Darksiders 2

[KRA]

[AC!D]

Its looking awesome. A definite day one for me!

[Gribble-Grunger]

i wasn't interested in this game one little bit... but i just bought the first one and I WANT THE SEQUEL NOW!!! it's bloody marvellous. killing crows for health at the moment because i keep getting hammered. how do you kill the fiery hulk-like creatures at the beginning of the game just after you can purchase upgrades?

[KRA]

i didn't have any problems with the game.
i was actually thinking that this game is too easy and i should have play on hard maybe.
then i get to the point when some angel is leaving me some kind of gun.
and i was supposed to shoot alot of angels.
i don't know if i am so bad at shooting or i was doing something wrong
but i failed quite a few times.
ehh i have to go back to this. maybe it was just too late for me.
but i start to play dead space...
so many games so little time.

[Gribble-Grunger]

yeah, dead space for me next too! i'm catching up. i'm playing Darksiders on easy anyway LOL, but i'm still struggling to beat the fiery hulk like creatures near the start. perhaps i need to buy some new moves?

[KRA]

Our intern Pierre saw a demo of Darksiders II last week; by his telling, the game will feature a larger scope and a more open map than its predecessor, much more platforming and a more nimble protagonist, and more armor customization options for Death. You can see a lot of that in the video.

The video demonstrates gameplay from the early chapters of the game, showcasing Death's lighter move-set and quicker combat abilities.

"Choose Your Own Death" is one of the strangest video game pitches that's been flung our way in a while. Choose Your Own Death. Okay, so I've thought about it, and I'd like to go with rollerskates, a wonky stepladder, a plate glass window, and the glinting tines of an upended garden fork, please. At my funeral, I want them to play the theme from Shaft, and everybody has to dress like they work at Burger King.

It all makes a bit more sense, though, when you discover that Death is the new protagonist for Darksiders 2. He's taking over from his brother War in a sequel that fits neatly inside the timeline of the original. Think of it as Back to the Future 2, but with a rock-fisted demon in place of Thomas F. Wilson. War has been accused of kicking off the Apocalypse early, and he's out to clear his name: that's Darksiders. Meanwhile, Death thinks War is his kind of people, so, as another of the famous four horsemen, he sets off on his own parallel adventure to see if he can help his brother out. That's Darksiders 2.

As for the element of choice, this comes from a slight change of emphasis. In Darksiders 2, you'll be able to shape Death a little as the game progresses, selecting which armour you want him to wear as you pick paths through his skill trees, while juggling his load out of weapons and magic attacks. It's a mix-and-match approach that mirrors that of the developer, Vigil Games, which built the original Darksiders, in part, from its favourite pieces of the Zelda and God of War series, taking the dungeons-and-gadgets structure of the former, and the pointy melee combat of the latter. For Darksiders 2, all of that stuff remains in place, but the team is throwing in some new inspirations as well.

So there's a little of the Diablo formula present in the sparkly loot that enemies now drop, giving you a new piece of kit to try out after each encounter. It's good stuff, too. There are plenty of different armour sets available, but they all fall into three basic types, which work a little like classes. Necromancer armour will always boost spell-casting stats. Slayer armour will improve your defence, melee attacks and general weapons proficiency. Finally, Wanderer gear will steadily turn you into a kind of rogue character - fast, stealthy, and brilliant at assassinations.

THQ and developer Vigil Games are serious about the portrayal of Death as a character. How serious? In a recent event for the upcoming Darksiders II, festivities were kicked off not with a demo or a trailer for the game, but with…a lecture. Dane Munro, an expert on the artistic depiction of death through the ages got on stage to show us the evolution of this dark topic over centuries. With context gained, THQ darkened the room and moved on to the most recent and exciting version of Death yet.

Things kick off with Death entering a lava-filled cave, where he’s immediately confronted by Ghorn, a rock golem who threatens to smash the nimble protagonist. Ghorn smashes the ground in front of Death, crumbling the bridge he was standing on. Death tumbles to a lower level where he runs into a traversal challenge.

