The Darksiders 2® Catch-All

LobsterMobster wrote:

Fewer. Fewer than 250,000 units.

Kind of nuts that a game has to sell two million copies to even break even. You'd think in a situation like that, no one would ever make anything except for Call of Duty, Rockband and... oh.

Have to admit that I didn't pick up Darksiders 2 as Darksiders was *just* an okay game - nothing special, IMO. I didn't really see much Darksiders 2 advertising but what I did see didn't sell me on the game at all. Just "more of the same"(TM).

I'll probably get it when it drops to €20.... but no way I'm paying full price for it. I wonder how many other people felt the same way after the original?

For the millionth time...NPD is reporting digital sales these days as well as major retail

Well, I wasn't aware that had changed.

Huh. Do they include Steam sales numbers, now?

ChipRMonk wrote:

Huh. Do they include Steam sales numbers, now?

Pretty sure they're estimated unless the specific publisher shares that info as Steam will not. Of course, you don't know *when* a publisher is sharing that info with them...

I honestly hope that THQ stays in business. They have had a rough patch and they had to close a lot of vanity projects to stay in business. They have been releasing games that I have enjoyed.

TheGameguru wrote:

For the millionth time...NPD is reporting digital sales these days as well as major retail

No they're not. They're guessing what the digital sales are because the majority of digital distributors (most notably Steam which excluding is the equivalent of counting mobile phone sales and excluding the iPhone) don't release sales numbers. I don't even think the console platform owners do. NPD also only tracks retail for the US and not even all retailers in the US. Their numbers are about as useful as the analysts the enthusiast press also love to quote without accountability. Not to say Darksiders II secretly had outstanding performance or anything. It probably didn't (THQ would be putting out press releases if it did) but NPD's stats have been on a steady path to irrelevance for years. Ultimately, THQ's earnings will tell the real story about how Darksiders II did. That and whether or not Vigil Games has massive layoffs/closure in the near future.

JohnKillo wrote:

I honestly hope that THQ stays in business. They have had a rough patch and they had to close a lot of vanity projects to stay in business. They have been releasing games that I have enjoyed.

I think their shot at a turnaround was always slim but looking at what they've got coming (more Saint's Row, Company of Heroes 2, Metro Last Night and the new game from the dude what creates Assassin's Creed), I really hope they can make to stay afloat or at least, that their studios can get picked up by someone who will let them keep at it. There's some great looking stuff in the pipe from them. It's a shame cause they'd probably still be holding on OK were it not for the face-palmingly stupid huge bet they made on uDraw.

Finally, the insanity at work ended, and I picked this up yesterday. I started playing at around 9pm...went to bed at 5-6am...It's not without flaws, but the game so far is amazingly fun!!

I don't game much, so this might not be new, but for me, this is the first game I've seen that gives you the option to check and uncheck if the minimap rotates or not. This is a function every single goddamn game should have from now on!!! Man, is it helpful. I didn't realize this option existed until I was doing the Drenchfort section, and now exploration and orientation is much, much easier with it turned off.

Loving it, loving it, loving it. Also, Michael Wincott is the best casting for Death ever.

kexx wrote:

Finally, the insanity at work ended, and I picked this up yesterday. I started playing at around 9pm...went to bed at 5-6am...It's not without flaws, but the game so far is amazingly fun!!

I don't game much, so this might not be new, but for me, this is the first game I've seen that gives you the option to check and uncheck if the minimap rotates or not. This is a function every single goddamn game should have from now on!!! Man, is it helpful. I didn't realize this option existed until I was doing the Drenchfort section, and now exploration and orientation is much, much easier with it turned off.

Loving it, loving it, loving it. Also, Michael Wincott is the best casting for Death ever.

You are a god among men, sir. Seriously! I had not yet found that option. And now that I have, you just improved my whole evening. I get lost in my own bathtub in all realms, but those types of maps are one of my biggest problems. There's no point of reference on anything when the map rotates with both your character's movements and the camera. It didn't even dawn on me that anyone had finally gotten a clue on this!

