Posted by Justin on February 4th, 2010 | 1 comment
THQ had some big announcements yesterday in an earnings report with loads of new titles that should be of high quality – odd saying that about THQ, but they’ve upped their game in recent years.
I’m going to call ‘em out for frowning on those Darksiders numbers if they’re truly disappointed, apparently THQ has shipped around 1.2 million copies of the game already. That’s an impressive number for a new IP, and nothing to be ashamed of.
Judging from reviews, the success is well deserved, too. I’ll have to pick it up one day or another.
THQ announced numerous upcoming titles during the report, and while reports seem a little conflicting, I’ve tried to piece it together. Launching in fiscal year 2011, which actually starts this March, Homefront and a new Red Faction are scheduled for release. READ MORE
Posted by Justin on February 3rd, 2010 | 0 comments
Darksiders may have lived up to expectations over at Metacritic, but it seems THQ is a little bummed about sales of the title. After dumping loads of money into development and advertisements, it looks to have come up a little short.
“[Darksiders] didn’t perform up to THQ’s expectations,” Signal Hill Capital’s Todd Greenwald said, “likely selling less than 1 million units despite heavy marketing dollars [and] 2-3 years of development costs.”
It’s hard to accurately assess this quote and THQ’s disappointment without knowing actual figures. Is “less than 1 million” actually significantly less, or did it hit just shy of the mark?
It’s not easy selling a new IP, much less one that launches just after a plethora of heavy-hitting holiday titles and just before Mass Effect 2 and BioShock 2. What were the expectations here?
When January’s NPD numbers hit, I’ll be keeping a close eye out for Darksiders. If it manages to crack the top 10, or at the very least comes close, it’ll be hard for me to not look at this as overreacting on THQ’s part.
Posted by Justin on January 6th, 2010 | 0 comments
Two high quality games came out yesterday, and since I can’t afford either, you should go out and buy both for me. Those games are Bayonetta and Darksiders, neither of which will sell as many as they should.
Reviews are rolling in and Vigil Games appears to have delivered a high quality game with Darksiders (yet another winner for THQ). Maybe I’ll make this one of those titles I surprise myself deeper into 2010 when I find myself finally caught up games I deem necessary to catch up with.
I wrongly assumed this game was a God of War clone, but it’s more Zelda than anything. Thankfully it’s of high quality and not an outright rip-off (ahem). Better still, you know you’re getting the complete package with Darksiders because Vigil has no DLC planned meaning no excluded content.
Bayonetta broke street date and has been available for awhile, but it’s officially out now. Despite Darksiders’ impressive scores, Bayonetta manages to outdo it pulling in some extremely high marks. Pick it up if you want a high intensity actionfest (with boobs and butts).
If only I could stumble upon a large bag of money . If only…
Posted by Justin on December 17th, 2009 | 0 comments
I simply won’t have the time or the money to enjoy all the games I want to as we head into the next year. Who knows, maybe things will start to clear up beyond January, February and March, but it’s hard to look past months filled with BioShock, Mass Effect, Bayonetta, No More Heroes and God of War.
It’s unfortunate because Darksiders is fast working its way up my list of most anticipated titles, but it’s cursed with an early 2010 launch.
Darksiders looks like a really solid action game (of many in 2010, it seems) with a unique look. I’ve been covering Darksiders a lot lately, so I suppose THQ is doing a decent enough getting word out on the game (I am the mecha of gaming news coverage, after all). I only fear that its January 8 launch date will leave it gathering dust on store shelves while gamers are busy playing catch-up for 2009, eventually transitioning into 2010 when Mass Effect 2 hits.
Posted by Justin on December 4th, 2009 | 0 comments
I feel like every time I mention my excitement for Darksiders, I feel the need to mention a warning I got at E3: it really wasn’t all that good at the show. I didn’t get around to playing it though, so I’ve yet to form a valid opinion for myself.
So until that day comes, I’ll continue to hope it’s a quality product and that maybe it just wasn’t Michael’s cup of tea. That, or the demo was just rough.
A new trailer is up showing some of the hellish hordes you’ll be fighting against. I really dig the art, the Warhammer background Vigil Games has really comes through in the world.
THQ is on a roll lately. In one year they put out a quality UFC fighter, Dawn of War II, and my ultimate surprise hit of 2009, Red Faction: Guerrilla. Let’s hope they’re getting behind another great game with Darksiders.