Unlike the previous game’s protagonist, War, Death is agile and able to climb walls in graceful, Prince of Persia-style strides. Upon entering a narrow vertical area, Ghorn smashes on the ground from up above, causing lava to rise. In this timed challenge, Death must scale up the wall before he is burned alive.

He begins with a wall-run and latches onto a groove. Sliding to the right, he tosses himself across a gap to another groove, then launches himself up to catch one above him. At certain points, Death is able to latch onto hooks that are sticking out of the wall with his ghost hand ability. A well-placed button press after grabbing on sends him flying even higher than normal.

Past the rising lava, Death runs into a few enemies, a mix of smaller rock golems and demonic creatures that look similar to the bad guys War fought in the first game. As with his movement, Death’s combat is also faster than War’s. He wields two scythes, and at the end of combos they will often come together as one giant blade to smash down at a foe. Death can also swap to his secondary weapon on the fly – even mid-combo. In this case, he’s using a gigantic hammer that does huge damage but moves very slowly.

Rounding out the combat with a couple of spells, Death uses exhumes, which summons two coffins up from the ground. The coffins then burst open, producing tiny zombie minions that fight on his side for a bit. He also has a spell called Murder that summons a big group of crows to flock toward an enemy. The crows do a small amount of damage but mostly serve as crowd control, distracting opponents so you can focus in on one. At one point, Death even uses his ghost hand in combat, whipping it toward an enemy and then pulling the creature back at him.

After clearing away this group of enemies, Death stumbles upon a ridable construct, a giant stone creation that springs to life when he jumps on its shoulders. Death uses the construct to cross a pit of lava that would kill him normally. On the other side, he attacks a few smaller enemies with giant swipes and smashes one of the construct’s rocky fists.

At the end of this cave, Death discovers a circular indentation in the ground where he parks the ridable construct. This opens a gate leading to a final face-off against Ghorn, the rock creature that has been causing him trouble throughout this area. This enemy is probably double Death’s size, but THQ cautions that he is still merely a mini-boss as far as this game is concerned. Actual bosses will be much larger.

The battle against Ghorn features a familiar number of attacks with obvious tells helping Death figure out what to do. At one point, Ghorn glows red and begins shaking, a sign that he’s about to perform a big area-effect attack. Death has a few seconds to back off and avoid taking damage. Another attack has Ghorn relentlessly slamming at the ground, sending bursts of lava into the air that Death must dodge. When half of Ghorn’s health is drained, he summons smaller golems to fight alongside him.

After a fun-looking five minute battle, Death drains the last bit of Ghorn’s health, setting the mini-boss up for a finishing move. Death summons his Reaper form – a giant, spectral hooded figure – and brutally hacks at the enemy with a huge scythe.

This whole area looked great, but THQ had one last surprise to share upon the demo’s completion. The whole fifteen or twenty minutes I just watched? It was a completely optional side dungeon, an exciting addition to Darksiders II that should significantly beef up the amount of content in the game. Call me crazy, but I can’t wait to see Death again.

For a more in-depth look at Darksiders II, including exclusive information about the game’s skill system and puzzles, check out my feature in the upcoming March issue of Game Informer.

"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." This verse from the Hindu book of scripture echoed in the mind of Robert Oppenheimer as he watched the mushrooming cloud of devastation that was to be his legacy. It could also serve a pretty catchy tagline for Darksiders II, which has a new protagonist: Death.

But this isn't a reboot. The narrative of the sequel unfolds concurrently with the events of the first game, weaving in and out, giving players a slightly different perspective on the Apocalypse. With his brother accused, Death sets out to clear his name.

Switching characters is a smart move, allowing the developer to not only flesh out its universe but also reinvigorate the franchise's core gameplay. War was a brutish character, who barrelled through adversaries and obstacles alike. In stark contrast, Death is nimble and swift, able to scurry along narrow beams and silently pirouette around his opponents before slitting their throats.

