Embargo Lifted – Darksiders: This is the real " God of War "

OXCGN:

"Sure, it's a bold statement to claim THQ's multi-platform title Darksiders, due for release January 7th 2010, as the real God of War of this hack 'n slash action game genre.

Maybe it's not entirely original, but the game does do an excellent job of taking what worked in many great 3rd person action titles such as God of War, Legend of Zelda, Soul Reaver etc. and mash them in with a post apocalyptic/Armageddon time line to create one of, if not the, most visceral games I have played in a long time."

[BadCircuit]

Not sure about this one, but it sounds okay

[Bungie]

Yeah

Darksiders feels more like an adventure game

Bayonetta is the real deal for hack n slash fans

[whothedog]

I think this game looks pretty cool, it has Zelda elements and I love Zelda so I think this game could be cool, but definitely a renter(at first at least), for me. But I am interested in this game.

Bayonetta is cool if you like butterfly's,Hannah Montana and cute kiddie stuff like that, I like more gory games so I will be going with the EPIC GoWIII, unless you like butterfly's. :P

Haha I kid, Bayonetta might be cool, I wasn't impressed with the demo but seems like people really like the game, so I might give it a go when it comes out.

[XboxOZ360]

Having seen several of the Bayonetta Developers diaries, and actual game play from Sega, I can not see what all the fuss is about the game. It's rather lacluster to be honest, and even cutsie to so levels (Bayonetta).

The original script and concept was ten times better, but it have changed so much, it's almost not recognizable from the concept designs.

Darksiders is a much more "mature" game and offers far more than Bayonetta can even hope to offer. I think because it's a mindless hack-n-slash, younger gamers will like it, for a very short period of time, then lose interest in it.

But with this, it will require some solid gameplay to get through, and involve the gamer much more than Bayonetta even could hope to.

[gaminoz]

Yeah I'm not sure about it either but the concept seems cool. But if it is all my boss is bigger than your boss it will just get ridiculous.

[Darkeyes]

Too many GOW clones out next year. I pity most of these games, cause many will get over shadowed (by the PS3 crowd) who will jump on GOW3 over these games. Especially with early 2010 over loaded with massive titles like GOW3, GT5, ME2, SC:C, Heavy Rain, MAG, Alan Wake..... List goes on.

No disrespect, but most of these games have ideas straightly ripped from GOW. But frankly none can at least hold a candle in front of GOW in the story and graphics department. Ya GOW might have the same combat system as GOW1 & 2 (which ironically were praised for having it), but still it works great for me as I hate memorizing combos... I need a game where I can straight away jump from 1 game to it without having to first remember all the combos... It's just me, but I feel GOW is the most accessible game in the H & S genre. For Veterans of NGS and DMC, it may feel 'Easy' and 'noob friendly', but for the first time when you see spilled intestines or the ripping of heads, you know you are into something epic.

Besides, I am pretty sure Santa Monica has surprises installed for GOW3 (titan battles, battles on titans...). It will take A LOT for any of these game to claim the crown of the best H & S from GOW3.

[Guido]

As quoted above... Often imitated, never duplicated. Sorry, but GOWIII will show each of these websites how it is done and the crow that will be served will be served with the blood of gods.

[Trebius]

So dont pay him any mind...

Bayonetta is DMC for girls.

[nix]

and not to mention - the EGDE.

EDGE still thinks that it can fool people. oh wait...

[gaffyh]

@1.3 - Yeah I agree, Bayonetta isn't as good as DMC in some ways, although the combo system is pretty good. Darksiders looks kinda like what Brutal Legend should have been, with good and fun platforming elements.

[Raf1k1]

I quite like the way this game looks TBH but it reminds me of World of Warcraft and how I would like it to look. Also, the main character reminds me of a more colourful Arthas.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www....
http://xboxoz360.files.word...

[whothedog]

@xboxoz360

Yeah, I didn't get it either, but I seen two perfect scores (even though I don't trust Edge), and I see people talking that game up like crazy lately.

