Editorials
War Master: Apocalyptic Action Adventure Series ‘Darksiders’ Turns 10
On January 5, 2010, we were introduced to the hack and slash, action-adventure game Darksiders. While it’s often difficult for a new franchise to get noticed, especially one that debuted in a year that featured heavy hitters like Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, and Red Dead Redemption, Darksiders was able to steal just enough of that spotlight to become a beloved franchise itself. It seems hard to believe that it has been ten years since the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, War, rode Ruin (his horse) into our hearts and imaginations. Today we take a look and celebrate Darksiders on its ten year anniversary.
The Four Horsemen of Darksiders: War, Death, Fury, and Strife are part of an ancient and nearly extinct race produced from the union of an angel and a demon, known as the Nephilim. In Darksiders, you play as War who has been framed by Abaddon and wrongly imprisoned having been accused of prematurely starting the apocalypse. After being incarcerated for one hundred years, the Charred Council gives War a chance to redeem himself and restore balance on earth. The Charred Council binds War to The Watcher (voiced by Mark Hamill), a mean spirited demon who not only keeps War in line but also acts as a guide to help him on his journey.
Initially, I think some people dismissed Darksiders as a God Of War clone. Not that there’s anything wrong with that label, but in reality, Darksiders is so much more. With its steep character progression and near open-world environment, Darksiders is the perfect amalgamation of several games including God Of War, Devil May Cry, Diablo, Zelda, and even a little bit of Portal fused together to make one of the most intriguing and exciting games of the past ten years. As you hack your way through the lengthy campaign chock full of intricate puzzles with a Metroidvania twist, it’s not difficult to see why the game was critically and commercially successful and has gone on to set the stage for three more games in the series.
Darksiders was always meant to be a four-part series with each of the Four Horsemen getting their own game. That seemed unlikely as developer Vigil Games which was owned by THQ was shut down when THQ went bankrupt shortly after Darksiders 2 released in 2012. This made the future of Darksiders look bleak and fans wondered if we would ever see another game in the series. Fortunately, Nordic Games stepped in and acquired the rights to the Darksiders franchise. Several of Vigil’s employees, including co-founder David Adams, formed Gunfire Games and were given the go-ahead to start development on Darksiders 3 which finally released in 2019.
There would be a gap of six years between Darksiders 2 and Darksiders 3 but within this time, the first two games were remastered for PS4, X1, and PC and later made their way to the Nintendo Switch in 2019. The remaster of War’s story came out in 2016 and was known as Darksiders: The Warmastered Edition and proved that the game stood the test of time and more importantly that there was a demand for more Darksiders.
In 2018 not only did we finally see the release of Darksiders 3, but we also got a surprise pre-E3 announcement revealing Darksiders Genesis, a spinoff and prequel to the main series. Darksiders Genesis is an isometric dungeon crawler similar to Diablo and Torchlight. For the first time ever in Darksiders’ history, you can control two Horsemen in one game including Strife, the fourth and final horseman. Bringing ten years of Darksiders full circle, the second playable Rider is none other than the guy who started it all, War. Had War’s story not been a success, it’s likely that Darksiders would have ended up less than a one-hit-wonder, much like that other God Of War clone, Dante’s Inferno (which also arrived early in 2010). Instead, it paved the way for a lasting franchise that I hope generates many more games to come. Cheers War, here’s to ten more years of Darksiders games.
***If you haven’t played Darksiders you can get the Warmastered Edition as well as Darksiders 2 the Deathinitive Edition free on PC over at the Epic Games store until January 9th.***
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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