Saddle up and ride for world’s ending, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! This week, we check out the ‘better late than never’ Darksiders demo, run down the latest details on Super Street Fighter IV as well as the news that SFIV is headed to the iPhone, discuss the new Assassin’s Creed 2 DLC and the circulating info on Assassin’s Creed 3, and ponder the North American delay for the first episode of the Heavy Rain Chronicles DLC.

First up, we talk the Heavy Rain demo. With the game being release this week we discuss our impressions of the demo and what the future may hold for this unique title. Next, after many a request from you the loyal Axehead vanguard, we take a stab at some of the business models being discussed by Jason Rubin on his recent Bonus Round appearance.

The Battle Cry of the Week goes to Metal Gear Solid: Arcade, free copies of Red Faction: Guerrilla, Transformers G1 Awakening on iPhone, and VOD vs Blu-ray.

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THQ has announced that those of you still on the fence about Vigil’s Darksiders will soon get the chance to try that bad boy out via a lengthy demo coming to both PSN and XBL on February 25.

The demo, which packs in 90-minutes of gameplay (WHOA!), contains the entire first dungeon encounter from the game known as the Twilight Cathedral. Described as both “engaging and challenging”, the level contains dozens of puzzles for players to solve, new pieces of equipment to discover and epic boss battles against the monstrous demon Jailer and the savage bat-winged Tiamat.

David Adams, General Manager of Vigil Games commented, “We are really pumped to be bringing a playable demo for Darksiders to Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. We really wanted to give gamers a true idea of the variety of gameplay that the game offers and so rather than just making a standard 20-minute demo version of the first few levels, we decided to give away this massive level and reveal the true essence of the game.”

The full game itself is of course already out for both PS3 and 360.

Now THIS is a promo…THQ has updated the official Darksiders‘ website with a post detailing what folks still hanging on to the mysterious code card included with their copy of Darksiders will receive and it includes a digital Hellbook disc featuring Darksiders art, videos, and other “awesome stuff” along with a free copy of Red Faction: Guerrilla, the third person shooter featuring fully destructible environments… on Mars! Pretty impressive, huh???

So, visit the promo page, click on which version you want (360 or PS3), enter your Promo Code and click “Apply” to get the goods. You better do it fairly soon though as the offer and ends March 7, 2010. It’s not all peachy though…shipping and handling is not included and unfortunately the deal is only available to US residents. Sorry!

Via Kotaku

Say what you will about THQ/Vigil’s Darksiders…by most accounts it’s a SOLID game and a promising new franchise at the very least. While the title just released, there are plenty of folks already craving more and today some sketches of the remaining Four Horsemen (to accompany War) have hit the net to satisfy. Introducing “Strife”, “Fury”, and “Death” as conceptualized by Darksiders‘ lead, Vigil boss man, and overall comic bad-ass Joe Madureira. Does the existence of these sketches imply that a Darksiders sequel is guaranteed? Well, not really, but funny how starring Death in the face can make fans so hopeful.

We’ll keep you posted as new details emerge.

Via VG247

Be among them and attack from behind, its time for another episode of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s skirmish, we cringe as Tony Hawk sinks to new depths to sell copies of Ride, warm up our trigger finger for Metal Slug XX, rally around the rumor a new NBA Jam is headed our way, and discuss the recent Sony survey that points to premium (as in paid) subscription services coming to PSN.

With the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 behind us, we take a look at the offerings for gamers. Microsoft announced Game Room, and also confirmed Natal will be out this year. Sony launched the first salvo for 3D gaming and announced an expansion of PSN video services beyond the PlayStation platform. Who brought the heat, who stabbed themselves in the face? We sharpen the Axe on CES 10.

The Battle Cry of the Week calls on Nintendo to bring OLED technology to the next DS console, thanks George Lucas for the greatest unintentional entertainment of the week, celebrates Darksiders and other new, kick-ass IPs, and has love for Crystal Dynamics and the hope that we may see a new Legacy of Kain game one day.