I think Darksiders has way more potential than Bayonetta, I just remember hearing a interview where the developer was saying how your going to need certain items to get to certain areas and certain weapons will help against certain enemies and it reminded me of a Zelda but in a dark universe, which he also referenced. I haven't seen much gameplay from the game other than small tidbits, and I didn't know it was going to be that gory where limbs are being ripped off, and a stat that measures how much blood you spilled haha.

On another note I forgot I liked you guys and respected your site and opinion haha. The title shied me away from clicking the link at first but I read it now :) and good article, you know if any demo will be coming? Stay cool!

[Sarcasm]

You know God of War is the true benchmark when competing titles have to mention it in every article.

Nuff' Said

[morganfell]

Sarcasm is correct.

I have Darksiders reserved and am looking forward to a great story and a wonderful voice cast. But seriously, if you are attempting to go head to head against the warrior that killed the God of War then you are going to lose.

[nycredude]

When will these people stop shooting themselves in the foot. How can you possible give your game a chance when you say things like this. Trying to say you are better than GOW 3 is setting yourself up for failure. I understand you have confidence in your product but come on use some better judgement.

What does that even mean "The REAL GOW"? Does that mean GOW 1 and 2 and 3 are the fake GOW of the hack and slash? Stupid.

It's the same with Turn ten dissinig GT5. How is Forza 3 doing now?

[GrathiusXR]

I'm the one who used the Real God of War term for Darksiders lol.. That's not to say that THQ don't have any confidence in there title though..

I'm surprised It isn't getting as much advertising at the moment.. I can say that almost everyone at the sit down for Darksider last week they were all impressed with the game..

Their only complaints were the same as mine they do not want the game to become room after room which are exactly the same where you must defeat set enemies just to complete a mission.

As well as combat at times.. Other than that Darksiders for me has one compelling and interesting story..I for one am really looking forward to it just to continue the story..

[Noctis Aftermath]

I think this type of promoting does the opposite of what they want, cause now with each new H&S game i see them comparing it to GoW and that gets me interested in god of war since everything is claiming to be better then it, i hadn't even heard of God of war until i started browsing n4g but now i'm probably getting it day 1.

Also i've been interested in darksiders for a while, but i'm much more interested in god of war and if i had to pick one game out of the two it would be GoW handsdown, but i'll prob pick this one up when the opportunity arises.

[WildArmed]

Looks pretty awesome imo.

Though i hate the fact that all the action/HnS games are always lumped up together.
Couldnt they spread it out a bit more -.-
first half of '10 is gonna be packed with hack n slash, and the rest of the year is gonna be missing them.
=/
I hate it when a genre gets over saturated in a matter of months n then drops dead again.

[erathaol]

Joe Mad is the Creative Director. Pass. His characters have always been ridiculous looking and will always be ridiculous sounding. You can choose better titles than this, such as Bayonetta, Dante's Inferno, No More Heroes, God of War III and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

2010 Looks to be the year of the Hack n Slash.

Kind of sad that Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden won't be making it to the show. :/

[FACTUAL evidence]

But why do someone always try to make ps3 games look bad.....have anyone notice the competition with GOW lately(mostly 360 sites)? "The new god of war!!" "bayonetta slaps kratos". Lol, all MP games. This game is going to be great, but they need to give it up, kratos is THEE man.

[DMason]

How can this be the "real" God of War? The real God of War is, well, God of War.

[shawnsl65]

I'll be definitely picking up Darksiders, it should keep me busy until the barrage of games that are coming out in March. Story seems interesting, voice acting is pretty much superb, graphic is okay. According to what I've seen so far, it's definitely not a renter, I'll keep this baby in my collection.

[Raoh]

hmm

what a clever title for an xbox 360 site...

[GrathiusXR]

Having had the chance to give God of War 3 a spin at E3 It just felt more of the same of what I had previously seen.. Sure the gore was cool and the guts was awesome but it was the same pretty much for most enemies..

Darksiders to me is a lot more massive in scope and features just as much blood and limb removal as GoW3..

The 360 is lacking in a title like GoW3 and Darksiders looks to fill that gap even though It Is a Multi-Platform title it still is awesome for 360 owners xD

Plus It's out in under a month!!

