done by Joe Mad aswell, who any comic fan will already know from his work in Uncanny X-Men (plus others like Battle Chasers). There is a link to one video of it here , and there are others there too.

Anyone else think this looks good? I can see why some people may have concerns as it looks like a regular hack n slash. I think it looks as if it could be fun though and the various things it mixes could go well together.

[briggaman]

Nobody interested?

Anyway, here is a picture of the artwork done by Joe Mad before it is put into the game:

Here is what some of his art looks like in the game:

[kurtsimonw]

Looks impressive. I like large open games where you're in a World of sorts that you're free to roam. Unfortunately I'm never any good at them. Never completed Metroid Prime 1 or 2, Zelda:TWW or Zelda:TP.

Very cool story behind it, getting to play one of the Four Horsemen, awesome!

[Sie]

I recall seeing some footage of this a few weeks back. Reminded me of the first Soul Reaver game for some reason.

[kurtsimonw]

I recall seeing some footage of this a few weeks back. Reminded me of the first Soul Reaver game for some reason.

That's it! I was trying to remember the name of that game!

[briggaman]

Pushed back to January 2010 now so my hopes for this game will be even higher. I would rather they take their time and make things right than rush a release.

[heffoman]

That first pic looks a lot like spawn.

[briggaman]

15 days to go until this is released and I can't wait. Initial previews and such have been quite good. The IGN preview can be found here. The video preview by IGN can also be found

I am hoping I won't be let down by this game. It will hopefully kick off a very good year of gaming.

[kurtsimonw]

Liking it.

[Sie]

Yeah, been looking forward to it for a while. Unless something goes terribly wrong at review, it's looking like a day one purchase for me.

[Risso]

Can't wait for this personally, looks awesome.

[briggaman]

Details of the things that come with the pre-order from various stores can be found here.

I've ordered the Gamestation version being that I used to be a massive comic fan and love Joe Mad's art. I am debating if I should cancel it and order the GAME version for the ingame weapon though...

Not sure what the calendar is about with the HMV version. :?

[briggaman]

The first review is in (17/12/09) and it's from Play Magazine. Sure, it's not the best magazine out there, however the things that are said in the article are very encouraging (plus it received a score of 10/10). I can't wait! Anyway, the full review can be found here. Here it is if you can't be bothered to go to the link:

There’s no big tie-in to goose the hype machine behind Darksiders (unless you consider the book of Revelation a viable marketing tool). No movie or TV series, no action figures (although do bring them on), no graphic novel, no nothing. What they do have is one of the most visually refined, immersive and altogether robust video game experiences available on any system. But will it be enough? THQ isn’t exactly the first name in premature human obliteration and I’m not sure releasing it on the same day as Bayonetta is such a hot idea (granted they’re radically different games, but they still appeal to the same audience), but considering the theme (4th and goal for humanity at mid-field and the quarterback is toast), inherent street cred Joe Mad brings to the table, and what are sure to be glistening reviews from any outlet worth its URL, I say “hell yeah.” If a game this altogether spectacular can’t find a few hundred thousand homes maybe the end really is nigh. Show me a gamer that can resist playing the middle man in the war to end all wars between heaven and hell, and I’ll show you someone who just bought Clone Wars: Republic Heroes for the bleeding edge visuals and ace writing.

Joe Madureira (aka Joe Mad) came up like so many of us during the 16- to 64-bit era, back when home consoles were life-altering miracle machines that transformed our dreary lives into colorful parallax dreamscapes. There were no flat screens, no HD, no internet, no chat apps… not an iPhone was stirring; just pure unfiltered analog magic courtesy of your friendly neighborhood predominantly Japanese video game developer. Back then gameplay, music, and graphics were everything. If you made a game that looked, sounded and played great, you sold a ton of copies, period. So that’s what Vigil Games, co-founded by Joe and fellow game designer David Adams have done—made a great game. If rules still apply, it’s all downhill from here.

