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Impressions: Darksiders takes a stab at Portal, Panzer Dragoon

by Randy Nelson { Nov 6th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Former X-Men, Battle Chasers and Ultimates artist Joe Madueira and his team at Vigil Games are drawing closer to realizing the celebrated illustrator's dream of making his own video game, Darksiders. We've seen the apocalyptic action-adventure a few times in the past, and its similarities to games such as the 3D Zeldas, God of War and, in some ways, Devil May Cry are still obvious in the latest build.

There were some new elements for publisher THQ to show off, though, like War's range of attacks. For instance, the Apocalypse Horseman can throw his cross blade into a source of time-slowing magic energy and have it return, momentarily giving him an advantage over a group of scurrying spider enemies.

Undoubtedly, the most interesting new tidbits we saw were obvious tributes to two of gaming's most hallowed franchises: Portal and Panzer Dragoon.

Gallery: Darksiders (11-06-09)

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New Darksiders trailer unleashes Mayhem, sore throats

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 4th 2009 at 11:15AM }

You might become entranced by the grandiose visuals featured in the latest trailer for Darksiders, which we've posted above -- however, don't let your sense of sight get you too distracted from the video's sounds. It might be too soon to say, but it looks like Darksiders could be the most gravelly-voiced video game in the history of the industry. Seriously, even the woman briefly featured in the above trailer makes Solid Snake sound like Dakota Fanning.

Check out the trailer, but keep in mind that it comes to us from the mysterious land of Europe, explaining the release date of "08/01/2010" which appears at the end of the video. See, they do dates backwards in that continent. Just like they do democracy.

Darksiders slides release date to Jan. 5, 2010

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 20th 2009 at 10:00AM }

THQ's Darksiders has shifted its North American release date from New Year's Day to Tuesday, January 5, 2010. The game will ride into Europe and Asia on January 7 and 8, respectively.

In preparation for the launch on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Darksiders has revealed a new website. Expect to hear more about the game after the Modern Warfare 2 fallout dissipates a little. We also feel the need to remind you of the key words Darksiders usually evokes: God of War; Legend of Zelda; Evil Horsies.

Seen@PAX: Joystiq's Kevin Kelly hurts himself on Darksider's horse

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 4th 2009 at 6:15PM }

Some people were born to survive eight seconds of horse-astride glory unscathed -- Joystiq's Kevin Kelly is not one of these people. THQ's enormous Darksiders booth at PAX contains one of the neatest displays on the show floor -- a mechanical bull in the shape of the game's appropriately dark steed, Ruin. In a startling act of bravado, Kevin mounted the horse and subjected himself to its cruel, violent bucking. The results of this equine experiment are posted after the jump.

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'New THQ' hires old Midway exec to head Darksiders marketing

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 28th 2009 at 10:30AM }

THQ has hired, as MCV puts it, "popular Midway exec Mark Cook" as marketing manager for UK and Europe. Cook will head the marketing campaign for Darksiders, which will cover seven months and form part of the company's new strategy to get the word out about its games earlier.

The "new THQ" has been on a roll recently with hits like UFC: Undisputed and Red Faction: Guerrilla. With a January 2010 release planned, Darksiders has plenty of time to build hype -- and believers.

Darksiders CG trailer has demons, flaming horse

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 21st 2009 at 5:25PM }

You should know this: The Darksiders CG trailer embedded above is awesome. "But it's a CG trailer," you say, "it should in no way be used to judge actual gameplay." And you're absolutely right, of course. Then again, we already know the gameplay is pretty solid. But forget all of that right now.

All you really need to know is that this trailer features War – one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – killing the hell out of a bunch of demons. Oh, and he rides a badass flaming horse. That's it. That's all you need to know.

THQ moving Vigil studios to new office

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 24th 2009 at 1:00AM }

Along with working on two major current-gen games in Darksiders: Wrath of War and a Warhammer: 40K MMO, THQ-owned Vigil Games is packing up its stuff and moving to a brand new 33,000-square foot studio in another part of Austin, TX. Unsurprisingly, in confirming the move to Kotaku, THQ reiterates its desire to attract new employees as development ramps up on the aforementioned titles.

Though the move was likely decided well before UFC 2009 Undisputed hit store shelves -- and quickly went flying right off those same shelves -- the 1.01 million unit sales of the game couldn't hurt the moving situation. Plusher couches at the new offices, perhaps? If it happens, remember: you heard it here first!

Gallery: Darksiders

E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jun 12th 2009 at 11:45AM }

E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted.

We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.

