The clouds are piercing the morning air with their incandescent colors, as my lungs fill up with the sweet rubescent scent of the morning air over Columbia’s horizon. This is BioShock Infinite, a title which brings a fantastical world alive in the sky similar to Laputa: Castle In The Sky. BioShock Infinite shatters a new ground-breaking reality in terms of storyline atmosphere that is reminiscent of BioShock itself. Irrational Games has created another glorified masterpiece in terms of gameplay structure, environment, ambiance, sound and much more. BioShock Infinite itself skyrockets to sky-breaking depths and keeps transcending its own bounds with gameplay that blends the traditional elements of BioShock and brings it to infinite lengths in BioShock Infinite.

BioShock Infinite’s storyline is something we will not summarize here even if you will soon become the game’s protagonist Booker DeWitt. I do realize that as a review site we should mention the plot but this is not necessary and we really feel a summation of the plot would take away from this title that has worked hard on the wonder that is their universe. In general, however, the title is about a city in the sky which has taken on a sociopolitical climate with a false prophet, broken dreams, and of course more than meets the eye (or should we say sky). That is as much as we will say about the factual storyline detail. The actual plot twists and character development is parapsychollogically envigorating and the experience with the sky like motif between the freedom of the environment and the chains of the political nature that bind the inhabitants within. BioShock Infinite presents a stark contrasting tale that is capturing as much as it is telling.

BioShock Infinite’s gameplay focuses on an intuitive engine and Sky-Line system with classical BioShock power elements to create one heck of a fun time. Booker DeWitt gains powers and abilities through Vigors and Gears in Columbia. Booker can find 8 Vigors and multiple Gears as clothing items where he can interchange them during normal gameplay action. Finally, the machines from BioShock are gone and there is a on-the-fly changing system for powers and abilities. The Sky-Hook is one of the most noticeable weapons in BioShock Infinite which uses the rail-way system for the various point-to-point transport which was used in Columbia itself. Combat itself is straightforward and cohesive in terms of run and attack seamlessness. Everything from the gameplay pacing to the storyline integration in BioShock Infinite is a spectacular display of solid gameplay mechanics that deliver at every turn of Columbia.

BioShock Infinite invigorates gamers to a new atmosphere that is leagues above the humble water beginnings of the franchise. BioShock is one game amongst many which set a precedent for believable environments which lend space to incredible atmospheres along with other notable titles such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and more. While BioShock 2 was utterly disappointing, BioShock Infinite is finally the successor the franchise has been waiting for to pull it to the clouds and let it bask in the sun. BioShock Infinite soars above the rest and takes place next to the rays of light that the team at Irrational Games shines upon the gameplay, storyline, and more importantly the atmosphere of the environment.

Crysis 3 is a technical acheivement that reinvigorates life and sees a medley blend between the second and first titles. Crysis 3 takes the open-world adventure exploration of Crysis, and takes a blend of linear pathism from Crysis 2 to create something that is surprisingly in the midpoint of these two titles. While old-time fans of the series would have preferred a more open-world Crysis, Crysis 3 offers something unique in direction of storyline, pacing, and mission variety that somewhat make up for any lack of gameplay features. The multiplayer is still relatively boxed and generic, but the single-player campaign shines not only on consoles, but greater on high-end PC’s.

Crysis 3’s storyline direction takes Prophet and Michael ‘Psycho’ Sikes to a whole new dimension. The personality of Prophet starts assimilating to Alcatraz’s mind through the Nanosuit. As this struggle for morality happens, both of them go up against the CELL Corporation in a fight to end the Ceph invasion using their Nanosuits from CryNet Systems. This struggle is highlighted by great character development that undoubtedly was sacrificed in Crysis and Crysis 2. This contrast of storyline element is welcomed and most appreciated by first person shooter lovers who need more than a point and gun adventure.

