Title: Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition
Version Tested: Xbox One
Available On: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Developer: Gunfire Games, Vigil Games
Publisher: Nordic Games
Genre: Action Role-Playing
Official Site: Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Where to Buy: PSN, Xbox Live, Steam, Major Retailers
Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition is a remastered version of the original Darksiders which was originally released in 2012. The new release brings the old tale with some new bells and whistles for the next gen consoles. Here the player will take on the role of Death as the story runs parallel to the events in the original Darksiders game. Death is the most feared of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and has set out on a quest to redeem his brother, War, who has been blamed for prematurely starting the Apocalypse in the original Darksiders. In this hack ‘n slash adventure Death will traverse various environments and combat enemies with various ranged and melee attacks. Death, of course, has his huge iconic scythe as his main weapon but will also be able to Dual-wield other weapons and find and upgrade various pieces of armor throughout the game.
I have to admit that I have never played the original Darksiders game so going into this review I was very unfamiliar with the story and gameplay. I did however immediately pick up on a familiar tone upon hearing the voice of Death. This was no doubt a voice I’ve heard before. It turns out that Death is voiced by Michael Wincott, who is from one of my favorite movies “The Crow.” Needless to say Mr. Wincott brings a great performance to Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition. This version looks great with it running in native 1080p resolution. It also has an improved graphic render engine and the level, character and environment graphics have been reworked and improved as well.
When it comes to Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition, I personally found the story enjoyable. Since I had never played the original I went back and looked at some of the reviews from 2012 with a few saying the story wasn’t great. Is the story here a defining moment in the video game industry? No, but it’s still a great story for a video game. When I play a game I want to be thrown into all sorts of fantasy worlds and interacting with all sorts of characters. I want something that invokes my imagination and entertains me. I think too often in the game and movie industry reviewers find themselves subjected to finding every little loophole and dissecting the dialogue like a frog from high school science class. The story and characters here are entertaining, not to mention the environments which are reminiscent of heaven and hell.
One of the other great features about Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition is that all DLC is included and integrated into this release of the game. If you’re a perfect completionist like me, meaning you like to complete all the side quests in addition to the main story, you’ll easily get about 30 hours of play out of the campaign. This also makes replay-ability a notable plus given a number of side quests, vast open worlds to explore as well as a full leveling system and skill tree that the player is able to upgrade death with. There are also practically endless combinations for equipment that can be used. You’ll never be short on weapons here either as they are plentiful when you’re able to pick them up from fallen enemies. Many weapons will be considered throwaways as they will not be stronger than the one you will most likely have equipped already. The best thing to do is save it and sell it off when you come across a merchant in the game.
The style of play in Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition is a fast paced hack ‘n slash style similar to Devil May Cry and God of War. The character of Death is very nimble and can perform different feats such as wall running, climbing and aerial attacks. These feats are also integrated into completing various puzzles throughout your journey. Most of the puzzles are fairly easy to solve although the wall running and transitioning from one wall to another took me a short time to get used to and tested my patience here and there. As you advance through the game, Death will be able to unlock new abilities through the skill tree and new moves by purchasing them with in-game currency. My personal favorite is the Necromancer side of the skill tree, enabling you to summon the undead to fight alongside you.
Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition does have some issues but none that prevent it from being a great holiday gift or something worth your time. During my playthrough, I had some issues with pixelation on characters and finding myself stuck behind some invisible barrier by a tree or a crack in the ground. Thankfully the autosave feature in this game will not leave you far from an area you may become stuck in or die. If you have played the original in its entirety then this edition most likely won’t be worth the revisit. If you have missed out on the original, however, this is easily the best version of the game for you to dive into Death’s journey.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXADwY5Vni4[/embedyt]
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- Gameplay: Fast-paced hack n slash style and puzzle solving. Fun formula, not nothing really new here
- Graphics: Best version of the game running in 1080p, reworked character, level and environment graphics
- Sound: Solid voice acting and sound all around
- Presentation: Fantastic open world environment with fun combat and an engaging story. Only minor glitches here and there.
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