Darksiders Updated Hands-On Impressions

It was at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo that we last saw War, the Horseman of the Apocalypse who has wrongfully taken the fall for the utter destruction of the world in THQ's upcoming action adventure game Darksiders. Back then, we saw War reclaim his fiery steed, Ruin, after an epic arena battle and were quite impressed at the brutal chaos the burly War could wreak. It has been all quiet on the Darksiders front--until now, that is, with THQ showing off an updated build of the game at the Tokyo Game Show. We managed to get some brawling time with Darksiders just before TGS opens to see just how the game is progressing.

What's New: What's being shown on the TGS floor isn't anything new in terms of playable levels, but THQ did allow us to play around with a few previously unrevealed weapons during our behind-closed-doors session. The combat style in Darksiders will be familiar to anyone who has spent time with games like Devil May Cry, with War able to switch between melee and ranged weapons in smooth succession. As well as the Magnum-like gun dubbed Mercy, War will eventually get to play around with ranged weapons, such as the Abyssal Chain and the Cross Blade. The Abyssal Chain can shoot out and grab smaller enemies and can also allow War to latch on to bigger foes and quickly close the gap (think hook shot a la Zelda). The Cross Blade looks like a large, glowing cross that can be charged before being thrown by holding down the ranged weapon button. THQ reps also told us there are plenty more weapons yet to be unveiled.

What's Different: We've seen War battle astride his horse, Ruin, before, but this time we managed to get hands-on ourselves to experience just how it feels to have a blazing horse as a best friend. While riding Ruin, War seems practically impervious to lower-level enemies, with the Horseman plowing through these troops with ease. We're told, however, that larger enemies will still be able to knock War off Ruin.

What's The Same: The combat mixed with light exploration and puzzle solving we've experienced before with Darksiders is alive and well with this latest build. Combat is still smooth, and we'll have to wait and see what the combat/puzzle mix will be in the final game.

What Impression The Game Made This Time: Darksiders' combat, striking art design, and flashy violence have impressed us before, and this latest hands-on hasn't changed our minds. We'll have more on Darksiders as it gets closer to its January 2010 release date, so keep it locked to GameSpot for more information.