Starting off with what is (now) the only entry on the Top Ten based mostly on artstyle, Darksiders was something that probably doesn't make much sense (in general, and to take this spot).

The addage that Darksiders has kleptomania, specifically for a green elf boy and his ocarina, has proven itself more valid after I finally got around to playing the 3DS remake a few years back. The tone is all over the place, trying to be gritty and pained like God of War, with none of the weight; while having that particular brand of edgy goofyness found in most of the comic book hits of the 90s.

But that's just it: Darksiders is that very brand of comic book brought to video game format. Joe Madureira's glorious artstyle has been translated wonderfully to the 3D world you play in. And while War is nowhere as deep as Kratos, he is the brutal dog trying to break free from the leash he's unjustly put on, and you, as the player, WANT that just as much as he does.

While it is VERY derivative, gameplay in Darksiders is solid. Think what you will of its analogue movement-based attacks, it takes that grounded but nonetheless stylish hack-and-slash combat, and runs with it. Abilities and items aren't original in the slightest (Portal. Gun.), yet they get the job done: killing monsters and helping you traverse the world.

And the world is the highlight of the game for me. A proper open world map that lets you run around it at will, exploring a desecrated metropolis that has rightfully been ruined and twisted by demons with a much better eye for level design. In fact, it was Darksiders (after Darksiders 2) that helped to put into perspective what a good open world is: not just large, empty plains with nothing actually in it, with bullshit collectibles sprinkled in to waste time and justify the ridiculous barren void of a game world; but interesting structures, distinct environments, and the means to traverse them at your own pace as well as give you a reason to explore and backtrack.

Darksiders knows what it is and how silly and over-the-top everything about it presents itself, and never shied away from it. It was dumb fun with an awesome arstyle, and it helped me to reconnect with the talents of JoeMad and the Battle Chasers comics I read as a kid.


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