Vigil: Darksiders 2 Looks Just As Good On Wii U

Many prospective Wii U owners are wondering whether multiplatform games on that console will look as good as their Xbox 360 and PS3 counterparts. In the case of Darksiders 2, the answer seems to be yes. Vigil Games says that there won't be any visual difference between the platforms.

"The visuals will be the same," D2 associate producer Jay Fitzloff recently told Eurogamer. "It's still a work in progress. But I know, at least as good is the way to say it."

I don't think anyone expects the Wii U to have shinier graphics than the competition. Even if the Wii U outdid the visuals of the Xbox 360 and PS3, that doesn't mean it would be on par with whatever consoles Microsoft and Sony release in a couple years. Having competitive graphics seems like the bigger focus, so that a Wii U game doesn't look like an inferior port when placed alongside the other editions.

Fitzloff said that getting the game to work on the Wii U wasn't difficult. The big challenge was making use of the Wii U's controls. The Wii U's controller is essentially a small tablet with an embedded touchscreen. Thus far, Vigil has confirmed that players can utilize the touchscreen for faster use of the map and inventory. Fitzloff hinted that they're thinking of more ambitious ways to use the controller beyond that, though.

"The rest of it is where the challenge comes in. What do we do beyond that that makes it feel natural and integral?"

Vigil's focus on utilizing the Wii U's controller in unique ways seems to fit with Nintendo's strategy nicely. They don't want the console with the prettiest graphics. They want the console with the most distinct gameplay applications. Look at what happened with the original Wii. It had pedestrian graphics but sold like hotcakes because the motion control presented a very accessible, physical type of gaming. Nintendo appears to be betting on the Wii U being just as revolutionary.