Creating The Apocalypse: Darksiders Developer Commentary

On Game Informer’s various video series, such as Replay and Reiner and Phil, we get to play games while subjecting you to our dumb observations and jokes. But I’ve always been interested in the notion of getting the developers’ point of view in a similar setting. When I visited Austin-based Vigil Games for this month’s Darksiders cover story, I finally got the opportunity to try it out.

Touch Of Death: The Combat Of Darksiders II

Originally conceived as a cross between The Legend of Zelda and Devil May Cry, combat proved to be one of the highlights of the first Darksiders.

The Patrice Désilets Era Officially Begins At THQ Montreal

The former Assassin’s Creed creative director has been legally required to lay low since he jumped ship from Ubisoft to THQ, but now the company can officially shout to the rooftops Désilets’ involvement in a new project.

Devil’s Third For 2013 Says Itagaki

Although Valhalla Games’ Tomonobu Itagaki says that the gameplay in Devil’s Third is complete and playable, overall he says the game is only 20 to 30 percent done.

The Tech That Built Darksiders II

It’s not easy to build a game. A lot of features and technology get left on the cutting room floor as developers rush to get a game out the door. Vigil’s Darksiders franchise is no different. We sat down to chat with Vigil’s tech heads, and they explained how Vigil’s development process works, described some of Darksiders II’s new features, and gave us a few examples of what never made it through the design process.

Report: THQ Shuts Down Homefront Developer

Kaos Studios, the developer behind THQ’s Homefront, is being shuttered by the publisher. That doesn’t mean Homefront is dead, however; work on the next entry in the series will continue at THQ’s Montreal studio.

Serve In Heaven Or Rule In Hell: The Lore Of Darksiders

Darksiders begins as a straightforward story with heavy mythological overtones. Heaven and Hell go to war during the Apocalypse. War, one of the four horsemen, is summoned to oversee this Endwar. He soon realizes that something is wrong. The other three horsemen are not here. The final seal whose destruction marks the beginning of the Apocalypse has not been broken. He should not have been summoned. There was a mistake. Defeated and blamed by those who rule over him for starting the Endwar early, War swears to bring justice upon whoever framed him, and upon returning to an Earth now 100 years dead, he discovers that a great demon named the Destroyer has led Hell’s forces to victory. Here is the most obvious suspect, the demon who quite likely faked the Apocalypse and set War up to take the fall.

Serve In Heaven Or Rule In Hell: The Lore Of Darksiders [3]

War plummets to Earth as the Endwar rages around him. With his fellow horsemen not showing up, he knows that something is wrong. Then he witnesses a fight between Abaddon and a powerful demon known as Straga. Abaddon is quickly defeated and mutters a telling final sentence: “They knew.” War attempts to fight Straga and is defeated as well, clearly not at full strength because the seventh seal remains intact.

Serve In Heaven Or Rule In Hell: The Lore Of Darksiders [2]

The truce decrees that angels and demons must stop fighting directly, but instead can indirectly influence humans to support their side. The various religions and beliefs of human history come about as a by-product of this greater struggle that they know nothing about. “The Charred Council just wants stability,” Adams says. “They don’t care who wins.”