I have heard several good things about this game. I have been very busy lately and haven't had the chance to buy it. I imagine that it would be a pretty good game.
Admittedly, I was skeptical. Yet another Castlevania game. And keep in mind just because it bears the name of a universally reknown franchise does NOT mean it is a decent game. Just because it has Patrick Stewart narrating doesn't give it a free pass, either. (although, games with his talents attatched to them seemingly are good. See Oblivion.) Just because it has PS3 graphics that rival FF13 definitely does not mean excellence. Just because Hideo Kojima is directing...well, all that means is that it'll be pretty badass.
As a gamer, I appreciate the narrated segway. They add the almost literature-flavor that the main character stollidly refuses to supply. He is trying to pass himself off as a Vampire Hunter D-type badass, I imagine.
The Dynamics of fighting are VERY satisfying. I defer to games like the DMC series or God of War and it has a nice variety of combos unlike say...the Force Unleashed.
The monsters and bosses are threatening, in their size and ferocity. Almost ala Shadow of the Colossus or Super Metroid.
As for it's connection to the original series, the game was correctly termed a "reboot" which always makes die-hard fans anxious. The game feels like Castlevania without submitting itself to the same format. I'd say this is the Megaman 7 of the series. Strangely different and it's that difference that might not settle well with the nostalgia fans.
Once again, I'd liked to point out Hideo Kojima's involvement. This assures a kind of quality. But this game is definitely a rental first. It's split into three or four difficulties which makes it widely accessable...but I have to step-out of review to mention that I DO NOT LIKE that. I prefer a game that has no easy setting or hard setting. Because I will inevitably pick easy every time and I don't like doing that. I like a challenging game that FORCES you to step-up your game rather than handing down an easy option.
Either way, I haven't beat the game yet but first impressions are...well...impressive.
-Sin
Fear not, this is not...the end of this world.
"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good..."
I have heard several good things about this game. I have been very busy lately and haven't had the chance to buy it. I imagine that it would be a pretty good game.
I'm enjoying it so far, but it's pretty evident (and I believe they actually said this before) that this game was not originally meant to be a Castlevania game, but rather a game that had the Castlevania name tacked on after its initial conception. In my opinion, it does not at all feel like a Castlevania game, neither in gameplay (obviously) or atmosphere.
That being said, taken for what it is, it's been quite enjoyable thus far. I'm a little skeptical how involved Kojima actually was with this project, but all the same, the production values are wonderful. The voice work and the music are fantastic and the graphics are quite good as well. The gamplay is fun, but it's clear that they created very little themselves in that department. The combat feels very much like God of War (far more so than it does DMC, imo) and the Shadow of the Colossus influences aren't hidden in the least. That's not really a criticism mind you. I've found all the borrowed elements to be executed and mixed well together. The only thing I'm not yet sure of (I only just finished the first chapter) is how well the game is paced. I think that's what will make or break it in the end. I've heard it's rather long for one of these kinds of games, so it runs the risk of becoming tiresome. I'll just have to wait and see if they pulled it off properly or not.
Taken for what it is (ie not a Castlevania game), it's quite good.
Until now!
I respectfully strongly disagree. I think it feels plenty like a Castlevania game...Moreso than even previous games in the series (those atrocious games: Castlevania and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness for 64) To be honest, what expectations were we all supposed to have of a PS3 Castlevania release? There are no true side-scrollers left in these days and everyone expects the gameplay to step it up. So if you play Rondo of Blood and wrap it around three-dimensional graphics in third-person, adapting all the scenarios and enemies to that format, what do you have? The only real direction to take it in, the correct one that so many other games have taken(GoW).
The single most obvious missing element is the music. It does not have that and that may be the largest legitimate departure from the series. It has too much of a mystic/new age feel to it that damages it's compatibility with the remainder of the series. And to be honest there are elements not seen in other Castlevania games, such as pixies??? IDK what's up with that. But I do love the bestiary feature that reminds me of Symphony of Night.
It could do with more of a map of the various locales...a minimap, say. The map that displays between levels does not help you get a sense of breadth and layout and you are bound to get lost once or twice. However, a minimap would feel awkward on the display and detract from the feel.
And insofar as pace, it does seem to drag, honestly and that isn't good. Though I would prefer playing a long drawn out game like this than say Fallout 3 which is drawn out not only intentionally, but creatively, finding new and unrelated ways of extending and stretching the gameplay with the same old elements over episodic plots. The pace seems befitting what one would expect of a bona-fide adventure rather than a shortened, condensed canned-ham of a game like one would expect of the next DMC sequel.
Hideo Kojima, it appears, was only the executive producer, so I retract my former statement and appologize for not having my facts in a row. It's a shame that I became over-excited in seeing his name, but that was no doubt the intention. But I'm glad to say it wasn't too misleading, inasmuch as this is a very playable game.
-Sin
EDIT: Yet another reference to a game can be found on a dead knight at the start of Chpt 2. A scroll speaking of "The Great Dekuh", once the largest and most gorgeous trees in the forest. It was even supposedly alive and magical. But it was cursed by one of the Dark Lords. I'm not going to spell it out for you if you haven't gotten it at this point. However, I do see a lot in common between the two games. Various...similarities.
Last edited by Sinister; 10-10-2010 at 08:35 PM.
Fear not, this is not...the end of this world.
"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good..."
