Two sequels, you mean.
If GoW3 isn’t something that at least expands the combat and puzzle design of the other two (I would say moving to a new system ups the ante in that department), I bet Sony will get some heat of that nature.
However, people slam Nintendo for that all the time. Yahtzee slams Nintendo for making another Zelda in the Darksiders review, for crying out loud. One of the biggest strikes against Twilight Princess is that it’s basically just Ocarina’s elements shuffled and run through an “edgy” filter. However, there is one key thing that I feel Zelda succeeds at that is lacking in Darksiders.
Every good Zelda game (and admittedly they’re not all good, and some are not as good as Darksiders) has a few twists on the old formulas and tools that make me say “Oh, that’s clever.” Darksiders has nothing of this nature. When obstacles or puzzles are introduced, the solution is immediately obvious and is simply a matter of going through the motions. The absolute worst example of this in the genre is the Temple of the Ocean King in Phantom Hourglass. While Darksiders is just dull in this regard, Phantom Hourglass is actively infuriating.
Unwavering predictability absolutely permeates Darksiders (at least as far as I got in it before losing interest entirely), and I was constantly irritated by the lack of any kind of misdirection or sleight of hand when it comes to the level or puzzle design. I actually only fully realized this while playing Divinity II of all things, after hitting a gate that had a lever next to it that did nothing. To open the gate you had to spot a series of platforms earlier on that would lead you to the true lever, high above the floor. As I pulled that lever, I thought, “Darksiders never even tried that hard to fool me with anything.” Zelda’s water temples, for example, are notorious for making you figure out exactly what you need to do through experimentation and visualization. Every puzzle I encountered in Darksiders lacks this aspect entirely, which is why I find it so dull and unrewarding.
Again, I don’t think it’s a bad game. I think it’s an entirely competent game with, as Yahtzee says, no soul and nothing of its own to offer. People who counter this complaint with “but Zelda’s the same thing every time” or something similar just miss the point of the complaint entirely, in my opinion. By way of analogy, I don’t care how great a Led Zeppelin cover band is, it’s not the same as seeing Led Zeppelin in concert. I get that that distinction isn’t as important to some people, but it is to me.
I’m rapidly reaching my limit, and this game is about 5 minutes from being shelved. Not because of your reasons though.
No, because it’s buggy as fuck. Somehow, all the problems were deferred until later in the game. I have had various puzzle bits fail due to bugs. I couldn’t beat the boss that required the train car, because the game wouldn’t let me hold on to it. Had to reload. I couldn’t get one of the sword pieces, because the anchor point wouldn’t work. I’ve had my boomerang refuse to lock on to important parts. In Black Throne, there were parts where my hookshot refused to work at all. And to put icing on the motherfucking cake, One of my armor parts is missing, so I can’t complete it. I’ve been over the whole game two full times in addition to the times I was in the areas to begin with.
One of the chests either wasn’t there, or the piece that was supposed to be given to me by the story wasn’t.
The camera, on top of everything, gets so infuriating that I’ve nearly thrown my controller. Some of the puzzles require timing that had me fighting the obtuse and poorly designed controls so much that I’ve nearly chucked the disc in the trash. And that’s beside the ridiculous combat difficulty ramp (which you warned me about).
And oh god what I wouldn’t give for a fucking run button.
