For all of those out there who played and loved Darksiders, you will be happy to know that, like mentioned the controls and movement of DS2 is almost if not exactly the same. The targeting, the movement, the attacks and the magic are all the same. It is a classic case of not fixing what is not broken. It felt like I had just picked up the controller for DS1 but with new environments, story and character. There was the added bonus that unlike before, you can access your mount from the start. It may sound small to those who have not played anything in the franchise yet, but it is a nice addition. It helps define Death a bit more.
Speaking of getting to define Death more, one of the other big things I got to experience was the new loot system. In Darksiders everything was defined by finding chests and upgrading through use of souls as currency. Also, no matter how one played the game, they would always end up with the same build as anyone else. In Darksiders II it has been more dynamic. While I was playing the demo, instead of finding the same plain 'stat-ed' item in a box, I found a really cool hammer just lying on the ground where the player next to me found nothing. They found an axe in a different place on the map.
This also extended out to actual enemy kills too. Not in the location or number of enemies, but the enemies now drop loot as well that is also random from what I was able to experience. This led to, within minutes of the game, my Death looking and being completely different from the person next to me in the demo. Not only looking but allowing for completely different combat stats and tactics being formed based on the new and different gear. Vigil set out to make the experience different for each player and play through and in the demo alone I was experiencing it.
Lastly, as the demo didn't go into much more of the story or other anything else, is the platforming. It is still close to that of the original game, but as Death is being made to be more of the 'rouge' type character there have been some more tweaks to it. The biggest thing I found is that there were quite a few additions of Prince of Persia parkour added into the mix. Wall running being the main addition. While I do like the fact that they are trying to help define the character with new movement "types" I did find it a little bit on the difficult side to get set up and perform. I fell a lot as you have to run and jump into the wall precisely to enact the animation. If they open the range of error on this I think that it will be a perfect addition to the game. There is still time.
I for one can't wait to see what will be in store for us in the upcoming title. Keep an eye here for more info and videos until launch. Darksiders II will be hitting shelves August 14th in the U.S. for the PS3, XBox 360 and Windows. The game will also be available on Wii U sometime after the console launches.
