Darksiders II

[LBzrule]

Re: Darksiders II

My copy is paid for. Can't wait to pick it up and get at it. Transformers comes out the week following which is cool too.

[Flawless]

Re: Darksiders II

Introducing Darksiders II: Nightmare Mode

As we continue to get closer to the launch of Darksiders II, we would like to reveal a new addition that will be included within Darksiders II, Today we would like to introduce the functionality of Nightmare Mode.

For those of you wanting additional challenge, Darksiders II will feature a Hardcore Difficulty which will unlock once you finish the main game. In this mode players have one life and if they lose it via a combat death they lose all saves associated with that playthrough and will have to start from scratch. This is a truly apocalyptic challenge for only the most skilled horsemen!

Keep in mind again that your save file is only reset if you die in combat, so things like falling deaths or getting killed by lava are not things that will reset your gameplay within Nightmare mode.

[aukevin]

Re: Darksiders II

Introducing Darksiders II: Nightmare Mode

No way I'll even attempt that! I'm afraid I'd break something if I died near the end of the game.

[DickDalewood]

Re: Darksiders II

Nightmare mode sounds absolutely awful. Haha

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Darksiders II

No way I'll even attempt that! I'm afraid I'd break something if I died near the end of the game.

Well forget that mode. LOL!

[jrider99]

Re: Darksiders II

My review copy arrived today. I'm still at the office so I haven't gotten to play yet, but I'll post some impressions later if anyone's interested.

[Candyman5]

Re: Darksiders II

How do you even get a chance to review games?

[jrider99]

Re: Darksiders II

How do you even get a chance to review games?

You mean me, personally, or just anyone in general?

[Candyman5]

Re: Darksiders II

You mean me, personally, or just anyone in general?

Well you but I also see a lot of others on here that do it.

[jrider99]

Re: Darksiders II

Well you but I also see a lot of others on here that do it.

I imagine it's different for everyone, but you have to have a passion for writing and a willingness to put in a lot of work. If you aren't looking to get into journalism as a career, there are plenty of websites out there looking for guys to write reviews -- just don't expect to get paid. It sucks, but it's a way to get your foot in the door.

If you're really interested in reviewing games, shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to help you out if I can, as I'm sure other guys on here would as well.

[jrider99]

Re: Darksiders II

So I was only able to play through the first stage (which is a glorified tutorial) and see the intro to the second stage but I have to say I'm really liking it so far.

The most impressive thing thus far has been the production values -- the visuals and accompanying music really set the tone for each stage. And the voicework is really strong so far, too.

Gameplay wise, it's hard to draw any conclusions from such a small sample size, but the controls are responsive and the animations are fluid during the platforming sequences. Those of you who love collecting loot will be happy to know that it's here in abundance, and there's an option to auto-collect your goodies if you want to save a little time.

I'm hoping to get to play some more today, but it may have to wait until tonight. I am looking forward to jumping back into the game and seeing where the story goes. I enjoyed the first Darksiders and see lots of potential in Darksiders II.

[jrider99]

Re: Darksiders II

More impressions after another hour or so of playing ...

I'm still on the first stage of the map (which is quite large, I might add).

I'm not sure if it's the melodic background music, sweeping environments or need for exploration, but the game has a real Zelda-like feel. And I'm OK with that.

Thanks to Death's more agile abilities, combat feels quicker and more fluid than the original Darksiders. It's still a hack-and-slash button masher, but Death has some wicked combos he can unleash. And that's a good thing because ...

The enemies don't necessarily scale to your level. The last 20 minutes of my playtime was spent fighting the same giant lizard-like creature that was guarding a treasure chest. I'm Level 2, the lizard was Level 5. It wasn't a mandatory fight, but I really wanted to see what was in that chest. Each hit took away roughly 2/3 of my health bar and I only had two health packs which refill about a fourth of your bar. Needless to say it wasn't pretty. After about a dozen futile attempts to make so much as a dent, I decided to go for broke one last time and made a mad dash toward the chest, opening it to discover a sweet set of scythes. The creature cut me down as soon as the chest opened.

Seeing what was in the chest made me even more determined to defeat this beast and claim what was mine. Since the direct approach wasn't working, I decided to settle in for the long haul and began hitting and moving, slowly whittling away its health bar. After what felt like 10 solid minutes of sticking and moving, I celebrated as the beast fell at my blades.

Like a conquering hero, I walked to the treasure chest ready to claim my spoils, a new set of pimped-out scythes. But instead of scythes, I was rewarded with some crappy armor that was worse than what I had already equipped. It would have been funny ... except that it wasn't. Apparently loot drops are random....

I had to shut it down after that, but my second play session left me impressed. I'm having fun with the gameplay and the voice acting and presentation continues to be off-the-charts good. Hopefully it can continue what has been a very solid start.

[mgoblue678]

Re: Darksiders II

Thanks for the impressions, sounds good. Would you say that it is better than the first Darksiders so far?

[jrider99]

Re: Darksiders II

Thanks for the impressions, sounds good. Would you say that it is better than the first Darksiders so far?

Honestly I haven't played enough to say it's better/worse than the original. All I know is that I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm looking forward to playing some more tonight.

[jrider99]

Re: Darksiders II

On a side note, if any of you guys are picking this up for the 360, I'll probably be able to provide some gear through the Tome system if you're interested.