Darksiders II - 11 Years Later
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2024
- Darksiders 2 is nearly a decade old, and I reviewed the first a couple years back, so what better time to review the sequel? Has it held up? Is it the superior game? Find out in this review, retrospective, video essay (lol), relevant search term here.
#syntheticman #darksiders #zelda
0:00 Intro
1:43 What is Darksiders?
5:35 Combat Mechanics
15:10 Loot System
18:10 The Forge Lands (Story & Dungeons)
28:26 Kingdom of the Dead & Dungeon Rant
34:04 Act 3
41:18 Side Content & Bugs
45:04 Conclusion - Hry
Showing what games did great back then is just as important as showing what games do wrong these days. So no complains here.
"But but games are all masterpieces when its walking marvel humour zoomer simulator reee" - Twittards and Redditards
Btw I fully agree.
Did great?
I miss this era when games used to not take themselves seriously.
Same.
And now the devs(mostly the publishers) don't take their games seriously 😭
@@Zanoladab And they cry on Twitter whenever someone disagrees with them.
This is no place for a horse
@@Zanoladab Foreal whats this retard shit even mean lol
Played both games back in the day and loved them. The Darksiders 2 soundtrack is out of this world.
Jesper Kyd is so talented. The Guardian Theme is too good!
@@BelartWrightToo bad that world 1 boss song isn't on the soundtrack. That surprised me. That was my favorite song in the entire game.
Yes, the most memorable moment I have in this game is being jolted awake by the song Plains of Death (by Jesper Kyd) during the umpteenth puzzle of a Dungeon in Act 2. A unique moment in which I enjoyed the solitude.
Exactly!
Dude this game was the few games I 100%. Such a beautiful game in every way.
Synthetic Man reviewing a older game like the old days ❤
AnnaWaifu in the building
About time
I'd be interested in a Darksiders 3 review. I'm not a fan of the series but it'd be cool to learn more about DS3. I'd really like Synth to do in-depth reviews on the Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver games 😎👍
You must feel so honored to have synthetic man heart your comment
There is a vast library of older games that are very good. There really is no reason to preorder or buy newer “AAA” games. Go back a few years and you are bound to find something you will enjoy. Not to mention all the Indy titles that are worth checking out!
I recommend people play the Yakuza games. They are a lot of fun, have a compelling story, have likable characters, and have an open world that just has enough. Doesn’t try to have too much or too little.
I definitely agree for the longest I've been wanting to play the Metro series and I went and finally bought it and loved it or at least the first two, Metro 2033 and Metro last Light not Exodus so much since it deviates Too Much from the first two and has too many boring ass characters and areas, but yeah I also went and got Devil May Cry 5 it was the first Devil May Cry game I played since the first and I loved it, I bought Resident Evil 2 I haven't had the chance to really play it yet and then I got the Arkham Asylum series and Metal Gear Solid 5 and Ground Zero I haven't had a chance to play them yet but I definitely will, but there are a lot of great older games and if my Playstation 3 hadn't got burned up by lightning I will still be playing OG Demon Souls and OG Dead Space 1&2 and RDR1 .
Maybe I'll catch some flak for this but the N64 Zelda games were fun and respected your intelligence, not always outright giving you the answer and some puzzles were so overly cryptic it had me wondering how any kid beat it back then. Amazing what they could do with what little they had back then. Even the soundtrack is still reminisced today and people still doing covers and remixes that sometimes dont suck. I know commenters here arent Nintendo fanboys but the N64 Zelda series was above the rest of Nintendo products.
All the more apparent just how average Tears of the Kingdom is.
I recently got into Darkest Dungeon and Dead Cells and these games are so good.
Easily blows every other AAA game released in the last 5 years out of the water despite having less than half the budget.
@@thomasbane0 More or less . There was a alternative to zelda on the ps1 which had really tough puzzles but the story was much more mature . Its called Alundra . Its 2D but its a game that was made for Zelda-veterans that needed more challging a d more logical puzzles than in the Zelda franchise. There was the Landstalker series too that was tied to alundra . Its not a typical story about saving the Princess and defeating an evil dude who wants to rule a kingdom.
