GAME OF THE DAY: Darksiders II brings an end to the summer drought

You know that awful summer drought games fans have to endure every year? Guess what – it’s over!

With New Super Mario Bros 2 and Sleeping Dogs last week, and now Darksiders 2 and Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition this week, we can now officially say that the build up to the Q4 rush has well and truly begun.

The original Darksiders was released in 2010 and saw War (of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse fame) trying to maintain the balance between the armies of heaven and hell as the conflict spills over to the Kingdom of Men – as in, Earth.

Darksiders II, which was announced at E3 last year, arrives after a slight delay to add more polish. It sees the first game’s protagonist, War, imprisoned and his fellow Horseman Death on a quest to avenge what he sees as an injustice.

Gameplay remains roughly in line with the template already laid down by the IP, although it has been expanded upon with various RPG elements. The world is also vastly expanded and a new loot system in place.

Crucially, upon completion of the game players are able to start over in Game Plus, retaining all the weapons and power ups unlocked in the first run through.

Expect great things from this one at retail. THQ revealed in July that the game is its second most pre-ordered title ever behind only Saints Row 3. A Wii U version is also expected to be ready for the launch of Nintendo’s machine at the end of the year.