Darksiders II

War is obviously outclassed by big brother Death. The agility of Death makes the combat feel more fluid and makes the platforming more fun. The addition of several RPG elements is a step forward in the franchise and the length, of at least twenty hours (forty if you want to get all collectibles and do all the side missions), will make sure you'll be spending a long time in the world of Darksiders 2.

A sequel to the unfairly often ignored Darksiders title has surpassed expectations and proved it belongs among the best gaming titles of the year. Minor flaws disappear when you get to the actual gameplay that's going to take you on a fantastic journey you are not going to forget for a very long time. Darksiders II is a great mix of genres fit not only for the everlasting dreamers.

In other words, even when this punished, superior sequel is kicking our ass and crushing our soul, it still feels fair, fun, and rewarding as hell. [Oct 202, p.80]

There are no doubts that Darksiders II is one of the action/adventure games of the year.

The combination of many different gameplay types melded into a cohesive style results in a heady experience, and one you don't want to end. There are a few problems with the technical solidarity and I'm not all that impressed with the story, but everything else, from the art design to the music to the silly high fun factor surrounding the combat and exploration; it creates an undeniably appealing package.

Darksiders II is fantastic, well worth your money, and even more worthy of your time. Death is an investment that pays back dividends, in coins, gems, armor, and blood. It's high praise that Darksiders II is comparable to Batman: Arkham City and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

One of the most polished aspects of the game is environment traversal. Death can run along walls and leap between pillars much like the Prince of Persia. These platforming-like sequences add an element of verticality to exploration, and are used extensively to unearth hidden areas.

That's what Darksiders II is all about, exploration and an epic quest. I also applaud the team at Vigil Games for taking the risks that it did with the focus of this title and the scale to which it is built.

Darksiders II is an exhilarating action-RPG set in an enormous game world. Featuring an addictive loot system, tons of side quests, and rich gameplay, Darksiders II easily deserves a spot alongside the other greats of the genre.

The overwhelming feeling that shines through in Darksiders II is that this is an all-or-nothing bet that's been painstakingly crafted by a team who's all too well aware of the price of failure. Clearly there's been a lot of love put into this. So, should you cross over to the dark side of this underworld, one more time? Grinding nether-regions for 20 hours straight has never been this satisfying. [Issue#72, p.70]

Darksiders 2 adds a lot of variety compared to the original. The RPG elements are decent fun, but what really stands out is the superb musical score composed by Jesper Kyd. [Sept 2012]

In the end, DARKSIDERS II may not be a perfect game but it's a fun game that works on almost all levels.

This is a polished, well constructed gaming experience with few glaring errors.

The visual artistry is second to none, the combat is tight and fun, and the world is massive, but Darksiders II isn't the game it could have been.

The game sounds great as well. All of the characters are well voiced, and the background music, whether light ballad or mournful cello works very well. The clashing of weapons and the sound of scythe meeting bone really add to the combat, making it that much more fun to take down your enemies.

Old hats like us don't need convenient tips & tricks when faced with a seemingly unbeatable boss. Figuring out how to beat one of these gigantic culprits is half the fun and luckily Vigil Games understands this. [September p.66]

While it's not a huge step up from the original, a break of two and a half years and a bit of polish makes Darksiders II easy to recommend. It has issues, but there's a hell of a lot of game for those who want it. [Issue#221, p.70]

Darksiders II is an extremely deep and well balanced game. While Darksiders II may not appeal to everyone, its certainly going to please those looking for a deep and enjoyable action adventure title.

It still isn't that original, it still isn't that deep and some bugs and glitches kept spoiling the fun. Still, Darksiders II is a massive adventure with an epic story and gigantic, interesting worlds to explore. An improvement on the first one and overall a game nobody should pass on.

Darksiders II takes all the good elements of the first game and adds some new ones. Examples of them are receiving loot and RPG-elements. Together with all the other borrowed ideas of other games, Darksiders II has become a very interesting game.

Darksiders II embraces the ancient dungeon-principles from games such as Diablo and The Legend of Zelda. This traditional mixture makes the series unique today and a pleasure to play, what unfortunately doesn't take away from the fact that Darksiders II plays it safe compared to its predecessor. But we can hardly call that a flaw, because Darksiders II delivers on what it does best, and that for over twenty hours.

Darksiders 2 has a larger world, a fantastic loot system, weapons, which are able to level up, and an interesting story and great fights. If you can handle with obsolete graphics and some other little problems, Darksiders 2 is definitely worth looking at.

It is an adventure game through and through, and it manages to capture the feeling of fun and exploration in a way that few games can.

Darksiders II merges action, exploration, and loot-driven progression into an excellent and sizable adventure.

The setting and the scope of it all is simply massive and as a pure action-adventure it does a great job. On the technical side of things it's a lot less impressive, with poor graphics and everything that comes with, but nonetheless Darksiders II is a great game.

Bigger, better and darker than its predecessor. Darksiders II is a game that should be played by everyone that loves Zelda, Prince of Persia and Soul Reaver games.

Play as Death, the fourth rider of the apocalypse and fight your way to victory. It's not very memorable, but the art style is great and there's a lot to collect in the big world.

Why fix what's not broken? Darksiders II brings more of the same pick and mix magic that made Darksiders a sleeper hit. The addition of a WoW-based loot-system and more sidequests gives the illusion that it's not just an DLC-upgrade with a new skin. The game is a bit buggy and some puzzles feels a bit lazy, otherwise this is a sequel for everyone who loved the original.

A short second half and some technical issues let it down, but Darksiders II is still a fantastic, ambitious action-adventure that does plenty right. The combat is satisfying, the upgrade systems are full of possibility, and at its high points it not only hits the right notes but slices them clean through. If you're after a large scale fantasy adventure that makes you think as well as fight, Darksiders II is where it's at this year.

A game of assured construction, stimulating myth, and welcome challenge, a warm celebration to the games of our childhood that, in its brightest moments, matches them.

The technical side of Darksiders II isn't as laudable, especially on consoles, where the frame rate gets rough when the action picks up and little things like shadow detail are noticeably drawing in as you run around.

It could easily be tedious, and it's certainly templated. But the diversions are good enough, the hero personalised enough, and the ability to move around the world quick enough via your immediately available horse and map-skipping fast travel, that it feels like an adventure all the same. Plus, leaning down to slice enemies with a scythe from a horse makes it feel like you're playing demon polo, which is awesome.

Many of Darksiders 2's key ingredients have been borrowed from elsewhere. The dungeon crawling from Zelda, looting from Diablo, and the oversized bosses wouldn't look out of place in Shadow of the Colossus, but Vigil Games has weaved these influences together into an original and varied package.

There's a sense throughout of a development team in love with their work: a team that's gleefully committed to over-delivering. Why else would Vigil opt for two dungeons where one would have been enough for most developers, or throw in boss after boss after gigantic boss when others might have tied things up with a simple cut-scene and the odd quick-time event?

Delivers thick, hearty, face-pummeling hub-based action and exploration with lots to see and do. Not all of it, however, is worth seeing. [Oct 2012, p.94]

The RPG elements and to-the-point action all make for some solid gaming, glitches and all. It's a shame so many glaring issues hold such an ambitious endeavor back from the greatness its developers were clearly aiming for. Still, if you love action adventure games, it's certainly worth checking out - but don't expect it to rival the masterpieces it will inevitably call to mind.

It's not original, and its often unfocused, but the willingness to always offer just one more piece of loot and one more giant boss battle makes Darksiders II a hard game not to enjoy.