"It may have taken half a decade to go from concept to execution, but Darksiders proves that time, adoration of the classics and a remarkably confident hand can indeed overcome the freshman development jitters. What a debut."

"Darksiders, somehow -- miraculously, even -- manages to borrow from a host of different games; Zelda of course primarily, but nabs the combat mechanics of God of War, some shooter bits of Panzer Dragoon and Ratchet, some of the platforming and traversal of Prince of Persia and, some have already felt, a bit of the general art style of the Warcraft series, yet never once feels like these elements aren't perfectly at home in the world first-time PS3 developer Vigil Games has created. There's one more, too, that I won't spoil, but suffice it to say the inclusion could have single-handedly broken the game. It didn't. It made it better in every way."

"The dungeon designs, in particular toward the end of the game where they get seriously massive and start to incorporate all of War's repertoire, are without a doubt the highlight of Darksiders. They rock -- incredibly so -- and at the risk of blasphemy, I think they may have out-Zeldaed Zelda in some places. Make no mistake, from the Hookshot- and Boomerang-like items to the introduction and use of new abilities, this is a loving, obvious tribute to the Zelda games. I just couldn't help but feel like Vigil may have done their inspiration one better at times."

"No, Darksiders' best visual asset is just that it's so damned coherent. The enemy designs mesh with War's design and his animations (like the cool little flick he'll do with his sword before driving into an enemy's skull) mesh with the world and the environments are just... I defy someone to take a peek at the crumbling skyscrapers or sunny glades or barren plains or webbed canyons when the game is actually running and tell me it looks anything less than amazing. There's a consistency and self-assurance to the world Vigil has made that's completely counter what most freshman efforts are supposed to look like -- especially for a first game on the supposedly difficult PS3 hardware. This is a fantastic looking game, and one that keeps giving through all 15 hours.

That self-confidence bleeds into the dialogue, into the narrative and into the characters. Where other games would leave you feeling embarrassed by the over-the-top nature, Darksiders somehow manages to come off as earnest. Pure fantasy, sure, but the kind of fantasy that isn't afraid to show a cleaved head or amputated limb. More than all that, though, it's just plain fun to figure out the dungeons and the puzzles and the boss battles and the world. Darksiders is, above all else, an absolute blast to play, and deserves to be in everyone's collection. Go play it, because no amount of talking up the game's strengths can match that first half hour after the end of the world."