I feel the loot system and weapon upgrade system was a mini game in itself where you try to collect different weapons with different effects and try to get your desired effects onto a possessed weapon making it godlike and your own unique one.
You could make different weapons with different ability stacks for different situations.
mix and match with different gear types and the possibilities are so vast. Combine all this with the great combat system in this game and it just all fits in so perfectly.
This is in my opinion the all around best game ever made in its genre. The music, the artstyle, the fantastic worlds, the insanely rewarding puzzling, the atmosphere, the combat, and the Lore and character of Death, all of them are so insanely underrated.
But ofc, it's too sophisticated for the average retarded npc so it gets mothballed in favour of digital goyslop cringe no#868
indeed.
As much im a dmc fan because of its character complexity.
Darksiders was a better allrounder.
There’s No 13% in darksiders.
10/10
Till this day I haven't seen a 2 handed hammer/mace/axe swing landed THAT hard in any other game. That frame stop was brilliant and the animation was perfect, they totally nailed what a proper heavy weapon hit should be.
Especially with the sigil follow ups (attack right after the final hit animation lands to get a couple more hits,you buy it in the Eternal throne) feels good
Another game did the same thing very well is Monster Hunter World.
18:33 the crow father is a reference to Odin, who sacrificed 1 eye to know everything and could transform into a crow. The tree of life is also related to nordic religions so there's also that.
eyyy glad you're talking about this game.
While not the best game ever, Darksiders II was one of my favorite games when I was younger.
Hits right in the nostalgia.
It's up there with the best games ever though.
Same. It's probably in my top 5.
Ahhh how refreshing a time before the current gaming dystopia
@@AsphyxX-cx3kf the beginning of the end for sure lol
2013 was the last good year of entertainment for me.
@@SourRobo8364 my condolences 💐😭 time has not been kind to you my friend
@@SourRobo8364Agree. Breaking Bad was great.
Call it a Darksiders II Retrospective
Normies love that shit
One of my favourite games, despite I've never finished it. Designs are incredible, music is precious, there are tons of secrets and hidden things to discover, and DEAR GOD, the cinematic to reach the flying bone throne is possibly the most epic thing I've seen.
Dante’s inferno is another great hack&slash with some of the coolest looking levels, watching this made me wanna replay it
Darksiders 2 is a classic! This game helped me in a dark time in my life. Great review.
More positive reviews of games that define your tastes would be awesome, even if they are not objectively the "best" games.
Problem is, as you can see from the viewcount, that insufficient people watch it, so making more retro reviews is waste of time money-wise.
@@D-H-C yeah, that's the truth of the matter. SM always seemed like he just does what he feels, which is a big reason I like his stuff. But the bills must be paid and unfortunately I'm just not the target demo for this stuff anymore.
FINALLY AN OLDER GAME🙏
Makes me feel old that a game from 2012 is considered old.
@@KratostheThird real, but I didn’t mean truly old that would be some actual zoomer shit I’m just glad to see a review on a non modern game/older game
@@LBJ22910 I'm much older than Synthetic Man himself is. He said he was a teen when Darksiders 2 released which was back in 2012. I was already in my mid - late 20's at the time, didn't pay too much attention to it until years later when I finally decided to try it out.
I'm playing a older game right now also.
The worst older games will always be more fun than the best recent games.
I didn’t know Superman 64 was better than Tears of the Kingdom. 😂
@@seazkol6152 I mean it kinda is from a goofy standpoint.
@@seazkol6152 But example aside Two Worlds is another one. Bad game but adds loads of replay value, Fable 4? Not so much.
AWAKEN, MY SYNTHCELS
Ayayayay~
“Rise up my brethren!!!!”
RISE RISE RISE
Positive synthetic man video? I’m grateful.
If you ever do decide to play Darksiders 3 make sure to select classic mode as it allows dodge cancellation and improves the game 4x in my opinion.
