HELL HATH NO FURY

In the early nineties, a video game was released that concreted the medium as one of my preferred forms of entertainment. I even remember the first time I saw the game in question - my cousin and I used to frequent an arcade and usually, there would be people scattered throughout, but on this one day, everyone, and I do mean everyone was huddled around just one machine. My cousin and I joined the gathering and strained to see what the fuss was about.We could hear awesome, catchy music voice samples and announcements (which very few games had back then). When we strained to look at the screen we saw two large, colorful and well animated (for the time) characters facing off against each other; a Sumo Wrestler and a strange guy in a mask with a claw - the game was Street Fighter II. In my opinion, Capcom's premier fighting game changed video games from a diversion on a rainy day to the phenomenon they have become today. Before SFII if you weren't using your console it was usually packed away, whereas these days most consoles sit alongside most families DVD/Blu-Ray player.
Over twenty-five years later, and after countless imitations most fighting games have barely deviated from the simple but effective formula pioneered by SFII. While the recently released Injustice 2 has many nuanced additions, its core gameplay is identical to SFII. Sadly, for this very reason, the genre is in decline with only the premier titles such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Injustice maintaining a presence in the market. For the genre to return to dominance the core gameplay needs to adapt and evolve beyond its current, stagnant form. Yet the established properties, limited by their overexposed characters and their expected repertoire of moves would struggle to set a new standard, a fresh approach to the tired genre. What is needed is an established property ideally suited to be adapted into a fighting game, such as Darksiders.
Developed by Gunfire Games (originally Vigil Games) the Darksiders series is a collection of two (soon to be three) action RPG, Hack & Slash games with a very unique and dominant visual style that could be likened as a cross between the visual stylings of Warcraft and Gears of War. Furthermore, the characters and the storylines involved are so larger-than-life and so uniquely suited to a fighting game adaptation that one wonders why the developers have not pondered the possibility before. Featuring characters such as the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, angels, demons and many other legendary and mythical creatures, Darksiders would make for a visually dynamic and action packed fighting game. Additional characters such as King Arthur (with a huge broadsword version of Excalibur), A Minotaur with a large Axe, or the God of Thunder himself with an oversized hammer would also make welcome additions.

As for how the genre should and needs to be changed would be a combination of making the core gameplay more rewarding and a matter of internal testing. Should jumping and crouching be eliminated to allow 3D movement, or should such movement be accessed through input controls or button commands? Should fights be made lengthier and more strategic? Would the game benefit from an adventure-like campaign or a challenge based collection of bouts? Should players be given free reign to create their own character or should an established cast of characters take center stage?

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