Support NeoGAF

[SniperHunter]

It plays significantly differently from GOW and MS deserve credit for that. It has a ton of polish issues and padding issues that GOW doesn't, however.

i saw some youtube vids, it was the same hack and slash shit with a puzzle here or there. It looked like a complete gow clone to me, right down to the boss fight

 

[Sanctuary]

It plays significantly differently from GOW and MS deserve credit for that. It has a ton of polish issues and padding issues that GOW doesn't, however.

It plays significantly better and worse than the combat of GoW.

i saw some youtube vids, it was the same hack and slash shit with a puzzle here or there. It looked like a complete gow clone to me right down to the boss fight

You need to pay attention.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

i saw some youtube vids, it was the same hack and slash shit with a puzzle here or there. It looked like a complete gow clone to me right down to the boss fight

It does some smart things with the combat but overall it's a shallow reflection of GOW. The only thing the first game had going for it was art production and the story was fine.

 

[makatk]

i didn't play this yet , but it seems weird that it would score lower than the original by this much, while most ea games are still getting great reviews in their unplayable state and year after year roster updates.

anyways game journalists LoL.

 

[Zeth]

I'd wager the majority of reviewers would give similar scores to the first game if they were reviewing it now. Many of the complaints are familiar - a painful slog of inane tutorials for the first few hours. I can get past that though and enjoy the core gameplay. The addition of shit-stealth sections will certainly hurt.

 

[Sanctuary]

The biggest misstep with the combat from the first (which appears in the sequel) is the lack of i-frames on the dodge, and the fact that 90% of the combos are useless. At least the dodge was somewhat improved, even though it's still kind of shitty compared to most action games.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

i saw some youtube vids, it was the same hack and slash shit with a puzzle here or there. It looked like a complete gow clone to me right down to the boss fight

The games are in the same genre, obviously, but that doesn't make one a clone of the other.

I've played all the games in question extensively so please take my word for it that they are different in significant ways. I'm not saying Castlevania doesn't take anything from GOW; it does, and from many other games, and it usually does a worse job of it to boot.

But the core combat system is not a clone of GOW.

 

[Endo Punk]

Such great art wasted on such a mediocre game. I was hoping Mercury wolud prove their worth with this title but it seems Kojami just chose wrong.

 

[jim2point0]

This thread doesn't seem to reflect the scores. I see a lot of high scores there too

EDIT: ok. maybe not a LOT of high scores. but some.

 

[Sanctuary]

This thread doesn't seem to reflect the scores. I see a lot of high scores there too

NeoGAF
Disbelieve

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

Such great art wasted on such a mediocre game. I was hoping Mercury wolud prove their worth with this title but it seems Kojami just chose wrong.

From the sound of things they fucked up the art aspect, too. Industrial environments are the fucking bane of 3D adventure games.

 

[Zeth]

This thread doesn't seem to reflect the scores. I see a lot of high scores there too

EDIT: ok. maybe not a LOT of high scores. but some.

Indeed there are a lot of 7+ scores. I guess an ~85 metacritic would be ideal, but I'm definitely not disappointed and it's certainly not being "shat on" for the most part.

Time to update the OP...

thisisxbox.com 90 %

psu.com 9.0

games-news.de 84 / 100

onlysp.com 8 / 10

gamemag.ru 8/10

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

 

[Bedlam]

It does some smart things with the combat but overall it's a shallow reflection of GOW. The only thing the first game had going for it was art production and the story was fine.

Despite its lack of polish in some sections (platforming in particular) I think LoS1 is actually superior to any GoW overall. Especially the combat is way more nuanced, more intricate and more diverse.

 

[Slamtastic]

A 3D melee action game where you play as Dracula in an open world modern city sounds like the greatest video game ever.

Sad to see that this potential hasn't been reached.

I thought the first game was ass, but really hoped they would improve the sequel, due to being starved for new action games and the great premise.

Time to drop Mercury Steam and get on the phone with Platinum, Konami.

 

[Nymphae]

From the PC gamer review:

Belmont spends a lot of the first hours of the game, and far too much of the rest of it, sneaking through the headquarters of an evil pharmaceutical company evading armoured demonic guards. His magical powers are forcibly disabled except for the ability to transform into a rat and sneak through small spaces. He can follow a ventilation network into an adjacent room, or chew on cables to cut the power.

This is crazy. If you asked me how I would make Castlevania not fun, this would be close to how I would do it. Epicly badass Dracula, in a modern setting - sounded like a good start. Then they take away his powers, run him through dull boring environments (sewers and a fucking pharmaceutical company? This is Castlevania, right?), and force some stealth mechanics that require you to transform into a rat to crawl through tiny spaces? Ugggh. This sounds gross to me, what the fuck were they thinking.

 

[McDougles]

Providing an actual link for my GameSided review: 8/10.

As a complete package, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 provides a quality action title that puts the brunt of the workforce on its gameplay over its story. The great orchestral score, enigmatic world design, enjoyable combat and compelling voice cast weave together to create a deserving conclusion to its tale. Some may not like what Castlevania has become in its 3D nature, but it meets all respectable goals it sought out to reach.