DS2 is a huge nostalgia trip for me. When my brother bought an xbox 360 it was packaged with the console, so I played it through several times. I think some other outlet or reviewer had remarked that its like literally playing a comic book in a way, and yeah thats the vibe I get.
In hindsight there is a lot of edge in Death's adventure, but it never really became tedious to me. I guess its because they don't harp too much on death's angst. Guilty over death of Nephilim -> save War, its pretty succinct. Throughout the adventure Death still has some clever jokes and some more upbeat emotional moments for levity.
I legitimately internally rejoice when you put a new video out. Please dont ever stop.
Same here. Because synthetic man keeps it real and calls out all these shitty new games that everyone else say are “amazing” god of war Ragnarok, tears of the kingdom…those games are actual boring shit, and we deep down know that they are.
@@Dusterdimmu81My theory is that we're about 6 years ahead of the curve on the consensus of opinions/facts. I hate using this term, but when the "normies" are (hopefully) expelled from mainstream gaming, everyone will acknowledge what utter shit we were left with.
I tried :
GOW (2018) for 20 minutes
HZD (2017) for 45 min.,
FFVII Remake for 2 hours and watched 3 hours of RDR 2 before dropping them all.
Worse parts were that on horizion and FFVII R, I looked up a walkthrough afterward. For Horizon I saw that at the exact time I dropped it, he was in the exact same spot I was at. In FFVII R, compared to the 2 hours I put in, the original game was only at about 40 min. in.
@@otoshigami4228 Rdr 2 may not be better then part one in terms of story and atmosphere, but it's at least better then these modern games that appeals to woke degenerates.
@@Belmont1714 I can't account for it firsthand, but synth said on one of his recent livestreams that Arthur has some feminist-esque side quests in 1890's America.
@@otoshigami4228 I know I played the mission but I can guarantee you that it wasn't woke. Rockstar kind of made fun of the feminist movement😅
You love to see it whenever synth uploads.
i do :D
Mr /v/Man
Late 00's and early 10's were peak gaming. Good and fun games were dime a dozen
God, I miss the 2000's edginess
I loved this game at the time. The soundtrack is awesome.
The soundtrack of this game still brings so many memories...
Darksiders has a unique aesthetic this game is fantastic
I still have my Death Mask from the Collectors Edition. Also for those who do not know the Artist and Character Creator IS a Comic Artist. He is the Creator and Artist for Battle Chasers that was a Comic and became a JRPG a few years back.
I miss the ps3 era...it had so many stuff ...most simple and flawed,but it was the last generation when games actually were art and were still fun to play...with the later generation graphics also...its the last time we had good graphics games,now everything is on graphics and pleasing everyone
No reason to miss it, it all still exists, come and play!
A good series to look into would be Legacy of Kain ( I recommend Soul reaver 1, 2 , and Defiance First Then Blood omen since its different than the other ones)
Based. Some of the games don't have the best gameplay, but the story slaps in nearly all of them. *side-eye to BO2*
Absolute classic series
Some of my favorites, I wouldn't mind seeing some 90's gems. Lucas Arts had a few good ones same with Sierra. Quest for Glory was my favorite series even though I never played 3 or 5.
For those who want to know...
*_Kino_* is the Russian word for "cinema", "film", or "movie".
On 4chan, kino is often used as shorthand for kinography as a joke classification for the highest tier of film, followed by "cinema," "film," "movie," "flick" and "joint."
