Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

[Insanecyclone]

Sequel in the works.

[edit: removed due to policy]

[Odesseiron]

Okay so I finally finished the game and...

Spoiler: show

Overall, I was largely pleased with the game. The last couple of levels felt more like a chore than anything. The level with all the portals and such. Most of the boss fights in the 2nd half of the game seemed rather easy, didn't have to do much evasion or anything. Satan was a breeze. Even the color coded stuff was ridiculously simple. Fun though. The rest of the game though I enjoyed all of it. Was a good blend of action, puzzle solving, & platforming, none of which felt overused. I liked the ending as well. I somewhat knew Gabriel would become Dracula halfway or more through the game, it just seemed to be a fitting twist. From what I recall in SotN, Drac's wife's name was Marie. It kind of clicked near the end. The only thing I didn't really expect was for Zobek (Death?) to reappear at the end of the game. Also bringing them to modern times was pretty huge. I was honestly not expecting that at all. Not put off by the ending at all, but leaves me wondering what they'll do in the next game rather. Overall, a great reboot deserving of all it's praise.

[arus2001]

Since I don't have the game yet and don't mind being spoiled...

Spoiler: show

How does he go about becoming Dracula? And should it be considered an attempt at continuity or just an overall series reboots with nods to the old games? Mainly thinking back to one of the PS2 games at the moment where I guess Dracula was a guy named Walter and friend of the first Belmont after making the Vampire Killer. Seemed implied the two knew each other beforehand despite limited interaction and the other vamp acting as a bit of a red herring. Though, I wouldn't rule out this Walter guy being older than people would know via magic and such.

[Yeyoking]

Okay so I finally finished the game and...

Spoiler: show

Overall, I was largely pleased with the game. The last couple of levels felt more like a chore than anything. The level with all the portals and such. Most of the boss fights in the 2nd half of the game seemed rather easy, didn't have to do much evasion or anything. Satan was a breeze. Even the color coded stuff was ridiculously simple. Fun though. The rest of the game though I enjoyed all of it. Was a good blend of action, puzzle solving, & platforming, none of which felt overused. I liked the ending as well. I somewhat knew Gabriel would become Dracula halfway or more through the game, it just seemed to be a fitting twist. From what I recall in SotN, Drac's wife's name was Marie. It kind of clicked near the end. The only thing I didn't really expect was for Zobek (Death?) to reappear at the end of the game. Also bringing them to modern times was pretty huge. I was honestly not expecting that at all. Not put off by the ending at all, but leaves me wondering what they'll do in the next game rather. Overall, a great reboot deserving of all it's praise.

Spoiler: show

Dracula's wife, Alucard's mother, in SotN was Lisa, not Marie. There was no way you could have seen the ending coming.

Since I don't have the game yet and don't mind being spoiled...

Spoiler: show

How does he go about becoming Dracula? And should it be considered an attempt at continuity or just an overall series reboots with nods to the old games? Mainly thinking back to one of the PS2 games at the moment where I guess Dracula was a guy named Walter and friend of the first Belmont after making the Vampire Killer. Seemed implied the two knew each other beforehand despite limited interaction and the other vamp acting as a bit of a red herring. Though, I wouldn't rule out this Walter guy being older than people would know via magic and such.

Spoiler: show

It was never explained, it just happened out of no where with no major clues given. It'll probably be explained in the sequel with time traveling involved

[Odesseiron]

Spoiler: show

Dracula's wife, Alucard's mother, in SotN was Lisa, not Marie. There was no way you could have seen the ending coming.

Spoiler: show

It was never explained, it just happened out of no where with no major clues given. It'll probably be explained in the sequel with time traveling involved

Fucking lol @ you being banned. I'm guessing it's for being an ass. I said "from what I recall" meaning there was room for error, and I did in no way shape or form claim I was right. Without going into spoilers (Feel free to mod me Qal-man, doubt you need to) To say I had no way in seeing how it was going to end is just something retarded to say. I think it's pretty obvious at various points through the game. You're pretty oblivious if you didn't see it coming.