Glad to oblige!

Also...

Spoiler:

Finally reached the Tree of Life, and I'm portalled into a dark world. I flip the map on, and man. I'm astounded by the size of this game!!! It's huge!!!

Also, also...

Spoiler:

Anyone found all 4 parts of Oran, the incomplete, slumbering stone giant? I'm missing his right arm. I've searched, I think, all the entire light world, and haven't found it. Any idea where it is?

kexx wrote:

Also, also...

Spoiler:

Anyone found all 4 parts of Oran, the incomplete, slumbering stone giant? I'm missing his right arm. I've searched, I think, all the entire light world, and haven't found it. Any idea where it is?

That would be...

Spoiler:

The Fjord: Head to the mouth of the trail that leads to the Drenchfort. Turn South of it to find one of Oran's legs. There is a small dip in the map below the trail, that is where you want to go. Interact with it to send Oran's Right Leg back to its body.

The Shadow Gorge: Fast Travel to the Shattered Forge and head to the South. To the East after that and head through the first gate. You will find the next limb just sitting between the gates (it appears on the “W” on the Map). Approach it and interact with it to send Oran's Right Arm back to its owner

Baneswood: Fast Travel to Baneswood and head East toward the Charred Pass. Just after you pass through the arch way leading toward the Charred Pass, just after the Maker Shrine, you will find the piece of Oran. Interact with it to send the Left Leg back.

The Scar: Head into the Charred Pass and immediately turn to the South. You will find the path that leads right to both the entrance of the Scar and Oran's Left Arm. Interact with the arm to send it back to its owner.

Taken from here

Ah, thank you my friend. I´ll be sure to check that out tonight.

What is everyone´s thoughts on...

Spoiler:

Collect 30 type A stones, collect 15 type B stones, collect 10 type C stones, etc. U just got to the dark world last night, and they already have me collecting another different set of things like this. I think in essence, it´s the same thing as riddler trophies in Batman, yet in Batman I found them entertaining to collect. Here, its tedious. I´ve randomly seen a couple. I have 11 blue stones, 2 red stones, and have no idea what the other kind even looks like...ugggh, I don´t know...I´m a completionist whore, but this one is probably something I´m going to pass on...

Also...

Spoiler:

This is just nitpicking, but I kinda wanted the hookshot to be a hookshot. To have a metallic sound. I don´t like the ghoulish, ghostly hand and the sound it comes with...

Darksiders 2 is a quality title that deserves to succeed. Personally, I've drifted away from it after a few hours. The cadence of easy fights > fun exploring > hit my head on a puzzle/fruitless backtracking kills my momentum more than I'd like. I've begun to play more games that just get me in the action and give me mindless fun and/or instant resolution (Diablo 3, XBLA stuff). That said, D2 is still in my disc tray but I'm not sure when I'll be getting back to regular playing.

Walmart is indeed being tracked now, since earlier this year.

momgamer wrote:
kexx wrote:

Finally, the insanity at work ended, and I picked this up yesterday. I started playing at around 9pm...went to bed at 5-6am...It's not without flaws, but the game so far is amazingly fun!!

I don't game much, so this might not be new, but for me, this is the first game I've seen that gives you the option to check and uncheck if the minimap rotates or not. This is a function every single goddamn game should have from now on!!! Man, is it helpful. I didn't realize this option existed until I was doing the Drenchfort section, and now exploration and orientation is much, much easier with it turned off.

Loving it, loving it, loving it. Also, Michael Wincott is the best casting for Death ever.

You are a god among men, sir. Seriously! I had not yet found that option. And now that I have, you just improved my whole evening. I get lost in my own bathtub in all realms, but those types of maps are one of my biggest problems. There's no point of reference on anything when the map rotates with both your character's movements and the camera. It didn't even dawn on me that anyone had finally gotten a clue on this!

