As the title says, to me Darksiders is easily one of the best games ever made. I have beaten it two times already and I will surely do so again. It's probably the best "Metroidvania" or Zelda-like game you can find on PC, it's also one of the best slasher games available on PC. The game offers a huge beautifully crafted world with an amazing artistic vision, rarely have I felt such an urge to explore each and every corner in a game this size. And it's not like in big sandbox games which are just filled with generic content, each spot feels fresh, unique and meaningful. Also the combat is simply fantastic and truly skill-based, as you play the game enemies who deliver serious ass woopin' at first eventually become easy prey not because you've unlocked powerful weapons and leveled up but because you get the hang of the admittedly comparably simple but highly satisfying combat. Which doesn't mean that you don't get to unlock new weapons and attacks, because you do and it helps keeping the game fresh and like in other "Metroidvania" games you get to discover new corners in already visited areas by using new items. Story-wise the game isn't particularly deep but the characters are all unique and iconic, material you'd normally find in a good dark comic book. Personally I didn't like the visual style and character designs at first but as I played the game more and more and got immersed I began to love them. Now, the game isn't perfect, particularly towards the end it may even get a tad boring but I still wholeheartedly recommend it. For me this is simply a far better game than any other similar title you can get on PC and also than most (somewhat) comparable console exclusive games like the God of War series, Dante's Inferno etc..
Everyone remembers the Build engine's big three, Duke 3D, Shadow Warrior and Blood, but as much as I love them, the title of the best 2.5D shooter possibly belongs to this long-forgotten shooter by LucasArts. It's not only the comparably realistic and serious Western setting that sets Outlaws apart from its competitors, most importantly it's the fast and unvorgiving gameplay. Especially if you're playing on the "Ugly" difficulty setting Outlaws provides an experience unlike anything else out there. Some call it frustrating, I call it exciting as hell. You can die after one or two shots, just like almost all enemies you will encounter, but the enemies are balanced exceptionally well, in such a manner that all of them pose a real threat but can be taken on with the right tactics and some quick thinking. It's just something about the balance of their aiming, reaction time and hit points that results in a frantic and brutal but kinda believable gameplay that makes you feel like the gunslinger you're pretending to be. Throw in an epic Western story about revenge, music that sounds like a "best of Morricone" album and many diverse locations and you have an extremely satisfying shooter unlike any other. My main concern is the archaic level design, though. Many fans of oldschool shooters love the complex and convolluted maps, I think they often go too far with this and you will find yourself looking for the right way or a key a bit too often, much like in LucasArts' other shooters, Dark Forces and Jedi Knight. Especially later on in the main campaign things get a bit messy in this respect. But still, Outlaws remains an amazing shooter and thankfully there are also the instantly accessible "historical missions" which focus a bit more on shoot-outs. Either way, I whole-heartedly recommend this often overlooked shooter. To me - a true classic.
