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'Extensive' 90-min Darksiders demo on XBL, PSN Feb. 25
If a batch of positive reviews has yet to sway you towards picking up Darksiders, THQ and developer Vigil Games are hoping to change that by means of a demo planned to hit Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on February 25. Not just any demo, mind you, but one its publisher claims will "take approximately 90 minutes to complete for the average player." That claim is backed up by the fact that it will include the entire first dungeon -- which is home to two bosses -- from the retail release. Vigil general manager David Adams explains in the demo's announcement that the dev "really wanted to give gamers a true idea of the variety of gameplay that the game offers," adding, "rather than just making a standard 20-minute demo version of the first few levels, we decided to give away this massive level and reveal the true essence of the game." Here's what we want you to do. Bookmark this post, then, once the demo hits, come back here and leave a comment letting us know how long it took you to complete. Nothing official-like, but it'll be fun to put THQ's estimate to the test. Just remember -- it said "for the average player." We know you're all well above average.
Darksiders' hidden code reveals free copy of Red Faction Guerrilla
Early copies of Darksiders contained an insert (see above) that quite explicitly asked buyers to not to throw it away -- that's what "do not discard" means. Today it was revealed that the code will net the bearer a free copy of Red Faction Guerrilla for PS3 or Xbox 360. The code will also grant them "a digital Hellbook disc featuring Darksiders art, videos, and other awesome stuff." Yeah, that's great but let's get back to that whole "free game" thing. The offer is only available in the US and ends March 7, 2010. We've got a call in to THQ about whether recent Darksiders printings still have the card. Of course there's a catch: there's a $5 shipping charge; however, we can guarantee (because it was all over our "Best of the Rest" for 2009) that $5 is an incredibly small price to pay for hours of joyous Martian destruction. [Thanks Salvador and Stephen McB]
Darksiders, Saint's Row sequels from THQ in fiscal 2012
THQ's Brian Farrell has revealed on today's investor conference call that the company is planning to revisit some of its most successful franchises as far away as the fiscal year of 2012 (which would be sometime after March 2011), including this year's bestseller Darksiders, and the popular Saint's Row franchise. Farrell says the company is looking to fiscal 2012 for "accelerated growth with three major core game titles scheduled: Warhammer 40k Space Marine, a sequel to Darksiders and the third generation of our popular Saint's Row franchise." Given that these are more than a year away, we don't have any more information besides the fact that they're planned for release (Who will Darksiders ape next? Will Saint's Row finally solve all of those bugs?). But news of sequels for both games will be welcomed by their respective fans.
Darksiders rides into 1.2 million homes, THQ recovering financially
THQ today announced to investors its financial holdings for the year ending December 31, 2009, reporting a net income of $1.4 million and sales of $701.5 million in the final nine months of the year. To put that in some perspective, the net income for the same period last year was a $334.2 loss. No doubt well-reviewed titles like UFC Undisputed 2009 and (personal favorite) Red Faction: Guerrilla helped that financial 180° turn -- a much needed one after a rocky 2008 and a mess of layoffs in 2009. The publisher also announced "first four week" sales of Darksiders have already reached 1.2 million in the US (Ahem, Mr. Greenwald? Did you hear that?). Interestingly, THQ called the game part of its "growing portfolio of owned brands," among Red Faction, de Blob, Drawn to Life, and Saint's Row. And with this afternoon's investor call, it would certainly appear we'll be seeing more from that portfolio in the coming year.
Analyst: Darksiders likely didn't sell enough for THQ
Poor Darksiders. Like an overeager child, it tried to win THQ's approval with its solid mechanics and colorful doomsday aesthetic, but, according to Signal Hill analyst Todd Greenwald, it likely missed the mark. He estimated for Gamasutra that the game has sold less than a million units, especially disappointing considering -- again, Greenwald's assertion -- the two to three years of development for the game and "heavy marketing dollars." Making matters worse is the fact that the game was discounted two weeks after its release. Here's hoping that a poor first outing for the Horseman doesn't necessarily mean Armageddon for his series.
