Game Day: After the end of the world
The character War, one of the Four Horsemen, is blamed for the apocalypse at the outset of "Darksiders."
As ludicrous in its own way as the recent "Bayonetta," "Darksiders" likewise revolves around a battle between the forces of heaven and hell.
But instead of being on one side or the other, the player, as the apocalyptic Horseman War, is caught in the middle. Someone has summoned War too soon for the end of the world, but end it does, and the blame is pinned on him.
The Charred Council, a circle of stone faces that keeps the balance between the forces of good and evil – and for whom the four Horsemen work – is not happy. The council sends the weakened War back to the now-ruined and demon-infested Earth to battle demons and angels and try to clear his name.
"Darksiders" is a pastiche, drawing bits and pieces from successful games that have come before and smooshing them together. It isn't the best-looking game, nor is it very original, but all that it does, it does well.
The exaggerated style of the characters calls to mind the designs of Blizzard's games, for example. War himself looks a bit like the Death Knight Arthas in "WarCraft III" crossed with the Blood Elves. Huge creatures and massive enemies abound, all with a distinctive look.
The combat borrows aspects from the "God of War," "Devil May Cry" and even the "Legend of Zelda" series, with War able to combine attacks from his great sword, Chaoseater, and a couple of sub-weapons, a giant scythe and a hefty gauntlet. Each weapon can be assigned an enhancement, such as Hellfire or Bloodthirst, to boost its effectiveness.
Wrath abilities are powerful special moves that War can employ when he has gathered enough yellow souls; the Blade Geyser does about what it sounds like, and Affliction summons demons and spirits against War's foes. He'll gain a number of passive abilities as well, such as shadowy wings, a monstrous Chaos Form and the ability to summon his great steed, Ruin.
War eventually gathers a selection of useful tools, some similar to those Link might find in a "Zelda" game – the Abyssal Chain can latch onto enemies and objects, the Crossblade can be thrown at multiple targets, the Earthcaller horn blasts enemies backward and opens certain gateways. The lock-on mechanism in combat also feels a lot like that in most 3-D "Zelda" games, allowing the camera to center on a single foe while War maneuvers around and attacks it at will.
All these borrowed elements, and more, combine to make an entertaining whole.
Picks and Pans
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, 2 stars
In "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers," players take the role of Layle, one of the few Crystal Bearers of the world.
The young Layle – an outcast, like others of his kind – works as a mercenary. On an escort job, the airship he's protecting is attacked by one of a presumed-extinct race of beings, the Yukes.
The "Crystal Bearers" graphics are great, but the game play isn't as good as the looks. That's a shame, because the game has some neat ideas.
A crystal embedded in Layle's cheek allows him to control the powers of gravity magic; he can grab and manipulate objects, slow his fall, pull himself to distant objects, throw switches and so on. These actions are mainly controlled with movements of the Wii Remote.
Occasionally the player must engage in a mini-game, such as blasting attacking enemies with a gun or steering a failing airship through canyons.
Layle's main mode of attack is grabbing a foe and throwing it, or throwing something else at an enemy, but aiming these throws isn't very accurate. A poor camera and a useless world map make navigating the game's pretty locations a pain.
Nintendo Wii; $49.99 • Age rating: Teen
Dark Void Zero, 3 stars
"Dark Void" was recently released for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. "Dark Void Zero" is the 1980s-era game it's supposedly a remake of, only "Zero" didn't exist in the '80s. Instead, it's a clever piece of faux-retro gaming, and quite a good one at that.
Players control Rusty, whose only weapon against the alien race the Watchers is a peashooter of a gun, until he finds his rocket pack. Then he can jet around the game's sprawling stages in search of card keys that open locked doors blocking the way to the exit. He'll sometimes be forced to discard his rocket pack and make his way on foot.
Rusty can pick up various other weapons, such as a rocket launcher, to boost his firepower, though like the pack, he'll often be forced to discard one for another in order to progress. This gives the player flexibility in many areas but requires one to work with the tools available in others. It's a good balance.
Nintendo DSi (DSiWare download); $5 (500 Nintendo Points) • Age rating: Everyone
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers