[Velhart]

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Release date: 10/5/2010
Konami/MercurySteam/Kojima Productions

A new Castlevania finally coming over to our current gen systems. After playing it the past few nights. I must say I have been enjoying the game, but it definitely comes in with a few things that concerns me.

It is a great title, don't get me wrong on that. The action is intense, the game play mechanics are fun, the story is intriguing, and I like the main character. Not to mention, Patrick Stewart gives a top notch performance as a narrator and a supporting character. The things that concern me though are, first of all, I do not know why the title "Castlevania" is in the game. I understand it is a reboot for the series, but there is almost little to no elements of Castlevania in the game. The only thing that it relates to the series is the last name Belmont, a kind of whip, and a reference to Rinaldo from the first PS2 title. I can't confirm yet, but I don't think Dracula himself appears in any way, shape, or form. It could of been called only Lords of Shadows and the thought of Castlevania would not even cross my mind.

Like I said, the combat system is great. But, of course, it takes everything from God of War it possibly can. Gabriel uses his whip very similar to how Kratos uses his weapons, even the combos feel the same. There are life and magic statues stationed in the area like GoW, and even uses cinematic time sequences like GoW. They pulled a Dante's Inferno and basically reskinned the game. But I always loved GoW's combat system, so bringing over the same thing does not necessarily bother me.

The thing I love about the game the most is that the game is very long, and a wealth of content to add onto that. The game has 12 chapters, and at least 7-10 stages within each. Each one took me about 15-40 minutes depending on what was going on in the stage. Not to mention you have the option of backtracking and get items that you could not get before. So the game's setup is great, especially for completionists.

So overall, I love the game, it certainly does not feel like a Castlevania game at all. But in it's own merit, it is a terrific game and very well made. If you are willing to look past the obvious rip off of God of War, you will enjoy this game very much.

[Tsuji]

While I have not played this game, I would certainly give it a chance for the fact that I am an avid Castlevania fan. But when I saw videos of how the battle system worked, it really did remind me of God of War. Mind you that I loved God of War, but I don't want to see this beloved franchise use something as obvious as a similar battle system from a totally different game series, when I loved how Castlevania played before that (roaming, battles and all). I loved the Metroid style gameplay that they cleverly added and adapted to the series. I really liked it as it was back then, and with this introduction to a new battle system, it makes me rather wary if I should get the game at all or not.
But on the flip side, Kojima Productions worked on this game, and that is by itself a good reason why I should give the game an earnest try. Its a shame that the game sounds so radically different from its predecessors, though.

[Arkley]

I've had a leaked copy for a while now (I picked up the retail copy this morning though, before people start crying piracy) and while I'm definitely enjoying it, I have to say I'm disappointed by the lack of depth in the combat system. Bayonetta this is not. Every battle in the game, even the most difficult ones with the biggest, meanest hordes can be won by button bashing and ability spamming. In fact, all you really need to do when you come across a difficult fight is figure out which targets to prioritise, then reset to the last checkpoint and engage them again with your newfound knowledge. While there is some strategy to be found in using the various magic (which is quite clever in its light/dark switching system, by the way) it isn't really necessary to put any thought into it to succeed. Consider it a bit like a JRPG in that respect: you can figure out the complexities of the combat system and use a clever lineup of spells, abilities and classes to defeat a difficult foe, or you can just grind 'till you're many levels above it and kill it with eyes-closed mashing of "Attack". Well, this is kind of like that, except the grinding isn't necessary to succeed with the latter method. Also, the camera can be an ass sometimes, and you can't control it manually.

I realise I've said a lot of bad things about the game so far, so here's a few positive things: the combat, while not particularly deep, is still satisfying and there's still a sense of accomplishment to be had from doing well at it. The camera is only an ass on a few occassions, it mostly does a good job. The platforming is fun if unchallenging, the handful of puzzles are clever, the game stays fresh even though it's very long, the overwrought script and terrible dialogue is rescued somewhat by the excellent voice actors, and it's very, very pretty in 1080p.

[Kay]

Combat felt pretty uninspired, if you have ever played God of War, Devil May Cry, or Bayonetta you know what to expect. It's unfortunate, because this game could never hope to reach the level of Bayonetta in terms of combat. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the combat was bad, just that it required little to no skill. Probably the most surprising thing about the game were the visuals. 46" 1080P the game looks absolutely incredible for a console title, especially the backgrounds which probably wouldn't be possible if the camera was controllable. It's an average game at best, but probably the best attempt at a 3D Castlevania so far.

2.5/5 in my opinion. Maybe a 3/5 if this was your first foray into the genre.

[MrReinhardt]

I tried the demo. The voice acting is top notch and the monster designs. I'd like for Konami to stop re-imagining Castlevania. They did it once and that was enough, what sucked more was they made no follow up game to LoI. I'm either renting the full version or might splurge and buy it since I'm a big fan of the series, but Force Unleashed 2 looks worlds better.

[Velhart]

For the people complaining about the God of War rip off aspect. I would like to point out a few things. First off, Castlevania has never been known for originality.

Symphony of the Night uses Metroid's concept of side-scrolling exploration.

Lament of Innocence uses Devil May Cry's battle system in the game.


Only time Castlevania has been original is usually the Belmont side-scrolling, such as the original and Rondo of Blood.

Same thing is happening here, Konami once again decides to use a system from another game, and most of the time it is successful. Despite some fan back lashing at this game, people are still playing it and getting into it.