Digital Foundry analyzes Darksiders post-patch
Removing screen tearing from a game requires plenty of work (probably!), so Digital Foundry was understandably skeptical when a patch to the 360 version of Darksiders, less than a month after its launch, claimed to help the game's image quality. But according to DF's analysis, Vigil and THQ were able to pull it off, reducing tearing by as much as 50 percent. How'd they do it? It would appear that this feat was achieved by locking the frame rate at 30 per second rather than letting the game push out as many frames as it could at any given moment. That seems like good news for fans and great news for all those poor, torn screens.
Darksiders screen-tearing patch out tomorrow
Starting tomorrow, the screen-tearing present in the Xbox 360 version of Darksiders will (hopefully) be a thing of the past, as the game's official blog reports the patch will be available for download starting tomorrow. You'll find the update available starting tomorrow at 2am PT (5am ET). We'd like to be a bit more excited about it, but knowing that everyone ever in the world will eventually succumb to the apocalypse ... well, we're finding it a bit difficult to get pumped about an update to some video game. If you'll excuse us, we're going to call our families and tell 'em how awesome they are. [Via VG247]
UK charts: Just Dance on Modern Warfare 2's grave
For nine straight weeks, the UK's gamer populace has been mesmerized by the siren's song of Modern Warfare 2. Today, that's all changed, with the latest Chart-Track data showing a new entry usurping Modern Warfare 2's top spot: Just Dance. Ubisoft's quirky dance title for the Wii has enjoyed a level of success there we would never have thought possible. Can its performance be attributed to good advertising or simply the United Kingdom's unrestrained love of Kevin Bacon? And MW2 wasn't even in the second spot, either. Wii Fit Plus managed to grab the silver, while Infinity Ward's shooter was bumped down to a respectable bronze. Newcomers Bayonetta and Darksiders also managed to stay on the list, along with Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2, which stealthily secured the tenth spot.
Snag Darksiders for $40 at Newegg
If you've been waiting for a good reason to pick up Darksiders on your Xbox 360, we might just have one. Newegg is currently selling the game for a cool $39.99, a full $20 off the standard $59.99 price. The $40 price includes shipping, too, so it's really a pretty significant savings. For what it's worth, we enjoyed the game quite a bit, despite its flaws. A $40 price point could only make it better, right? Says Justin McElroy, who reviewed the game for Joystiq, "You're crazier than Jeff Zucker if you don't buy Darksiders for $40 /topical." So there you go.
Metareview: Darksiders (Xbox 360, PS3)
Now that the definitive source on these here vidya games has weighed in on the intense debate regarding the quality of Darksiders, it's time we opened up the floor to other opinions and thoughts. Below, in our usual style, we've organized several viewpoints for your perusing. The majority of reviews laud Vigil's title as a genuinely fun time, so check out the links below and be sure to wage war with your own opinions in the comments section below! GameInformer (85/100): "Even without a clear narrative purpose, Darksiders never wavers from being an enjoyable adventure. I had a blast playing it, and strangely enough, the obvious nods to other games added to the fun. Despite a lame last boss fight, the setup planted for the sequel has me counting the days until it arrives." GameTrailers (84/100): "Darksiders has a lot of staples in its stable. And, yes there's even a horse. And a flying section. And even some gun segments. They're all fun, but nothing to blog home about. It's able to emulate its idols very well, so whatever War is doing, it's bound to be enjoyable. But anyone who's attracted to this sort of game, or action games in general, is going to feel more familiar than floored." GameSpot (80/100): "Darksiders unapologetically borrows gameplay ideas and mechanics from all over the spectrum and is constantly cramming new ones in all the way up to the very end. While it's not innovative by any stretch of the imagination, neither is it entirely derivative, as these myriad features not only gel together surprisingly well, but when put together even feel fresh again. Though it's hobbled by a disappointing story and excessively complex controls (as well as some technical issues on the Xbox 360), Darksiders is a fun and entertaining adventure with a host of fair but challenging puzzles, a lengthy single-player campaign, and an engaging combat system." Eurogamer (80/100): "Still, while on the surface of it Darksiders feels like a game with a lot of good ideas but only a few of its own, where even a brief flying section on an angelic mount owes rather a lot to Panzer Dragoon, overall the silly old story and wonderful art style give terrific heft to the universe, and the clockwork of