"Gameplay requirements really drive the look of the character," says Joe Mad, the creative director at Vigil Games and acclaimed comic book artist in his own right. "It's hard to explain what really comes first, but you basically have a list of game design requirements, and you start to take those limitations and think how can we make this cool and use it to our advantage."

The imposition of limitations and how they can be used as a springboard for creativity is perhaps best illustrated by Death's Scythe. It's an iconic weapon, hinting at the fateful harvest that awaits us all, but Mad didn't want his new balletic creation to be weighed down by such a cumbersome instrument. So he re-imagined it. "He is all about being quick and aggressive and agile. So we broke it into two which makes him look a little more aggressive and makes a lot of his combat move quicker."

Although the tempo may have changed, Darksiders II retains much of what made the first game such an unexpected hit. Unapologetically, before anything else, it's a video game – crammed with dungeons to explore, enemies to hack, and environmental puzzles to solve. It's got platforming and boss fights and side-quests. And for the sequel, Vigil Studios has smuggled in even more classic design tropes – with light RPG elements in the shape of armour and skill trees. Depending on your choice of armour – there are three to choose from, Slayer, Necromancer or Wanderer – and the skills you purchase, you can mould death into a fierce close-range combatant. Alternatively, invest heavily in magical skills and you'll unlock a spectrum of weird spells, like a horde of exploding zombies which serve as a particularly messy type of shield.

"A lot of that stuff was meant to be in the first game, honestly," admits Mad. "But we were a new studio, and just getting a game out of the door that was solid was a challenge for us. It really heightens the gameplay experience. Call them RPG elements or game systems or whatever – it just takes what was awesome in Darksiders and adds so many new layers to it – I think if you were a fan of the first game, you will really appreciate it, and even if you weren't, it is a great world to step into. It's gameplay that will be familiar to a lot of people."

When the first Darksiders game was released, some critics drew favourable comparisons with the Legend of Zelda series. Mad remains untroubled by such weighty comparisons, though: "It was very flattering that we were never compared to crap games. It was always really excellent games that were at the top of their field."

Have those comparisons instilled Vigil Games with the anxiety of influence? "You know what, I think we actually spent more time trying not to be like God of War," says Mad. "We would look at it and be like 'there's something just like that in God of War and we can't do this. Okay, let's come up with something else.' I think a lot of the reasons for the similarities is that we just have the same inspirations."

Originality isn't always what it's cracked up to be, of course. Something can be refreshingly abysmal. Where Darksiders succeeds is by making the familiar distinctive. Like Mad says, "It's gameplay that will be familiar to a lot of people." Take Death's new item, the 'Ghost Hand', for instance. Used mainly for traversal, it pulls you towards targets dotted around the environment, but it can also be used in combat situations wrenching enemies towards you. Think of a spectral Hookshot and you've got the idea. Players will know how to use it instinctively, which is no bad thing, yet it's distinctive enough to not elicit a groan. Influence animates Darksiders, breeding assurance not anxiety.

"It's just one of those things," says Mad. "Its really hard to create anything that's not compared to anything else at this point. But as long as we're being compared to the best games out there I'll personally be happy about it."

GameTrailers.The Story of Death Interview HD

[KRA]

IGN.Death Becomes You in Darksiders II
We get a peek at Darksiders II's action-RPG twist on Armageddon.

The original Darksiders was a fun action game that had a great concept, but was written off by many as a God of War clone. However, the potential was massive, as the deep lore and engaging combat was a blast. In creating the sequel, the team at Vigil opted to include a lot of the elements that they simply weren't able to include in the first game, including a host of surprisingly deep RPG elements, tons of loot, and more fleshed out NPC characters to interact with. Darksiders II is shaping up to be another awesome take on the Apocalypse, but one that feels quite different from its predecessor.

Instead of revisiting the original game's hero, War, the sequel puts you in control of his brother, Death, for a parallel storyline occurring during the same timeframe as the original Darksiders. As War has been framed for starting the Apocalypse, Death must investigate the allegations and find those responsible by going through four distinct areas. In our time with the game, we were shown one of the game's areas, the Maker's Realm.