The gameplay structure and design is relatively different and more of the same. The setting still takes place in dilapidated New York City with the addition of CELLs nanodomes. The gameplay promotes taking multiple routes to achieve a mission structure and there is definitely something admirable about promoting a sort of mini-open worldism unlike Crysis 2, which did disappoint heavily in terms of its linear progress despite beautiful graphical depth. Regardless of this new sense of infused gameplay, the rest of Crysis 3 feels more or less Crysis 2 in terms of the weapons upgrade system and more. It seems Crytek did not want to mess with the formula from the second game but rather opted to keep more of a feel from the second one with lifted boundaries.

On some level, Crysis 3 is better than Crysis 2, which is hardly saying much for fans of the original open-world exploration journey. It seems that in an effort to focus on a major metropolis city as New York City with epic set-pieces, Crytek had no choice but to border on the terms of linearity in regards to scope of exploration in a city. On some level, this is good and bad. Good for the new environment being more city-based militia closedness from the second title, and then also bad in regards to the limited exposure of the storyline to gameplay elements worth remembering. Multiplayer itself is just a barrage of sad modes and hardly offers much replay value in terms of the second one and rarely makes the players feel invigorated.

Crysis 3 does great in terms of a technical set-piece with solid gameplay mechanics, but the direction and feel of the game itself is relatively mediocre in comparison to the original Crysis. Regardless of its foibles, Crysis 3 offers the next iteration of the series and is a solid game with shooter mechanics that is sure to keep some entertained in the long run, but it is definitely not for everyone.

Dead Space 3 reintroduces Isaac Clarke, who happens to quite possibly be one of the unluckiest engineers in space history. Visceral Games’ Dead Space 3 brings the survival horror genre to a more action-thriller spin with the introduction of a second character who is welcomed, thereby breaking away from the palpable fear of isolation in the first two series. While Dead Space 3 retains quite a lot of thrills to be had, much of the storyline is bleakly blatant and the actual character development has diluted into something rather disappointing.

Dead Space 3 continues from the ending of Dead Space 2, which we will not disclose here for those players who have not finished 2 yet and are just reading this review as an add-on to their future purchase. Isaac Clarke carries on the fight against the Necromorphs on Tau Volantis, but this time Sgt. John Carver has joined the fight with Isaac after losing his family to a group known as the “Inner Circle,” destroying Markers places around colonies to stop the Necromorph infestation.

Dead Space 3 does not introduce much newer in terms of upgrades or the experience progression system to allow for a stronger Isaac. Instead, it includes a cooperative play mode in terms of the single-player campaign that allows someone to jump-in and out of cooperative mode. The game’s mission structure itself spans 19 chapters of action thriller rather than survival horror isolation mode, but the bulk of the formula remains the same minus many elements of storyline that give it a unique feel. Isaac Clarke is a half-ridden ghost of his former image and does not have much in the way of the plot and mission development structure. Carver’s storyline sidequests of the tragic fate of his family is included but only through cooperative play rather than single-player play through mode. Jump-in and jump-out cooperative mode is a bit shaky with the checkpoint system. Some elements of Carver’s story can be left out if there is no Carver during the cooperative campaign mode, which is an annoying issue that really only serves to be something Visceral Games did not bother to clearly and fluidly maintain.

The music and general atmosphere of Dead Space 3 has changed from tight-dim lit corridors to include for more open-ended areas in terms of climate. This does provide more thrills in a more open-ended environment, but also slightly takes away the thrill of a corridor that is dark and has a lot of ominous quality to it.

Dead Space 3 overall maintains a similar vibe to the other titles, retaining the formula and adding cooperative gameplay, but unfortunately it does little to truly amp up the survival-horror into something that is memorable due to a wavering storyline of the main protagonist Isaac Clarke. Regardless, the title does provide a lot of fun, thrills, and excitement even though it falls short. Dead Space 3 sees Isaac Clarke trying to give a final fight to a once great threat that scarred him forever. This threat is far from over.