the puzzles and game systems are precision-engineered in a manner that you come to trust implicitly. It may be a game of betrayal and redemption, but you won't feel hard done by if you choose to begin 2010 in its company." IGN (78/100): "Just as War is on a quest to alter how he's perceived, it seems Darksiders itself is on a quest for its own identity. It draws heavily from mechanics established in the 3D Legend of Zelda games and mixes in a forgiving combat system along with elements from a host of other popular titles. It's a goulash of collection mechanics, exploration, and combat we've all seen before, but to Vigil's credit all these elements are adeptly combined in the same product and executed well overall. While the game world could have been developed more, the boss fights leave a lot to be desired, and more interesting things could have been done with the combat and puzzles, the game as it stands is still thoroughly entertaining. If it's successful and a sequel is eventually produced, it'd be great to see a game filled with terrors wielding powers of unknowable strength take a few more risks and step into territory less well-traveled. In the meantime, we should just enjoy the solid puzzle and combat mechanics Vigil is offering, as well as the opportunity to stomp demons as a Horseman of the Apocalypse." GameDaily (70/100): "All of this amounts to a game that, while entertaining, falls short of being a triple A experience. Darksiders has an engaging story, beautiful visuals and plenty of badass characters, but THQ/Vigil Games' reliance on tired concepts prevent it from being a must buy." Source - Darksiders reviews (Xbox 360) Source - Darksiders reviews (PS3) %Gallery-19839%
Review: Darksiders
It's impossible to review Darksiders without the conversation beginning and ending with its influences. Though it's not technically a copy cat, this is a game that wears its inspirations on its bone-armored sleeve. It's a gutsy move by newcomer Vigil Games, considering it's inviting comparisons to some of the gaming's heaviest hitters, but it's one that -- for the most part -- pays off. You're War, the angriest of the Four Horsemen, and you've just been tricked into starting Armageddon. Now, all the people on Earth are dead and you've been given one chance to travel to the post-apocalyptic planet and take your vengeance on the party responsible, whoever that may be. %Gallery-33091%
UK charts: MW2 show continues, Bayonetta and Darksiders debut
Reporting the UK sales chart is starting to feel like being a weatherman in Los Angeles. For the ninth week in a row, Modern Warfare 2 sits atop the all formats chart. If Modern Warfare 2 makes it to ten weeks in a row, we're expecting a communique from Hitchhiker's Marvin. The next three spots are occupied by a casual alliance, consisting of Wii Fit Plus, Just Dance for Wii and Wii Sports Resort, respectively. Proving that the UK still has interest in games beyond war, sports and losing weight, Bayonetta's hair grabbed the fifth spot on the chart for its debut. THQ's Zelda meets God of War hybrid, Darksiders, also had a strong debut in eighth place. Had it bested the current chart champ, we'd be checking for signs of the apocalypse. Source – 9 successive weeks at No1 for Call of Duty [GFK Chart-Track] Source – Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]
Swag Saturday: Darksiders for the PS3 + loot galore! [update]
Update: We've closed the comments and will contact a winner this week. Check the email tied to your commenter name!Do you like action figures, t-shirts, and books? Good, then we've got just the thing for you. Darksiders has been keeping us occupied ever since its somewhat bizarre release date of January 5, so we'd like to pass this newfound addiction straight on to you, the reader. You can outfit yourself with a War action figure (complete with his lovely, flowing, white locks and his megasword Chaoseater), a sweet Darksiders t-shirt (size large), and a hardbound Darksiders art book that'll tell you everything you need to know about the game. Wait, what's this? You want the game, too? A toy, a garment, and some reading material won't do it for you? Fine. We'll also toss in a PS3 copy of the game, free from all of the glitchified bugs tearing up the Xbox 360 version. To enter, just tell us what you'd name your own ginormous, soul-devouring sword Leave a comment telling us what moniker you'd apply to your own giant sword. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, because of something Clint Hocking said -- at least that's what we heard). Limit 1 entry per person per day This entry period ends at 11:31AM ET on Sunday, January 10. At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Darksiders for PS3 ($59.99 ARV), one Darksiders t-shirt, size large ($10 ARV), one Darksiders art book ($14.99 ARV), and one action figure featuring War from Darksiders ($19.99 ARV). For a list of complete rules, click here What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. For more info on our policy, click here.
