Darksiders for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

The site reviews on this game are all over the board - some say the control scheme is too complicated, others too simple. Some say it's too derivative, others praise the fact it picks the best of certain games and mixes them together.

As someone not paid to play these things, I can say this game is just flat out fun. There is a lot to be said about a game being ENJOYABLE to play, not whether or not it revolutionizes the genre or sports graphics better than its competition.

If you liked Zelda, Soul Reaver, Metroid, or Castlevania, you are going to dig this. There is a ton of exploration to do, with ample amount of collectibles. Your powers grow organically through the collection of 'souls' that you trade for upgrades, new weapons, and consumables.

There are a ton of moves here - but it never gets overly complicated because you gain each through the afore mentioned upgrade process, so you are perfecting the moves you already have while you are earning souls for the next. In my opinion, having too many moves is never a bad thing - it gives you options and lets you play the way you want to play.

The combat is very satisfying, and will satiate your bloodlust. Chaining finishing moves together or distance impaling a baddie with a parking meter never gets tired, and the animations are crunchy. The combat is NOT as tight as in a game like "Arkham Asylum", but it is still very good.

The exploration also comes with a graduated system where you can explore more and more areas as you gain items which give you more powers.

There are some graphical issues (screen tearing as they call it), but honestly you wont notice as you will be too engrossed in stacking up combos and severing limbs, or exploring every nook of the map.

A game that is just a blast to play....imagine that?

I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed my time with Darksiders. So much so that after renting it from Blockbuster, it made me sign up for a Gamefly account! While the game is long for an Action game (around 20 hours), it's not long enough to justify me purchasing it.

I've read a few of the average to above average reviews from the 'professional' gaming sites and most of the criticism seems to be that it does the same thing that many great games do such as God of War, Zelda, etc. My question is... why is that a negative?!?!?!

Yes, it does many of the same things, but it does them VERY, VERY well and with it's own style. I love the art direction of the main character, WAR, and the surrounding world. WAR reminds me of a Warhammer 40K space marine and guess what... THQ makes the game and have a Space Marine Action/RPG coming out later this year... can't wait!!!

While some of the common enemies can become repetitive, the Boss battles are excellent! The game also may be slightly on the easy side when compared to games like Ninja Gaiden, but IMO that is also a good thing. Ninja Gaiden became extemely frustrating for me at times to the point it took the FUN out of the game. And that is the point of game right? Fun!

That is exactly what Darksiders is for me, FUN! The combat flows great and the leveling/upgrade system always makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. If you are even a casual fan of Action games, do yourself a favor and rent this game!

First, a small caveat: I've never played GOW. I don't have a PS2/3, my friends don't have one, and I'm not going to California to play on my cousin's. So for all I know, this game really could be a lot lower quality when compared to it like EVERY SINGLE CRITIC seems to think.

But what I do know is that this game is extremely fun. Here's a rundown of the goods and bads:

Pros:
1) Fun combat and leveling system (for the sword)
2) Loved the background: neutrality is rarely pushed as the best in videogames
3) The voiceacting and character models were awesome
4) The puzzle/platforming compents are surprisingly well done. It's not rocket science or the LSAT's logic games, but after some of the puzzles I definitely had a warm tingly feeling telling me I had actually used my brain!
5) The ending was confusing but left me drooling for a sequel...

Cons:
1) There's no real need to use the other weapons
2) The story, while well told, was rather cliche
3) The Watcher got old pretty fast, even if Mark Hamil did throw in his talent for the chap.
4) Exploring was fun, but a little too time consuming. They really needed a "run faster" feature.

Bottom line is, however, this game leaves you feeling like you had a great time! It doesn't get much better than that.

I enjoyed this game thoroughly, but I will say that I was lost as to what side I was on in the beginning. I started killing demons and thought to my self, hey I'm on the good side I guess than I start killing angel guards and I'm thinking wait, I'm on the bad side? Than realized that I just got screwed over by both sides and I thought that played in well with my mentality in the game. I won't spoil the ending but dammit it made me demand for a Darkside 2, it was good.

