Darksiders Review

(Xbox, PS3; $59.99; Rated M for Blood/Gore/Intense Violence/Suggestive Themes; www.darksiders.com)

(four stars)

Of course one doesn't really think of love and romance when talking about the Apocalypse.  Nor does an epic adventure against armies of demons and angels conjur images of rose petals and chocolate-dipped fruit.

But make no mistake about it - "Darksiders" is a love-letter.

Because it is obvious that developers, Vigil Games, love video games.  Specifically, they love the "Legend of Zelda" and the "God of War" series, and have made "Darksiders" to combine the key elements from both.  Some developers design a game to create brand new play mechanics, or carve out a new genre, or create something no one has ever seen before.

"Darksiders" is none of that, but it is a synthesis of the things that make "Zelda," "God of War," and another classic, "Panzer Dragoon," great.  It gives players an adventuring storyline that sends them questing through far-reaching, enemy-laden lands; puts players in the shoes of an overpowered, hyper-aggressive brute - "War" (one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse); and delivers a pallet-cleanser between chapters with an on-rails shooter.  All of this, "Darksiders" does with larger-than-life character design and over-the-top dialog and voice acting.

AND it has Mark Hamil in a supporting role, and that guy is one heck of a voice actor.

Is any of "Darksiders" original? Hardly a lick, but that's not a bad thing.  Owners of PS3s and Xboxes will never have the opportunity to play a "Zelda" title on their home consoles without purchasing a Nintendo console.  But "Darksiders" is every bit of a "Zelda" title with a darker, edgier tone - so its perfect for the gamers who want the "Zelda" experience without the kid-friendly wrapper.  And never in a million years would Nintendo allow "Zelda's" protagonist, Link, to hack off enemies' limbs, or star in such a blood-soaked game; but War comes from the "God of War" school of fighting where "it's not dead unless it's insides are all over the room."

If any of this sounds good, be assured that although "Darksiders" isn't a game that you would call "romantic," it is a game made by people who love the types of games that you love- and they made this for you.

Happy Valentine's Day, from Vigil Games.