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DARKSIDERS |OT| More like Zelda than God of War

Just finished the game, felt the game kind of dragged on at the end, but I felt that the combat, puzzles and story were enough to push me through. For some reason a game about one of the four horsemen intrigued me a lot, and if they taught that in church, I might go more often. ;)

It was a great mix of zelda and god of war and the
portal gun added for some great puzzles

Definitely worth the 10$ I paid for it on steam. And yeah it sucks it doesn't have video options, but it still looks and plays great on PC.
 

Andrew.

Banned
This game is awesome. There are parts of the game that are totally like zelda and there are parts that are grueling and tough like in GOW. totally LOVE this game. Just wish i had found more "hearts" by now
 

Asuma01

Neo Member
most of the really cool enhancements you dont get until the very end of the game... and by that time you are done basically. I had fun with it but it drug a bit towards the end running all over the place to complete a certain quest.

would be neat if they could work in a 4 man coop mode some how in the later sequels.
 

Chris R

Member
Just started playing this today on my pc. Loads of fun but I'm wondering about a few things.

Are there any more graphics settings that I can change other than resolution???
And
I was getting insane video studdering during the cutscenes. Is this common? A known problem with an easy fix?
 

Servizio

I don't really need a tag, but I figured I'd get one to make people jealous. Is it working?
rhfb said:
Just started playing this today on my pc. Loads of fun but I'm wondering about a few things.

Are there any more graphics settings that I can change other than resolution???
And
I was getting insane video studdering during the cutscenes. Is this common? A known problem with an easy fix?

Never experienced any stuttering on the cutscenes. How's your framerate in general?

Do you have an nVidia card? You can use NVIDIA Inspector to force Antialiasing way up.

I've got these settings, for instance:
Antialiasing - Mode: Override any application setting
Antialiasing - Setting: 8x [8x CSAA(4 color + 4 cv samples)]
Antialiasing - Transparency Multisampling: Enabled
Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling: 4x Supersampling

And Triple buffering enabled under Common. Remember to turn v-synch off in game if you turn that on.

...And this isn't really helpful for your problems or if you have an AMD card. Woops.
 
Best Zelda-style game of this generation.

I'm actually more excited for Darksiders 2 than I am for Skyward Sword. It made that much of an impression on me.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
I finally sat down with this after picking it up for $5 and I'm absolutely loving it. I actually own the PS3 version as well, but I lost my saves after a system crash and I simply couldn't put up with the poor framerate and image quality. On the PC at 60 fps with beautiful image quality, the visuals actually shine.

Once you get through the first couple of hours, the Zelda roots become readily apparent and the game starts to take off. Honestly, I've been playing through Ocarina of Time recently as well and I'm kind of enjoying Darksiders more. I've only played part of OoT in the past, and I can understand why it made the impression it did in 1998, but in 2011, I think Darksiders is the better game.

Can't wait to jump back into it.
 
Question - I have the 360 version already, thinking about getting the PC hellbook edition - does it at any time require you to connect to the internet, as my gaming PC isn't and never will be connected to the internet.
 
The Antitype said:
Best Zelda-style game of this generation..

I'm a bit behind in Zelda games. How much would my enjoyment of them be impinged if I was to play this first? I've read some reviews stating that some the puzzles were plagiarized from Zelda games (ie they were identical).

Also are there any differences between PS3 and Xbox 360?
 

daviyoung

Banned
Para bailar La Bomba said:
I've read some reviews stating that some the puzzles were plagiarized from Zelda games (ie they were identical).

The puzzles in pretty much all Zelda games are identical. You'll be fine.

If you can, get it for PC as it's $5. Otherwise there's no difference between Xbox/PS3 so whichever controller best suits you.
 

Sydle

Member
Para bailar La Bomba said:
I'm a bit behind in Zelda games. How much would my enjoyment of them be impinged if I was to play this first? I've read some reviews stating that some the puzzles were plagiarized from Zelda games (ie they were identical).

Also are there any differences between PS3 and Xbox 360?

I don't recall any puzzles being identical to Zelda (I've played all the console games only; no portable). In any case, I don't know why that would be a bad thing.

No differences between the PS3 and 360.
 