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Joe Madureira kicks fans of Battle Chasers in the heart via Darksiders

by Kevin Kelly { Jun 10th 2009 at 3:00AM }

During our hands-on experience with Darksiders, Joe Madureira joked that he could hide all of Battle Chasers #10 throughout the game. Cruel, Madureira, cruel. If you're a fan of the comic, then you'll know that issue has been a long time coming. Like eight years long. Eight. very. long. years. Even at the glacial pace the book was used to, that's been more than enough time to finish the series.

We asked Madureira if there would be any hidden easter eggs featuring his artwork through the game, and he joked "Yeah, actually Battle Chasers #10 is scattered throughout the levels! Maybe I can finish it before the game comes out." We won't hold our breath, Joe. But seriously, when this game goes gold, please think about returning to the drawing board and putting that thing to bed. We'd love to read it.

Hands-on: Darksiders (Xbox 360. PS3)

by David Hinkle { Jun 4th 2009 at 9:00AM }

Vigil Studios' Darksiders is a game that was nothing short of surprising at E3. With barely any marketing behind it, the game has been under many a radar. Well, consider that no more, because we ripped the lid right off this sucker, and found a highly enjoyable melange of gameplay inside.

Gallery: Darksiders

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Mark Hamill signs on for Darksiders

by David Hinkle { Jun 4th 2009 at 12:15AM }

Our time spent with Darksiders' creative director Joe Madureira yielded more than a confirmation of release date and a demo, as we noticed a familiar voice ringing out through our play session. As fellow Joystiq staffer Kevin Kelly raised an eyebrow, we both realized who it was: Mark Hamill. Voicing The Watcher, a demon locked in protagonist War's gauntlet, his voice is unmistakable. Madureira proceeded to confirm our suspicion, stating, "Yeah, we got Mark Hamill."

Indeed, you did, and we consider it a massive victory.

Darksiders will ring in the new year, get demo

by Kevin Kelly { Jun 3rd 2009 at 9:43PM }

Joe Madureira, creator and founder of Vigil Studios, told us during our hands-on with the action adventure Darksiders (which seems to have dropped its Wrath of War subtitle) that the game will have a January 1st release date in 2010. "We figure it's a good time," Madureira said, "Everyone will be at home, and it's a good time to play games."

They also plan on releasing a demo on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network before the holiday period. "We want to remind everyone that there will be a good reason to hang onto their gift cards." Nothing says Happy New Year like Auld Lang Syne, champagne, and reaping the souls of the undead. Keep checking back for our report on the game, which is looking shiny.

Heaven and Hell fight for Earth in Darksiders trailer

by David Hinkle { May 20th 2009 at 8:00PM }

It's been a while since the last time we saw THQ's Darksiders: Wrath of War and we must admit, we like what we see in this latest trailer. It's certainly a novel idea to choose a protagonist that's "War" itself, taking on both the forces of Heaven and Hell. Plus, War, as in the Horseman of the Apocalypse, happens to wield a sword that's arguably as big as the horse he's riding. One word for you: badass.

Gallery: Darksiders

THQ already planning sequels to unreleased games

by Ben Gilbert { Apr 1st 2009 at 8:55PM }

THQ may not be doing so well financially, but the company doesn't want you to think it's down and out. In fact, it wants you to know it's planning for the future -- the distant future even! Announcing projected titles for the fiscal year ending 2012 (that's April 1, 2011 - March 31, 2012, folks) like Darksiders 2 and Red Faction 4, the company clearly hasn't written itself off yet. Hell, it's projecting titles that are still unproven intellectual properties!

Filed away in the middle of a more than a month-old investor's report, GameSpot found a slide revealing four full years of projected THQ releases. Though the slide notes, "Release schedule subject to change," we were shocked enough to learn the company's planning sequels to games that have yet to be released. For THQ's investor's sakes, let's hope Darksiders and Red Faction: Guerrilla turn out to be the cash cows the company apparently anticipates them to be.

[Via GameSpot]

THQ's new strategy is to make a few 'core' titles yearly

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 13th 2008 at 4:43PM }

THQ CEO Brian Farrell has revealed that the company plans to only release one or two hardcore titles as part of its "significant business realignment." According to Gamespot, Farrell stated at a recent conference that the new model would cut the publisher's previous development expectations in half and focus on quality over quantity.

Don't expect to see the changes until at least 2010. THQ already has four core titles set for 2009: Red Faction: Guerilla, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2, Darksiders: Wrath of War and Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor. Saints Row 3 could become one of those two 2010 titles, considering the game is currently in development.