Ditto here. I hate auto-rotating mini-maps, they wind up screwing up my sense of direction something fierce. I'm "that guy" who always wants the top of the map pointing north, dammit!

kexx wrote:

Also...

Spoiler:

This is just nitpicking, but I kinda wanted the hookshot to be a hookshot. To have a metallic sound. I don´t like the ghoulish, ghostly hand and the sound it comes with...

Spoiler:

I don't really mind Deathgrip being the way it is. My son joked with me that Death seems all to much like a DK from WoW with the raising of the ghouls and now an ability called Death Grip that looks and acts kind of like the same ability in WoW.

What did everyone choose for your 4 abilities? I went with Teleport Slash, Defense thingy, Harvester (circular slash) and the Crows. I think I´m gonna respec, because I only use Teleport Slash and the Crows, and not very often, really.

Anyone know if there´s a way to upgrade and/or improve Redemption, the gun? It´s so weak. I mean, it helps when kiting, and it saved my ass when I went down into the SCAR completely underleveled, but still, it could use a little more bang.

Also...

Spoiler:

I went into the Deposed King´s lair in the Dark World. Jesus Christ. The map in itself isn´t that tough, but the boss, The Deposed King, I can´t bring him down. He has this hit that envelops you in ice, and u have to press CIRCLE (I´m on the PS3 btw, Female Doggoes and ho´s), and that move drains my life away so freaking fast!! I´m level 12 I think, and it´s that tough.

Also, also...

Spoiler:

I wish there was a way to upgrade the amount of Health an Wrath potions we can carry...is there?

One last thing...

Spoiler:

How many 10pg chapters of Vulgrim´s book are there? I currently have one chapter completed, and I have 4 pgs of the next one.

This game is huge. I love it so freaking much!

I'm pretty much going down the melee side of things. The teleport slash is awesome because of all the effects you can stack on the move and gets you away from a back attack. Also invincible is great paired with a weapon that crits health.

The crows are awesome once you fully upgrade them. Try to always keep them summoned, and you've got a bunch of roving DoTs that heal you, damage and chill enemies, and fill your reaper bar. Other than that I used Teleport slash, the ability that buffs your damage, and the one that turns you into a tornado.

Regarding the Deposed King, you really need to dodge all of his attacks. If he envelops you in ice, you're doing something wrong. Learn his attack animations, dodge in to score a few hits each time he finishes his big attack, then dodge back out before he can hit you again. Redemption won't do much damage but it will help build Wrath while you're avoiding his attacks. The only time you really want to get up in his grill for an extended period of time is when you're in Reaper mode.

Regarding the Deposed King, you really need to dodge all of his attacks. If he envelops you in ice, you're doing something wrong. Learn his attack animations, dodge in to score a few hits each time he finishes his big attack, then dodge back out before he can hit you again. Redemption won't do much damage but it will help build Wrath while you're avoiding his attacks. The only time you really want to get up in his grill for an extended period of time is when you're in Reaper mode.

Most of his attacks are easy to spot.

His standard attack is a few light swings. You can get one hit if lucky.
Shield bash: dodge backwards.
Power hit: When it lodges into the ground you should wail away.
Swirl: After you bash him after 50 percent he spins at you. He generally thrusts the club in the air and swings in a circle. Run away and dodge as much as you can. Generally he will power swing at you. I beat him at level 15 (pain) because he hits really hard if not predictable. The swirl attack is a touch hard to dodge because of the camera for me at least. The gun is useful and the grab is too because after a while you just want to run in and swing.

For anyone holding off on the Wii U version, confirmed launch game and some details here:

The Wii U edition of Darksiders II will feature additional bonus-content not included with other formats. Included on the disc will be the first DLC expansion, Argul’s Tomb, as well as all pre-order bonuses from other editions, adding around five hours of playable content and new legendary weapons and armor.

Darksiders II on Wii U will take advantage of the unique Wii U™ GamePad, utilizing the touch screen to display map and objectives as well as giving quick access to abilities and Death’s inventory. The Wii U system’s gyro functionality will also be utilized to allow players to evade enemy attacks, manipulate objects in the world and steer their character during swimming and riding sequences.