WhatIfGaming Game Of The Year 2012 Awards

Another year and more titles passed us by along with the days of 2012. It was filled with sadness, happiness, and times to remember that have marked many more good days to come for many of us. For gamers worldwide, it was a year in which not many games were released, but a few notable titles were profoundly worthy of mention.

It is with pleasure that we provide the millions of anticipated readers what they have been waiting for since the dawn of 2012: the video game industry’s most exceptional and gratified WhatIfGaming 2012 Game Of The Year Awards ceremony, presenting its official Game Of The Year awards before anyone else with a collective decision from industry experts and WhatIfGaming editors worldwide through its defined rigorous selection process which focuses on industry and developer recognition. The moment you all have been waiting for is finally here. Unlike the previous year, we are not the first this year but we wanted to maintain the similar quality to last year in having the most comprehensive awards this year, as always. See the Worst Game Of The Year and laugh at its shortcoming or weep for it, ponder about the Best Idea, or play through a title again to experience Best Storyline that is unlike any other.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to our beloved millions of WhatIfGaming readers! See you all in 2013.

For sequels to be accepted and loved they need to do two things. Firstly, they need to keep the features that made the original game so popular and most importantly they have to fix all the problems that were flagged previously. Far Cry 3 ticks both these boxes with aplomb and it is refreshing to see just how much effort has been put into this game to respond to the feedback from the consumer. Not only have main gameplay mechanics been completely overhauled but every new feature that has been added seems to have been implemented to near perfection so that nothing could be construed negatively.

The story kicks off with a brief montage of a group of friends on holiday on a tropical island having the time of their lives. This enjoyment soon takes a turn for the worst as it cuts back to the present time and we see a few of the friends being held prisoner by pirates. This opening sequence along with the whole opening mission, which acts as a tutorial, is one of the best seen in gaming for a long time and the potential is outstanding. Unfortunately, by the end the story becomes slightly stale and does not live up to what could have been. Sadly, this is one of very few flaws within this game and it is definitely a factor which could have been improved upon.

Fortunately, as in most open world games, the story is not the be all and end all and for Far Cry 3 that is definitely a saving grace. The gameplay is pretty much perfect in nearly all aspects.

The side missions, which include, overriding radio towers, overtaking enemy outposts and various hunting quests, are extremely enjoyable and a major improvement over Far Cry 2 with the ability to actually own the outpost once you have defeated any enemies. This is a relief after the endless waves of enemies that the previous game threw at you. The shooting and melee aspects are also very tight which is key as there is a lot of shooting to be done in this game.

There is also the added addition of crafting syringes and upgrades for wallets and rucksacks. This is done well as it gives a clear indication of what is needed for each upgrade without having to guess what item is needed like many other games do. Crafting syringes is a particularly handy feature which allows the player to heal, become fireproof, enhance vision plus many more and all are easy to craft which is very important as the player would ignore it is if it was too complicated.   Along with crafting there is a plentiful supply of wild animals roaming around the world which can be skinned, that is if they do not kill you first. These animals are almost more dangerous than any pirates encountered and it is necessary to always be on guard in case any of these beasts ambush you. This can also work in favour as these animals attack any pirates that may be in the wrong place as a tiger or leopard at that given moment and this provides an added thrill to the experience.

There is also a perk system which allows various skills to be unlocked as more missions are completed. The skills include various ways to take down enemies, the ability to collect more plants and skins when hunting, improved stability for guns, more health… the list is almost endless and there is very rarely a moment when looking through the options there will not be one that takes your fancy.

If any criticism could be given it would be the slight lapses of A.I. that is present in some situations but, for the most part, even this holds up particularly well.

Far Cry 3 also has a full co-operative campaign which has a group of players running from area to area fighting off pirates or given certain tasks to complete, while this is fun in itself,  it is disappointing in that it does not really allow the full freedom that the single player gives. Far Cry 3 also includes a full multiplayer mode where players can battle against each other with an extremely competent upgrade system which all adds to the whole package. As with Far Cry 2, the game comes packaged with an excellent map editor which allows near enough anything to be made and can provide hours of extra entertainment.