As early as September 2014, a copypasta containing a "superior patrician ranking" of films began circulating on /tv/, featuring "Absolute Kinography" at the top (shown below):
*ABSOLUTE KINOGRAPHY*
1. Человек с киноаппаратом (1929, Dziga Vertov)
2. Суд народов or Sud narodov (1947, Yelizaveta Svilova)
3. Новости дня (1954, Dziga Vertov)
*CINEMA*
1. L'année dernière à Marienbad (1961, Resnais)
2. Voskhozhdenie (1977, Larisa Shepitko)
3. The Birth of a Nation (1915, D. W. Griffith)
*FILM*
1. 黒い河 (1957, Masaki Kobayashi)
2. Höstsonaten (1978, Ingmar Bergman)
3. Dog Star Man: Part I (1962, Stan Brakhage)
*MOVIES*
1. Le voyage dans la lune (1902, Georges Méliès)
2. Le Dernier Samaritain (1991, Scott)
3. Offret (1986, Andrei Tarkovsky)
*FLICKS*
1. Een hagedis teveel (1960, Verhoeven)
2. 七人の侍 (1954, Akira Kurosawa)
3. Mauvais Garçons (1995, Bay)
*JOINTS*
1. Mo' Better Blues (1990, Lee)
2. Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983, Lee)
3. Do The Right Thing (1989, Lee)
So, now you know. People on the Internet also often use the word about the same way they use the word "sneed", putting whatever meaning they want into it, such as
"She looks totally kino in those clothes" or something like that.
Gee thanks fella
"Coliquial English" is an amorphous, constantly evolving, cultural/social dataome. fr fr no cap. 😃
Sneed kino Troon based normies based roflcopter
Nice stained class pfp
I dig the art style and lore built through this series. Fun gameplay too. Great review. 👍
Such an awesome game, and the soundtrack is amazing
I love this game! Especially for the character of Death
respect + for being a synthcell subscriber.
Death's voice actor nailed it
@@Light_910Michael Wincott is kinda irreplaceable as Death.
I think i saw you on Synth stream once defo didnt expect you to be the fellow Synthcel
Review is basepilled & peak-kino
Nice! Classic retrospective videos from our favorite synthetic! More please
This first one holds a special place in my heart
The first was too tedious near the end for me. Keeps me from replaying it.
Death is /ourguy/
Glad to see more content from you.
If you haven't yet, Darksiders Genesis was super fun.
Hope we get Darksiders 4.
Great couch coop game
I played like 4 missions of genesis and kinda dropped it. Was kinda hoping for puzzles but even the 3rd game which was lacking did better with that.
It will never happen. Darksiders is dead too so no need.
Jesper Kyd's ost for this is a masterpiece alone.
Love this game.
I love this game, flaws and all
Once again, your content is really appreciated. It is rare that I'm eager to hear one's standpoint. You mention a point that is very dear to my heart, which is games like Okami that capture the dungeon style of The Legend of Zelda. In fact, to take it a step further, I want to point out that these multi-act adventure games have set a standard in terms of quality. It's reminiscent of a moment in The Fellowship of the Ring movie when, after what seems like a satisfying ending, the story continues to unfold, dragging us along for more hours of captivating content. It is in these extended experiences that I truly appreciate the depth and richness of the adventure. That's why I am definitely disappointed to see modern critics praising games that 'don't measure up' in terms of diversity or fail to deliver the same level of immersive and fulfilling experiences.
The Lillith of Darksiders 2 is superior to the one of Diablo 4.
Everybody knows this. Lilith's design in Ds2 is the GOAT, the GOAT!
As the old saying goes: 'what happens in Darksiders 1, stays in Darksiders 1' 😬
Glad you decided to keep on doing positive review of old games man 👌🍻 It probably wont get inflated views from your haters but Im sure others like me appreciate.
I m one of those people that loved this so much more than the first.
And i also loved the third a lot while many people didn't
3rd isn’t the best, but I’m with you; I love all these games, including Genesis
@@wymanrtaylorI hated that Genesis wasn’t just Darksiders 4, giving Strife his own game.
@@r.e.z9428 yeah, I can agree with that. IMO it is still an enjoyable game for what it is, though
@@wymanrtaylor Ah yes i forgot about genesis..damn i enjoyed that one way way more than i expected originally.
@@wymanrtaylor I liked it also.
Really glad you got to review something you enjoy for a change
The theme and lore of the game gives me Diablo vibes, especially after you mentioned nephalem, which exists in the Diablo universe
this game was fucking amazing. the song that plays when you are in the dungeon in the city of the dead dungeon with the drums is orgasmic
47:30 -That is incorrect. THQ Nordic did not "form from the ashes", they were a totally different company call "Nordic Games" who bought the THQ name and logo as well as some of the old unsold IP like Darksiders.