I also bought this from steam or 5$ and started playing this past weekend, so far I am liking it a lot, the game starts more like GoW type of game and then after a few hours it starts to resemble more a Zelda game, camera can be a pain in the ass sometimes and while you get a lot of different weapons I always go for my trusty sword so the combat can get monotonous at times.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Para bailar La Bomba said:
I'm a bit behind in Zelda games. How much would my enjoyment of them be impinged if I was to play this first? I've read some reviews stating that some the puzzles were plagiarized from Zelda games (ie they were identical).

Also are there any differences between PS3 and Xbox 360?
If you have a decent PC, get the PC version. The higher resolution and 60 fps framerate make a huge difference. The console versions are both choppy and blurry in comparison.
 

PooBone

Member
H.Cornerstone said:
Just finished the game, felt the game kind of dragged on at the end, but I felt that the combat, puzzles and story were enough to push me through. For some reason a game about one of the four horsemen intrigued me a lot, and if they taught that in church, I might go more often. ;)

LOL WTF!?
 
dark10x said:
If you have a decent PC, get the PC version. The higher resolution and 60 fps framerate make a huge difference. The console versions are both choppy and blurry in comparison.

I wish. My "decent" PC is a Mac but rejoining the Master Race is on the agenda.

So I guess the console versions are running at 30fps, right?

Thanks for all your responses guys.
 
Para bailar La Bomba said:
I'm a bit behind in Zelda games. How much would my enjoyment of them be impinged if I was to play this first? I've read some reviews stating that some the puzzles were plagiarized from Zelda games (ie they were identical).

Also are there any differences between PS3 and Xbox 360?
I didn't really find anything plagiarized, just heavily inspired. And Zelda is awesome so whatever. Just play and enjoy the game, don't worry about how much it compares to it's inspiration.

As for differences between the HD Consoles: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/xbox-360-vs-ps3-face-off-round-24?page=2
 

MadOdorMachine

No additional functions
I'm finally getting around to playing this game and I'm near the end, but I'm having a hard time using one of the sub-weapons on a boss. I just acquired the
portal gun and I'm fighting a golem. I've gone on YouTube and GameFAQs to see how to beat this guy and I understand that you're supposed to use the portals to give you momentum to jump up and land on top of the golem and attack him. The problem is that I'm unable to figure out how to gain momentum. I've tried just walking over a portal, jumping on one, dashing into one, jumping and then landing on one and every time I come out of the other side, it's not high enough to get the top of the golem. When I'm coming out of a portal it's like my jump/ascension is abruptly stopped - like hitting a gravity wall.
Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong.
 

Miau

Neo Member
MadOdorMachine said:
I'm finally getting around to playing this game and I'm near the end, but I'm having a hard time using one of the sub-weapons on a boss. I just acquired the
portal gun and I'm fighting a golem. I've gone on YouTube and GameFAQs to see how to beat this guy and I understand that you're supposed to use the portals to give you momentum to jump up and land on top of the golem and attack him. The problem is that I'm unable to figure out how to gain momentum. I've tried just walking over a portal, jumping on one, dashing into one, jumping and then landing on one and every time I come out of the other side, it's not high enough to get the top of the golem. When I'm coming out of a portal it's like my jump/ascension is abruptly stopped - like hitting a gravity wall.
Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong.

You have to charge your portal shot so you can jump higher.
 

MadOdorMachine

No additional functions
Miau said:
You have to charge your portal shot so you can jump higher.
Thank you. I've got it now. It's a bit annoying that they make you do that though. I'm really like the game so far and I can see why it's getting all the praise. It's a few minor things like this holding the game back from really being great though. Hopefully they fix this in the sequel.
 

Miau

Neo Member
MadOdorMachine said:
Thank you. I've got it now. It's a bit annoying that they make you do that though. I'm really like the game so far and I can see why it's getting all the praise. It's a few minor things like this holding the game back from really being great though. Hopefully they fix this in the sequel.

Yeah I had the exact same problem, only after watching a Youtube walkthrough I realized what I had to do.
 

Zoibie

Member
I really liked Darksiders and nearly completed it but stopped before the end mainly because there were other games coming out at that time and I didn't follow any of the story. Can someone recap the story a bit? IIRC, I'd just got to the part where
you gain the ability to see the shadow world or something like that. Edit: seems like I have to find 7 shards of the armageddon blade and I've found 1.
 