Far Cry 3 is a truly excellent game that is a must-have for anyone who is a fan of open world shooters. There is so much to do besides the main story that it will keep players going for a good length of time. Even the fact the story is weak at times does not dampen the experience too much as the rest of the game is so strong in nearly every aspect. While the multiplayer is weak in comparison, the single-player adventure does help in add to the fun of the game than detract from it. Far Cry 3 is definitely a contender for Game of the Year and it would be definitely worthy of that title.

Assassin’s Creed III heralds the American Revolution into a whole new paradigm of great action adventure of historical importance and moreover decoration. Assassin’s Creed III brings a new engine with the same level of excitement from the established franchise formula of parkour, gut-slashing camera angles, a solid economic system, and lastly open-world exploration that is invigoratingly fresh and just as refined as ever. Assassin’s Creed III delivers a level of realism and a type of fantasy world in the Revolutionary War that history buffs and people in general can appreciate in terms of authentic combination of history with unparalleled action.

Musket smoke is in the air in 1775 and turmoil where the independence of the 13 colonies against the British is at an all-time high. You play Connor, a Native American assassin who fights to protect his land and people caught between a colonization effort of the Americans and the British at the cost of his own people. Assassin’s Creed III utilizes a dynamic storyline element of not just historical realism, but also this in-between style of being a Native American caught in between the struggle of losing land – creating a style of storyline that is complex and simplistically stylish. Throughout Assassin’s Creed III, it is your job to fight for your people and restore some order to the chaos amidst the American Revolutionary War.

Assassin’s Creed III’s exploration open-world adventure is bigger than the map of Brotherhood and Revelations. The exploration of the Americas during this time is a beautiful one from seasonal hillsides to temperate forests and historical landmarks. Assassin’s Creed III introduces newer combat type moves and noticeably dual-wielding of weapons as a new feature, but something more streamlined includes the feature of naval warfare. Not only are there set-pieces set to naval warfare, there are many more surprises included in the parkour adventure of a new type of environment different from the Italian environments of the previous titles. In addition, players can enter an entire battlefield which is way more of a grounded environment than anything previous titles had to offer in terms of real-world displays from notable battles such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and more. Assassin’s Creed III is definitely historically one of the most reprising titles that offers players authentic historical elements with true excitement of a continuing storyline that is cohesive and present.

Assassin’s Creed III multiplayer is based on Abstergo’s entertainment gaming console design rather than previous Abstergo Agent training simulations of the past titles. It seems that players can now finally do cooperative gameplay modes such as Wolfpack which allows players to kill a specified number of NPC targets in a 25-round match. It is definitely exciting to see newer elements of the multiplayer and ones which take the formula that made the last multiplayer designs so successful and add to it in a meaningful way that includes the Americas, more abilities per character types, and also the traditional game modes found in the previous titles. While we would have liked to see more depth in terms of the multiplayer element, Assassin’s Creed III delivers in terms of the multiplayer excitement element that makes the game very solid in terms of its foundational offering.

Assassin’s Creed III is undoubtedly a game which takes a new engine, and an established formula and just takes it a step further with an excellent storyline that is undeniably more exciting than former storylines. It is based in historical relevance whereas past titles were based relatively loosely on events of Italian conquest. Assassin’s Creed III also adds newer gameplay changes that are welcome additions to the franchise and only adds to further action adventure. Join the Revolutionary War soon and fight for your freedom.

Players are encouraged to take a stealthy approach throughout the campaign which is certainly an idea often thrown in as an afterthought but Dishonored takes this approach and has it as the main focus to achieve the best possible outcome. This interesting concept is not alone with other features included in the game many of which are very well executed, however, there are a few disappointing aspects which bring down the overall experience.