If you’re familiar with Joe’s work, liken Darksiders to Battle Chasers, the original comic book series he jettisoned Uncanny X-Men to create. Like Todd McFarlane’s Spawn in 1992, when Battle Chasers debuted in ’98 it was the ultimate comic, especially for people not into “comics” because it looked and read more like a great video game than a cheesy man-in-tights soap opera. I’ve yet to meet a gamer who knows of it that doesn’t wish it were a video game; a scenario that suddenly doesn’t seem all that farfetched. In the meantime, what Joe brought to Battle Chasers, Vigil bring to Darksiders, with the same palpable proficiency, dedication and love of craft. The difference being where Joe was criticized for only producing two to three issues of Battle Chasers each year (which, considering the level of detail and color is admirable) game development is a much slower burn, conducive to the creative process. Within minutes playing Darksiders, you know that you’re in the presence of greatness; not just great gameplay but truly magnificent character design. It isn’t until you enter the Twilight Cathedral that you realize you’re basically playing a giant Zelda, but by then it’s just icing on the mother of all cakes, and that’s only the half of it.

The quest at hand is one of dire consequence, as War, one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, heeds the call and descends upon the Earth for the End War that will determine the fate of the three kingdoms: Heaven, Hell, and Man. But something has gone terribly awry. The other Horseman are nowhere to be found and War is in a weakened state. As he meets his apparent end at the hand of Straga (literally), all is made clear (or is it?) as the Charred Council—guardians of the pact between Heaven and Hell protected by the seven seals—reel him back in. Heaven and Hell were clearly at war on Earth, but the call did not go out; the seventh seal had not been broken. Although War swears otherwise, he is charged with the premature end of days for mankind, and must pay the price. Of his own accord he asks that he be returned to Earth in his weakened state as punishment, to find out who is responsible, or to die trying, to which the council agrees, on the condition he’s chaperoned by one of their own. And so back to Earth we go, bound to The Watcher (played with Joker-like zeal by Mark Hamil), armed with the Chaoseater and hell bent on getting some answers.

They say time flies when you’re having fun. Well, apparently it flies a lot faster when you’re meeting with the Charred Council, because upon War’s return a century has passed. The Earth is but a barren wasteland of its former self and humanity is long gone. Never trust a centuries-old talking rock I guess. Only Vulgrim, War’s designated shopkeeper, and the armies of the Destroyer remain; the Destroyer himself is held up in a massive tower protected by four guardians. Only by defeating the four “Chosen” and presenting their hearts to Samael, the fallen archangel commonly referred to as the Angel of Death, can War gain access to the tower where his final destiny awaits. And so it begins.

The first order of business is delivering enough souls to Vulgrim to obtain the Earthcaller—a bellowing skull of a horn whose deafening blast can wake the dead, or in this case, the slumbering gates that block your way. For the souls you reap in trade Vulgrim will creepily provide both information and tactical upgrades, including Consumables (various Essences), Wrath abilities (offensive and defensive powers that burn Wrath), and Gear and Equipment (secondary weapons and powers), all of which can be mapped onto corresponding face and shoulder buttons at the player’s discretion. Darksiders makes incredible use of both the 360 and PS3 controller, utilizing every button on the pad to seamlessly integrate the many play mechanics at your disposal for pause-and-equip-free gaming amidst the ever-changing landscape.

Slicing through the first few areas getting oriented with the base play mechanics, the gameplay consists of mainly targeting and hurling objects from street lights to cars, scaling Demon Growth (one of the game’s myriad stunning textures), ledge and overhead grappling, double jumping (and it’s that sweet Ghouls ‘n Ghosts d-jump where the second tap can be anywhere in the arch) and hacking, slashing, dodging and exploding the heads of the undead and lesser demons as only War can. This is definitely what he’s good for. You’ll also get a peek at Darksiders’ more aggressive demons--but a taste of what lies ahead--as you make your way through one of, if not the most skillfully designed and modeled opposing forces ever assembled.

Combing The Crossroads for souls and relics, you begin to discover the adventure within as well as the scope. Ducking into the subway system, underwater passages lead to hidden chambers, and certain impassable barriers suggest you’ll be back, and you will be…but not today. After a brief encounter with the Phantom General; the first of many mid-demons, Samael is ready for his 15 minutes. Arguably the most detailed and altogether incredible in-game central character ever created, he bestows upon War his first Passive Ability, Shadowflight, a Raziel-like winged glide propelled by blue spheres that shoot him into the sky, and it’s off to the Twilight Cathedral to see about ripping the still-beating heart out of Tiamat, a dragon-size, demonic, rather pretentious queen bat.