 

[Bob Dobalina]

At least we won't have to worry about stealth sections in Contra.

 

[DESTROYA]

Is it perfect? NO
But it's far from a bad game, maybe expectations where high after the first game but overall it's an enjoyable action title. It's fun for me anyway
It's one of the reasons I never buy games based on reviews, you can go from good to bad but play the game/demo yourself and be the judge.

 

[Shadow2222]

All I care is that the game plays decently and has a good story (like the first). I might wait for a sale, but I will definitely be buying the game still.

 

[djshauny]

After playing the demo, I knew this would happen lol.

 

[andymcc]

Despite its lack of polish in some sections (platforming in particular) I think LoS1 is actually superior to any GoW overall. Especially the combat is way more nuanced, more intricate and more diverse.

i think a Simon electronic game is more nuanced and intricate than GoW's combat, so that isn't saying much lol

 

[Danny-Boy]

I've always been a fan of lords of shadow even though i think it's not as good as the god of war games. Having played the demo these scores don't surprise me. These type of games get frustrating during combat with a free camera. Also the platforming in the demo was very bad. I can't believe I had to force myself to finish the demo. Terrible. Anyway I don't feel like grinding through the campaign at the moment. Seems like a chore. Pre-order cancelled.

 

[ced]

2 turds,1 day.

 

[GHG]

This slew of game releases is turning out to be a disaster. Only South Park can save us now.

 

[SighFight]

Recently I found myself enjoying games that have a metacritic 60 to low 70 a lot more often than hypetrain 90+ games. For example the Kane&Lynch games, LotR War in the North (superb coop with some bugs), Killzone SF, New Little Kings Story all took a good chunk of my time.

I stopped caring about review scores at some point. I am only sad if a game I think is fun gets no sequel because of low metacritic scores (and therfore low sales).

The first Castlevania was a great new experience so I might give this one a try.

 

[get2sammyb]

Here's our review. Seems like a bit of a letdown considering the quality of the original:

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 falls short of the high bar set by its predecessor, with niggly control issues, a somewhat empty open world, and frustrating stealth sections sucking a bit of life out of the experience. Fortunately, fans of the original release will undoubtedly enjoy the exciting combat and stellar graphical design on offer here, making this an experience that may still be worth drinking dry.

http://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/castlevania_lords_of_shadow_2

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Reviews are all over the place on this one. I enjoyed the first game, although never finished as my DualShock 3 broke and it doesn't work with DualShock 4.

 

[jett]

From the PC gamer review:



This is crazy. If you asked me how I would make Castlevania not fun, this would be close to how I would do it. Epicly badass Dracula, in a modern setting - sounded like a good start. Then they take away his powers, run him through dull boring environments (sewers and a fucking pharmaceutical company? This is Castlevania, right?), and force some stealth mechanics that require you to transform into a rat to crawl through tiny spaces? Ugggh. This sounds gross to me, what the fuck were they thinking.

There really are no words. Why would you do this? There were fucking weird game design decisions in LOS1, and there are fucking weird game decisions here as well, considerably worse decisions apparently. Someone up in the chain of command at Mercury Steam is fucking shit up with their bad taste.

 

[DrZeus]

Back to the 2D Castlevania formula now? I was hoping this and Thief did better, but it looks like they both shit the bed.

Spoiler

 

[Digital-Hero]

Passing on Thief and Lords of Shadow 2. Looks like I'll have to get Tales of Symphonia Chronicles today for PS3.

 

[Maffis]

From the PC gamer review:



This is crazy. If you asked me how I would make Castlevania not fun, this would be close to how I would do it. Epicly badass Dracula, in a modern setting - sounded like a good start. Then they take away his powers, run him through dull boring environments (sewers and a fucking pharmaceutical company? This is Castlevania, right?), and force some stealth mechanics that require you to transform into a rat to crawl through tiny spaces? Ugggh. This sounds gross to me, what the fuck were they thinking.

Why are you even reading that joke of a review? It's a review that is about 5 small paragraphs long for a 15+ hour game and only talks about stealth sections, when they're are 5% of the game. It's a fighting game at heart, and the review barely mentions ANYTHING about it. That PCgamer review is a fucking joke and an insult towards gaming journalism. Just look at the comments on the page.

With that said, the review is lying. The game is not filled with stealth sections. That's an extreme hyperbole and to me it sounds the reviewer was just not caring about this game at all and tried to fling something up before the deadline.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

I really have no idea what to make of this game.

I have next to no history with Castlevania and only played LoS1 when it came out last fall on PC. The art and varied environments are what really sold me on that game. And now it seems like LoS2 is mostly modern city/ drab environments?

The mixed reviews are really making me think I'll just wait for a Steam sale on this one. Which is crazy considering how enthusiastically I was able to get into LoS1 just several months ago.

 

[dreamer3kx]

Ugh, Ill still play because I love the series.

 

[ironcreed]

This has been my most anticipated game since it was announced and it is truly sad to see it being received worse than the first one, which I love. But ultimately, all that matters to me is if I enjoy it and hopefully I will. It's times like these that I love Gamefly. It's on the way and I will see soon enough.