And to answer you Arus, according to the Konami I think.. they said it doesn't occur in the same universe as the main Castlevania universe making it just another take on the story, or a reboot, whatever you want to call it

[Kyo]

Finally had a chance to sit down and play this, game is pretty decent, but whoever said it was better than God of War 3 is retarded.

[Odesseiron]

Finally had a chance to sit down and play this, game is pretty decent, but whoever said it was better than God of War 3 is retarded.

I can't agree with that 100% nor can I disagree with it at the same time. GoW is definitely the more polished game, but it's also a hell of a lot shorter. Combat is definitely the strong point of GoW. The story was...not so great. I liked it and all, but the reasoning just failed to take a hold of me. That tends to happen with sequels though. Granted if you skip the cutscenes in Castlevania it cuts the length down a lot, but not nearly as much as GoW. The sheer amount of content in Castlevania is what amazes me. The graphics are nearly on par (GoW3 is still on the top) and for everything that is there, is pretty damn polished. I didn't once have a problem with camera angles, or any of the other minor gripes some people had with the game.

I think my only complaint was the game was actually a bit too long, if that's possible. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact of how long it was, as it felt like I was actually getting my moneys worth. At times though it just felt like "Hey let's make it even longer for the hell of it" GoW has always had great pacing. This game suffers a bit for lack of one. I think if they can iron out the path they really want to take with the series, they'll have an even better game on their hands. I would only put GoW 3 a smidgen highter than Castlevania.

[Atreides]

it's also kinda problematic as the game never really makes Gabriel particularly likeable or develops his character at all. We know he's sad about his wife but only because patrick stewart says so. In fact, we never really hear about Gabriel's state of mind from Gabriel himself, and we only hear about it after the fact in the narrated loading screen between stages.

You are right though, the sheer epicness of the game in terms of size and setpieces and locations is pretty astounding, and the world in which the game takes place itself is very interesting but without a stronger main character there feels like a pretty big disconnect between you and the story. I definitely think GoW could learn a thing or two about presentation from Mercurysteam, particularly the score/soundtrack which feels just so spot-on and perfect.

I've made my gripes about combat known already and it does get a little better as you upgrade, in fact some of the slower enemies like suits of armor are a lot of fun. But unfortunately, unlike god of war they seem to have focused so hard on making the combat challenging that they forgot to make it fun, the excessively high HP totals of even normal mobs definitely drag out combat and that's probably why the game feels too long in spots.

I know I've complained about this game a lot but I'm still having a lot of fun with it, if anything I feel like mercurysteam came pretty damn close to getting it right this time and as long as they listen to player feedback the sequel will probably knock it out of the park.

[BroodIfrit]

Yeyoking

Spoiler: show

It was never explained, it just happened out of no where with no major clues given. It'll probably be explained in the sequel with time traveling involved

Spoiler: show

From what I gather, when the fight with Satan ends a beam of light shoots from Gabriel's mouth, maybe that was his spirit ascending into Heaven (like how the Brotherhood of Light founders did). Maybe the Gabriel that was left behind was the darkness he carried, thus basically making him a new Lord of Shadow. I still dunno what happened that brought Zobek back, though.

[Tajin]

WTF ending, was half what I was expecting; joining the wtf Zobek wagon.
Agree GoW3 more fluid than this, and yes somehow the second half of the game seems easier, maybe because you're basically immortal on anything but Paladin difficulty once you get at least 1 upgrade to the light magic bar.

[Kais]

necro-bump, been looking for something to play recently: is this worth it? Also is there any differences from PS3/Xbox360 versions?

[Doombear]

MY two cents. I quite liked the game. I rented it from Gamefly for the 360, but also had a chance to see and play the PS3 version. I didn't really see anything glaringly inferior in one version.

My main points of frustration were some of the same ones mentioned in most reviews, that being that the platforming, jumping, and climbing was a bit clunky. You often fall to your death thinking that you are pushing the right direction to jump off of a wall hang... only to just drop into the abyss. The other problem I had, which was also hit on in most reviews, is that at times it is very unclear exactly where you need to be going next.

