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Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 - |OT| - Dead and Loving It!

I'm reading the reviews and I have the feeling that some of them don't know what they are talking about or they have a secret agenda.

At the end of the day maybe the game is not as good as we expected or maybe it is, but something smell bad with some reviews.

A secret agenda? Please, please elaborate.
 
I'm at the final third of the game and I don't agree with 4-5 out 10 scores. Yes, the stealth segments are bad and some of the environments aren't attractive, but giving a game a 4 or 5 means that the game is unplayable. Anyone giving this game below 7 is a joke.
 

Eusis

Member
I gave up on reviews during the Nier days.

Just trust player opinion.
Nier was kind of special though in that the story was strong enough to carry it and the gameplay wasn't a big obstacle by the time it would've worn out its welcome unless you stubbornly went with Hard. This probably doesn't really have that advantage, as much as I want to see how this ends.
 
I'm at the final third of the game and I don't agree with 4-5 out 10 scores. Yes, the stealth segments are bad and some of the environments aren't attractive, but giving a game a 4 or 5 means that the game is unplayable. Anyone giving this game below 7 is a joke.

No. 5 is average, 4 is below average, and in each of these reviews, the text more than justifies the score.

People go on about critics using the 7-10 scale, and then whenever anyone dips below it, it's "a joke" or "means that the game is unplayable". Nonsense.
 

Domstercool

Member
I never understood that either. 4-5 just means the game is either average or below average - it doesn't mean it doesn't work.

I've enjoyed quite a few 5/10 games, because what some people might see as average, I saw as still fun to play.
 

Conezays

Member
Bah...I'd bite on PC at $30...not sure If I can convince myself to grab this at full price just yet. Big Castlevania fan though, and LOS was fairly decent (but not even close to SCIV or SOTN for me)
 
I'm not at all shocked by these scores... I got a similar impression of the game's blandness compared to LoS1 when I played the demo.

But yeah, it's a conspiracy that all the negative reviews say the same things, definitely not because the game has glaring shortcomings. Give me a break.
 
Just reading some reviews quickly seems like this one single stealth section (which I'm guessing only accounts for like 2.5% of gameplay in the whole game at most) is killing most reviewers impressions of the game. I've also read criticisms about the combat which doesn't ring true with me at all based on LOS1 and what I've played from the demo of LOS2.
 

Eusis

Member
No. 5 is average, 4 is below average, and in each of these reviews, the text more than justifies the score.

People go on about critics using the 7-10 scale, and then whenever anyone dips below it, it's "a joke" or "means that the game is unplayable". Nonsense.
Well, I've argued before the truth is a bit of both: 7-10 are likely encompassing the games that are really worth checking out, while 5 would ideally represent a game that's not inherently broken but just isn't particularly fun or interesting (inversely, it IS a significantly broken game but is interesting/unique enough to balance it out to an extent.) Those 5 games are likely perfectly fine and serviceable to play... if you have nothing better to do. But if you have other entertainment options or even something more productive to do then it's a waste of time to bother with even if it's not actually BAD.
 

K.Sabot

Member
Nier was kind of special though in that the story was strong enough to carry it and the gameplay wasn't a big obstacle by the time it would've worn out its welcome unless you stubbornly went with Hard. This probably doesn't really have that advantage, as much as I want to see how this ends.

Games in the last year I enjoyed despite review consensus: Remember Me, Lightning Returns, Contrast, Killer Is Dead (need to finish that), Castlevania Mirror of Fate (HD versions), Project X Zone, The Novelist.

It's not just Nier, reviews have been hovering away from me for a long time now.

I've yet to even mention the games I dislike despite reviews heaping praise on them.
 

Facism

Member
I'm not at all shocked by these scores... I got a similar impression of the game's blandness compared to LoS1 when I played the demo.

But yeah, it's a conspiracy that all the negative reviews say the same things, definitely not because the game has glaring shortcomings. Give me a break.

Petulance doesn't add authority to a post.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
I might be insane but reviews that go all over the board like that make me more excited to check out a game.

Either way, even upon hearing there were stealth segments I didn't see anyone feel good about it. Seems like a really odd inclusion.
 

prudislav

Member
After readinhg couple of reviews i see that there is overall hate towards stealth sections and modern day part of a setting.
Soundtarck is great ,gameplay is fine and there are conflicted opinions on story (some says its great some say its crap)
 
What the hell is going on?!

