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Darksiders 2 steps out of the shadows this June
Darksiders 2 is scheduled to launch in June 2012, THQ's Q3 fiscal report reveals. It lists the ambitious action-adventure game for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Darksiders 2 is coming to Wii U as well, although Nintendo's platform isn't set to drop until the "year-end season."
Darksiders 2 media traces the history of Death
Fun fact: as this Darksiders 2 trailer reveals, Death has been around for quite some time. All right, you probably knew that, but we bet you didn't know about his hobby as an artist's model.
Darksiders 2 introduces Death's swiss army scythe
Have you ever wondered what Death, the dude, is really like? Who hasn't? Thankfully, the Darksiders 2 devs at Vigil Games prepared this intro video for us, full of sincere remarks about a mythical horsemen of the apocalypse and how he acts in their upcoming game.
The MMO Report: Shut up, that's why edition
Why does The MMO Report cover Minecraft? "Shut up, that's why," says Casey with a smile. In addition to chronicling Minecraft's newest FarmVille-esque update, the Beard meanders through the Dark Millennium Online cancellation rumors, The Secret World's Illuminati trailer, and TERA's upcoming May release date ("your cue to start claiming it's better than WoW, internet"). Finally, Casey touches on the patch delays suffered by Star Wars: The Old Republic, excusing the tardiness by suggesting the promised dates are more like guidelines, and besides, "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." All this and a quick dip into Uncle Casey's Mailbag can be found in the full HD video behind the cut.
Darksiders 2's latest tease gets up close and personal with Death
There's a possibility that the Darksiders 2 tease above is actually referencing Skeletor and/or Glenn Danzig, but we're pretty sure it's that other horseman of the apocalypse, Death. Either way, we're gonna go listen to the Misfits and watch Masters of the Universe for a bit. Just in case.
Warhammer 40K planning multiple payment options
Despite being one of THQ's biggest projects, the upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online won't be hemmed in with a single subscription option. Instead, the company said that it is investigating a wide range of possible payment options to be as flexible as possible for players all over the world. Speaking at a recent earnings call, CEO Brian Farrell addressed what model WAR40K would adopt. "What we've done is make the business model within Dark Millennium Online flexible so we can use different business models in different territories and exploit the game on a worldwide basis," he said. "We will have not just one business model, like subscriptions. There will be other monetisation mechanisms in the game... The team there is being very thoughtful about how we maximise monetisation in this game." Seeing as how WAR40K is costing the company over $50 million to create, it seems wise to offer multiple options in order to draw in the largest amount of players possible. The title is being developed by Vigil Games and is slated to release in 2013.
THQ releases flood of new details for Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online
If you're a fan of Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online, you are likely pretty happy to have a launch date. You're also probably anxious for details about the game itself, which have been in short supply until now. We've got good news for you though: THQ has released a huge list of data on design, gameplay, classes and races, and much more. The information ranges from all-encompassing, such as talk of art style and who is involved in development, to very specific, such as a party size of five, raid size of 50, and level cap of 60. There's plenty more for eager fans: dual-wielding pistols and melee weapons (including chain swords), classes with three specialties, a crashed space hulk ripe for exploration, and much more. Strategy Informer has the complete summary, so head over there for your full Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online fix! [Thanks to Merketh for the tip!]
Warhammer 40K Dark Millennium Online launch date revealed
Purge the heretics! Warhammer 40,000 Dark Millennium Online has received a launch date. The game's page on THQ's official site marks the game down for release on March 31st, 2013. That's all the news we've got for now, but keep your eye out for more information in the (grim darkness of the) future! [Thanks to Andru for the tip!]
Darksiders 2 extended announcement trailer (re)introduces Death
Look, we can suspend our disbelief with the best of them, but one thing irks us about this extended version of the Darksiders 2 announcement trailer: how can Death speak without a mouth? Last time we checked, you needed lips and a tongue to talk.
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.
Darksiders 2 video shows "God"-like combat skill
He may be named "Death," and the last Darksiders game may have starred "War," but the first combat gameplay from Darksiders 2 certainly reminds us of another mythological god of war. Watch as Death wields his "dual scythes," juggling opponents and pulverizing them in the process! It's almost as if he's got dual blades ... attached with chains to his arms ... okay, it's basically like the combat in the God of War series. There -- we said it. Head over to Game Informer and take a peek for yourself!
Dark Millennium Online to be playable at E3 2012
While last week's E3 is still fresh in our minds and hearts, THQ is giving us a great reason to look forward to next year's expo: the chance to get our hands on Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online. Eurogamer reports that THQ is committing to this time frame. Danny Bilson says that WAR40K will be the highlight of the company's display: "Next year, I promise you, next E3. I've already got plans for what the booth is like. The centrepiece of the booth will be that MMO." We caught only a glimpse of a teaser trailer for the game at this year's E3. Vigil Games is hard at work on the $50+ million project, and Bilson says that it's looking good and on track for a launch between April 2012 and March 2013. "It looks fabulous. I like it. I can't speak to it now, or people will kill me. But, I'll tell you what, it plays differently. A little bit... This thing is gonna be special," he said. "We're going to come out when we come out in a big way. I feel like we're fully competitive with the other guys. It'll be seven years in the making when it comes out. We're competing with the best games in the world. You can't mess around with this thing."
Bone up on Darksiders 2 with this trailer
War -- what is he good for? Absolutely nothing in Darksiders 2, because Death is the one handling all the fighting. Game Informer got hold of the first trailer, featuring the new, bony protagonist jumping, swinging his scythe around, and delivering vague threats. And, in case you needed further confirmation of this unbelievable fact after yesterday's reveal, the video clearly shows that ... his pants are made of bone.