That was it for negatives for me, and those were not nearly bothersome enough to overshadow the great fighting, voice acting, story (although a bit wtfish) and beautiful graphics over all. If you plan on grabbing 100% completion on every chapter and level as well as the Trials that are opened after beating each one the first time... the replay value quite increases also.

[Atreides]

yea the amazing presentation is what saves this game from some spotty platforming mechanics or frustrating combat. Some really incredible vistas, great voice acting, and a fantastic score (one of my favorite in recent memory) make it worth a rental at least, although I imagine you'll be able to find it for 30-40 bucks on sale eventually.

And from what I remember the PS3 version had a slightly higher framerate? I forget

[Kais]

make it worth a rental at least, although I imagine you'll be able to find it for 30-40 bucks on sale eventually.

ah yeah, how long till you think that happens?

[Atreides]

I've seen it down to 40 on sale a bunch of times, it's currently 50 on amazon but I bet there'll be a few sales for 40 before the end of january

[Insanecyclone]

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/22/ca...ection-dlc-du/

Ready to return to the castle? Konami has finally detailed the long-promised DLC packs for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. The first download pack, entitled "Reverie," sees protagonist Gabriel aiding Laura (the creepy mini-Winehouse you see above) in "destroying the unruly evil" that was kept in check by the vampire queen, Carmilla.

The second download pack, "Resurrection," continues the story after the end of the game and "gives some insight" into "Gabriel's ultimate destiny." According to the press release, "this will be larger in scope than the first add-on" and include a "final showdown with a very notorious enemy." Oh no, it's not the flying Medusa head, is it?

Reverie will be available in February, while Resurrection will launch sometime in April. While no pricing details have been offered yet, we're bound to find out more in the new year.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - DLC detailed
KONAMI unleashes two new DLC packs for the most spectacular Castlevania title of all time...
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced two new downloadable content packages for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow which will feature all new areas, monsters, and brand new story lines.

In Castlevania Lords of Shadow 'Reverie' players will return to the Castle as Gabriel to help Laura, the former servant to the vampire Carmilla, in destroying the unruly evil that was previously kept in check by the recently slain Queen.

Once completed, fans of the series can download the second DLC entitled 'Resurrection', which continues the story directly after the end of the game and gives some insight into the dramatic epilogue seen by players upon completion of the game, and Gabriel's ultimate destiny. This will be larger in scope than the first add-on, as it features a final showdown with a very notorious enemy. Both packs are expected to launch in early 2011.

About Konami Group
KONAMI CORPORATION was established in 1973, and became a holding company of the Konami Group on March 31, 2006. KONAMI CORPORATION covers the fields of "Digital Entertainment Business", "Gaming & System Business" and "Health & Fitness Business". KONAMI CORPORATION went public on Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1988, the London Stock Exchange in 1999, and the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. Home Page URL: www.konami.co.jp. Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary, responsible for popular franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Pro Evolution Soccer amongst other top sellers. Konami Group is also the manufacturer of the wildly popular Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, which has sold more than 22 billion cards worldwide. For more information concerning Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH and its products, please visit www.konami-europe.com.

KONAMI is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION.

Developed by Mercury Steam S.L.

The first DLC for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in February 2011, with a second download to follow in April.

[Cichy]

Great news, really looking forward to this.

[Odesseiron]

See this is a game I don't mind paying for DLC. We got a very complete game, not some half assed 6 hour campaign and then a bunch of shitty little dlcs.

[Cichy]

Hell yeah, I paid full price for it and I wasn't expecting half the content I got.

[Riposte]

I really hope they don't mess up the sequel. This game was quite good! Also this game isn't a reboot in any respect. "Reboots" don't exist in videogames.

Now that I think about it though maybe the tail-end of the game was a bit easy. Necromancers were tough though.

Spoiler: show

This game was missing a Death fight, a Zobek fight(as brotherhood, then as a lord of shadow), and a second-form Satan. Yeah... I wanted like 4 more boss fights at the end lol.