And THQ Nordic said that Darksiders 3, as well as Genesis, sold more than their goal so they should eventually make Darksiders 4.
I only played the first one. But I miss games like this that were just silly fun... and finished upon release! 😢
Love to see this type of video!
Oh, and thank you for the video, Synth! I've watched half of it already, and i'm enjoying every second of it. Keep up the good work, man.
For me, you're the most *BASED* video game content maker out there right now, so thank you for staying true to your character.
Loving this PAAHSITIVITY.
If you do review Darksiders 3 please do so knowing it was a budget game. THQ Nordic gave them a small fraction of the budget that 1 and 2 were made on, less time, and a dev team that was like 1/10th the size. Bascially they didn't want to invest much until they knew the franchise was not dead, hoping 4 will have a better budget and timeframe.
Great review, I bought the first 3 games on GOG after seeing your review of the first game. I'm still working on completing the first one and I'm really enjoying it. I'd definitely like to see a review of the third game.
THQ was dying around this time. That is why it felt rushed. They also took too much time and went over budget so they tried to do too much. Also the later DLC was even more rushed due to THQ being in literal bankruptcy during that time.
Good video. I like you doing reviews that you’re at least mostly positive about. It a good contrast to your other vids. Maybe slot in reviews on B tier games like this from time to time. It’s a great pallet cleanser.
Darksiders 2 is a masterpiece
Great to see you review an older game again.
Gaming is saved millions will play
I don't need unique gameplay. I NEED FUN GAMEPLAY.
I showed this video to my grandma like you told me to and she wrote me out of her will 😢
Kind of sad most people only want negative content :/
synthetic man reviewing old games again???? LET'S GOOOO
I know it's out of left field, but I honestly liked the idea of comparing games' reboot to the old version that (important part) you never played before, sort of like the Battletoads video... Maybe Contra, Castlevania, Double Dragon, Medal of Honor, or Shinobi that come to mind.
Or, since you've talked a lot about them here and there, why not do a video about the Dragon Quest Monsters game, since a new one is droppin' this year. Of course you gotta include that commercial that sold you on it as well, @Synthetic Man.
next review: the dark sector - 15 years later
First I want to get out of the way that Teleport Slash also gives you health regeneration and carries with it the additional benefit of being inherent in the ability in contrast to Murder of Crows. Which needs Bless to actually add the health generation.
Additionally, Teleport Slash works through percentage damage dealt vs Murder of Crows having a set point amount. Meaning your more likely getting more health off of the former with higher output than the latter.
Thanks for refreshing my memory about these two. Even though I bought remastered versions with a discount a year ago , I completely forgot everything about them
slipknot guitarrist fights corruption the game
Good review! I'd like to see your take on Darksiders 3. I also struggled with DS2 when it initially came out. Found it to be too much of a departure from #1, too bogged down in the new RPG mechanics. But over the years it has come to be my favorite in the franchise and Death my favorite horseman. The novel, Abomination Vault is pretty damn good. It's just too bad that it's no longer canon to the series.
Great video Synth. Would be cool seeing your opinion on other Playstation franchises like InFamous or Syphon Filter.
You're spot on just about everything! Subscribed instantly
A positive game review ??! O... O.... Organic Man ???
Man i want to see this plot simply end, but not a half baked, barely explained ending, i want all of the details and i want it to be a amazing ending despite everything, darksiders is not famous but at least it will die in peace with a ending, thats what i hope to see.
Great video definitely a series i will try out
Playing Darksiders 1 for the first time now. It is interesting that a 13-year-old game that was very good but not great, and not terribly original, is STILL far more entertaining than what passes for a triple A release in 2023. I've always been someone who waited for most games to drop in price before buying them. I was used to waiting 6 months-to-a-year to play games that most of my friends played at launch. Still, I never dreamed that I would wait as much as 13 years to play them! I picked up Darksiders 1 and 2 from Epic for ZERO dollars in 2020, and it still took until now to start playing them... given how crappy most modern games are, thank the heaven's for classic games! Your review got me to install them. Thanks!