I'm Almost half the way through the game and let me tell you something... this game is a SOLID 7+.

4s and 5s.... come on, this is seriously making me questioning (are they playing the same game as mine) :\
 
One of the worst and oddest things about Dracula's stealth is that it turns a notorious predator into a helpless weakling. If it had to be there, you should be creeping through the dark assassinating dudes like Sam Fisher on a good night, instead it's about figuring out some lame puzzle.
 
I might be insane but reviews that go all over the board like that make me more excited to check out a game.

Either way, even upon hearing there were stealth segments I didn't see anyone feel good about it. Seems like a really odd inclusion.

Mixed reviews don't bother me, but I've been wary of this game for months and the mixed reaction isn't really persuading me at this point.
_____________________________________________________


For fans of the first game who are playing or have already finished LoS2, what does the progression of the game feel like in comparison to the first? Above all, my biggest takeaway from LoS1 was that even in its slowest moments at the beginning, it felt like a classic adventure with forward moving momentum through location after location of beautiful backdrops. From the footage I've seen of LoS2, that pacing feels changed in favor of more exploratory based traversal and the environments don't seem as frequently nice looking. I can appreciate combat improvements and opening the game up a bit, but that's not really why I enjoyed the first title (nor did I fret about how "Castlevania" it was). What say you to a weirdo like me?
 
No. 5 is average, 4 is below average, and in each of these reviews, the text more than justifies the score.

People go on about critics using the 7-10 scale, and then whenever anyone dips below it, it's "a joke" or "means that the game is unplayable". Nonsense.

I don't agree. The negatives of the game in most reviews are: Bad stealth segments and some bland environments. Other than that the game is good, gamespot's review is the fairest and most accurate in my opinion. The battle system is solid. It's deeper and more enjoyable than God of War's battle system, the platforming is the typical platforming we have been used to see these days. Visually the game looks great (no frame rate drop and no screen tearing on xbox360) with some breathtaking Gothic environments. Once you get over the bad stealth segments (4-5 segments, each one takes maximum 5 minutes), the game delivers a solid experience.
 

Eusis

Member
Games in the last year I enjoyed despite review consensus: Remember Me, Lightning Returns, Contrast, Killer Is Dead (need to finish that), Castlevania Mirror of Fate (HD versions), Project X Zone, The Novelist.

It's not just Nier, reviews have been hovering away from me for a long time now.

I've yet to even mention the games I dislike despite reviews heaping praise on them.
Point, though it probably helps (most) of those are more distinct from other games at least.

Eh, not a great time regardless, I'll look into it later.
 
I'm reading the reviews and I have the feeling that some of them don't know what they are talking about or they have a secret agenda.

At the end of the day maybe the game is not as good as we expected or maybe it is, but something smell bad with some reviews.

It's that Vampire conspiracy, man.
 

Mr. RHC

Member
Ugh, those 4s and 5s =O

Welp looks like I'm loosing my IGA avatar bet.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=99634874&postcount=334

jb0rhVSyMpOKTT.png

I will enjoy the game regardless..
 

Jack cw

Member
I was afraid that this would happen. LoS was such a great game, regardless of the terrible framerate but it did so many things right. This sounds like the DMC scenario, with LoS2 = DMC2 bad. Too bad, I really wanted to know how the story of Gabriel ends but not for 60 bucks. Maybe on a stem sale or PS+, but games rated that bad wont come to PS+ though...
 
Well, hopefully my Anatomy exam grade will be higher than the metacritic score :D

Still looking forward to the game but it does seem like some weird design decisions really hold back what could have(and should have) been a masterpiece. First game was such a wonderful base to build on. Not like it is getting completely wrecked anyway, some good scores here and there. Not that such things have a bearing on a game's quality anyway.
 
OK, seeing some of the ridiculous claims of hours on the Agreus stealth section, I'm just going to leave this here in case anyone decides they need it:

Mist Form

It's one of the few things not telegraphed to you, but how long are you going to beat your head against the wall without trying new things?
 

ZeroX03

Banned
OK, seeing some of the ridiculous claims of hours on the Agreus stealth section, I'm just going to leave this here in case anyone decides they need it:

Mist Form

It's one of the few things not telegraphed to you, but how long are you going to beat your head against the wall without trying new things?

According to Kotaku's NO, about 4-5 hours. Seriously.