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Empowering the EBA Community with a voice to collaboratively review the industry’s hottest titles, the EpicBattleAxe.com uREVIEW (about) delivers real insight from real gamers about The GOOD, The BAD, and The UGLY pertaining to the biggest games in the world. This is the EpicBattleAxe.com uREVIEW for Darksiders. Let’s get started:

FACTS:

Publisher: THQ |Developer: Vigil Games
Genre(s): Action, Adventure
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Release Date: January 5, 2010
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Official Website

GAME SUMMARY:

Penned by legendary comic book artist Joe Madureira (X-Men, Battle Chasers, The Ultimates), Darksiders is set in a Post-Apocalyptic demon-ravaged world where evil forces have prematurely brought about the end of the time. Originally sent to oversee the destruction of Earth, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have been betrayed by their master, stripped of their powers and cast down to Earth. Players take on the role of WAR — the first of the Four Horsemen — as he embarks on a brutal quest of vengeance and revenge against the forces that betrayed him with the help of his phantom steed RUIN. The first title from new THQ studio Vigil Games, Darksiders: Wrath of War features open-world exploration, a deep combat system and a huge arsenal of modern and mythical weapons. [THQ]

NOTE: BEFORE CONTRIBUTING TO THIS EpicBattleAxe.com uREVIEW, PLEASE READ THE SUBMISSION GUIDE RIGHT HERE. All comments/ratings not within the guidelines WILL BE DELETED. Thank you.

Dtoid just turned us on to a rather impressive new trailer for the upcoming Darksiders which, as the post points out, recently received a perfect score (10/10) from Play magazine as its first review. While you know I don’t think ANY game is perfect, I do think Darksiders is most certainly of the bad-ass variety. Check out the latest vid from the game below and see if you agree.

If you’re interested in picking up Vigil’s sweet-looking Darksiders come January 5, 2010 (Jan 8 in the UK), you may also be interested in getting an advance from Santa to pre-order the title from GameStop. Why? Well, doing so will score you some pretty sweet goodies including a graphic novel, exclusive poster, and a code to unlock an exclusive in-game weapon.

Here’s the rundown as pointed out by the destructive, robotic boys and gals at Dtoid:

• Graphic Novel vision of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
• Concept Art – Exclusive in-depth look at the creation of the epic Darksiders.
• Exclusive Fold Out Poster – Original concept art created by Joe Madureira.
• Weapons Feature – Master the weapons of Darksiders with this exclusive guide
• The Harvester – Code to unlock GameStop exclusive in-game weapon

Not bad and pretty cool stuff if you were already planning on picking it up.

Darksiders will be available on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. You won’t get the pre-order content until you pick up the game, but at least you’ll feel all special when you do.

THQ Inc. today announced the highly anticipated action adventure title Darksiders, from internal studio Vigil Games, is scheduled to launch in North America on January 5th, 2010 for the 360 and PS3. The title is also scheduled to ship in Europe and Asia Pacific on January 7th and January 8th, respectively.

Featuring the unique art style of legendary comic book artist Joe Madureira, Darksiders puts players in the role of War, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Gamers will explore Earth set 100 years after the biblical Apocalypse, traveling through expansive dungeons, battling demons and angels and striking deals with unsavory characters in an epic quest to restore the balance between Heaven and Hell.

In addition to announcing the ship date, THQ today also released the final packaging art and announced the re-launch of the new Darksiders web site. For the latest Darksiders news, screenshots and video, and to see the new exclusive developer diary, please visit the new site at www.darksiders.com.

You can check out the game’s official box art here.

by E.P. Bigsbie

As an avid fan of the action/adventure games, a new project revealed a couple years ago from Vigil called Darksiders has gotten me really excited about the future of the genre. Now, when it comes to “action adventure” gaming, many titles can leave a bland taste in your mouth when the main ingredient is monotonous button mashing mayhem. In the past, very few action games have delivered a deep story line, thoughtful character development and flawless game control. Today however, with beefy hardware packed into our tiny home consoles, game developers have the tools to bring their full artistic visions to fruition. Some developers having answered the call of their creative genius and by spawning great titles such as Grand Theft Auto, Ninja Gaiden, Mass Effect, God of War, Assassin’s Creed, Devil May Cry, Ratchet & Clank, Metal Gear Solid and Fable just to name a few. With revolutionary technology at our fingertips and the ability to showcase a developer’s art, craft and style, we’ve now come to expect nothing less than that kind of quality in our games. And so, with Darksiders, I feel that Vigil Games will have an opportunity to set a new standard for action adventure gaming and redefine a genre.
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