That's exactly it, there were no expectations. No one has yet been able to get the feel of Castlevania into a 3D game. The older 3D Castlevania games sucked, so their gameplay style is ignored, and this latest game borrowed its gameplay style from other games (particularly God of War) and therefore cannot feel like Castlevania because it feels like other games. Castlevania does not currently have its own defined feel in a 3D environment; the only way it ever will is if a good 3D Castlevania game emerges with its own unique style of gameplay, the way Zelda gained its own 3D feel with Ocarina of Time. As it stands, the game is an action adventure ad lib. One could substitute the weapons, enemies and main character with that of any 2D sidescroller and succeed just as much in making it feel like that game as this game succeeded in making itself feel like Castlevania. It was silly of me to imply that this game should feel like a Castlevania game as that would require it to feel like a 2D game. Rather, it should redefine what a Castlevania game feels like, the way Ocarina of Time did for Zelda and Mario 64 did for Mario. But it can't do that if it already feels like another game (or games).Originally Posted by Sin
Again though, that's no reason not to play and thoroughly enjoy the game. It's been great so far.
Last edited by Jin; 10-10-2010 at 09:25 PM.
Until now!
Perhaps, the 3d third-person action-adventure feel that it shares with DMC, God of War, Dante's Inferno and others, as we've noted, does't represent a plagarized or copied style so much as a new genre. A type of dynamic action-adventure platformer that was, although not owned, but pioneered by GoW. So to confuse the genres as styles would be the equivalent of saying because Super Mario Bros was a side-scrolling platformer and because it was made first then the original Castlevania was not unique.
In the end, the unique or unoriginal feel is just a frame of mind and a perception. I find it feels just like a Castlevania in a comfortable and unique way. I have the advantage of disliking GoW and being a virgin to this "style" of game so I will always mentally associate this "style" with Castlevania. I guess that to all of you GoW fans, it's originality must taste a little spoiled, then. That's a shame.
As for it being a great game... The more I play it the more it has it's flaws. It keeps adding more and more facets to battling and many of the bosses must be killed in a sophisticated and frustrating manner, moreso than any game I recall. The puzzles are a little shocking as you can actually choose to by-pass many of them. And the plot is turning out to be a little cliche in places. I already have a great hunch as to how the game ends. It's a little disappointing that the game doesn't seem to directly revolve around Dracula, but I'm a patient person and I can only hope they continue this game with a sequel that will.
-Sin
Fear not, this is not...the end of this world.
"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good..."
I'm not entirely understanding what you're saying. Are you saying that games that feel like God of War should be a sub-genre of the action-adventure genre? With all due respect, I think that's reaching a bit. There have been plenty of action-adventure games that feel completely different from God of War: DMC, Ninja Gaiden, Prince of Persia and, more recently, Enslaved. There's plenty of room within the genre for developers to innovate and create a game with its own unique feel (note: feel as I'm using it refers to gameplay, controls, atmosphere and hooks such as scale). Comparing the original Castlevania to Mario doesn't quite work because the games feel completely different. We may just have to agree to disagree on this one, but Lords of Shadow feels like I'm playing a slightly darker God of War. I don't want to get into it too much because I generally hate when people point to every action-adventure game that comes out and complain that it's a God of War clone when it isn't, but in this case, there's some merit to that claim.
But we may just have to agree to disagree. When we're dealing with something as subjective as the feel of the game, we may just be wasting our time.
Until now!
I have played the demo, I am yet to play the full game. From the demo, it is good. However, for a game with such a familiar name attached to it, you would expect it to live up to its name. For me, so far, it doesn't so much.
I am a longtime fan of Castlevania, and to me it isn't a Castlevania game. I will buy the full game, because it is good. It's just, for someone who has played every Castlevania game, you can't help but feel a bit let down.
I finally understand what it is they were attempting with this game. I'm not sure I like it and I'm not sure if it will be liked by others. They may literally be attempting to twist the traditional format of a classic game inside out. There is the addition of cheesy Shyamalan-esque twists that honestly grate a bit against my sensibilities and have wrecked unholy damage with the straightforward honest nature of a gaming franchise.
We may be seeing a new trend in gaming now. This isn't a sequel or a prequel or even a reboot. This is a reimagining of an entire franchise. We're already seeing this begining to happen with the strange new DMC trailer they've released. I appologize, this is NOT Castlevania and should not be called Castlevania. It deserves to be related to the franchise, perhaps in the form of a spin-off...but...wow.
Spoiler: Heroes are being turned into anti-heroes only to be revealed as anti-villains that should've been just straight out villains from the begining. I appreciate what they were trying to do but as disgusting as it is, they've set themselves up for a sequel along the same lines as this game.
Some of the jumps are rather glitchy and the ability to skip puzzles simply feels like they're wasting your time, not to mention the puzzles don't mesh well with the flow of the game. They feel very much inserted.
-Sin
Fear not, this is not...the end of this world.
"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good..."
I thought they made it clear that this was a reboot of the series. Not just another in the line of castlevania games, but a new start. Maybe I am wrong, but I think this is the new genre of castlevania and where they want to take the series.
Scene from a movie.
SPOILER!!:
Haven't played it yet, going too, big fan of the series and action/adventure whatever genre this falls under just a quick question any mention of Alucard or anything of that nature? Any old castlevania themes?
again my bad just skimmed you post trying to avoid spoilers but wanting to confirm that detail
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