Vigil isn’t merely emulating Zelda-style gameplay, they’re making it their own, and in many ways improving on the archetype. The environmental puzzles range in difficulty from the obvious-but-challenging to the utterly complex, but never in such a way that you become irritated. Vigil has a way of goading the player through gameplay and visuals that’s truly unique, as if they know exactly when to pull the chain on that light over your head. If the obvious doesn’t work, keep moving. Between your surroundings and War’s ever-burgeoning weapons and abilities, the answer is usually right in front of you…provided you’re in the place. Beyond Shadowflight the abilities at your disposal include the Abyssal Chain, which attaches to enemies and objects as well as swing points ala classic Castlevania; Chronospheres that allow War to thwart time itself; and the Voidwalker, which grants War the power to open, pass through, and close portals—a technique Vigil weave into the games most challenging maze with sinister expertise. A massive fortress stuffed with eroding pathways, elevators, false floors, Escher-like architectural conundrums, and pretty much the coolest texture of all time, your brain may be smoking by the time it’s over, but what comes next is worth every head scratching moment and more… much, much more. If anything, the size and scope of some of Darksiders’ levels is what can throw you. I combed every inch of a large dilapidated spider-infested estate before it dawned on me that the village it was in was the labyrinth; the house was merely a piece in the puzzle. If all else fails, The Watcher will point you in the general direction (or humiliate you) and there’s a simple yet comprehensive map, but for the most part you’re still on your own, and Darksiders is a much better game for it.

As much as I love a good Zelda or Metroid-style adventure, and Darksiders has all the features of both and more, there’s much to be said for visceral combat too, provided it’s given equal due, which is why the two rarely occupy the same space. Darksiders’ combat-to-exploration ratio simply couldn’t be better, nor could the combat itself. Not once did I find myself wishing it would subside so that I could get back to a given objective or furthering the story, which by the way is also perfectly pitched via short, concise, mostly in-game discourse. The fighting constantly evolves as you build and imbue War’s repertoire, between standard, 180, Ground and Aerial moves and the many combos that go with them. And that’s just using his swords. The angels and demons in Darksiders are among the best ensembles I’ve ever faced. Not only are they incredibly sophisticated looking; they’re also equally formidable. Ranging in size and strength from puny one-hit-kill vampire bats and common ghouls (used primarily to replenish health) to swarming lesser demons, and higher demons that rival many games’ core bosses such as Casters, Wraiths, and hammer-wielding Undead, who all have one thing in common—they HATE War. You have to be pretty lazy to get taken out by a lesser demon or an angel for that matter, but higher demons, which are in no short supply, are fearsome opponents that demand your full attention both offensively and defensively. They are fierce, smart, and most of all relentless.

Elsewhere the mid and main bosses require as much (or more) wit as they do reflexes, but they are all in a word, epic (so overused but so apropos). Luckily so is War. Lock-on is wisely patterned after Z-targeting, the preeminent multi-enemy system utilized in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess (’tis none better) and the primary weapons, the Chaoseater and Armageddon Blades are serious instruments of death. Juggling is as intuitive as it gets and the various slashes, strikes, vertical and radial spins, and piercing blows can all be linked. But they can also be slow, which is where your secondary weapons come in. Like the blades, the Tremor Gauntlet and Scythe level-up by usage and can be upgraded with both special weapon enhancements (which you’ll have to find) and Wrath powers making them powerful allies—the Gauntlet for pure brute force and destroying barriers, and the Scythe for numerous ranged and radial maneuvers and linking combo’s with your swords. On the Gear side, the Crossblade is used primarily to solve environmental puzzles, although with enough Wrath can do a fair bit of damage and reap many a soul. Further bombardment comes by way of War’s Chaos form, which is almost cheating unless you’re seriously outgunned, as well his pistol “Mercy,” an oversized hand cannon reminiscent of Beyond the Grave’s Cerberus, and a pair of massive ordnance that War uses in the games super-charged shooting sequences, The Fracture Cannon, which fires and detonates explosive shards, and Redemption, a hulking blaster capable of rapid shots and pulverizing charged projectiles. Both of which can be gleaned from the enemy and used against them. There are plenty of games that offer similarly elaborate moves, vast artillery and heated close-quarters and ranged combat, but considering the level of diversity and refinement in Darksiders, along with the character and world design, animation, and control few do it as well, none of which also incorporates 20-plus hours of Zelda quality-wonderment and girth. To put it in perspective—taking into account that I’m screen capturing and ogling quite a bit—31 hours in, as the finale (following what I thought was the finale; I love it when they do that) draws ever near, my total time in combat is 4 hours and 43 minutes. I’ve racked up 2141 kills, travelled 346 miles, collected 46,139 souls, achieved a 46-hit combo and spilled 4,425 gallons of demon blood…all of which splattered and gushed with the utmost detail...