This game has everything, fantastic storyline, excellent interchangable combat system, great graphics, tough enemies, puzzles, and challenges that force you to be creative. Like the part where you use inert bombs and lit them with throwing crossblade to a torch than to the bomb. I couldn't figure that out for so long than when I did, I started applying the concept in combat where I would throw inert bombs on enemies than blew them up with my crossblade, sometimes I would start off with that than move in to attack. This brings me to the combat portion which I dont' think is just press x a million times, you can setup demons with the crossblade and start attacking, pull to them with the grappling hook, interchange attack with x and y to create your own combos, what's great about the gameplay is that it's smooth so no jerkiness if you decide to mix up the sword and scythe action. Also you can switch easily to the fist if you want in the middle of the combo. The freedom to kill the enemies how you want to is what makes the combat system the best I've ever played.

The story is awesome, well written, and draws you in it to where you feel you have a personal interest in the storyline. The animation kills are awesome and make you feel like a badass.

The only negative was that sometimes you don't know where to go or what to do, like when your forging the armageddon blade, I stumbled on to two of the pieces accidently because I was absolutely clueless as to where to go. An excellent game otherwise.

Graphics: Good. There is some display bugs (screen tearing) everyone once in a while, but the animations and combat graphics are very detailed and integrate extremely well into the environment and controls of the user.

Audio: Good. Each aspect of the game has audio encoded into the objects. Every little thing makes it's own sounds and the combat audio is crisp and fitting for the attacks. Music is typical of the genre, dark and foreboding, but overall quite epic.

Story: Great. The first hour of the game is actually quite different from thereafter. Some adjustment to this portion would make the game more enjoyable. Once the ball gets rolling the story and gameplay weave together very cohesively. Vigil has done an awesome job taking elements of the biblical and fantasy worlds and merging them into an interesting dynamic. Where few have tried and most have failed at using any biblical figures and story and integrating it into a purely fictional world, this was very entertaining and worked perfectly to give Darksiders it's own appeal.

Gameplay: Great. As others have stated, this game plays like a mixture of God of War/Devil May Cry and Zelda. Combat is very fast and fluid, and the controls are spot on. Many combination and weapon types can be used interchangeably, and your combat prowess continues to grow until the end of the game. Gear collection and dungeon raiding is similar to Zelda, but I think superior in several ways. Each of the items collected are useful in not only traversing the lands, but in direct combat. The puzzles in the dungeons were challenging and even rewarded you for returning to them later during the game.

I would really rate this game an 8.7.

Summary: Unique world, great combat, and challenging dungeons make Darksiders game of pure, fun entertainment.

Tried out Darksiders, not really knowing much about the game except for a few reviews I read, and I have to say I am quite pleased with this one.

First of all, the story line and cutscenes I have seen are pretty cool, the graphics are good, and the action furious, even if it is a button mashing hack and slash for the most part. As far as a hack and slash masher goes though, this one is pretty top notch.

The power up system seems well thought out, very easy menus to navigate (even in game where it matters the most), and lots of ferocious characters to sink your blade into!

The one thing I will say is that Darksiders totally reminds me of the Legacy of Kain series, from the climbing to the attack system....even kind of fits in with the character lines....sure, Kane and Raziel have more to do with the whole vampire mythology than the four horseman of the apocalypse, but it just has such a similar feel I couldn't help but tip my hat to the game makers for bringing back and almost reinventing a somewhat forgotten genre

A lot of people gave this game quite a bit of flak, but I couldn't see why. Granted it does borrow a good deal of ideas from other games, it does put them to good use. Personally I like seeing the homages to Zelda, God of War, and a few others. It also runs the gamut with regards to the different elements included. Puzzles, fighting, leveling weapons and skills, and you even get some shooting action. Only a couple of issues keep this game from being great. Boss battles are unusually simple given the grand scale of the boss sizes. The puzzles are pretty straight forward. Anyone with gaming experiences shouldn't have any trouble solving them. It almost felt as if some of the puzzles were included just to prolong the experience, but end up making it feel a little flat. I mean why are we still dragging big blocks across the ground? War also could have been a bit more savage. He is War after all. The voice over for him was fine, but it just missed that savage nature that was brought with God of War(who the game borrows heavily from). Other than that it was a solid experience and I really hope for a sequel.

