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Darksiders 2 preview: Death pays a visit
So you have a pretty popular game, starring an interesting and original rendition of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It sells well. In fact, it sells well enough that it gives a distraught publisher a much-needed influx of revenue and then, when the time comes to make the sequel, you decide to completely replace the protagonist everyone knows, and bring in a brand new character that wasn't ever seen in the first game. That's what comic book artist-turned Vigil Games founder Joe Madureira did, and though Darksiders 2 definitely looks like it's turning out well, even he says he had doubts. "I still wonder if it's a smart thing," he told me at Comic-Con this week, "because usually when you're building a franchise around a character, you really try and keep the same character." Well, yeah. "But it was a momentary apprehension. As soon as we concepted him and we had him running in the game, it was a cooler character." He says that THQ didn't have a problem with the change either: "They were like, yeah, this is a cool idea." %Gallery-128681%
Darksiders 2's artwork is all dark and gloomy and stuff
We were never goth kids -- though if we were, we imagine that we would've hung this Darksiders 2 concept art all over our lockers. If your appreciation for Darksiders 2 extends beyond paintings of creepy cliffs and thrones of stone, hit up Game Informer for a spirited interview with Vigil Games art director Han Randhawa. Of course, creative director and comic artist Joe Madureira chimes in a bit about the overall style of the Darksiders series, too.
Warhammer 40k MMO to be fully revealed this summer
Have you been looking forward to the Warhammer 40K MMO for what feels like forever? The people at THQ have been offering up small pieces of information since they announced the game a few years ago -- last April we finally got a release year of 2012, and just in December we were given some beautiful concept art. Now we've been given even better news. THQ plans to "fully unveil" Warhammer 40K this summer at E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo will be at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year, from June 15th-17th, and if you were thinking of attending, this is a very good reason to hop off the fence. THQ has kept the game largely under wraps for now, but the developers are pretty excited. Team member Joe Madureira promises large scale combat, tons of customization, and great-looking characters. June suddenly seems a lot farther away, but we'll keep a close eye out for more news on the game until then!
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]
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: 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.
Impressions: Darksiders takes a stab at Portal, Panzer Dragoon
Former X-Men, Battle Chasers and Ultimates artist Joe Madueira and his team at Vigil Games are drawing closer to realizing the celebrated illustrator's dream of making his own video game, Darksiders. We've seen the apocalyptic action-adventure a few times in the past, and its similarities to games such as the 3D Zeldas, God of War and, in some ways, Devil May Cry are still obvious in the latest build.There were some new elements for publisher THQ to show off, though, like War's range of attacks. For instance, the Apocalypse Horseman can throw his cross blade into a source of time-slowing magic energy and have it return, momentarily giving him an advantage over a group of scurrying spider enemies.Undoubtedly, the most interesting new tidbits we saw were obvious tributes to two of gaming's most hallowed franchises: Portal and Panzer Dragoon.%Gallery-77597%
Joe Madureira kicks fans of Battle Chasers in the heart via Darksiders
During our hands-on experience with Darksiders, Joe Madureira joked that he could hide all of Battle Chasers #10 throughout the game. Cruel, Madureira, cruel. If you're a fan of the comic, then you'll know that issue has been a long time coming. Like eight years long. Eight. very. long. years. Even at the glacial pace the book was used to, that's been more than enough time to finish the series.We asked Madureira if there would be any hidden easter eggs featuring his artwork through the game, and he joked "Yeah, actually Battle Chasers #10 is scattered throughout the levels! Maybe I can finish it before the game comes out." We won't hold our breath, Joe. But seriously, when this game goes gold, please think about returning to the drawing board and putting that thing to bed. We'd love to read it.
Darksiders will ring in the new year, get demo
Joe Madureira, creator and founder of Vigil Studios, told us during our hands-on with the action adventure Darksiders (which seems to have dropped its Wrath of War subtitle) that the game will have a January 1st release date in 2010. "We figure it's a good time," Madureira said, "Everyone will be at home, and it's a good time to play games."They also plan on releasing a demo on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network before the holiday period. "We want to remind everyone that there will be a good reason to hang onto their gift cards." Nothing says Happy New Year like Auld Lang Syne, champagne, and reaping the souls of the undead. Keep checking back for our report on the game, which is looking shiny.
