Darksiders 2 Action (Hack-and-Slash)/Adventure/RPG Darksiders 2 Action (Hack-and-Slash)/Adventure/RPG Developer: Vigil Games Publisher: THQ Price: $60.00

Platforms ● PC, PS3, and XBOX360 ● PC Minimum Specs – OS: Windows XP, Vista SP1, or 7 – Processor: 2.0 Ghz Intel® Core TM 2 Duo Processor or AMD equivalent – RAM: 2 GB – Hard Drive: 20 GB space free (10 GB free after install) – Video Card: NVIDIA 9800 GT 512 MB Video Card or AMD equivalent – Online Steam account ● PC Recommended Specs – Processor Any Quad-core AMD or Intel processor – RAM: 2 GB – Hard Drive: 20 GB space free(10 GB free after install) – Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX MB Video Card or AMD equivalent – Online Steam account

Quick Overview You control one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death. The game consists of hack- and-slash style combat with many puzzles elements contained within multiple dungeons and the open world connecting all of them.

Storyline Happening concurrently with the plot of the first Darksiders, Death is searching for a way to prove his brother War's innocence from accidentally starting the Apocalypse. In doing so, Death will have to bring back humanity from extinction while struggling with his own past. ● Side Note: The series is more of an re-imagining of the Four Horseman's lore. – For example, the Horsemen in this game are War, Death, Fury, and Strife with the latter two replacing Pestilence and Famine.

Installation I played the PS3 version of the game and there seemed to be no installation.

User Interface Combat and Traveling

User Interface Menus Example #1

Menus Example #2

Gameplay ● Combat – Typical hack-and-slash ● Many different combos ● The ability to switch between two weapons mid combo ● The ability to dodge and counter-dodge – There is no block in the game – Health and Wrath potions to help you in a pinch ● Be warned they work gradually not instantly – While in combat and locked onto an enemy you cannot fall off of ledges

● Puzzles – Somewhat abstract but for the most part straightforward – Dungeons that introduce a new item are mainly based around that item. ● Boss fights also require use of these items ● Traveling – You command a horse, Despair, which allows for faster traveling that you can instantly call when in open areas – A fast traveling system ● You can fast-travel out of a dungeon and be able to fast-travel right where you left off given that you are not in combat

● Platforming – Very similar to Uncharted ● Many ledges to climb – Double jump missing in this game ● Weirdly, it was in the first game – The ability to wall run and jump – Heavy use of items such as the Death Grip (a grappling hook) and the Voidwalker (creates portals)

Scoring ● There is a multiplier system when in combat but seems to have no purpose other than personal gratification ● An online leaderboard for various statistics such as fastest completion and number of arena stages cleared

Artwork The game is very colorful and stylized. Character models are exaggerated and the environments are mystical.

Sound and Music ● Composer: Jesper Kyd – Famous for the Hitman, Assassin's Creed, and Borderlands series – Atmospheric background while traveling but distinct enough it stands out to be heard and memorable – Heavy, rhythm-based boss fights – Both have a tendency to feel angelic at times and eerie elsewhere

Special Features ● Three upcoming DLC packs ● Upon game completion you unlock the hardest difficulty called Nightmare Mode – Added stipulation that if you die you have to start from the beginning ● The ability to gift equipment to your friends via Serpent Tomes

Manual

Bugs ● Pre-Patch – The game seemed unstable with somewhat frequent freezing during the loading times and immediately after some boss fights – There seems to be audio problems since it occasionally cuts out during some fights especially in the arena ● Post-Patch – The game became much more stable with freezing issues becoming rare – The audio problems still exist but to a lesser degree outside of the arena

What is good (fun) about the game? Why? ● The combat is very solid with easy to input combos with a large variety of single-target and area-of-effect attacks ● Traveling is fluid with the ability to instantly call your horse and the fast-traveling system is a huge help attempting the harder difficulties ● Puzzles require some out-of-the-box thinking to feel satisfied after completion but for the most part are not that difficult ● The platforming is quick and responsive so that it does not feel as if it is slowing you down

What is bad (not fun) about the game (design mistakes)? Why? ● When locked on to targets the camera pulls in a little too close and can become a problem when fighting more than two or three enemies at a time ● The main plot seems to become an afterthought with an exception to the opening and ending parts of the game – Relies too much on the “rule of three” to progress

How does it compare to similar game in the same genre? Why is it better or worse than similar games? ● The combat of games such as Devil May Cry and God of War is slightly better – Feels just as smooth, if not better, and camera placement is appropriate ● The pacing of Darksiders is generally better – Finding new distinct environments, developing skills, combat, traveling, and platforming ● Character progression through acquiring skills and equipment feels a lot more meaningful and has greater impact in combat

What audience do you think is appropriate for this game? People who like combat spread out between the exploration, platforming, and many different puzzles ● This game is approximately 1/3 combat, 1/3 exploration and platforming, and 1/3 puzzles

Overall strengths and weaknesses ● Strengths – The combat is tight and responsive – The traveling and platforming are fast – The puzzles are hard enough that they are satisfying but not impeding ● Weaknesses – The camera is pulled in a little too close during combat – Items at times interfere with each other – The plot runs thin throughout the bulk of the game

How can it be improved? ● The camera could be pulled out a little more during combat when locked on ● During the middle of the game some of the characters could give up some information that proves War's innocence. This could keep you from losing the main plot

Is the game worth purchasing? Yes. ● The game has a very high re-playability to with the random loot system, new game+, and Nightmare Mode to attempt. ● Over 20 hours long