Darksiders 2 darkens the cover of July's Game Informer
Darksiders 2 is featured on the July issue of Game Informer, along with new protagonist Death -- brother of the first game's anti-hero, War. Their uniformly grim appearance, you'll recall, is due to the fact they're a pair of horsemen of the apocalypse. Game Informer also claims that the sequel will "deliver a richer experience," including new (and more) NPCs, a "detailed loot system" and some fresh new dungeons to explore. More specifically, Death will be traveling through "the world of Abyss," doing exactly the opposite of what you'd expect a guy named "Death" to be doing: trying to restore humankind. Head over to Game Informer for a full image depicting the double-scythe-wielding star.
Darksiders is 75% off on Steam this weekend
Got $10.00 and a few hours to kill? We can hardly think of a better thing to do than picking up Darksiders on Steam, which is on sale for the aforementioned 10 bucks until 10am PT on Monday, March 21. Seriously, think about it. Is there anything else that will give you so much bang for little? Yeah, thought so -- though if you know how good a time Darksiders is, you may have already played it (or read this site, we guess), in which case we'd suggest you tell a friend. What kind of monster would keep that kind of knowledge to themself?
THQ spending approximately $50 million on WAR40K MMO
If you're wondering how many users it's going to take for THQ's forthcoming Warhammer 40K-based sci-fi MMORPG to be successful, you can keep wondering. THQ executive vice president and chief financial officer Paul Pucino did speak briefly about the budget of Dark Millennium Online, however, while addressing a Wedbush Morgan conference on March 9th. Pucino said the title will cost "somewhere in the area of $50 million or so to get these games to market, certainly in that range for Dark Millennium." Pucino was asked about desired subscriber numbers for WAR40K, which is being developed by Vigil Games, but declined to offer any details. "We haven't gotten specific yet, we're a couple of years away here from release and certainly as we get closer we'll give some specifics with regards to break-even or target users," he said.
WAR40K throws down the gauntlet
Other MMOs are predictable, lazy and lack the real "feel" of combat -- or so says Vigil Games' founder Dave Adams. In a recent PC Gamer article, Adams and Creative Director Mike Maza share their vision for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online -- and it's all about bucking the industry standard. Adams had a few strong words for Vigil's competition: "A lot of developers see that as an opportunity to cut that corner because there's so much to do on an MMO. They think people care about X, Y and Z. They don't really care about the feeling of the combat... Our goal is when some guy's walking past DMO they won't instantly know it's an MMO. That depends on a minimal interface: it's not a full FPS but it looks more 'actiony'." The devs confirmed that there would be a wide range of combat features in this action-based title, including fierce melee brawls, intense ranged firefights -- and no action bar icons of which to speak. The team is working hard to recreate the tabletop's iconic world into a virtual one, designing guns (stubber and bolter firearms) and player-controlled vehicles (Titan mechs and Predator tanks) to look deadly, used and WAR40Kish. The game will kick players into the fight almost immediately. "There's scenarios that introduce you to your character class. We'll throw you into your very first instance, to get a feel for a very player directed experience. Then you'll go to your trainers and merchants, then drop down onto the over-world from orbit," Maza said. You can read the full article at PC Gamer.
Darksiders 2 will star new character, take place alongside events of first game
Cue that one sad song ... During his keynote speech at the IGDA Leadership Forum, THQ wunderkind Danny Bilson revealed some info on Darksiders 2, the sequel to Joe Mad's inspired take on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Instead of taking up the mantle of War again, the sequel will offer a new playable character -- one of the other three horsemen of the apocalypse, perhaps? "When we do the Darksiders sequel, it'll be a different character and take place simultaneously to the other story," Bilson said. "There's only one apocalypse -- I couldn't very well have four different apocalypses, one for each rider. It has some new mechanics and some very robust features that differentiate it a lot and grow it from the first game because you have to build on the first one, you can't repeat it. I think that's very important in franchise-building." It tied into the rest of the keynote, which revolved around Bilson and THQ's take on sequels and how to approach them when trying to create franchises. Look for our full write-up of Bilson's candid keynote speech soon.
Retailers offer free games with Darksiders PC pre-order
Though you may lack the alchemical expertise to do so under normal circumstances, folks who are planning on picking up the PC version of Darksiders when it comes out this Thursday can turn their one-game purchase into a two-game purchase. (Ooh! Aah!) This opportunity comes from a handful of digital retailers, who are offering complimentary THQ games along with pre-orders for the apocalyptic action-adventure title. These retailers include Steam, which gives pre-orderers a digital copy of Titan Quest Gold Edition; Direct2Drive, which is handing out Red Faction: Guerrilla and Gametap, which is offering a free copy of Company of Heroes with each pre-order. Sure beats the Hell out of a keychain or scented sticker set, doesn't it?
THQ reveals the dark engine powering Warhammer 40K
Hungry for information -- any information at all -- on Vigil Games' upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online? Did you watch the Imperium of Man trailer and gibber, "More! MORE!" So did we. Unfortunately, it was looking like we'd have to be content with hints... ...but fortunately, Games On Net cornered David Adams, Vigil Games' GM, and pumped him for further details. While Adams was reluctant to go into the specifics of gameplay, he did open up about WAR40K's engine, which is the same one the company used for Darksiders. The engine is being tweaked for the MMO, although Adams testified that it was already great with portraying a seamless world, which should be perfect for WAR40K's needs. DirectX 11 is also slated for inclusion. So will the graphic requirements be low enough that the game could run on a toaster, or will it be a high-performance-only excursion? While Adams admits that the necessary graphic options will take a decent machine to run well, he's hoping to have as many visual toggles as possible so that WAR40K can reach a wider audience. He wouldn't say how many characters he expects the engine to handle in a certain area, other than to claim: "Big, it's 40K, it's all about big giant battlefields." You can watch the full video over at Games On Net.
