Since we started covering games, we have always had an eye on THQ and its franchises. From the WWE and UFC fighting games to fantasy adventures like Darksiders and sci-fi worlds of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine to even the modern day gone wrong Saints Row, THQ has been a huge part of gaming for the better part of the past twenty years. Unfortunately, this past week THQ was forced to declare bankruptcy in hopes of somehow finding a way to save the jobs of as many employees as possible and keep their games in progress still alive.

There are a few options to what could happen to THQ. First, it could be bought out by another company and have its portfolio absorbed into the new company including licenses. Another option would be the company dissolves and its assets including studios are auctioned off. If either were to happen, it is possible that we would see some of the THQ franchises picked up by other studios and studios picked up by other publishers. But the question then begins, what would the good combinations be for publishers and studios as well as studios and franchises.

Darksiders was a game that many people expected to fall by the wayside between lack of promotion and an interesting choice in release dates, January 1st 2010. But as was seen in our review of the game, giving it an 8 out of 10, Darksiders proved it had the potential to be something special and for the most part lived up to it.

Not entirely what gamers were expecting, Darksiders ended up playing out much like a dark, demon filled version of Ocarina of Time where players were challenged to solve puzzles along with a constantly improving repertoire of weapons, skills and magic at their disposal under the guise of the horseman of the apocalypse War.

Now, Darksiders II brings a new horseman to the player’s control, probably the most infamous of them all. Death. And with Death comes a whole new list of possibilities. War’s power were all about destruction. It would only make sense that Death’s powers were all about… well, death. Instead of just ripping enemies apart, Death can bring about the primordial forces to end the lives of any who oppose him, be they angel or demon. At least, that’s what we are hoping to see happen.

Darksiders II is coming in 2012 to XBox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Make sure to take a peek at the trailer below to see Death in action. Stick to the Flickcast for more information on Darksiders II as it becomes available.

Numbers of console and games sales were released by the NPD group for the month of January 2010 today with some not so surprising results. The Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS (including the DSi SKU’s) lead the console war as they continue to dominate this generation in terms of sales. Even after their record setting Wii sales in December, the little white box with waggle controls still is flying off shelves. With that comes five of the top games being Wii titles.

The griefer’s paradise New Super Mario Bros Wii tops their charts, follwed by evergreen favorite Wii titles like Wii Fitt Plus, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Sports Resort. The only surprise on the Wii comes from the critically panned Just Dance from Ubisoft (averaging a score of 47 from Metacritic).

XBox 360 surged back in front of the PlayStation 3, no doubt with some help of their over half a million selling release of Mass Effect 2. The XBox 360’s version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 also outsold the PS3 version by a firm 65,000 units. Co-op shooter Army of Two: The 40th Day debutted on the charts in the number 8 spot, followed by the apocalyptic release of Darksiders, both the games being the XBox 360 versions.

XBox 360 & PS3 – THQ – $59.99

Score: 8.0

Since we got to take a look at Darksiders for the first time at San Diego Comic-Con and get our hands on it this past fall at the Big Apple Con, the game has piqued our interest over here at the Flickcast. With a story that could have been ripped either from the silver screen, the chance to step in to the boots of War, one of the four horseman of the apocalypse, has been an opportunity we were looking forward to experiencing.

The brainchild of Battle Chasers creator Joe Madureira, it was interesting to see how someone so versed in the art of comic book storytelling would be able to translate to the epically different medium of interactive entertainment.

Gameplay:

The concept behind Darksiders comes across like it would be a simple hack and slash adventure game. For those expecting a Ninety-Nine Nights or Dynasty Warriors style game where War runs through thousands of enemies, Darksiders makes sure to add a layer of depth one wouldn’t expect in the game.

While there are tons of enemies to rip in half, impale and crush the skull of, the real fun of Darksiders comes from its puzzles. Inevitably compared to The Legend of Zelda series, War is much more cunning than one would expect. Using items similar to Link’s Boomerang or Portal’s Portal Gun, War must uncover hidden passages and solve environmental quandaries to progress in his quest.

We recently brought you news that the newly released video game from comic creator Joe Madureira, Darksiders, may be growing legs and moving onto the world of film. Recently, we got the chance to talk to “Joe Mad” about his video game, and any thoughts he had on adaptations before the game was even released.

Darksiders, which hit game stores on January 5th, is an innovative action-adventure game from the creator of such comics as Battle Chasers and Marvel’s Ultimates 3. In the game takes the role of “War”, one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse, and throws you in a post-apocalyptic world where you must fight your way to the top.

Check out our exclusive interview with Madureira after the jump, and be sure to also check out our hands-on first impressions with Darksiders, which can be found for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 where video games are sold.

The Apocalypse comes early and one of the horseman, War, is blamed for it. He comes to earth fighting both angel and demon alike in an effort to find out what put the cataclysmic events into effect before they were supposed to come to fruition. It could sound like the plot of a major summer blockbuster, a comic book series from Vertigo or Darkhorse or a video game. It turns out it could be all three.

In a recent interview with VG247, creative director of the recently released Darksiders game for XBox 360 and Playstation 3 Joe Madureira said that “We’ve gotten some interest from Hollywood, we’ve talked about doing a comic series… At least a couple of those things have to happen, I’m sure.”

Darksiders has already been given a special comic book pre-order bonus from Gamestop so it’s not out of the realm of possibility for a series to be in the work, especially since Joe Madureira made himself famous in the comics industry back in the 90s. The recent string of lackluster video game to movie adaptations (like Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li or Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within) might be biggest factor to overcome as time and again Hollywood has shown they don’t really have a full grasp on taking a 10+ hour game story and crunching it down into only 2 while still keeping the essence of what made that game great in the first place.

But with Joe Mads at the helm as creative director, this THQ property might have a chance of making an impact on the big screen. Check back at The Flickcast later this week for more coverage on Darksiders as well as Matt Raub’s exclusive interview with Darksiders creative director Joe Madureira.

This past weekend at Big Apple Comic Con, we had the opportunity to get some exclusive hands on time with the upcoming THQ release Darksiders. Our very own Matt Raub also got the chance to sit down and talk with its creative director Joe Madureira of Battle Chasers fame to talk about the game. That interview will be up soon.

Darksiders tells the story of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Like his other three cohorts, Death, Strife and Fury, he’d help bring upon the End of Days when the time was right. But something went wrong and someone set events in to motion for the end of the world too soon and War was blamed for it. Now, a hundred years later, War comes back to earth to try and set things right in a literal post-Apocalyptic world where he hacks his way through both angels and demons to try and find out what went wrong.

Starting off with just his sword in hand, War cuts his way through demons very much in style similar to God of War. War, being the master of weaponry, is also able to pick up non-traditional weapons to the original Apocalyptic mythos when he is able to wield an assortment of guns as well. As his attacks pile up, War also gains access to the power of his Wrath meter which allows him to unleash stronger attacks and various powers that he regains through the progress of the game.

The game’s action takes place in underground areas filled with puzzles as well as topside of a free roam world. Joe Mad has compared the style of gameplay to that of the Legend of Zelda series. When wandering through the demo levels, the game was easy to pick up and play with intuitive controls and easy to navigate areas.