WeView: Darksiders

Hopefully two and a half years is enough time for some of you to have played Darksiders. If not and you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber, it’s available to download on there for the low price of zero.

You really should download it – I’d recommend signing up to PS Plus just for this game alone, nevermind the other stand-out titles available for free. This is all starting to sound a bit like an advert, but I just love Darksiders and that’s probably the easiest and cheapest way to get it.

Not everyone loves it though; Darksiders is certainly a game that will split opinions. Whilst I found it exciting, fun and engaging overall, I’ve heard bad things from others who got bored after mere hours of playing it or simply didn’t enjoy the gameplay at all.

Gamoc found it very easy to recommend in our great 8/10 review, though, summing it all up with:

Darksiders is a stunning fusion of RPG and Hack ‘n’ Slash that pays off brilliantly. A large chunk of the game may have been borrowed from elsewhere, but it all comes together in a distinctly unique package that is well worth your money.

It is definitely different enough from the other hack ‘n’ slash games to be worth the outlay, and from the virtue of its RPG-type features it’s well worth buying in its own right. If you don’t want a game that plays exactly like God of War (such as Dante’s Inferno) and isn’t completely out of its tree in everything it does (Bayonetta), Darksiders is the game for you.

With a storyline that can only be described as awesome and gameplay that is brilliant fun and plenty varied throughout, it’s hard to recommend Darksiders much more.

But it’s not about how much Gamoc and I enjoyed it, it’s about whether you liked it or not. Did you see it as a wonderful mix of Zelda and God of War, or a poor attempt to better both? Were you satisfied with the apocalyptic story, or did you get bored with it after some time?

If you have just started playing Darksiders from your PlayStation Plus download, then you might be qualified to comment on the game. Not that you need any real qualifications to leave a comment below; you just need to be signed up, have played the game and be willing to have your opinion posted in next week’s Verdict article.

If you’re up for that, then select a rating for the game from the Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It or Avoid It scale. Simply pick which of those labels best represents your opinion of the game and add it to your concise comment below, but make sure you’ve done that before Sunday afternoon or we’ll probably miss it!

36 Comments

  1. Really enjoyable game. I read a lot of comments likening it to a hybrid between Zelda and God of War, and I think that’s a fair assessment. It doesn’t do much new, but if you’re going to imitate, better that you should imitate a couple of the best-in-their-genre games around. Special mention should go to the art style; it’s pretty bold and polarizing as a result, but if it clicks with you, you’ll come to admire the intricate character designs and varied landscapes.

    I think what sums it up well for me, and most other people, is that it was a new IP with little hype or expectation and now, two and a half years on, there is a lot of anticipation for its sequel. That’s a clear indicator they got something right the first time around. What with it being free for PS+ subscribers, it’s impossible not to say Bargain Bin it.

  2. i played it a bit when it first came out.

    it’s a bloody good game.
    it’s in the style of God of War and Devil May Cry.
    the combat is fan, and bloody, easy to learn, no twenty button combos or anything.

    great boss encounters, where they have a pattern to follow, but they change it up during the fight, so you’re not doing the same thing five times to beat the boss.

    and it has some great voicework as well, with Mark Hamill as your watchdog thing, and Liam O’Brien as the lead character, War, he was also the voice of the book Grimiore Weiss in Nier, and i swear, when i first started playing that game i thought it was Pierce Brosnan.

    i also like the mix of the supernatural element but in a real world setting of a modern city.

    i conclusion, a buy from me, especially as it should be pretty inexpensive given it’s age.
    and if you’ve got plus, and enough hard drive space, you really should give it a play.

  3. Really liked the game. Actually bought it back when it came out and wasn’t disappointed. Graphics were great (and still look pretty good), story equally good and gameplay just superb -yes, there is a bit of a God of War feel to it but it’s not quite as gruesome and, honestly, if the gameplay’s that good in my opinion, it only does the game justice. Loved the horseback riding & fighting sessions as well: implementation there was really good. Can’t wait for the sequel!

  4. “Hopefully two and a half years is enough time for some of you to have played Darksiders.”
    Not for me, no. Still on the shelf.

  5. Darksiders is an awesome game with plenty to see & do & a lengthy campaign that never out stays its welcome. There’s a helthy progression of your abilities (which additionally open up parts of the open world map that were previously inaccessible) & the story is helf decent too, helped along by a decent voice cast including none other than Luke Skywalker/The Joker, Mark Hamill.

    The art style could be described as comic book-like (albeit without teh usual inclusion of comic strip cutaways for cut scenes) & one would presume that can be largely attributed to Joe Mad’s input. Either way, it looks pretty darn good most of the time, which unfortunately can’t be said for some other games released around the time.

    The gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag, seeing a lot of hack & slash as the main gameplay element, but also encompassing other genres such as 3rd person shooters & even portals (!) – But it never feels like the additional gameplay elements detract from the overall experience & instead enhance it, which can’t be said for other titles that try to put other elements into the game (& fail miserably usually).

    Simply put, if you are into Hack & Slash games with RPG elements & are in any way a fan of Joe Madureira’s work (as he was creative director & helped develop the game, including the game’s characters & settings), I have no idea why you haven’t bought this already! What are you waiting for??

    Buy it.

  6. I love this game, its got the right mix of action, puzzle solving and running around on my horse to keep me happy
    The boss battles are all epic and all different using the new skills and weapons you have learnt to reach them.
    The story line is good, easy to follow and keeps you entertained. War is a brilliant lead, I love him.
    Even after it being out a couple of years it still looks good and plays well, I would definitely recommend buying this if you love a hack and slash with a good story and replay value.
    Buy it :)

  7. Avoid it. Even as it’s free. Ridiculously boring. Get God of War or Dante’s Inferno instead.

    • Du how can you say it’s boring then recommend getting Dante inferno the biggest EA rip off of the greatest game ever GoW

      • Dante’s Inferno is not as good as God of War, I’d definitely agree. But it’s far better than Darksiders in almost every aspect – graphically, in gameplay, in story…

      • Ok this is from a big when I say big I mean biggest GoW fan, see I played Dante & it was a rip of in every aspect & it didn’t feel like it was trying be different from the king of hack & slash.

        Now darksiders was a refreshing game, took a different approach rather than being a clone so I don’t see how you can say its boring but everyone is entitled to their opinion, each to their own I guess

      • Clearly I’m in the minority, but I just don’t rate the story of Darksiders at all. It has some excellent source material and I’d love it to be awesome, but it was just so lacklustre.

        DI was definitely a GoW rip-off, but the story was well done and the different environments and enemies kept things interesting. Plus the extra bits with all the sinners from history and mythology was really cool

    • Its a ok game, bit unfair to compare it to DI and Gow though.

      • Maybe, but that’s where my expectations were. They’re all hack and slash games, and in comparison I don’t rate this at all.

  8. I’m currently playing through this from ps+ and thoroughly enjoying it. played about 8hrs so far. I don’t think that it has much in common with god of war beyond the souls and loot chests. Personally think its more inspired by soul reaver and zelda.

    Its a game i’ve been looking at buying from the bargain bin for a while and i think that would have been the way to go from playing. not stunning but still thoroughly enjoyable at a cheaper price. bargain bin it.

  9. Buy it & if u ps+ download that before darksiders 2 comes out.

    Great game what zelda would be like on steroids

  10. Got it from the store a month ago and am yet to play more than an hour. I have heard its great. Really looking forward to it

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