 

[hamchan]

Sounds like one of the most disappointing games of the year.

 

[FalsettoVibe]

Won't be getting this. It's sucks though. I thought it had serious potential.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

I'm still gonna play this. Looks like Tropical Freeze is the game of the month

Spoiler

and probably of the year

though.

 

[Chobel]

Really bad reviews.

I wish Derrick was here, I would love to see his reaction about this.

 

[ironcreed]

From the PC gamer review:



This is crazy. If you asked me how I would make Castlevania not fun, this would be close to how I would do it. Epicly badass Dracula, in a modern setting - sounded like a good start. Then they take away his powers, run him through dull boring environments (sewers and a fucking pharmaceutical company? This is Castlevania, right?), and force some stealth mechanics that require you to transform into a rat to crawl through tiny spaces? Ugggh. This sounds gross to me, what the fuck were they thinking.

This sounds like complete garbage. I want my fantastical old world setting and I want to feel like Dracula, not Sam Fisher. Ugh, it's looking like I'll be glad I rented it. I just want to get it out of the way and get ready for Dark Souls II... which I will be buying.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

i think a Simon electronic game is more nuanced and intricate than GoW's combat, so that isn't saying much lol

I can't take posts like this seriously and have to assume you have never played the games. As I would love to see you try your Simon Says theory on any of the Trial sections of either GOW 3 or Ascension. You have to play those damn near perfectly either through managing the offensive abilities gained when you KO a enemy or in timing your counterattacks to deal chained damage.

GOW ain't Bayonetta or DMC but it definitely isn't as paint by numbers as you pretend.

 

[Violater]

When I think about playing as dracula I think about how badass this guy was in Blade

Ripping through people, tearing doors open.
No stealth needed.

 

[andymcc]

I can't take posts like this seriously and have to assume you have never played the games. As I would love to see you try your Simon Says theory on any of the Trial sections of either GOW 3 or Ascension. You have to play those damn near perfectly either through managing the offensive abilities gained when you KO a enemy or in timing your counterattacks to deal chained damage.

GOW ain't Bayonetta or DMC but it definitely isn't as paint by numbers as you pretend.

I've beaten every single GOW campaign, outside of Ascension. They're trash games with dumb AI that serves little more than to be walking sandbags.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

I've beaten every single GOW campaign, outside of Ascension. They're trash games with dumb AI that serves little more than to be walking sandbags.

Give me a break outside of the beginning area of LoS that game is a cake walk on the highest difficulty. You can spam the same one attack over and over that the creature is weak to. Do you play these games on easy difficulty? There is just no way you can get through the trial sections without knowing what your doing.

If you had disdain for GOW but loved DMC or Bayonetta I would understand but trying to pretend LoS is anything but bargain bin fodder is hilarious

 

[nckillthegrimace]

Look up, you see those 8's and 9's? The game isnt a complete failure. People are just whining about the stealth sections way too much. They're not even that many of em.

True, Edge and Eurogamer hated it, but at least juevosrancheros gave it a 9.

 

[andymcc]

If you had disdain for GOW but loved DMC or Bayonetta I would understand but trying to pretend LoS is anything but bargain bin fodder is hilarious

I hate LoS more than GoW...

you're barking up the wrong tree bro.

 

[ironcreed]

I just watched the Gamespot review. The modern sections look so disjointed and out of place compared to some of the more fantastical settings that are thankfully still present here and there. It really sounds like a mish-mash of good and bad with the bad being really bad.

 

[antitrop]

True, Edge and Eurogamer hated it, but at least juevosrancheros gave it a 9.

Guide us to the video game promised land, JuevosRancheros.

 

[Cyber Caesar]

Give me a break outside of the beginning area of LoS that game is a cake walk on the highest difficulty. You can spam the same one attack over and over that the creature is weak to. Do you play these games on easy difficulty? There is just no way you can get through the trial sections without knowing what your doing.

If you had disdain for GOW but loved DMC or Bayonetta I would understand but trying to pretend LoS is anything but bargain bin fodder is hilarious

So you did finally finish LoS1? You threw mad salt on it that one thread.

 

[SlasherJPC]

Give me a break outside of the beginning area of LoS that game is a cake walk on the highest difficulty. You can spam the same one attack over and over that the creature is weak to. Do you play these games on easy difficulty? There is just no way you can get through the trial sections without knowing what your doing.

If you had disdain for GOW but loved DMC or Bayonetta I would understand but trying to pretend LoS is anything but bargain bin fodder is hilarious

I wouldn't say the game is THATchallenging but you def can't just spam attacks to kill the bigger werewolfs in LoS. I have been replaying the first game and those guys still give me problems if I don't block.

 

[Famassu]

There really are no words. Why would you do this? There were fucking weird game design decisions in LOS1, and there are fucking weird game decisions here as well, considerably worse decisions apparently. Someone up in the chain of command at Mercury Steam is fucking shit up with their bad taste.

Taking the powers away from the "hero" at certain keypoints in the story is a common trope in games, movies, books, comics etc. and if successfully pulled off, it can add some tension and, in games, bring some variety to the gameplay.