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[Fantasmo]

I am unfortunately not a long post man. This game is beautiful and powerful. I'm so sad the team fell apart after part 1.

The music, the graphics, the story, the epicness. Never would I have imagined Castlevania like this.

I know many of you don't like it. But man, I do.

I love every chapter and every quest. Epic. I wanted more but it didn't happen. Not the way it should have.

It is what it is. I expect no replies because to most it's already forgotten.

Still, it's my favorite of last Gen, and looks awesome on PC.

What a quest.

 

[Oblivion]

I thought the op meant just the graphics. But apparently he's referring to the game as a whole wtf.

 

[dugdug]

Yep. One of my favorite games of last gen. Stunning game from top to bottom.

LoS2 was one of the biggest disappointments for me in a long time. How did that really happen?

 

[PranooY]

It was a good game. I even liked the twisted story.

 

[direct_quote]

Too bad it runs like shit. It's always been more impressive for a game to run at 60 fps and look good than for it to just look "good"

 

[FlashbladeGAF]

Game is average but the graphics and the music definitely help get you into the vampire huntin' mood

Despite the gameplay fleas I was really hoping for the team to move forward with the sequel

 

[Fantasmo]

Too bad it runs like shit. It's always been more impressive for a game to run at 60 fps and look good than for it to just look "good"

PC is easy 60.

 

[MurkyZebra2417]

Loved 1 & 2. Amazing games with amazing settings.

 

[ignata]

I never imagined a Castlevania like this either. I always hoped it would be "hey, here's a giant castle. Go." But things change.

 

[Anteater]

I didn't like it as much I thought I would, I did have a blast with some areas but it feels like there are a lot of minor pacing issues and puzzles/platforming that really got in my way of enjoyment, but I could see it not being a big deal for some. The art and music are really top notch though and the combat is kind of fun despite the consistent distracting QTEs.

The core of the game is great, but too many things they could trim and improve and imo it would become a really great classic.

 

[Bedlam]

Definitely one of my favorite games of the last generation along with RDR and Dark Souls, for example.

I was so pumped for the sequel but to this date I haven't even touched it, seeing how mediocre and non-LoS1-ish it apparently turned out. It's a shame what happened there at MS.

 

[Shinta]

It's the best Castlevania ever made. And the game is gorgeous, and one of my favorite action games ever.

I thought the sequel was the 2nd best Castlevania game ever made, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Gabriel is also one of my favorite characters ever. I really enjoyed Robert Carlyle's performances in both games more than anything I've ever heard Troy Baker do.

 

[akidnamededdy]

It's the best Castlevania ever made.

And just like that, you lost me.

Presentation is just about the only thing Lords of Shadow did right.

 

[Shinta]

And just like that, you lost me.

Presentation is just about the only thing Lords of Shadow did right.

It also has a fully developed combat system that's better than Ninja Gaiden 3 and God of War. Castlevania never even comes close to that besides Lords of Shadow, and they take it even further in the sequel. It's got a ton of moves you unlock, and the game is tough, with adjustable difficulty levels (is this a Castlevania first also?) and forces you to fully rely on counters, dodging and careful rationing of light and dark magic to survive.

Music is also great.

Story is the best in any Castlevania also. Most barely even attempt a story.

I'm struggling to think of anything it does worse honestly. We could argue level design, and probably that only. But on that point, I personally still greatly prefer LoS. Especially LoS 2.

It's definitely got the best platforming of any Castlevania also, with in depth whip swinging that blows away anything in Super Castlevania IV to a humiliating degree.

 

[MormaPope]

The combat is so damn plodding, along with short "look at this thing that changed, go there/do that!" tiny cutscenes. Everything about the game is great, minus the gameplay and puzzle solving.

It also has a fully developed combat system that's better than Ninja Gaiden 3

Vanilla maybe, not Razor's Edge.

Play Lords of Shadow from the start on hard difficulty, shit is not fun and things aren't fleshed out enough for player attacks and movement.

 

[Fantasmo]

I didn't like it as much I thought I would, I did have a blast with some areas but it feels like there are a lot of minor pacing issues and puzzles/platforming that really got in my way of enjoyment, but I could see it not being a big deal for some. The art and music are really top notch though and the combat is kind of fun despite the consistent distracting QTEs.

The core of the game is great, but too many things they could trim and improve and imo it would become a really great classic.

This is exactly why it's my favorite of all time.

It doesn't have pacing. It's too busy telling a good story. It's too busy taking me everywhere.