The story places the player as Corvo Attaro, the bodyguard of the Empress in a Victorian/Steampunk city, Dunwall, not unlike 1800’s London. Plague has swept through the city and is killing the inhabitants swiftly and as Corvo returns from a mission to find help from neighbouring cities, he is framed for the murder of the Empress and kidnapping of her daughter. Corvo is suddenly imprisoned and must escape to save the daughter and bring stability back to Dunwall.

Dishonored, as mentioned previously, encourages the player to cause as little chaos to the city as possible. This includes using non-lethal methods to dispose of enemies, hiding bodies and rescuing characters which are in distress. Of course, this is only the preferred option and the main draw of Dishonored is just how much freedom the game gives the player to play whichever way they wish. This freedom couple with some excellent skills, that can be unlocked, provide countless options to complete missions. These skills include; Blink, which allows the player to teleport a short distance, Dark Vision, which allows enemies to be seen through walls, Possession, which allows animals and humans to be possessed by the player for a short time, Bend Time, the slowing or freezing of time, Wind Blast, which throws enemies back a short distance, Devouring Swarm, which summons rats to eat enemies and Shadow Kill which turns enemies into ash when attacked. Each of these can be unlocked or upgraded with runes which are found hidden in each area as well as being enhanced by bone charms of which three can be attached at one time to increase the effectiveness of each power. Guns, swords and crossbows can also be equipped and these are bought with any money found.

Unfortunately this game has a few problems which hamper the experience. Firstly, the combat is very clunky which is noticeable in a lot of Bethesda titles such as Fallout and The Elder Scrolls titles and while some will be used to this style it continues to annoy especially as this can be a combat-heavy game at times even using non-lethal methods. The one upside to this problem is that it is only troublesome while using the actual weapons and fortunately the supernatural powers are not affected by this, however, in the middle of a melee confrontation this is little comfort.

Another problem comes when, having been discovered by guards, it is near impossible to then lose them and hide to continue playing without killing anyone. The guards seem to have super speed and will relentlessly follow Corvo until it is forced upon the player to kill everything in sight. It may seem easy to say that this problem could be solved by acting more stealthily but at times it is extremely difficult to stay out of their line of sight especially when completing certain objectives.

Dishonored brings a lot of new ideas to the table and of these new ideas the majority are well executed. It is unfortunately the basic mechanics such as the combat which bring this game down and leave the player wondering what could have been.

That is not to say this is not a title worth owning. Dishonored does a lot of things extremely well and is structured brilliantly. However, it could have been a whole lot more and possibly one of the games of the year had it not been for a lack of refinement in key features.

Borderlands 2 carries through the gameplay of the first Borderlands, which received a review from us that stated that action-RPG text-based title as something which had more elements of mediocrity than anything else in terms of a game that was hyped and more. While Borderlands 2 tries to salvage the missing pieces of the first title, most of the formula remains the same which garnered role-playing first-person-shooter fanboy attention to the original game which had rich diverse characters in an open-world that still lacks any valuable substance. Borderlands 2 tries to improve the formula slightly, but decided to keep it relatively the same with newer protagonists and the same storyline detail which was appreciated and definitely did not go unnoticed the first time around.

Borderlands 2′s storyline revolves the desolate space planet of Pandora, which needs to be set free from Hyperion Corporation’s Handsome Jack, who was the main game’s protagonist nearly 6 years before Borderlands 2′s story takes place. Jack has eliminated most of the light by having an orbital H-shaped base in front of Pandora’s stationary moon. As a fortune hunter yourself searching for the technologically marveled legend of the Vault, you and your new team (Axton the Commando, Salvador  “Gunzerker,” Maya the Siren, Zero the Assassin) in Borderlands 2 has the burden of killing Jack and restoring Pandora to a more peaceful prospect and rescue the former protagonists of Borderlands.

