Darksiders II vs Darksiders III
Darksiders II is an action-adventure game from Vigil Games (2012) while Darksiders III is an action-adventure open-world game from Gunfire Games (2018).
Quick answer: Darksiders II has the higher Metacritic, 81 to 70.
Darksiders II
What each one is
Darksiders II is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Darksiders III under Action-Adventure and Open-World.
Darksiders II is an action role-playing hack and slash video game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. It is the sequel to Darksiders and was released in August 2012 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and as a launch title for Wii U upon the console's North American and PAL regions release in November of the same year. The story follows the efforts of player character Death to clear the name of his brother, War, who stands accused of wiping out humanity. On a total budget of $50 million, it was one of the most expensive video games to develop of all time.
Return to an apocalyptic Earth in Darksiders III, a hack-n-slash Action Adventure where players assume the role of FURY in her quest to hunt down and dispose of the Seven Deadly Sins. The most enigmatic of the Four Horsemen, FURY must bring balance to the forces that now ravage Earth.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Darksiders II is parallel to the previous game. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - War, Strife, Fury, and Death, the player character - are the last of the Nephilim , cursed fusions of angels and demons who waged war on all Creation for a place to live. To preserve the balance of the universe, the Four received power from the Charred Council in exchange for slaughtering their kin. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Darksiders II received positive reviews. Aggregating review website Metacritic gave the Wii U version 85/100, the PlayStation 3 version 84/100, the Xbox 360 version 83/100, and the PC version 81/100. IGN gave it a score of 7. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Taking place parallel to the events of Darksiders II and before the majority of Darksiders , Fury, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is summoned by the Charred Council, a group of mythical beings tasked with upholding the Balance in the universe. They task her with hunting down the Seven Deadly Sins, which have escaped imprisonment and assign her a Watcher to ensure she fulfills her task. Upon arriving on the war-torn, post-apocalyptic Earth ,… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical response Reception Darksiders III received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . The game was widely criticized for the technical issues in both consoles and PC versions of the game. Eurogamer 's review criticized the "straight forward combat" saying it is a matter of "upgrade weapon damage" and that the few puzzles are too simple, and in concluding that it "has done better in the past". (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Darksiders II | Darksiders III | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 6.8/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Mostly Positive (76%, 17,431) |
| Critic aggregate | 81/100 | 70/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $39.99 |
| Install size | — | 25 GB |
| Steam Deck | Untested | playable |
| Released | 2012 | 2018 |
| Developer | Vigil Games | Gunfire Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Darksiders II vs Darksiders III, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Darksiders IIAction-adventure gameDarksiders IIIAction-adventure open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Darksiders IINo descriptive tagsDarksiders IIIHack and Slash, Action, Female ProtagonistThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Darksiders II ✓Metacritic 81Darksiders IIIMetacritic 70Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Darksiders II—Darksiders III17,431 reviews · 3 add-ons · 25 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Darksiders IIUnknownDarksiders III$39.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Darksiders II takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Darksiders II (Metacritic 81)
Where they differ
Hack and SlashActionFemale ProtagonistSouls-likeSingleplayerAdventure
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Darksiders II is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Darksiders III is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Darksiders II | Darksiders III | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | GeForce GTX 660 / Radeon R7 370 with 2 GB |
| Minimum CPU | — | AMD FX-8320 (3,5 GHz) / Intel i5-4690K (3,5 GHz) |
| Minimum RAM | — | 8 GB |
| Install size | — | 25 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Darksiders II · Darksiders III.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Darksiders II and 1 for Darksiders III. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Darksiders II and Darksiders III in scope?
Darksiders II lists little scope data. Darksiders III has drawn 17,431 Steam reviews, ships 3 add-ons and installs in 25 GB.
Is Darksiders II or Darksiders III better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Darksiders II or Darksiders III?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Darksiders II or Darksiders III?
Darksiders II has the higher Metacritic, 81 to 70. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.