Darksiders for PlayStation 3 Reviews by Gamers

This game could easily be made into a Legend of Zelda game, just swap out a couple character models, spruce up the post-apocalyptic environment for one of high-fantasy and voilà!

This is not a knock against the game, mind you. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Darksiders also borrows a bit from the God of War series. These points have been made in several other reviews, some for the better, some for the worse. I fall on the "for the better" side. I don't see it as a blatant rip-off of those other games, but rather an ambitious homage. War doesn't necessarily stand alongside his obvious heroes, Link and Kratos. Rather, he stands in their shadow, trying his damnedest to make his own in the world of gaming. And it's quite an effort made on his first outing.

The graphics are good. Nothing stellar for the current generation, but none too shabby. The world, considering its post-apocalyptic theme, is very colorful and rich in detail. In the beginning, there are more human survivors, and I wish they kept that up throughout the game and implemented it somehow, but it certainly doesn't detract from the gameplay. It would have been cool if War stood up for the humans more, but I suppose that wouldn't really fit with his character.

The sound effects are good, great voiceover work (Mark Hamill!) and a passable storyline. There is a decent item upgrade and modification system, you can find artifacts in the world that will alter your weapons and make them more powerful, reap more souls (which act as money, health and so on) et cetera.

The combat is surprisingly deep. You will HAVE to utilize different weapons and tactics for certain enemies, particularly bosses. The bosses can be challenging, even on the default difficulty. There's a fair amount of exploration, and good rewards for poking about. Replay value is there in using the special armor you can find on your first playthrough, as well as getting trophies. Definitely a good rent.