MadOdorMachine said:
It's a few minor things like this holding the game back from really being great though.
What? How is that a problem with the game? They teach you how to use the charged shots from the moment you get the item, it's up to you to figure out how to utilize it. I don't see a problem with that scenario at all.
 

MadOdorMachine

No additional functions
Barrow Roll said:
What? How is that a problem with the game? They teach you how to use the charged shots from the moment you get the item, it's up to you to figure out how to utilize it. I don't see a problem with that scenario at all.
I don't remember that and that's a problem with some games. Once you set it down for a day or two, you forget how to use a certain item or where you were supposed to go next. Besides, what's the point in making you charge it? It's unnecessary and an added frustration for something that should be automatic. It also won't let you shoot portals if you're locked onto an enemy.

Blocking and combat in general could use some fine tuning. It just seems like outside of the main controls there's a bit of archaic disorder to things. You're not really encouraged to use magic. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the game, it just needs some fine tuning imo.
 
MadOdorMachine said:
I don't remember that and that's a problem with some games. Once you set it down for a day or two, you forget how to use a certain item or where you were supposed to go next. Besides, what's the point in making you charge it? It's unnecessary and an added frustration for something that should be automatic. It also won't let you shoot portals if you're locked onto an enemy.

Blocking and combat in general could use some fine tuning. It just seems like outside of the main controls there's a bit of archaic disorder to things. You're not really encouraged to use magic. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the game, it just needs some fine tuning imo.
The controls is definitely what irks me the most about this game. Like you said, the blocking is pretty damn shitty for example. Also, aiming sucks. Why am I controlling the sight as if I'm playing the game with a wiimote instead of controlling the camera like every other game that uses a regular controller?

Other than those two the controls are ok. It's mostly the camera that is kind of poor, but overall it's not too bad.

I'm not done with the game yet, but I don't really understand the praise it gets. It's an ok game, but not much more, imo. I only paid €5 for it on Steam, and I'm having fairly fun most of the time. Some parts have been pretty boring, but nothing that has made me quit the game, and it gets easier and easier so I'll most likely finish it. It's a decent game worth playing through while I'm waiting for Xenoblade Chronicles to arrive next week.
 

Massa

Member
I beat the game without blocking at all in combat, heh.

The game is good. I'm excited for the sequel, from where they're going with it I think it could be a great game.
 
Massa said:
I beat the game without blocking at all in combat, heh.

The game is good. I'm excited for the sequel, from where they're going with it I think it could be a great game.

Likewise. I just dodged a lot and used the invincibility frames from the finisher moves. Plus I found every skull and wrath core, so my life-bar was kind of insane.
 
MadOdorMachine said:
I don't remember that and that's a problem with some games. Once you set it down for a day or two, you forget how to use a certain item or where you were supposed to go next. Besides, what's the point in making you charge it? It's unnecessary and an added frustration for something that should be automatic. It also won't let you shoot portals if you're locked onto an enemy.

Blocking and combat in general could use some fine tuning. It just seems like outside of the main controls there's a bit of archaic disorder to things. You're not really encouraged to use magic. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the game, it just needs some fine tuning imo.
Doesn't it explain all of the abilities of each item in detail when you look it up in the menu? I believe it's like a button click away. I don't know, I feel like that would be akin to getting mad at Zelda because you forgot that the boomerang can target up to 5 things which is essential to certain puzzles. The game told you how to do it so seems kind of on you at that point, as long as the information on how to do said ability is easily accessible.

And if I recall correctly, there are portals you need to exit without the momentum boost to land on a platform.

I won't argue with you about combat, it could certainly use some fine-tuning. Blocking is pretty shit so you're better off just dashing around to dodge. It seems weird to me that after you dash, even though you're still holding the block button, War just stops blocking.
 
I got this during Labor Day sale, played a bit until the Shadow Lurkers. Any tips for Apocalyptic? Should I focus on upgrading a particular weapon (I can buy a scythe)?

I like how you can look around and find all sort of nifty hidden items (got 2 life cores this way already).
 

MadOdorMachine

No additional functions
Castor Krieg said:
I got this during Labor Day sale, played a bit until the Shadow Lurkers. Any tips for Apocalyptic? Should I focus on upgrading a particular weapon (I can buy a scythe)?