It speeds up, slows down because that's the plot.

And it's doing it well and with style.

 

[Shinta]

Play Lords of Shadow from the start on hard difficulty, shit is not fun and things aren't fleshed out enough for player attacks and movement.

That's actually how I played the 1st and the 2nd, then went to Paladin.

Both games also have additional combat challenges, another Castlevania first as far as I'm aware. Those were fun.

Definitely has the best UI, and especially menus. That book is insanely gorgeous, and it's fully animated even with artwork for every move and item.

 

[Anteater]

This is exactly why it's my favorite of all time.

It doesn't have pacing. It's too busy telling a good story. It's too busy taking me everywhere.

And doing it with style.

Yeah although I don't like some portions, I could see what you mean, it's a pretty long adventure that keeps jumping from one thing to another, which a lot of games these days don't try to do with their copy/paste design.

 

[MormaPope]

This is exactly why it's my favorite of all time.

It doesn't have pacing. It's too busy telling a good story. It's too busy taking me everywhere.

And doing it with style.

That is usually the biggest factor when it comes to a game being terrible, okay, good, great, or excellent. Good or great games have pacing where events are easily marked in the memory of the player, memorable design and events. GOAT games have the best pacing.

That's actually how I played the 1st and the 2nd, then went to Paladin.

Both games also have additional combat challenges, another Castlevania first as far as I'm aware. Those were fun.

Definitely has the best UI, and especially menus. That book is insanely gorgeous, and it's fully animated even with artwork for every move and item.

Then you'd know how stilted the game feels until you unlock the light and dark powers.

Enemies don't respond visually to getting attacked, getting enemies stunned feels like it rarely or barely happens. Fighting bigger enemies is a drag because of those aspects. Wailing on enemies with stiff animations and attacks for a couple minutes at a time is boring.

 

[akidnamededdy]

It also has a fully developed combat system that's better than Ninja Gaiden 3 and God of War. Castlevania never even comes close to that besides Lords of Shadow, and they take it even further in the sequel. It's got a ton of moves you unlock, and the game is tough, with adjustable difficulty levels (is this a Castlevania first also?) and forces you to fully rely on counters, dodging and careful rationing of light and dark magic to survive.

Music is also great.

Story is the best in any Castlevania also. Most barely even attempt a story.

I'm struggling to think of anything it does worse honestly. We could argue level design, and probably that only. But on that point, I personally still greatly prefer LoS.

You do know that as far as character action games go, those two are bottom of the barrel, yeah?

Music and story fall under presentation I feel, which I did concede that LoS did better. Even then, I would argue the fact that the real ending was dlc (and not that well executed at that) is a strike against the story.

I dunno. I gave the first game a fair shake, DLC and all, and it definitely started strong but left me disappointed. I haven't played the second yet, but from what I've heard I doubt it'll change my mind.

Still though, good for you on enjoying it.

 

[KyleCross]

Some of the games visuals are definitely a treat but the real jewel of this game is the soundtrack. Damn, what a great soundtrack.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

I enjoyed it enough to beat it on the PS3. Really need to get around to grabbing a copy for PC, sounds like a treat with a buttery framerate.

 

[Fantasmo]

That is usually the biggest factor when it comes to a game being terrible, okay, good, great, or excellent. Good or great games have pacing where events are easily marked in the memory of the player, memorable design and events. GOAT games have the best pacing.



Then you'd know how stilted the game feels until you unlock the light and dark powers.

Enemies don't respond visually to getting attacks, getting enemies stunned feels like it rarely or barely happens. Fighting bigger enemies is a drag because of those aspects. Wailing on enemies with stiff animations and attacks for a couple minutes at a time is boring.

GOAT movies confuse pacing. LotR does that. The game feels great. I wouldn't be playing it if it didn't.

 

[Shinta]

Enemies don't respond visually to getting attacks, getting enemies stunned feels like it rarely or barely happens. Fighting bigger enemies is a drag because of those aspects. Wailing on enemies with stiff animations and attacks for a couple minutes at a time is boring.

It's a very tough game at times. I personally loved it because while enemies may not always get stunned easily, I felt I had a lot of other options like the counter, and the dodge, and really utilizing my range with the whip to it's fullest extent, or the aerial combos, or multiple more advanced whip moves that you can purchase that definitely do more damage and do stun.

What can I say? I didn't feel like it was a negative. I really loved the combat a lot.

The sequel opens up some extremely fun ways to also dodge aggressive enemies like using mist so they just run right through you. And the claws do definitely pack a punch (ba dum tish ...).