I would actually give this game a 9.5 but you dont have that option. The reason I gave this particular game a high rating is that I had a VERY hard time putting the controller down. The last time I did that was when I played God of War 2. The puzzles and the overall game play was simply AMAZING!!! I didnt just want to get through the game I wanted to find every artifact, enhancement, and upgrades there was possible. I really hope that there will be a sequel to Darksiders. The ending leads us that way but we will have to wait and see. I will be counting down the days if it does happen. Bravo VIGIL, BRAVO!!!!!!!!

This game is pretty sick. I have always loved the four horsemen and this game is great depicting the first (WAR) Im one of the lucky ones to get it first and i must say that game is very very epic. First hour or so not what i expected but right after that your instantly hooked. Once you start getting all these hardcore upgrades than your gonna love it believe me.

PROS
-God of War and Zelda combined = Sick
-Graphics
-Story

CONS
-First hour

Deffinately put this on your GameQ or go rent it now. All the action from God of War and all the Puzzles and dungeons from Zelda. Very worth it.

I absolutely love this game. From the moment I started out as this epic amazing beast called "war". He has cool looking armor. Once you get far in the game you get even more epic cool stuff. And look even cooler! The story is easy to follow. Alot of blood and guts. Amazing Graphics. Overall just fun. One part wasn't amazingly fun though, "The Black Temple". Just because I didn't like the puzzles. Once again God of War fans or Zelda fans must get this game. It is a challenging game that took me 18 hours to complete on normal difficulty. (Let alone the Apocalyptic difficulty). The ending was genuine. I can't wait for the second one to come out! Demons vs. Angels vs. Council and all of them COMBINED vs. the Horsemen. Whats better than everybody hating you and being powerful and respected? Who knows!?!? I loved this game. MUST RENT!

This game was fun to play but tedious at times. Sometimes you had no idea where to go or you have to back-track almost the whole level to get to the next point. Other than that and the insane "X" button pressing it's actually a good game. The graphics are great, the multiple weapons and beast riding are a good plus. Other than some small complaints it was a fun game to play. The storyline and characters were great.....definatly worth renting.

Pros:
1) Long game
2) Good graphics
3) Good sound
4) Good storyline
5) Fun to play a 4 horsemen character who takes no "excrement."
6) Combos look great
7) Multiple weapons

Cons:
1) Combo's....typical X, X-X, X-X-X, X-X-X-X, X-X-X hold X (You get the point)
2) A lot of back-tracking or not knowing where to go
3) When you leveled your weapon it did not seem stronger at all.

I first read about this game in Game Informer (I think) about 2 and a half years ago and wanted it then. What's not to want? Zelda meets God of War on the 360? Some of you are still doubtful, but it's true.

Like all the critic reviews state, the first 45 minutes or so of this game is quite a let down (considering what I was expecting). But give it any longer and you'll be hooked.

I am only just past the first dungeon, but I can tell this is going to be a game for the ages. If you are in any way a fan of the Zelda franchise, this is a must own for you. Everyone else should add it to your gameQ.