Not that I’ve spent 26 hours and 17 minutes solving puzzles; the cavalcade of gameplay continues. The Panzer Dragoon-inspired Angelic Mount will send you scurrying for your copy of Orta, and War’s hulking, fire-breathing hell stallion Ruin is simply glorious. Building on another aspect of the legendary Zelda series (namely Ocarina and Twilight); like Link’s horse Epona, Ruin is limited to specific terrain, but unlike Epona, doesn’t come running when you whistle a tune and where Link could fire off a few arrows on horseback, War goes to war on Ruin. Following a trek through the arid wastes, scaling primitive drilling towers to activate Chronospheres to avoid becoming a cocktail weenie for giant marauding sandworms that make Shai-Hulud look like fish bait, obtaining Ruin comes by way of a stunningly choreographed gladiatorial battle-royale capped off by an equally inspired egress battling the Destroyer’s fierce horseman and ultimately the mother of all sandworms; firing supernatural rounds into its gaping maw before finishing it off with a gruesome plummeting laceration. Aside from being the most gorgeous game-bred beast I’ve ever laid eyes on, Ruin also packs a mean flaming kick that turns rear-approaching demons into rear projectiles and when summoned emerges from the ground in a blazing streak of fire; ’tis a beautiful thing.

That’s the thing about Darksiders: it’s all beautiful, from the environments to the gameplay, to the characters, to the score that courses through it. It’s everything Vigil aspired for it to be, and they aimed high. Rather than attempt to reinvent the wheel or emulate a single archetype, they’ve taken the best gameplay elements from the most universally revered games of the past and made them their own, integrating them into a single epic that has all of the intrinsic hallmarks that define a studio capable of producing the kind of classic Darksiders is destined to be. If ever there was a pure gamer’s game, Darksiders is it.

[briggaman]

IGN UK have given Darksiders a solid score of 8.9 and IGN Australia gave it a 9. I think this quote from IGN UK's closing comments in their review sums up what I hoped the game would be like:

It's bold and recklessly inventive in ways that games rarely are these days, and virtually every aspect of Darksiders shines with quality, making for an experience that, while not exactly original, still feels fresh, satisfying and, above all else, enjoyable. It's far from the soulless fighter THQ's marketing would have you believe and the deft mix of combat, platforming and puzzle-solving makes for an action adventure that genuinely does feel like an epic endeavour. It's a genre too few developers try their hand at these days and one that's rarely done well. Despite some flaws, Darksiders is an expertly designed, frequently dazzling spectacle - and if it really is the first in a series as Vigil suggests, we're genuinely looking forward to seeing more.

I'm getting very excited now as it is only a few days off. So many months of waiting and numerous delays later it will finally be upon us.

If any of you want to read the full IGN UK review then go here.

[P3te]

amazing game

4 1/2 out of 5 here

[briggaman]

Apparently the PS3 version is the slightly better of the two (between itself and the 360 version) due to "fewer problems with the framerates and screen tearing".

Quite happy I ordered the PS3 version now.

[Risso]

The PS3 preview got a bit of a panning in last month's PS3 magazine.

[Sie]

Plenty of favourable reviews out now at least. Seems to be averaging around a high 8 if you want to stick a number on it. It's the average figure I was expecting and now that I've finished Assassin's Creed 2 and Batman this past week, I may pick Darksiders up at the weekend.

[briggaman]

Been playing this since I got it on Thursday. I really do love it!

There are minor flaws in the game, however overall I think it's great fun. I love the look of the game and feel that all of the elements are put together really well. I certainly haven't been let down by this and it was worth the wait in my opinion.

My main issue is that I have been playing it on a mates PS3, being that mine is having some issues. Getting it sorted though and will restart the game on my own PS3 in the next week or two.

[briggaman]

The PS3 preview got a bit of a panning in last month's PS3 magazine.

Surprised by this as it's the 360 version that has the issues, such as screen tearing.