Have You Played... Darksiders II

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game recommendations. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.

Ooh, I like me some Darksiders II [official site]. Yet another tragic victim of the collapse of THQ, the prospects of a third game in the series seem ever-far away, with current owners Nordic Games still saying such a thing is yet to start. But with a remake of the game coming up later this year, now couldn't possibly be a worse time to recommend it to you.

Saying that, the awkwardly named Deathinitive Edition is currently only slated for PS4 and XBone, although it would be pretty heftily silly not to press the Make It PC Button too. But anyway, focus. The game. The sequel to the less good Darksiders, this is a third-person brawler in which you play Death himself, for upward of 30 hours.

With clear, worn-on-its-sleeves influences from Prince Of Persia, Zelda, Metroid Prime, Ratchet & Clank and Shadows Of The Colossus, it plays like a best-of-gaming, an enormous (in every sense) game of bombastic action and mayhem, all delivered with surprising finesse. That Vigil Games were dragged under by the demise of THQ is such a shame. That they live on in the form of Airship Syndicate gives me hope that when Nordic finally pulls its finger out, there's a team in place to deliver us the third of the four planned games.