The Makers are a race of large human-like beings that have been around as long as creation. You'll meet up with a few of them, and even enlist the help of one, Karn, that will fight alongside you and help you move onto new areas and solve environmental puzzles. There are other Makers throughout the realm that will act as shops to buy new items and skill upgrades. The landscape is an interesting contrast from those in the original game, with more ancient looking ruins and wooded areas as opposed to the desolate, wrecked cityscapes of the first game. There is quite a bit of ground to cover between the areas, and you'll be able to use a horse to get around quickly.

The first Darksiders had some character development options and fit into a Metroidvania vein in the way that you explored and unlocked parts of the world, but Darksiders II takes this much farther with some very thoroughly developed RPG features. You're able to gather all manner of loot, weaponry, and armor as you progress through the game's worlds, each one has their own specific benefits and weaknesses. The weaponry is pretty diverse as well, ranging from fast scythes to heavy, slow hammers. Aside from weapon and armor, you'll be able to equip talismans, acting as specific stat boosts for your character. The amount of loot that you'll be able to pick up is pretty impressive for such an action-heavy game, and the whole experience appears to have more in common with action-RPGs like Kingdoms of Amalur than it does with the original Darksiders.

Depending on how you choose to fight, you'll be given skills that can be allocated to a few different skill trees, or you can either branch out and give your skill points to several different areas, or instead beef up one skill tree for a maximum effect. By design, you're not able to max out every skill tree through the course of the campaign, requiring you to be judicious with what points you dole out.

However, even with the added focus on RPG gameplay, the action is still fluid and fun. Playing as Death has some real noticeable differences from playing as War, as he is not quite as heavily armored and is thus a lot more nimble. There is no block button, meaning that Death will have to actively dodge to evade his enemies' attacks. As in the original game, the game will mix a blend of melee combat and ranged attacks, as you'll have the aforementioned melee weaponry joined by ranged weapons like a gun with different ammo types to add some variety to the combat.

Darksiders II looks like a completely different beast than its predecessor. The team at Vigil tells us that the game will be anywhere from 20 to 40 hours depending on how in-depth you play, as there is plenty of areas to explore and loot to grab. The switch from a mostly straightforward action game to an action-RPG is one that the Darksiders series definitely benefits from, and we can't wait to finally to get our hands on it.

...

[Otacon305]

Sounds good to me.

[c9rmt]

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[KRA]

GameTrailers.Death's Journey Interview HD

i've finished first part lately
and i am soo ready for this.

[masteratt]

i've finished first part lately

Well track it/ write about it in the best thread ever

[KRA]

nah i don't have really anything interesting to write about that game.
i keep hearing that it borrows alot from zelda but i wouldn't notice as i have never played any zelda game.
to be honest i am not really sure what to think about that game.
for sure it aged nicely.
and i enjoyed it quite alot. especialy in the begining.
but i remember wondering.
if this game is that good
or i've just haven't played 3rd action adventure game for too long and just craved for that kind of game.
probably both.
i remember thinking that i should play gow3 after that to make my mind.
and i still have to do that but now i've started arkham city.
anyway i liked how many things they throw inside that game.
that it was sort of open worlded
at least more than gow games.
the mood of the game. being one of the riders of the apocalypse is kind of cool after all.
i noticed that i care for the main character and his story alot more than i did for kratos in gow3
and i think that's the biggest flaw of gow3
as much as it is technicaly masterpiece
they manage to make story and kratos so fucking bland.
that you can't really care for him/his actions even if you would like to.
anyway
darksiders2 seem to improve in all aspects
i love the idea of going with war's brother
and see some of the events from the first one
from other perspective
and
they seem to throw into this game even more mechanics/ideas
which all sound interesting.
i am waiting for death
with open arms.

[masteratt]

nah i don't have really anything interesting to write about that game.

*writes interesting things about it in the rest of the post*

And it doesn't have to be interesting perse anyway, that thread is just awesome because it's all about games and even if you just drop a name and go "yep, it was good" or whatever, it's still nice.