 

[DasFool]

Can't say I agree. Found it incredibly disappointing to find out that the game contained neither retro CVs' tight action nor Igavanias' greatly rewarding exploration. It tries to be a character action game but fails due to shoddy mechanics and poor enemy variety. I would have appreciated this game a lot more if it were in the vein of SotN imagined in a 3D space.

Knowing it was Mercurysteam's first effort at this sort of title, Konami did a great disservice to the franchise slapping the Castlevania name onto this.

 

[Fantasmo]

Can't say I agree. Found it incredibly disappointing to find out that the game contained neither retro CVs' tight action nor Igavanias' greatly rewarding exploration. It tries to be a character action game but fails due to shoddy mechanics and poor enemy variety. I would have appreciated this game a lot more if it were in the vein of SotN imagined in a 3D space.

Knowing it was Mercurysteam's first effort at this sort of title, Konami did a great disservice to the franchise slapping the Castlevania name onto this.

It's not trying to be DMC. That's the point.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

Yep. One of my favorite games of last gen. Stunning game from top to bottom.

LoS2 was one of the biggest disappointments for me in a long time. How did that really happen?

LoS2 did a couple of things excellently: boss fights, the castle environments and the music. But I'll be damned if I can't say it wasn't a disappointment as well. Especially that weak ass ending. After years of hyping "the epic conclusion to the Lords of Shadow saga" that ending was as inconclusive as it can be with plot holes you can drive a truck through.

Spoiler

I mean the whole point of LoS2 is Gabecula wanting eternal rest! And by the end of the thing he has in his hands the very thing that can kill him and he just walks back inside with Alucard and roll credits!

Also the present day city environments sucked monkey balls.

Having said that about LoS2 I'll say that LoS1 is my favorite Castkevanja game ever.

 

[Fantasmo]

Los2 was awful. Besides the combat. No soul.

 

[Shinta]

Los2 was awful. Besides the combat. No soul.

I disagree. All you have to see is Dracula's castle, in virtually any area to see art design that you just can't find in any other game. Some of those rooms are so ornate and gorgeous it hurts. Even the simple way you pull up a map of the castle to warp to a new area is treated with love and care, and impressive art design. LoS2 has the same amount of unlockable artwork as you go through the game, and it's just jaw dropping to see their vision for this game on paper. It's full of soul.

The game is very unconventional in more ways than one. It has one or two things I could see people really arguing as true flaws.

But it has so many fantastic things it does well too if the game just happens to "click" for you.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

The game is very unconventional in more ways than one. It has one or two things I could see people really arguing as true flaws.

I'm curious. What are your two LoS2 true flaws?

 

[Shinta]

I'm curious. What are your two LoS2 true flaws?

The castle isn't big enough, and doesn't have enough diverse areas, and you backtrack between the same areas too much.

Stealth segments are very weak.

I have other things I can critique of course, for sure. But they aren't all that terrible.

 

[Fantasmo]

I disagree. All you have to see is Dracula's castle, in virtually any area to see art design that you just can't find in any other game. Some of those rooms are so ornate and gorgeous it hurts. Even the simple way you pull up a map of the castle to warp to a new area is treated with love and care, and impressive art design. LoS2 has the same amount of unlockable artwork as you go through the game, and it's just jaw dropping to see their vision for this game on paper. It's full of soul.

The game is very unconventional in more ways than one. It has one or two things I could see people really arguing as true flaws.

But it has so many fantastic things it does well too if the game just happens to "click" for you.

Los2 was awesome. But it felt contrived in comparison

 

[GuardianE]

I thought the narrative and pacing really fell apart... even before the absolutely horrible ending.

It was a pretty game, though.

 

[Shinta]

Los2 was awesome. But it felt contrived in comparison

I agree that part 1 is definitely the better game.

 

[VARIA]

I agree OP. The game is beautiful and the music is amazing. I enjoyed every second of it and thought it was way better and more fun than the games it was emulating.

My favorite 3D Castlevania right behind Castlevania 64 ( this game too is underrated).

 

[DracoBlade]

One of my favorite games of last gen that I will defend to the end. IMO the second best 3d castlevania effort, yes from a gameplay perspective I think LOS2 is superior but all other respects LOS1 was indeed an epic adventure.

 

[Feindflug]

The combat is so damn plodding, along with short "look at this thing that changed, go there/do that!" tiny cutscenes. Everything about the game is great, minus the gameplay and puzzle solving.



Vanilla maybe, not Razor's Edge.

