Discussion Point: Darksiders 2 – Zelda Meets God of War

Posted on August 21 2011 by Mases Hagopian

A recent preview of the upcoming title Darksiders 2 continues the label of Zelda meets God of War. Having seen the first game in action and having played just a tidbit of it, I can see where this label comes from, but is it really deserving? I think it’s flattering as a Zelda fan when a brand new series’ tries to label themselves as a ‘Zelda Clone’ or anything that is similar to the Zelda series at all. They see what works and are trying to replicate it. Here is the synopsis of the original Darksides from Game Rankings. You tell me if this sounds Zelda like.

The time for the great Apocalypse of legend has come in Darksiders as you take on the role of War, one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and rain judgment and destruction down upon the Earth. However, not all is as it seems when you discover that you and your fellow Horsemen have been implicated for the premature destruction of Earth and are swept up in a conspiracy between the forces of Heaven and Hell. Banished and stripped of your powers, embark on an epic quest of revenge and redemption as you battle angels and demons to restore your awesome abilities and seek out who betrayed you.

So this Zelda meets God of War created slogan… does it really fit? Are you really expecting to get a Zelda-like experience when playing Darksiders, or is this just a advertising pitch to build hype. Does this mean anything for the quality of game you will be playing? Well, a deeper analysis of the critical numbers tells me no. All 3 of the God of War titles for the PS3 have reached average review scores well above the 90% mark with even their portable titles getting scores in the upper 80’s or low 90’s. Zelda games have constantly owned the 90+ percentage mark with review scores, with many of games reaching the mid-to-upper 90’s. Spirit Tracks was the worst reviewed Zelda game to date and it came in with an average number at just about 87%.

Darksiders on the other hand has an average review score of 83.66%, which would make it the worst reviewed game in the series if it was a Legend of Zelda title or if it was a God of War title. Now don’t get me wrong, a score close to 84% is not bad by any means. In fact, that’s quite good and shows it is a quality game… It’s just not God of War or Zelda. Granted, there has only been one game in the series thus far and in this generation sequels have often times been more successful than their originals. Just look at series’ such as Mass Effect or Uncharted where their original games were great, but their sequels were absolute juggernauts of this generation. Only time will tell for Darksiders 2, and luckily for us, it will be available in 2012 when the Nintendo Wii U launches.

My questions to you all? Have you played Darksiders and do you see the Zelda resemblance? For the core Zelda fans, are you flattered by these comparisons, or do you think they are just using the Zelda series to push sales? Does the Zelda comparison alone make you want to play Darksiders? Let us know by posting in the comments below.

Source: Computer and Video Games via GoNintendo

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