Warhammer 40K MMO gets a release date
THQ just unveiled some release dates for their major game titles over the next few years and if you were getting excited for the Warhammer 40k MMO, you might feel a bit deflated after reading this. The above slide shows that WH40K is slated for a 2012 expected release date, which of course is subject to change.We haven't heard much from Vigil Games since May 2008 about this title, but what we know sounds promising so far. The MMO's creative director is none other than comic book artist extraordinaire, Joe Madureira (side bar: my favorite artist of all time). Vigil hopes to stay as true to the tabletop experience as they can while still remaining an MMORPG. Finally, the world's primary weapons will be guns and vehicles may play a large part in combat.While many fans of the Games Workshop miniatures game have found a familiar home in Warhammer Online, many others have complained that Mythic's incarnation of the Warhammer setting is not harsh, gritty, or dark enough. It will be interesting to see if WH40k can capture this or if Vigil will opt for a less mature environment (and rating).
Joystiq hands-on: Darksiders: Wrath of War
One of the biggest things we missed at E3 this year was the upcoming Vigil Games / THQ title, Darksiders: Wrath of War. How we managed to miss this one is still unclear -- we can only assume that it was in our blind spot the entire time. So, during our recent jaunt down to Austin for the Game Developer's Conference, we made time to stop by Vigil and take an in-depth look at the the team's debut title and two-year labor. Luckily, they weren't holding any grudges against our non-existent E3 coverage and were nice enough to give us a huge chunk of time with the game and the designers.Concept artist and Vigil founder Joe Madureira and lead designer Hadyn Dalton sat down with us for two hours, taking us through the game and showing us levels that haven't been released to the public just yet. We got to take control of protagonist War and do battle with enemies, solve puzzles, and even take his massive warhorse Ruin for a spin. Check out the full writeup after the break, and be sure to check out the gallery, full of exclusive images from the game, just below. If you've been itching for a Joe Madureira Battle Chasers fix, this might be about as close as you can get.%Gallery-33091%
Latest Darksiders trailer is artsy, open, adventurous
"There's my steed!" Looks like we'll get to control a god of war War himself and do it with style in Vigil Games' open-world action game, Darksiders: Wrath of War. Considering that Joe "Mad!" Madureira of X-Men and Battle Chasers fame is the developer's creative director, the fact that it's looking smoking hot doesn't surprise us.This new video of Darksiders features Madureira and Vigil's general manager, David Adams, talking about all of the nifty stuff you can see and do thanks to the game's open world nature. It's worth noting that the video is from the upcoming E3 demo of Darksiders, meaning that we'll get our hands on the game's latest milestone later this month to report on all the nitty-gritty (and pretty-pretty) details.%Gallery-26826%
PC Gamer's Warhammer 40k interview
While many people are eagerly awaiting the release of Warhammer Online, there's another MMO in development with same initial name: Warhammer 40,000 Online. Although the initial difference between the two is obvious -- one's a fantasy RTS, the other is a science fiction RPG -- a recent interview with Vigil Games' General Manager David Adams and Studio Creative Director Joe Madureira offers up more juicy details.Topics covered in the interview include customization options, available classes and NPCs, and how the existing Warhammer 40k universe will be introduced to gamers who may not have ever played the tabletop version. While there are still no beta or release dates on offer, development continues apace. We'll have more on this title as news emerges.
Warhammer 40k MMO details emerge from cover
PC Gamer drops a few new details on the in-development Warhammer 40,000 MMO that was announced in March 2007. This MMO will play more like an RPG than an FPS, even though there will be extensive gunplay elements, such as flanking, suppressive fire, and cover. Additionally, fans of the franchise will be happy to know that their favorite race, no matter what that might be, will find a home in-game. "All of the races important to Warhammer 40,000 lore (not to mention the fans) will be represented", says creative director Joe Madureira, formerly of Marvel Comics. He adds that there will be "Tons of stuff hanging off your character, weapons, scrolls ... we are going to have the coolest looking characters of any MMO, ever. Once we begin releasing images, feel free to call me on that." That's tempting fate, like saying 'At least it's not raining'. But given that it sounds as though THQ's taking their time in developing this game, it could very well be true. We'll keep up to date with further news as it arises.[Via computerandvideogames]