Borderland 2′s gameplay features the same open-world action adventure as the first title, the problem still lays with the main substance: objectives that are worth doing or missions that have amazing storylines. While the central storyline is invigoratingly fresh, Borderlands 2 is desolate when it comes to actual content of value in terms of side-quests, or other mission objectives not part of the central plotline towards the game’s short ending (roughly 7-8 hours linear questing). A lot of fetch missions and repetitive game mechanics still plague Borderlands 2 not to mention that a good portion is still not voiced just like the first title which had players reading a more western-RPG type dialogue box and choosing to accept quests. As much as simplicity is appreciated in terms of value and gratification of more contrasting concepts, Borderlands 2′s mission structure leaves a lot to be desired aside from the meticulous character customization details which truly make this game worth even a rental.

Customization of Borderlands 2′s characters and elements is top of the line in Borderlands 2, but does it really justify the end-game content? Possibly not considering there is little left to do other than a customization journey after killing countless enemy A.I.’s in hopes of racking something significant. There are 17 heads and 88 skins per class of vault hunter a player chooses to play, and the customization of skins even goes into the types of vehicles to traverse Pandora.

The online gameplay element consists of the now standard 4 player cooperative multiplayer experience, which itself is a lot of fun for people who love to get together with friends and jus blow crap up to smithereens, but for a $59.99 MSRP value Borderlands 2 does not offer anything wildly gratifying that people cannot find in any other title that is much more in-depth with the multiplayer element. One incredible thing when it comes to online is certainly the trading interface which allows for item dueling, trading, selling, or even buying. This is something more cooperative systems need to make more use of as not many do, a trend most familiarized by Lionhead Studios game Fable II and onwards.

Borderlands 2 provides relatively decent action for a title that tries to be a role-playing first person shooter in space, but the price seems a little too steep for something that does lack any real substance other than adrenaline fueled shooting and button mashing and the occassional customizations with item trading for “higher damage” and other statistics. Borderlands 2 really needed to fix the central gameplay aspect and it still fails to do that largely, something which truly makes it feel like 2K Games and developer Gearbox Software were afraid of improving upon in order to not alienate its already loyal customer database. The only problem as fans of Borderlands 2 bargain-bin sellers will eventually realize is: sometimes to really make something good, you have to take a risk at something bad. Borderlands 2 failed to do this.

Sleeping Dogs is the Hong Kong action journey most lovers of John Woo and Kung-Fu have been waiting for. The thrill of the chase, the melody of the karaoke, and the depth of the storyline keeps a title with solid game mechanics one that is fun and surprising at every turn. Sleeping Dogs is United Front Games’ portrayal of the original True Crime: Hong Kong title which has been revamped with a 20+ hour experience that is unforgettable as it is memorable.

Sleeping Dogs reveals the dark-crime cop thriller with protagonist Wei Shen, a Hong Kong native fresh off a flight from the U.S. Something terrible happened to his sister and the local crime syndicate of the Sun on Yee triad had something to do with it. Fueled by a desire for revenge and vengeance, Wei Shen joins a dangerous undercover infiltration assignment of incorporating himself into the syndicate. As the story progresses, the plot thickens as the characters themselves become more in-depth to their past lives with a beautiful narration blend between Cantonese and English dialogue. Sleeping Dogs keeps a stunning narrative experience relevant with an all-star voice acting cast that adds significant depth to the title’s words and the action’s grit.

Sleeping Dogs carries a level of free-roaming that is enticing from karaoke, to doing various side-quests as a cop in terms of leading a criminal to a trap and even car chases. Free roam exploration in the stunning city of Hong Kong is great, adorned with neon lighted signs and what not, but at the end of the day a lot of Hong Kong’s exploration does not hold much chaotic fun in terms of titles such as Saints Row: The Third, and Red Dead Redemption where more variety of action and combat is involved in a stunning atmospheric world. While the first few missions tie the player into the learning curve without unleashing them into the world, the rest of the 20 hour experience is wildly great in terms of exploration of the sandbox style. Sleeping Dogs has an atmosphere that is decent nevertheless and serves to carry it through to the storyline which is the primary strength of the game.