[XboxOZ360]

Which means it too will be Refused Classification closer to release in Australia, as now they OLFC are looking at MW2 and having it removed from the shelves, and have RC two games in the last 10 days or so. Crime Craft and now Aliens V's Predators . . . both of which got banned. Yet the movie of the same title (Aliens/Predators)gets passed - work that one out.

I think this, and a few more titles will cop the chop in 2010 IF the R18+ is not pushed. As there are moves by the very conservatives to push the OLFC to ban even more games in the coming months and crack down even further.

So do NOT be surprised when more get the big RC in 2010.

[XboxOZ360]

Thanks mate, we bounced several names around, and so many were fixated around the 360, But the platform is the target, but it also allows us to branch out later, as we do preview/review PS3-PC-Wii-iPhone games as well from time to time.

Thanks for the kind words, most appreciated.

[nycredude]

Grathius

Obviously you haven't really played any of the previous GOW games because then you would know how much like BS your comment sound. I've been gaming a freaking long time and no game, I repeat no game have impressed me with regard to being massive and sheer scope more than GOW 1 and 2, and soon to be GOW 3. You might think it sucked and GOW 3 sucks and people will have different taste but saying GOW is not massive and epic is false.

And also you ripping GOW for the same as old stuff from playing just the demo and going on to praise Darksiders, even though in this article it is clear all it does is the same things other games have done. Aren't you a hipocrite there?

"Maybe it's not entirely original, but the game does do an excellent job of taking what worked in many great 3rd person action titles such as God of War, Legend of Zelda, Soul Reaver etc. and mash them in with a post apocalyptic/Armageddon time line to create one of, if not the, most visceral games I have played in a long time."

[GrathiusXR]

See now to you personally God of War has been the only game to impress you above the rest.. Only to you as you so clearly state.. Just like I have stated to me GoW3 does not impress me as much as Darksiders..

On the floor at E3 when GoW3 was being demoed over at Sony's booth on the massive screen there were a bunch of gamers around me and few that I had been hanging around with that were in the same boat as me..

At 1st they were like amazing looking game but then when the demo was over they were in the same state of amazement.. Mainly due to the graphics not really being as good as they were being touted, the kill animation of the guts coming outs was the same each time.. and they felt as if the game was not doing much overall to become better..

Over at the Darksiders booth though were you could sit down and play as long as you wanted the people I was attending with were overly impressed with what the game had to offer..

It blended what is good in other 3rd person games like I have stated which made the game that much more fun to play.. They knew they had seen and done this stuff before but they appreciated the fresh coat of storyline, art design, characters and maturity of the game.

GoW3 to me at the time featured updated graphics engine, guts and that was it. And no I'm not a hypocrite when I say what I have said..

Darksiders blends all the great elements that worked in other games but and what I should have added in the article does it in a way that does not feel tedious and boring but instead adds a fresh layer of Darksiders feel to it.. Because of the setting of Darksiders It allowed Vigil to add their own unique touch to these elements.

We can continue to butt back and forth in our arugements but in the end I'll stand byw hat I've said/written and you'll stand by what you have said/written..

So I'll suggest we pretty much leave it at that cause it won't go any further and we won't really get anywhere with it all.. Both will be great games like I have stated but I'll personally be interested in Darksiders a lot more than GoW3 come release for both games.

[Why Dat]

While I agree Darksiders looks and plays great, I really want to know what is with all the [unjustified] hate on God of War all of a sudden?

[Shane Kim]

?? It's a PS3 exclusive.

[XboxOZ360]

Actually, if you read the article, it's more a play on words. Remembering that the player is WAR, a God, one of the 4 Horsemen . . . He wages war on the other gods . . . Check the storyline and the article, and Vigil Games comments about it.

[XboxOZ360]

And we don't care if it is an exclusive, as it's a bloody great game (GOW3), and we'll be reviewing it when it does front.

NOt as a comparison, but as it stands on its own two feet.

[nolifeking]

Your play on words falls apart once you realize none of the 4 horsemen are gods, they're simply manifestations of their respective names working under death, who himself is not a god. In the bible only one god exist so the title is simply flamebait.

[nix]

it's a flame-bait nonetheless. the only good thing about this all is that we're not clicking on HHG's article.