Going to search your past reviews for thoughts on Bayonetta (I only played the first... and at launch too!)
Pretty great video actually. Definitely enjoyed this.
Have yet to play Darksiders 3 myself, but a video on it could be interesting to see
It's not bad, but it also it's not easy to get into right off the bat. Fury is made to be unlikable but she has a good arc at the end. The gameplay is different from the previous games but it's also another studio who made the game.
I hope another equivalent to youtube comes out that isn't so cucked it doesn't allow you to gain traction. I've been watching your videos non-stop for a while, and it's been like a breath of fresh air, hearing someone speak the unfiltered, unadulterated truth. Your channel deserves more views, plain and simple.
I really enjoy these old games review. I missed a lot of these releases at the time
I’ve been waiting for this
This game is a masterpiece, i wish they would do a remake.
noo, the game works very well and is available on every modern hardware. Too many pointless remakes nowadays, darksiders 2 doesn't need one.
@@larrybobinski1257 You telling me you don't want high res textures?
@@666MaRius9991not for another 60 fucking quid no, ffs just learn to do that yourself for free and become a hero amongst gamers...
who complains about your negative reviews? are they actual fans?
no, it's leftist consoomer bugmen who hates synth that complains
@@WhiteWolf126 It's mostly Mauler and Drinker fans.
@@JDoe-gf5ozEWWW NOT THEM!
Fair review, i loved the loot and RPG aspects, makes it nice being able to switch up builds and wield rare scythes n 2ndaries
I disagree a little bit about the final boss' difficulty, even when Absalom has borrowed power Death is still stronger,the Corruption seeks to destroy yet Death seeks to give life.
Death acts out of his love for his brother.
This fight is in big contrast to Samael who can be seen as noble and powerful and is a better fight all together.
From the other hand,Death beating Absalom can be seen as him accepting his burden as kin slayer and moving on,as seen by him not reaching out for Absalom's hand this time and instead grabbing his scythe. So I agree it should have been harder yet it seems like Death overcomes his sin throughout the game, showing compassion, caring and actually making a couple of friends.
I know it sounds cringy but Death actually comes out as a good and balanced person, killing those who deserve it without mercy yet helping those in need, sometimes just from respect as seen from Oran's questline and the Makers.
Lovely game indeed
I have a problem with the game on 360, I play it installed so as not to waste my reader and when I play it already installed, the reader never stops and the game freezes, could it be an error in the iso? My xbox 360 has a chip to read copies...
I recommend checking out Genesis. It may not seem like much at first, but it's very fun and can be played in co-op. So you and Thomas can do it on stream if you want.
The first one is really good, 2nd is a masterpiece to me, 3rd one is good and genesis is actually very good I would recommend it because it is just a darksiders game with a different camera angle and it is also a true co-op game
I like genesis aswell, at first it seems like tomb raider osiris twin stick shooter, but quickly realise its a darksiders game but just a different camera angle, i ended up platinumed it so that was two playthroughs, really loved it 😊
I played and got the plats for all 4 games. Genesis I played with my best bud and it was by far my most enjoyable experience with the series. Though 1 and 2 were absolutely worth playing to me. …I didn’t mention 3 for a reason…
Well I'm rewatching this one yet again but based on the views after over two weeks I guess I'm in the minority when it comes to being a fan of your positive videos. It's a real shame we won't be getting more of these since I actually love watching you passionately talk about games you actually love.
Darksiders Genesis is actually a really solid game. Check it out when it's on sale, its worth playing once or twice.
Great stuff synth
I miss this type of video, when can we get a video like this for a modern game
Funny thing about those potions, I never used 1 in my latest playthrough since I had health steel on my weapons. Trust me when I say this, it's a huge lifesaver
Thoses stories sound like what i would make up in my head in 2020-2022 it's really what i think of, i remember playing Darksiders 2 in 2018 i think, i got to the middle of it in the desert maybe i don't remember that well.
Darksiders environment was really special for its time