Darksiders

In Darksiders you play as War, Horseman of the Apocalypse, who through some mishap accidentally brings down the Rapture on the unsuspecting people of Earth. Demons and Angels descend upon earth to fight, only to find out it is all mistimed. He is accused of working with the Destroyer (ie: Satan) and is sent back to the now demon-ravaged earth to make amends.

Created by comic artist Joe Madureira, responsible for artwork on Uncanny X-Men's Age of Apocalypse, the game borrows heavily from a vast array of other games. The dungeon exploration feels very similar to Zelda, and you have a sword, a boomerang, and a grappling device all of which help you overcome certain obstacles and enemies. Normal fights feel like Devil May Cry with lots of enemies and button mashing. Boss fights are also Zelda-ish, with a nod to God of War but thankfully no quicktime events. You collect souls like God of War, and there is even a giant sucky thing which lifts crates up à la Half Life 2.

This doesn't mean it's a bad game; the pastiche of different styles actually works to good effect, even if the game is stupidly hard in some areas. It's just that a game based on something as central to our understanding of the world as the Bible should be more than big swords and lots of blood, and it's unfortunate thatDarksiders doesn't tread anywhere thousands of other games haven't already trod. 

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