[Nitrowolf2]

right after that GOW3 demo impression, honestly right after i read that more comparison between bayonnete popped up, cause that impression said it hated 1 and 2 and it comes nothing compared to bayonnette(btw played both demo GOW3 so much more fun, there are so many more enemies to kill on one screen)
idk much of this game but for some reason i see thise game relating more to GOW then bayonneta

[Why Dat]

@ XboxOZ360

Ohhh... I get it now. Yea, I'll be honest I didn't read as thoroughly as I should have.

Thanks for the reply.

[sugatmahanti]

Suddenly every new hack n slash game is better than God of War :|

[emk2004]

this article just reminds me of all the stupid kz2 killing halo articles there all stupid.

i still haven't seen this game really distinguish itself at all yet.

[peeps]

my mate was going on about this the other day, personally i haven't really paid it much attention but from the video's i saw it didn't exactly blow me away. i think i'll wait to see my mate playing it before i decide.

the 1 big thing for me is the art style. i imagine some will love it, but for a game based on 1 of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse it would have been nicer to have seen a much 'darker' art style. it seems a bit too cheery lol

[thief]

I guess God of War is going to be the next target for the "generic" "doesnt do anything new" brigade that was so silent for ODST and MW2
Interestign how Edge gave Bayonetta a 10 – because they gave DMC an 8, which from what I gather was very similar (as its made by the same creator) – the gameplay is practically the same, doesn’t seem to have any superiority in graphics or story either. Those guys are getting ready for a 6/10 for GoW3

[dragonelite]

Dont know where you have been.
But odst launch was over run with topic like $60 fee for a expansion that doesnt do anything new etc. MW 2 same topics like the online doesnt do anything new never heard a thing about how awesome spec ops was.

I think you and i know both the more of the same does not equal bad.
change a serie to much fans will cry because its not the same dont change the series the crowd will cry for not being innovative.
As a dev i would choose for the fans of the series because the will probably buy your game the crowd will just as easily jump over when a better looking game comes by just take a look at killzone 2 and uncharted 2 online population those are real low on players for such awesome games.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

and here comes the excuses and whining already.

blah blah blah conspiracy theory blah blah blah. Seriously stop crying already.

[hikayu17]

and look ... here comes your comment . i read your comment and all im seeing is blah blah blah ( your comment does have it , literally) , im a butt hurt 360 fanboy ( your name kinda said it all ) .

but wait ... this is n4g so unless im in another site , this is wat i was suppose to read . XD

[Karum]

I've been interested in Darksiders since I first heard about it and will probably buy it when it comes out.

I've also played the Bayonetta demo on both 360 and PS3 (there's zero difference imo) and it's one I'll likely pick up at one point too.

These 2 games mentioned may be awesome but in the end there will be only chaos!

[peeps]

theres a sleight difference between the 2 versions of bayonetta imo but it's still a great game so ppl should pick it up regardless of the console they own.

my only worry was the fact that the falling clock sequence wasn't in the ps3 version. i imagine a scene like that could see framerate drops tbh so perhaps thats why they didn't include it in the ps3 demo?

i hope thats not the case but it is a little worrying. otherwise the ps3 version did run nice and smooth tbh only noticing drops once or twice, e.g. when you have the battle on the bridge, u notice a sleight drop when the enemy starts swinging the bridge about

[Karum]

There were maybe a few slight drops but what I meant by saying that imo there was zero difference is that it certainly by no means damaged the actual gameplay itself. I thought that overall it played virtually identical to the 360 version.

I wondered about the falling clocktower part myself and why it wasn't in the PS3 demo and there is a lot of stuff going on onscreen. I guess we'll see how it turns out when the game is released.

I haven't decided which version of the game I'm getting...I'll play each demo a few more times to see which controller I prefer playing it with. That's what will make up my mind I think.

[GrathiusXR]

Darksiders + God of War are both very similar games. 3rd person. Gore. massive enemies. huge scope. and mature. Bayonetta is more so DMC with a female protagonists but looks to be an awesome game..

Darksiders is a better game to semi-compare to GoW...

