"Castlevania: Lords of Shadow" and "Kingdoms of Amalur" rolled into one.
The game is a side story to the original "Darksiders" since it roughly takes place during the same time. This entry introduces Death, one of the four Apocalyptic Horsemen mentioned in the Holy Bible. He is determined to free his brother, War, who has been imprisoned for destroying the earth. In order to redeem War, Death must restore humanity by going on an adventure of his own to find the Tree of Life. Structure-wise, DS II is similar to this year's "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning". Once you get past the initial stages of the game, you can accept numerous missions at any given time. They are scattered throughout an open-world map where you can discover various kinds of loot and challenges. Death can also call upon his supernatural steed to transverse the areas quickly.
"Darksiders II" features a combat system comparable to one found in "God of War". But it adds an RPG aspect by including loot. Death can find, equip and upgrade various kinds of armor and weaponry. He can also trade and buy from the many merchants he meets on his adventure. As you progress, you'll acquire different abilities and equipment that will open up previously inaccessible areas. The game owes much to "Prince of Persia" and "Zelda" in terms of the numerous dungeons that can be explored. Platforming and puzzle solving is heavily featured in this action game. So if you played and enjoyed "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception", chances are you'll have a good time with the dungeons of this game.
The "Shadow of the Colossus" influence is limited to the horse travel and towering bosses that must be taken down in several steps. Death eventually gets a handgun which seems like a nod to the twin pistols of Dante from "Devil May Cry". As I stated before, the game is a patchwork of several different genre titles, but it's a highly entertaining mix. The combat is fast and fluid and the adventure aspect is done quite well. I also liked the voice acting by Michael Wincott as Death. His gravelly-voiced tone is perfect for such a grim character. There are a few times that "Darksiders II" can be frustrating. It can be easy to lose direction in some of the bigger dungeons despite the assistance of a bird (which acts as a point man). And the loading screens breaks the seamless transitions between areas. But overall, the game is a highly enjoyable adventure title. It's a long game (30 + hours) and the New Game option encourages replayability.
Pros: Great mix of action, adventure and rpg. Colorful presentation. Good story. Plenty of excellent platforming and puzzle segments.
Cons: Some dungeons are hard to navigate through. The action plays out like a typical hack 'n slash.