Play Lords of Shadow from the start on hard difficulty, shit is not fun and things aren't fleshed out enough for player attacks and movement.

Plus some shitty hitboxes and of course the crappy frame-rate didn't help the combat either, I also felt that the pacing was totally off. Besides the top-notch art direction I honestly can't find a positive thing to say about the game...I guess I am in the minority here but I didn't like the game at all.

 

[Kagutaba]

If this game is beautiful, Kratos is beauty

 

[IrishNinja]

It's the best Castlevania ever made.

I thought the sequel was the 2nd best Castlevania game ever made

i admittedly haven't played 2 yet, but 1...i mean, the series long since split between igavania & belmont/tankavania, part 1 appeased neither & added nothing to the mix but a derivative combat engine.

i really do want to give it another go one day, but it's nothing special. i too am bummed that bum-ass Konami ended the contract & put the franchise into the vault with Contra, Suikoden, & everything non-MGS but seriously, it's not even in the top 5 of Castlevania games, might barely make top 10.

Plus some shitty hitboxes and of course the crappy frame-rate didn't help the combat either, I also felt that the pacing was totally off. Besides the top-notch art direction I honestly can't find a positive thing to say about the game...I guess I am in the minority here but I didn't like the game at all.

you are definitely not alone in those valid criticisms, man

 

[ChipotIe]

Visually the game is my all time favorite.

The presentation was superb and I loved the voice acting though the narrative as a whole felt jarring since a questionable amount of time always passed between chapters.

The fighting was... okay. I am not a fan of fixed camera views - I would much rather have retained control like in a souls game.

The map designs were all over the place though mostly above average though the Chupacabra sections felt like needless padding. And again with fixed cameras my enjoyment was severely diminished.

The boss battles were bland for the most part and the colossus battles are god awful.

It had great potential - sure enough. But it's far from being a great game.

 

[CadetMahoney]

Presentation = 10/10

Artwise and so on.

rest is meh

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

This game is like a shiny apple that's rotten in the middle. First time I ever had to force myself to continue playing a 'vania because the combat was so boring, and the fixed viewpoints were gross. Gave up in the end.

Worst vania

 

[Pyramid head]

Loved LoS1. The sheer amount of variation in the environments and enemies was amazing. The game really managed to make you feel like you had traversed across a huge kingdom on an epic quest. LoS2 on the other hand made me feel like I was wasting time traipsing back and forth along the same couple of corridors running pointless errands to pick up trinkets in the least convincing 'city' environment I've seen in a game.

 

[AkelisRain]

Op I too adored Lord of Shadow, especially the story and progression through out the game.

 

[Grewitch]

I came into this thread thinking the title was Lords of the Fallen.

I liked the music but the story and dialogue felt a bit naff.

 

[Cyber Caesar]

Yes OP. Lords of Shadow is a great game. Let us pray Mercury Steam can return to form. Let the saints say, Amen, Amen, Amen!

 

[Tucah]

The art design is excellent but the gameplay is pretty mediocre and the game definitely overstays its welcome. I had hoped they would be able to deliver a similarly beautiful but tighter package with a game that's actually fun to play for the sequel but instead they made a game that was even worse. Oh well.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

Sorry about the lack of AA but this sequence right here

As you pull out of the wilderness, fight through the snow and see the Castle in the distance appear slowly as the camera pans around to make it seem like this over powering darkness in the world is just one of the coolest things ever.

Also there is another sequence when you're walking on the buttresses of the castle later on that looks lovely.

 

[Grisby]

What a quest.

You bet your ass it was. That's what it really felt like, an epic quest through monster inhabited lands.

The religious setting clashed with the fantasy elements in a great way, creating a wonderful and haunted atmosphere.

 

[andymcc]

It also has a fully developed combat system that's better than Ninja Gaiden 3 and God of War. Castlevania never even comes close to that besides Lords of Shadow, and they take it even further in the sequel. It's got a ton of moves you unlock, and the game is tough, with adjustable difficulty levels (is this a Castlevania first also?) and forces you to fully rely on counters, dodging and careful rationing of light and dark magic to survive.

Music is also great.

Story is the best in any Castlevania also. Most barely even attempt a story.

I'm struggling to think of anything it does worse honestly. We could argue level design, and probably that only. But on that point, I personally still greatly prefer LoS. Especially LoS 2.

It's definitely got the best platforming of any Castlevania also, with in depth whip swinging that blows away anything in Super Castlevania IV to a humiliating degree.

this post is hurting my head