Anyway, that's my last plug for that thread lol.


I never even tried Darksiders but I'm sure I will at some stage as I heard lots of great things about it.

[KRA]

GameTrailers.GTTV.Chapter 4 - Darksiders II

it's kind of funny when the guy says that there was alot of stuff that
haven't made into darksiders1 looking how much stuffed that game is.

i like that this time there will be more rpg elements with random loot
and more advanced skill tree
resulting in everybody
creating their own death
hope it will be as cool as it sounds.

[KRA]

[KRA]

GameTrailers.Dungeons & Exploration Interview HD

[KRA]

Eurogamer.Darksiders 2: Death Becomes You
By Christian Donlan
Half an hour with Vigil's new leading man.


Remember the first half-hour of Darksiders? It largely involved hitting things. That's the kind of guy War was, after all: a hulking brute with massive hands and a gigantic sword. When the apocalypse was triggered a touch too early for his liking, he took to the streets - New York, I think - and started smacking around avenging angels, all of whom looked a bit like Transformers. He looked a bit like a Transformer too: squat, thick-limbed, and covered in complicated armour.

The first half hour of Darksiders 2 is a little different. It largely involves scampering over things, up things, around things and across things. Then hitting things. You're Death this time, right? Fellow horseman and friend/brother of War. When War takes the blame for the apocalypse being triggered a touch too early for his liking, you race off on your own journey to prove his innocence. A parallel timeline, but a slightly different adventure.

Death's a lot - well - thinner than War. He's ditched much of the horseman armour during the first few sequences of the game for starters, because Vigil's introducing a new loot system that sees you collecting boots, chest plates, gloves from the enemies you destroy. Kicking things off, then, he looks a bit like an extreme sports star, or Tarzan out of the Disney movie: lean and sinewy and quick.

Looks don't deceive. In the ice caves and frozen mountains that provide the game with its opening environments, Death's all about wall-runs, ledge grabs, and jumping from one shattered buttress to another. Most of the activity is done by holding down the A button and then prodding a thumbstick in the right direction - bridging gaps by spinning from one beam to the next, or vaulting over obstacles to chain two dash moves together. The animation's graceful, but the controls still feel the tiniest bit clumsy. Death may have a much wider move-set, but a little of War's blunt presence remains somewhere between your fingers and the pad.

When combat finally starts to appear, Death remains a very different beast from War, attacking in quick slices as he wields his twin sickles or brings them together to form a giant scythe named Harvester. (I made fun of that last time, so I'll leave it be from now on.) War blocked, Death dodges, and it's a design tweak that makes more of an impact than you might expect. Darksiders' combat was basically a game of attrition as you got in close and just hammered away with your attacks. Darksiders 2 is about dancing in and out of range, switching weapons, finding openings.

Around the 30-minute mark, you get to see the difference for yourself as Death fights the game's first boss, a phantom version of War conjured by a tricksy enemy. War pounds the ground and lunges somewhat groggily. Death's all about precision.

When it's over, there's loot on the ground - all 3D modelled, one button to equip immediately, one button to store in the inventory - and the real adventure is about to start. Skill trees, levelling, armour sets? That's all to come - and I'm more excited about it now than I expected to be.

...

[KRA]

[KRA]

[KRA]

Darksiders.com

With Darksiders II just around the corner we wanted to reward our loyal community who has supported Vigil Games and THQ since the day Darksiders was announced. So today we would like to announce 2 awesome in-game unlocks within Darksiders II for our community who have completed or played Darkside



Players who played the first Darksiders will unlock the Pauldron of the Horsemen in Darksiders II. This level 5 legendary armor piece boosts all Death’s stats as well as his critical damage. Gamers who have finished the game on any difficulty will also earn a level 1 legendary scythe called the Chaos Fang which will boost Death’s damage and critical damage.

The in-game item unlocks are based on Achievements you have unlocked. So if you haven’t completed Darksiders you might want to pull your disk out or download it directly from Xbox Live, PSN or on Steam to get ready for Darksiders II.