I like how you can look around and find all sort of nifty hidden items (got 2 life cores this way already).
You're probably better off focusing on building up the scythe to be honest. You'll have to use it as your main weapon though since you'll need it's increased power later. I rarely used magic either. In hind sight, it seemed like a waste to put any money into it.
 
The camera can be janky, as well as dodging but it's far from game breaking.

I started playing this game again this weekend. When it first came out I got to the very last quest but work kept me from finishing it.

Awesome game, just as fun as I remembered. Can't wait for the sequel.
 

Des0lar

will learn eventually
Castor Krieg said:
I got this during Labor Day sale, played a bit until the Shadow Lurkers. Any tips for Apocalyptic? Should I focus on upgrading a particular weapon (I can buy a scythe)?

I like how you can look around and find all sort of nifty hidden items (got 2 life cores this way already).
Never used ansthing beyond the Chaos Sword. It's really good, upgrade the "lance thrust"'or how it's called first. You can dodge and inflict damage at the same time. Also the "baseball hit" (lol) is really good for throwing people off cliffs (instakill)
 
I'm currently at the 3rd "section" of the Portal area, and it's grating on me a bit. It just feels so long. Mix in the annoying enemies that start appearing more frequently, and just ughhhh. It's not difficult or anything just a little annoying. I have a feeling that if the combat was more Bayonetta and less God Of War in terms of the dodge mechanic, the awkward blocking, enemy attack "warnings," and hit stun from player attacks, I'd be having a better time.

In the end though it's been a damn good experience up till that point, but Darksiders 2 can be something really special if they tighten the combat and address pacing issues. Pacing more so because The Black Throne...just ughhhh, nosedive in fun factor.
 
Honestly, you can pretty much break the game by focusing all your Wrath points on that last wrath ability, Affliction.

The green tendrils keep enemies at bay, they do insane damage as you level it up, and the hits go toward your combo meter, so you get more currency out of every battle.
 
The Antitype said:
Honestly, you can pretty much break the game by focusing all your Wrath points on that last wrath ability, Affliction.

The green tendrils keep enemies at bay, they do insane damage as you level it up, and the hits go toward your combo meter, so you get more currency out of every battle.

Yeah, I think I'm on Affliction Level 3, and it helps, but the bigger enemies and those disappearing things whose names escapes me are so annoying. They're both damage sponges, and their attack indicators are almost nonexistent. Stuff like that is what separates solid combat mechanics (Darksiders, God Of War, Dante's Inferno, Castlevania: LoS) and God tier stuff like Bayonetta, and DMC3.
 
Effffffffff the last 5 hours of this game OMG so tedious. I just want to finish this only because I'm so close to the end. Ughhhh, what a nosedive from the first 10 hours.

Any dev looking for ways to pad out the length of your game, look no further than Darksiders. From the tedium that was The Black Throne to boring damage sponge fights LITTERED across everywhere you go, to a FETCH QUEST. Jesus, talk about the worst possible pacing ever.
 
Net_Wrecker said:
Yeah, I think I'm on Affliction Level 3, and it helps, but the bigger enemies and those disappearing things whose names escapes me are so annoying. They're both damage sponges, and their attack indicators are almost nonexistent. Stuff like that is what separates solid combat mechanics (Darksiders, God Of War, Dante's Inferno, Castlevania: LoS) and God tier stuff like Bayonetta, and DMC3.

Oh, the wraiths? If you hit them with a charged-up glave (or boomerang, whatever), so that it keeps spinning at it hits them, it keeps them locked in place. They can't warp away. Helped alot.


Net_Wrecker said:
Effffffffff the last 5 hours of this game OMG so tedious. I just want to finish this only because I'm so close to the end. Ughhhh, what a nosedive from the first 10 hours.

Any dev looking for ways to pad out the length of your game, look no further than Darksiders. From the tedium that was The Black Throne to boring damage sponge fights LITTERED across everywhere you go, to a FETCH QUEST. Jesus, talk about the worst possible pacing ever.

Memory is a little fuzzy on the fetch-quest, but don't they mark exactly where you need to go on the map? And the warp tunnels make it pretty quick. But I agree, I don't know why they bothered to include THAT homage to Zelda.

As for the Black Throne... what did you find so boring about it?
 
Net_Wrecker said:
Effffffffff the last 5 hours of this game OMG so tedious. I just want to finish this only because I'm so close to the end. Ughhhh, what a nosedive from the first 10 hours.

