Darksiders II Video Interview and Preview

In case you’re interested in how Vigil Games approached loot, skills and a more open structure in the action-RPGified sequel to Darksiders, you might want to read this G4 coverage we have rounded up for you.

First, they have a “skills & leveling” video interview with producer Jay Fitzloff. Secondly, they follow with a hands-on write-up on the title:

Like the first game, Darksiders 2 features a healthy amount of platforming and world traversal. During my playthrough, during which time Prince of Persia came to mind at least a dozen times, I pulled off wall runs, hopped gracefully from ledge to ledge, and bounced between walls to reach higher areas. Pillars are also a popular mode of travel for Death.

Of course, while it’s always thrilling to watch a character fly from pillar to pillar hundreds of feet in the air with sprawling caves or mountains stretching into the horizon, actually pulling it off can be a bit tricky, in the same way it was in the POP games, because you have to push the thumbstick into the direction you want to jump but oftentimes the camera angle makes this somewhat contradictory. Fortunately, when you fall, you just respawn to your pre-jump position, so you don’t lose any real time, which is a good.

Loot lovers will have a field day with Darksiders 2 vomitous amount of collectibles and items. I was sort of dreading having to spend tons of time navigating menus and having to compare weapons before deciding whether to swap a new weapon for an old one, but thankfully the game features a super clean system that lets you compare and equip items on the fly without having to navigate a single menu. It not only makes loot management a breeze, but it maintains the flow of the game, so you don’t feel like you’re constantly starting and stopping.