Pros:
Great Graphics
Smooth Controls
Intriguing Story
Great Format

Cons:
Not any really so far
Load times, (but I am running a 1st generation 360 still)

Darksiders the game where you (War one of the four horsemen of the apocolypse) awakens to the apocolypse and ready to judge us all. Angels & Demons alike. While slaying pretty much everything and spilling blood into the streets you realize hey somethings up. The story line to this game is very intersting and pulls you in. With addictive button mashing gameplay you can stroll through and feel good about yourself at the end of the day for killing so much. The graffics are a so so in the gameplay depart ment it could be a bit more visualy appealing but who cares really. This newest strategy/ Action game reminds me of a mix between god of war and legend of Zelda. As your godliness enjoys spilling blood and using his noggin to solve simple and sometimes infuriating problems. Overall this game is well worth the Money if anything for the easy achievements and good use of your time. On the negative side i would say that this games difficulty can at times be somewhat of an issue as on the easiest setting is more like a normal, all in all its a awesome game and excuse to let out some pent up rage on huge demons.

Darksiders is nothing more than a hardcore non stop action/adventure masterpiece. I rented this game out of curiousity and was blown away by how different I thought it to be. The graphics in game play and cinimatics are amazing. The story line is awsome and entertaining. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I could hardly put it down. This game runs on pure biblical addrenline. You play as a horseman who has been betrayed and fights on earth to the end to clear his name and bring those responsible to justice. Angels, demons you find to be both friend and foe. Darksiders is no easy game. Its filled with extremely challenging puzzles, bosses, fighting and requires alot of tactic skill. I personally had not one dull moment. Before I could take a breath I was at it again trying to stay alive. The fighting style is spectacular and every different angel, demon and creature has a different finishing move cinimatic that can be performed at low health by pressing the B button. The finishing move is very graphic, original, brutal and realistic. I did not see any faults what so ever. There are different weapons that can be obtained and gain experience to increase that weapons damage. Skills can be bought and upgraded aswell as items. This game truly does have it all and I loved it. If you are looking for an epic action/adventure game with awsome graphics and amazing storyline then Darksiders is something I recommend.

We really enjoyed playing this game and we would recomend it to anyone. elizabeth

Love the game so far, but from what I understand they call it screen tearing is unbearable. Can only play for short period of time before begin to get a headache. This is the first time I have ever noticed it so badly in a game where I actually looked up what it was... Youtube has videos if you dont know what Screen Tearing means. Although the creators have posted that there will be a patch for it in the near future, but honestly it is highly annoying. I was worried it was my xbox/game but there are lots of posts about it on forums. Other then that so far the game is awesome, bar the headaches and breaks I have been taking.

At first hearing of Darksiders i thought it would be a pretty good game, but after playing it i found that it was the most fun ive had with an action adventure in a long time. how can you not like running around and either decide to slice and dice an enemy, rip them in half, or transform into a demon and completly obliterate them? i really liked the feature of weaking an enemy and then being able to hit an action button to have a cool kill move. the game ran smooth for me and i diddnt have much trouble playing the game through to the end within the first few days. pretty easy game if you want to get the achievments/trophies. i thought the graphics were pretty good, and the storyline kept me plating to see what would happen next. the end was great and i hope that they will make Darksiders 2 because i think this game has the potential of becoming a series.
Graphics: 9/10

Gameplay: 10/10

storyline: 10/10

Character coolness: 10/10

lag/glitches: only one but it dosent effect the game at all, its just a treasure box that you can see on the map but its not in the game.

i not only love the gameplay (like zelda & GOW) so that being said all they need to do is make the bad guys respawn more and i can understand the story but they have to dum the sequel down because i've had a 170 IQ when i was 16 but everybody isnt me and i even got confused a little about abbaddon for a second and y no brothers change this rating please give it a 8.9 for a great first shot when everything else is suffering death by addition of RPG to a action game

XBOX 360 NEEDS A GOD OF WAR OF THEIR OWN DONT BRING KRATOS TO XBOX JUST KEEP WORKIN ON OUR WAR OF THE FOUR HORSEMAN AND NOW WE GOT OUR OWN

Darksiders was a good RENT if I was to go for a buy I would wait till its in the $20 dollar bin since its just one of those games that most people would miss out on what every platform of its kind has done which is not as bad as would think. The games story is unique its on way angels vs. demons esque type of line. While the story is somewhat engaging the gameplay is pretty solid can't complain anything to it though. Graphics and sound is up there does make the feel of the tone match the action but not as memorable though.