I'll be honest GoW will be good but to me It just didn't impress me as much as everyone has made out to be.. Again the guts thing was the same animation of the different enemies in the E3 Demo.. Same kill animation, same place where Kratos gutted the beast and that's it..

[nolifeking]

Was there a point in any of that?

[GrathiusXR]

I can't read your mind so I got no clue what you mean by that..

[Unicron]

Darksiders seems more Zelda than GoW.

[DecoyOctopus]

lol everybody knows this is crap when compared to god of war 3

[Perkel]

hate art direction.. looks like WoW :/

[Relientk77]

I hope this games good it looks like it has potential

[Guitardr85]

What's with calling this game the true God of War. Isn't God of War the true God of War since, you know, it ACUTALLY IS GOD OF WAR!?!

[emk2004]

while i agree that gow3 is fighting is basically the same why fix wats not broken. anyways darksiders looks like another clone and personally the graphics are underwhelming and the fighting still looks slow. ill put my money in a trusted brand.

[emk2004]

can u even really take this article seriously its like a bad joke.

for one god of war IS GOD OF WAR duh.

second its a website dedicated to the xbox of course there gona downplay a ps3 exclusive and say that it has been outdone.

[Chaos Striker]

Oh really? They downplay Ps3 exclusives? Is that why they reviewed Metal Gear Solid 4 and gave it a 9.9/10? How about the fact that they also reviewed Killzone 2 and gave it a 9.2/10.

So, with that said, I don't see any issues with this website. They obviously appreciate gaming for what it is (something you obviously don't see). It is only a title, and the author is trying to convey his opinion on the subject matter. I would like to see you write a cohesive and detailed preview like this.

On Topic** I've been interested in Darksiders since it was revealed a year or two ago. Hopefully we can get a demo for the game so we can see its different aspects and how it attempts to differentiate itself from others.

[XboxOZ360]

Thanks mate,

we're "gamers" first and fporemost at OXCGN. We all have multiple platforms to play and own variuos platforms and enjoy the games on EACH of them.

We simply have chosen one platform to devote our time to, especially on the site for one main reason.

I find that running a multiplatform site, and giving each platform the proper attention each would need would require dedicated staff on each level.

That is impossible unless it is a paid position, and one belonging to a major company. By focusing our attention on the Xbox platform, it's huge community and ever expanding library of games, we can at least deliver honest, and detailed information.

When we do get invited to Playstation and other events, we go, we're usually the ONLY other non playstation site at the events. We go because they are GAMES, and as "gamers" we are interested in them as GAMES.

Thanks for your kind words, and yes, those titles you mentioned were excellent games in their own right, irrespective of platform.

[GrathiusXR]

@emk2004: To be honest GoW has never really interested me as a title.. And never really made me tempted to buy a PS3 just for it or to play the previous entries in the franchise..

Darksiders on the other hand IMO has a much more interesting storyline and characters which having seen the opening cutscene & played 5 hours worth is a game I can see my self spending hours on and to know that the game get less linear as you progress is awesome..

@Chaos Striker: Cheers mate It's good to see some people actually read the article rather than the title and stereotypically presume things.

If other people actually took the time to read It they'll see that the only mention to GoW is the title and the 1st paragraph pretty much.

They would see that no where else in the article did i compare GoW to Darksiders.

[WLPowell]

So actual God of War = not interesting
but the knock off God of War = the real God of War

That totally makes sense /s

Saying you like it is fine, but when you have to knock the better game in the process, it looks unprofessional.

[GrathiusXR]

Correct: GoW = Not interested in but Darksiders = interested in!

Please can you point out where in the article I have knocked off GoW? Where have I blatantly and fanboy-isly stated GoW sucks and Darksiders rules.. No where..

My comparison to both games in the article have been minimal at best. GoW3 to me personally like I have stated already does not interest me as much as Darksiders..

I am yet to play a game which centers around the whole Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, all the intricate battle scenarios between Heaven/Hell and so forth..

GoW on the other hand I've been exposed to just to much of the ancient gods of this and that over my life for me to really be interested in that area of story..

Heaven/Hell/Apocalypse to me is much more interesting and can be explored into greater depth and a depth in which I am yet to really venture forth.

[_vx]

WoW meets Gears ,,, meh