Any dev looking for ways to pad out the length of your game, look no further than Darksiders. From the tedium that was The Black Throne to boring damage sponge fights LITTERED across everywhere you go, to a FETCH QUEST. Jesus, talk about the worst possible pacing ever.
They learn from the best. :\

Same thing happened when I played Wind Waker for the first time. I never had patience for fetch quests when I was younger and I never like the final dungeon in Zelda games. I play for the exploration and the fun, not to rescue some dumb princess.
 
The Antitype said:
Memory is a little fuzzy on the fetch-quest, but don't they mark exactly where you need to go on the map? And the warp tunnels make it pretty quick. But I agree, I don't know why they bothered to include THAT homage to Zelda.

As for the Black Throne... what did you find so boring about it?

Yeah they mark them, but just the act of having to go back to all of these places after The Black Throne is the perfect storm of soul crushing boredom.

And the Black Throne was TOO looooooong. The game was progressing at a nice pace before that but then you get the portal thing and they make you go through those puzzle sequences 3 TIMES zzzzzzzzzz. Mix in all the damage sponge enemies on the first 2 levels and the game came to a screeching halt. I thought they took all the right parts of Zelda and cut the fat only to find that they just stuffed all the fat into this fatty 5 hour block of GOTDAMN FAT.
 
Net_Wrecker said:
Yeah they mark them, but just the act of having to go back to all of these places after The Black Throne is the perfect storm of soul crushing boredom.

And the Black Throne was TOO looooooong. The game was progressing at a nice pace before that but then you get the portal thing and they make you go through those puzzle sequences 3 TIMES zzzzzzzzzz. Mix in all the damage sponge enemies on the first 2 levels and the game came to a screeching halt. I thought they took all the right parts of Zelda and cut the fat only to find that they just stuffed all the fat into this fatty 5 hour block of GOTDAMN FAT.

Fair enough. I didn't remember it being that long, but sometimes a game just hits a note for you and the hours just fly by, you don't even realize how long you're in the same area or doing the same shit.

I played the HELL out of Darksiders. Got the Abysmal Armor (which looks BADASS) and full life/wrath, all without a guide. I was just sucked in, completely.

Same kind of thing is happening to me now with Deus Ex. I'm not even noticing the janky shooting mechanics or bad facial animation anymore, just totally immersed in the world, obsessed with uncovering everything.
 
The Antitype said:
Fair enough. I didn't remember it being that long, but sometimes a game just hits a note for you and the hours just fly by, you don't even realize how long you're in the same area or doing the same shit.

I played the HELL out of Darksiders. Got the Abysmal Armor (which looks BADASS) and full life/wrath, all without a guide. I was just sucked in, completely.

Same kind of thing is happening to me now with Deus Ex. I'm not even noticing the janky shooting mechanics or bad facial animation anymore, just totally immersed in the world, obsessed with uncovering everything.

Nothing was mechanically bad with those 5 hours so I wouldn't say someone was wrong in loving the game start to finish, but had they significantly cut down these last 4-5 hours down, the game would've been SO much better for it. And that's coming from someone who won't hesitate to call a game out if it's short. The pacing was just all types of wrong.
 

ArjanN

Member
The black throne dungeon was a bit too long, and it would probably be nice if in the sequel there's a bit more to the overworld. (which I think there is)

I had no problem with the "fetch quest" that took only like half an hour and it was kind of neat to visit the different areas one last time before you go to the endgame.
 

Sagitario

Member
Well, I loved The Black Throne :p

Why don't I remember the Affliction ability? D:

I'll probably replay this before Darksiders II hits. Is there a New Game+?
 

AndyD

aka andydumi
Sagitario said:
Well, I loved The Black Throne :p

Why don't I remember the Affliction ability? D:

I'll probably replay this before Darksiders II hits. Is there a New Game+?

Same here, that was one I never even bought I think. I preferred to level up the others instead.
 

johnsmith

remember me
What a piece of shit game. I just got the mask of shadows bug. I assign it to a slot but no matter how much I press it I can't equip it to proceed. Now my only option is to start over.

At least I'm close to the ending. Thank god for youtube.

I hate game ending bugs so much. Same kind of thing kept me from ever beating Metroid Prime 3 too.
 
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