If you want a good action/platform game to rent then this would definitely do its job for till other bigger action titles come out.

i'm almost done with darksiders and i have to say that it's actually a really good game. all of the negative reviews about this game are about things that really aren't too difficult at all or are a big deal. such as getting lost, if u've got a brain, u can find ur way around no problem, ur lead to the distanced areas and it's almost a completely straight forward game with a map to at least follow a path. and there were complaints about u don't know when u hurt a boss or sub boss enough. believe me, u know when wht ur doing works. one big hint to some of them is the armor starts falling off! this game should have an overall of at least 8.5/9, it got unnecessary negative reviews. this game has been compared to bayonetta by some people, but i've found that bayonetta should be getting the terrible reviews. it's a short, easy, stupid button masher (not to say this one isn't a button masher) dont waste ur time with stuff like bayonetta and at least attempt to rent this one. its got a great apocalyptic theme to it, good graphics, and fun gameplay. i had trouble stopping every time i popped it into my box, and it's been a while since a game has done that for me. it brings a great out of this earth element to the game. plus the constant addition of new weapons, moves, and the increasing ability to take out once difficult enemies gives u a feeling of power of ur foes. i thought that the game might suck and be too difficult by reading other reviews, but i found that once u get the feel for the game down out of the intro, ur set. some reviews make normal seem difficult and apocalyptic (hard) seem impossible, but i'm about to beat normal and probably play again on apocalyptic. again my recommendation, def take the time to at least try this game.

after switching from PS2 to Xbox, it was hard to leave God of War behind, but it soon changed when i heard of Darksiders. now for the review:

THE GOOD: the game has a lot going for it. A LOT! first of all the plot in the story has you griped most of the time and its hard to let the controller down because you always want to know whats next! the game has a lot of different places all with there own style. and every new place has its own style of puzzles that you must solve to be able to proceed, and the puzzles progressively get harder , but not too hard. their are a lot of bosses to fight and even more mini bosses. and with each boss you must new techniques to defeat them (i am not going to go into to much details because then it wont be that fun for you). the fighting style is impressive as well, combos flow perfectly. you don't have to stop in the middle of the combo to use a different weapon it just flows together. and there is many items to use in combat, for far i have found only three weapons and i don't think you get any more but you have few other teams and abilities you get as you proceed withe the game. the sword was awesome with its upgrades.

THE BAD: The game has and awesome story, however, it takes you a long time to get into the story, in the beginning its plain boring and you'll even come to ask your self why are you doing this. but stick with it its worth it. Yes there are many different places in the game and they are all unique, but the producers didn't take much time to polish the game and get ride of the out of place pixels in the game . just needed to be polished. and i hated when you jumped from a high place the ground shatters but when you look back it gone, it not much but i hate it. and there are 3 weapons and 3 Warth powers (aka magic) which was disappointing.

THE UGLY: there nothing really ugly except there is alot of lag and many loading stops which dose not let the game flow. some of the puzzles will drive you mad.

whats to lose?

The game will definetly test you to see if your paing attention!!

I thought the story is AWESOME!!

If you want a game that you just blow through.I would look somewhere else.

It is quite challenging with the puzzles and how you really have to think to figure out ways to beat bosses.

I would rate this game right up there with dragon age.

I give this game a good rating because even though it has gameplay like Legend of Zelda and God of War it shines with its own intense and very good story...and it starts off pretty challegneing but once you get into it you truly become the horsemen...try it heck even buy it if dungeon exploring and giatn boss battles are your thing this is a must rent though.

I would have to give this game a 7.5 out of 10 it could be a great game if it werent for the frustrating puzzels in the game there just to suttle looking over and over the same place just to find a lone torch on the wall where you would least expect it.. But on the other hand fun boss battles and a hand full of fun incounters with demons that look very impresive.. I would have to disagree with Game Informers constent bashing of this game calling it a mock Zelda I reccomend this game for people that like button mashing games..