Hey, you know what requires a lot of precision? Dodging. Hey, you know what's legendary for being imprecise? Waggle.

mrtomaytohead wrote:

For anyone holding off on the Wii U version, confirmed launch game and some details here:

The Wii U edition of Darksiders II will feature additional bonus-content not included with other formats. Included on the disc will be the first DLC expansion, Argul’s Tomb, as well as all pre-order bonuses from other editions, adding around five hours of playable content and new legendary weapons and armor.

Darksiders II on Wii U will take advantage of the unique Wii U™ GamePad, utilizing the touch screen to display map and objectives as well as giving quick access to abilities and Death’s inventory. The Wii U system’s gyro functionality will also be utilized to allow players to evade enemy attacks, manipulate objects in the world and steer their character during swimming and riding sequences.

This kind of shenanigans is really starting to stick in my craw?

Developers/publishers...

QUIT IT! If you want fan loyalty, quit bending us over the table.

Crucible. I have a love/hate thing going on with it. I feel under leveled when it comes down to it. Anyone have some build tips?

JohnKillo wrote:

Crucible. I have a love/hate thing going on with it. I feel under leveled when it comes down to it. Anyone have some build tips?

Same here. Made it past 74 waves, and on wave 75, I get a super buffed deposed king who nailed me in one hit, froze me, and insta-killed me. It's horse sh*t, but I love the damn thing!!

Depends on how far into the game you are, but equip the Achidna gloves. They make all damage, from all weapons, return as health to you. So u can actually not use them, and use your best scythes, and each hit will return as health. Pretty cool.

On top of that, you want fully upgraded Teleport Slash, and I do mean FULLY, as in all of its possibilities tied to it in the tech tree.

Lastly, Health and Wrath regen are helpful.

I've heard people say that deathgrip is a great ally here, but I don't use it. I use Redemption (gun), as it returns wrath to me.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

This kind of shenanigans is really starting to stick in my craw?

Developers/publishers...

QUIT IT! If you want fan loyalty, quit bending us over the table.

It doesn't strike me as a big deal. Every new copy came with Argul's Tomb and in-game preorder items/weapons don't ever matter, especially not in a game where you'll replace them with random loot within the first couple hours of play.

So I jumped in pretty deep this weekend with Darksiders 2, going from about 6 hours to 12 or 13 in two days. A couple of things.

First, on the Maze:

Spoiler:

I haven't gone in yet, but I was wondering how many of these collectible hints there are? I'm not sure I'm going to bother trying to 100% this game.

Second, so an example of why typical loot drops have nothing on the reward of a Piece of Heart, or new missile pack, or what have you.

So I cross a bridge, slay some bone guys and notice this giant building can be climbed and explored. So I climb it, see a bunch of locked away treasure chests, and spin a lantern at the top of the building to point in the distance. Across the bridge is another building that lights up. I cross the bridge, go over and do that as well. Stuff has unlocked! So I'm feeling good, opening chests, and unlock the special looking chest at the very top of the building.

So my reward for doing this optional yet slight time consuming puzzle?

A sabaton with worse stats than my currently equipped sabaton.

Just not the same.

So Argul's Tomb and Death Rides are now out. I have a Season Pass from pre-ordering with THQ and Steam acknowledges that by preventing me from purchasing another Season Pass, but it doesn't seem to care if I try to purchase Argul's Tomb, and this is the first time I've heard of Death Rides at all. So... what's up with that?

They are not part of the season pass. From the PS Blog:

Please note this item is NOT included in Season Pass which ONLY includes the Maker Armor Set, The Abyssal Forge, and The Demon Lord Belial.

EDIT: Weee! A watch!

Ah haaaa... Yeah, I found my Argul's Tomb key on the THQ site. The pain of navigating that site has convinced me not to get the Death Rides pack until it's on sale on Steam.