Darksiders patch to sew up Xbox 360 screen-tearing issue
You'd think some screen tearing was only natural in the aftermath of ... the Apocalypse -- but apparently it's an unintended hiccup in the Xbox 360 version of Vigil Games' Darksiders. Speaking to IGN, studio head Joe Madureira confirmed that Vigil is aware of the issue and is planning a title update to address it. "It's something that's really not a difficult fix for us, and so we're going to implement a patch to resolve the problem," Madureira assured. "We're fairly certain it'll happen really soon, so look out for it." Phew! It's good to know that the end of the world will be running a little smoother in no time. %Gallery-19839%
Report: Darksiders to never see the light in the UAE, kept 'under the table'
With little explanation offered (alright, so, basically no explanation whatsoever), the United Arab Emirate states have reportedly banned the distribution and sale of THQ and Vigil's Darksiders: Wrath of War. According to UAE-based GamesLatest, the game was deemed to "contradict with the UAE's customs and traditions" -- a standard phrase used to near-universally describe banned games in the Middle Eastern states. Unfortunately, that task of enforcing such a ban can be a mighty difficult one. Many retailers in the UAE simply order from wholesalers, bypassing importing laws altogether, and sell their games under the table (and untaxed, might we add). And then, of course, there's always the internet -- we hear you can buy stuff through it. %Gallery-19839% [Via GamePolitics]
Report: Hollywood interested in doing a Darksiders movie
Apparently Hollywood wouldn't mind tossing Darksiders up on the silver screen, as Vigil's Joe Madureira confirmed to VG247 that THQ's already been contacted for projects outside of the video game realm. "We've gotten some interest from Hollywood, we've talked about doing a comic series," said Madureira. Obviously, a comic wouldn't be much of a stretch for the creative director, given his past experience with the medium. "It's really a THQ thing, but I know they are definitely talking to people and I would be surprised if some of that stuff didn't happen," he added. While we can't really say whether the prospect of either is a good thing at this point -- we're still playing Darksiders for review -- we'll be sure to let you all know either way.
Vigil says no Darksiders DLC, multiplayer nixed 'early on'
For a game based on, well, the end of everything, the fact that Darksiders won't be receiving any DLC isn't exactly a revelation. But it's true -- Vigil Games creative director and famed comic book illustrator behind the game's visual style, Joe Madureira, confirmed in an interview with Eurogamer that DLC and multiplayer weren't part of the developer's plan, nor does it intend to tackle them post-launch. "We were a new team building new tech and a new IP. We had our work cut out for us," Madureira explained when asked about both, adding, "Vigil has a very strong all-or-nothing mentality, and if we're not confident we can pull it off, we're not doing it. So we focused on making the most kick-ass single-player game possible." Not to say that multiplayer was never a possibility -- it was just a short-lived one: "We realized early on that we wouldn't be able to pull off the scope of game we wanted to and have it be multiplayer," he said. Of course, should the game do well, we'll no doubt be seeing the unthinkable: a sequel to the Apocalypse.
New Games This Month: January 2010
Traditionally, this is the time of year when we'd be able to put our feet up and savor the calm after the Q4 storm. But in 2010/Two-Thousand-and-Sin/ZOLO, we're stuck with a month of completely decent releases. We've always begged the industry to release games throughout the year, but never stopped to consider the terrible cost: More work for us. Check out the infuriatingly decent list and plan your purchasing strategy. %Gallery-81403%
Darksiders trailer brings nothing but Ruin
If there's one thing we learned at E3, it's that Ruin, the Hellish steed of Darksiders, is not meant to be ridden by ordinary mortals. While we learned this firsthand, you can be saved the risk of serious bodily harm by simply watching the trailer embedded above. It explains that Ruin is "born of smoke and flame," which really should be the first clue that it's not the horse for you. It is, however, the perfect horse for a horseman of the apocalypse. Watch the trailer for plenty of Ruin, as well as some of the other beasties you'll be riding in Darksiders.
Darksiders dev diary contains your daily recommended dose of epicness
There's a lot to absorb in the latest developer diary for THQ's celestial adventure title, Darksiders: Angels fighting demons, demons fighting horsemen of the apocalypse, horsemen fighting angels, giant worm monsters, the Apocalypse and, best of all, a horse that nearly killed Joystiq's own Kevin Kelly. Basically, we're saying that it's going to be tough to top the video you see above at any point today, as we doubt another video will force one of us to flash back to a moment in our lives where we experienced pure mortal terror.
