Darksiders: The Apocalypse is Metal.

[Pulp Hero]

I didn't see a mention of this action-adventure sleeper game, so here it is. I'm surprised SDN has not followed it more closely from the wayback days when it was first announced.

I've bought and played through maybe the first 1/3 of the campaign. It has solid gameplay and some wicked visual design.

Those unfamiliar with this game: Think Zelda-lite exploration/ puzzle solving/ and world layout, combined with streamlined hack and slash gameplay. The setting is the earth, post Biblical-apocalypse, which is now the setting for a fight between the armies of Heaven and Hell. You play as War, one of the four Horsemen of the apocalypse, which in this mythology act as a group that keeps balance between Heaven and Hell. Without going into too much plot detail, you have been disgraced and are on a mission on earth to clear your good name.

Also you have Mark Hamil voicing your cackling demonic sidekick. In fact all of the voice acting is top notch. I especially enjoy Sameul, a primary demonic character who takes the role of the classically redskinned, but somehow insidiously persuasive Satan type character.

The game is good fun. The puzzle elements are tough, but I've never been stuck on a single on for more than a few minutes. And auto-checkpoints are generous (you can manually save anywhere, too), so if you inadvertently fall into pits of lava (like me), you won't throw your controller at the screen.

Combat is simple. At first it consists of hitting "X" to swing your sword until your enemy is dead. But it steadily ramps up the complication of attacks and types of weapons. Right now I can quick swap between my sword, scythe, horn, throwing blade, gauntlet, and handgun. Not to mention my demonic form (think playing as a 40k Deamon Prince), wrath powers and various environmental attacks such as throwing cars or bomblets.


BUY: You like collecting items. Enjoy puzzle dungeons. Love over the top epic stories that are told totally straight faced.

RENT: If you lose interest in puzzle sections. If you don't like having to go on lots of "find the blue key" quests.

AVOID: If you hate hack and slash combat.

[adam_grif]

I'm surprised SDN has not followed it more closely from the wayback days when it was first announced.

The setting is the earth, post Biblical-apocalypse,

Your surprise is surprising.

[Stark]

It's a bland but solid game. Some of the play elements are pretty jarring (like the climbing sections, wtf) but it's nothing that isn't done elsewhere. It's a quality pastiche; there just wasn't anything interesting enough to keep me playing. The combat with exactly one finishing animation per badguy was booooooooooooooring, even more boring than Bayonetta (which at least had several torture animations per standard enemy type).

Calling anything in Darksiders a 'puzzle' is extremely generous. It's nowhere near even Wind Waker level; it's Doom-style 'open this door somehow' stuff. Anyone who likes this sort of thing will like the game, there's just no certainty it'll hold their attention.

And Pulp being surprised about a title not being news-item spammed isn't surprising; some games are fawned over here for ages before they come out. Most people, I think, simply went with the 'lol Bayonetta so amazing' flow and now have to pretend Darksiders is a 'sleeper title' because Bayonetta is disappointing a lot of them.

[General Zod]

It's going to be a rental for most people. The "puzzles" start getting a bit more entertaining when you get the "portal gun", but for the most part they're pretty standard stuff. Once you beat Tiamat the rest of the bosses are kind of a pushover, I just beat Slithica with relative ease not too long ago. The visuals aren't too bad, but it could have stood a bit more polish; it's interesting up until you beat Tiamat then the enemies and levels start to blend together. The game also tends to take itself a bit too seriously.

[Stark]

On hard Tiamat was hilarious; you have to do the 'clock in face then chop a bit' thing like thirty times.

[SylasGaunt]

I've got it rented out and it's pretty good so far.

I still think war looks like he's visiting from a WOW raid though.

[Pulp Hero]

I'm surprised SDN has not followed it more closely from the wayback days when it was first announced.

The setting is the earth, post Biblical-apocalypse,

Your surprise is surprising.

Making angels into pompous assholes and having the main character fighting Heaven and Hell because they are both wrong is something I thought would appeal to SDN. Just because you don't like religion doesn't mean you can't appreciate the aesthetic.

As for Bayonetta, I never even had my eye on it. Hack-n-slash adventure games usually don't appeal to me, and Bayonetta seemed to be banking on sex appeal to lonely gamers as its hook, and the art design seems like generic jRPG fare. Darksiders has been on my radar since an article way back in the day when the developer was talking about giving War a huge 'Spawn'-like cape and trying to get it to look cool without blocking the gamer's view (that seems not to have worked out, sadly).

[General Zod]

Making angels into pompous assholes and having the main character fighting Heaven and Hell because they are both wrong is something I thought would appeal to SDN. Just because you don't like religion doesn't mean you can't appreciate the aesthetic.

The angels didn't come off as all that pompous to me, but them being assholes to War is actually understandable since they justifiably think he's responsible for starting the Apocalypse before it was supposed to happen.

[Starglider]

I was thinking of getting this when it drops to budget price. It looked like the kind of thing I'd play through once and forget, not really worth a $60 purchase.

[Ritterin Sophia]

One thing I felt is kind of jarring was Ulthane. I can't understand why an Old One that predates the races of Angels and Demons would speak in a Scottish accent.

[General Zod]

One thing I felt is kind of jarring was Ulthane. I can't understand why an Old One that predates the races of Angels and Demons would speak in a Scottish accent.

Maybe he likes the accent.

[Ford Prefect]

One thing I felt is kind of jarring was Ulthane. I can't understand why an Old One that predates the races of Angels and Demons would speak in a Scottish accent.

Well, what accent would he have?