Combat itself is fairly straight-forward but what is incredible in terms of fight structure involves a type of Punisher related environmental finishing moves. You can throw enemies into dumpsters, and use tons of variety offered in certain objects of the environment for more immersion. The combat style itself is relatively simple though incorporating a Batman: Arkham Asylum reflexive control system, which is easily also recognized in other titles as well with counter moves. The combat is great, but nothing too exceptionally done. In terms of weapons, many make-shift type weapons are available as kung-fu and martial arts are the main focus. Guns are available, but relatively rare in the lore of the actual storyline of Hong Kong without guns. As the character engages in combat, he levels up in either triad experience of cop experience focusing on combat or better driving/gun abilities with skill trees which focus the upgrades to a limited selection path. Despite the upgrade system, no sort of karma meter exists with Sleeping Dogs as it is not intended to be a role-playing game.  Car chases control like arcade-style driving chases, and the action from the fluidity of car handling speaks great things about the physics realism of the title.

Sleeping Dogs is an exceptionally great title with a lot going for it. Sure, the free-roaming explorations can use more substance but besides this, the title is an immersive cop thriller experience that is reminiscent of something that any die-hard Hong Kong film enthusiast would love. The narrative experience is a touching one, and while the graphics are not that exceptionally well put together, the storyline helps to alleviate a majority of immersion issues. In the end of the Hong Kong sunlight across the bay, Sleeping Dogs provides the true adage that while old dogs can never change, the sleeping dogs are ready to reveal their true colors.

Darksiders II is a tragedy. Vigil Games tried to create a fantasy follow up to the original 2010 journey, but sadly created an action adventure in the vein of grandfathered concepts such as God of War with lukewarm elements of Prince of Persia. While the game itself has a sizable open-world roaming map that is twice the size of Darksiders and a lengthy action adventure campaign, there is very little action to be had that is justifiable for a $59.99 MSRP.

Darksiders II carries on the tale of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse presented in the first title, but this time War’s Brother, Death, is on a rampage. Death is on a mission to restore his brother’s innocence from being woefully convicted to suffering. Darksiders II’s narrative is greatly aggrandized into a dramatic spin with the voice acting and storyline plot turns, it is relatively a mediocre storyline that lacks much character development in a significantly important way. Even though the storyline is a good introduction continuation to the Darksiders franchise, much of the core storyline remains standard and blasé.

Gameplay fairs no better when it comes to the grim face of death and hack and slash action adventure. A slow weapon is accompanied by a fast weapon, able to smash many enemies with weak tactics and next to know actual Artificial Intelligence (A.I.).  Abilities in dungeons become more numerous but are hardly enough to add in terms of variety. Darksiders II map is definitely twice the size of its first campaign and a journey that is three times longer to fare, but there is just a level of denseness which accompanies a rather viscerally disappointing experience for players alike which leaves the more depth seeking adventurers wondering one thing – “Why did I buy this?” However, for the person who is so used to hack and slash journeys, this is definitely a sight to behold in terms of the sheer number of enemies one can kill. This repetitive nature of the map and objectives in the mission structure revolves around a campaign where the game mechanics are overused even in terms of puzzling adventures borrowed from other notable games. Anyone who is familiar with MMO style grinding and a lot of fetch quests will find Darksiders II a treat, but sadly the $59.99 MSRP price will leave a sour taste. While the art design and voice direction itself is undeniably great, very little keeps Darksiders II anything to spend money on.

Regardless of its foibles and bland graphics direction with repetitive action adventure, Darksiders II still offers a relatively decent adventure even if it lacks on the side of variety. While the map is large, it hardly adds anything of value while the boss fights themselves and enemies in general will make anyone cringe in disappointment.