Midway through the game, you're supposed to sneak past minor deity Agreus from one end of a garden to another. Sounds easy, no? The projectiles never locked on to the hanging lamps I was supposed to hit to distract him and Agreus' omniscient AI always caught up with me no matter how far ahead of him I got. What should been 10-15 minutes of tension turned into 4-5 hours of silent screaming. I haven't been as frustrated with an apparently broken chunk of gameplay since the infamous Star Destroyer sequence from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Yes, it's that bad.
 

Blimblim

The Inside Track
Our review and many videos are up. Disappointing game, sadly.
http://www.gamersyde.com/news_we_reviewed_lords_of_shadow_2-15057_en.html
(Full review is on the French side)
OK, seeing some of the ridiculous claims of hours on the Agreus stealth section, I'm just going to leave this here in case anyone decides they need it:

Mist Form

It's one of the few things not telegraphed to you, but how long are you going to beat your head against the wall without trying new things?

Yeah it's one of the few times I've seen Driftwood who did the review really angry about a section in a game. Complete fail.
 

Mr. RHC

Member
I must say, the idea of backtracking and being stuck on a specific section for long can get frustrating, but I hope my skills are as god intended.
 

Foffy

Banned
I must say, the idea of backtracking and being stuck on a specific section for long can get frustrating, but I hope my skills are as god intended.

I can't imagine it being too bad, especially if you are a veteran of older Castlevania games. Lords of Shadow has never even been in the same tier as the old games in that regard, outside of the DLC final boss of the first game, but that's by shitty design.
 
Yeah it's one of the few times I've seen Driftwood who did the review really angry about a section in a game. Complete fail.

Maybe I'm alone in this, but despite my frustration in sorting out, I actually enjoyed it. Where every other stealth moment just has those idiot guards standing there waiting for you to figure out some simplistic puzzle because your weapon buttons are disabled, the Agreus section actually feels like the risk has some legitimacy and gives you a sense of feeling hunted.

It probably shouldn't have been followed up with a regular boss fight with him though, since it just begs the question of why you couldn't attack him before.
 
I feel like i shouldn't have bite on to this game so quick just because the preorder price was in my buy-zone. I'm kinda afraid to start playing it now lol
 

ZeroX03

Banned
To the people who've beaten the game, how hard are the Kleidos Challenges?

One of the trophies is Complete all of the Kleidos challenges at "Prince of Darkness" difficulty, as I'm reading it, I'm thinking beating the game normally and then doing all the challenges and collectibles on a Prince of Darkness NG+ is the best route to go?
 
To the people who've beaten the game, how hard are the Kleidos Challenges?

One of the trophies is Complete all of the Kleidos challenges at "Prince of Darkness" difficulty, as I'm reading it, I'm thinking beating the game normally and then doing all the challenges and collectibles on a Prince of Darkness NG+ is the best route to go?

I only did the first half. I think most of them are challenging, but fair. There is one that I just couldn't get though where you're supposed to have a larger enemy kill the smaller ones. Nothing I did to bait him would result in a kill. Must be some trick that I'm missing, but I tried a lot of different things.
 

Frillen

Member
No. 5 is average, 4 is below average, and in each of these reviews, the text more than justifies the score.

People go on about critics using the 7-10 scale, and then whenever anyone dips below it, it's "a joke" or "means that the game is unplayable". Nonsense.

5 isn't average, it's mediocre. I think the average score of a video game on Metacritic is about 7.7/10. But I do agree with you, a 5/10 could very well be a playable game.
 

ZeroX03

Banned
I only did the first half. I think most of them are challenging, but fair. There is one that I just couldn't get though where you're supposed to have a larger enemy kill the smaller ones. Nothing I did to bait him would result in a kill. Must be some trick that I'm missing, but I tried a lot of different things.

Awesome, I won't focus on them too hard. Leave 'em til my second playthrough.

Game's downloaded and nearly installed. I'll be back with impressions in a few hours. Still hyped. Don't let negativity/Agreus get you down.
 

Ahasverus

Member
Expected scores. Makes me lose hope on reviewers. This doesn's surprise me though, I know they underrated MGRising, they were to destroy this.

Meh.

Luckily I already played and enjoyed greatly the game.

At leas GS thinks it's as good as LoS.
 

Sanctuary

Member

IGNorant said:
seems like a major step backward

Now I can't take the rest of the review seriously.

IGNorant said:
Fighting a largely bland array of monsters is one thing – especially because Lords of Shadow 2’s excellent core mechanics can mask some issues – but what can’t be obscured are the horrendous stealth sections littered throughout the campaign. Not only do these sections confusingly and inexplicably remove your ability to fight, but they foist upon you weak mechanics and little explanation of what you’re expected to do. They destroy the rhythm of the game and bring up huge questions – namely why Dracula can kill 99 percent of the enemies in the game, but not the specific creatures set upon you during moments of stealth. For as fun as playing Lords of Shadow 2 can be, these sections break up the experience and cause massive frustration time and time again. They’re not only badly designed and ill conceived; they cripple your powers because it’s convenient to the level’s design at that moment, and not because it makes sense.

Eh, I'm still going to reserve judgement until after playing it (would be a fool to do otherwise), but what I'm reading with many of the reviews that complain about the stealth sections seem like the same complaints that I had with the puzzles sections of the first game. They don't fit the game and they kill the pacing.

Does anyone else find this to be somewhat contradictive?

IGNorant said:
Unfortunately, Lords of Shadow 2 is less successful when it comes to its setting. While a modern-day Castlevania isn’t necessarily unheard of, it lacks the gothic atmosphere that makes previous games in the series feel distinct and memorable. Walking around a 21st-century city, replete with cars and computers – while talking to a man in a beautiful suit smoking a cigarette – feels awkward and out of place for this character. Thankfully, Dracula can travel back and forth between the past and present, but even the various areas he explores in the past don’t feel or look all that interesting, either. Without an engaging series of locations, you’re left only with characters and story to string you along, at least in those many sequences when you’re not playing.

vs

IGNorant said:
To its credit, Lords of Shadow 2 segues the series away from linearity and towards an open world. That’s a great decision, especially because the world and everything in it is so beautiful. Lords of Shadow 2 is a pretty game – even if it’s hamstrung by long, often disruptive, and poorly masked load times – and there’s no shortage of gorgeous vistas, gothic architecture, and attractive character models to behold. The further you get into the campaign, the more non-combat moves you’ll unlock – like turning into mist or earning a double jump – that let you see more of the sprawling map, both in the past and present. All of this exploration is accompanied by a beautiful score, a soundtrack that’s different for the larger Castlevania franchise, but still fitting and well-executed.

Exploring Lords of Shadow 2’s sprawling open world is rewarding in that there is a ton to find, including – but not limited to – upgrades and a slew of documents. The latter contribute to Lords of Shadow 2’s exceptional production values, and the acute attention it pays to its own lore is commendable. It’s just a shame that this adventure – which will last at least 15 hours – doesn’t have more to string you along.

So the game is full of uninteresting, yet beautiful areas that are interesting to explore? That doesn't compute in my mind.
 

Ahasverus

Member
Reviews so far?
Reviews from all around the world
_______________________________________ _

thisisxbox.com 90 %

psu.com 9.0

games-news.de 84 / 100

onlysp.com 8 / 10

gamemag.ru 10/10

meristation.com 8

gameswelt.de 7.5 / 10

strategyinformer.com 7.5 / 10

spaziogames.it 7.0

pushsquare.com 7 / 10

3djuegos.com 7

gamegrin.com 7

lesnumeriques 4 / 5

gameblog.fr 4 / 5

CVG 8

heavy.com 9/ 10

thearabgamer.com 8.5 / 10

insidegamingdaily.com 7.5 / 10

venturebeat.com 80 / 100

gamesided.com 8

gametrailers.com 8.3

joystic.com 4 / 5

play3-live.com 17 / 20

EGM 7.0

gamespot 7

Bgamer review: 9.0 - http://bgamer.sapo.pt/index.php/revista

Pelaaja(Finnish magazine): 9/10

Gamereactor(Swedish mag): 8/10

baziwood 95 / 100

vidoe-games aktuell 81/100

video-gamer (french magazin) 17/20

ign-germany 7

www.jeuxvideo.com 16 / 20

maniac 85 / 100

gamas 80 / 100

gameininformer 6 /10

edge 4/ 10
 

UglyPony

Member
Dutch game site Gamer.nl gave it 5/10.

Bullet points were:

Pretty much everything in the modern section sucked (stealth, puzzels, environment)
 
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