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[BigBoss007]

Do you guys know the trailer of The Witcher 3 you are talking about is, in fact, a story of the first book, do you?

I don't understand why you're talking about "teenage audiences" or whatever since it was not written by CD Project.




I haven't seen that LoS2 trailer, OP. It's really good.

 

[dankir]

The music man... Omg it was so good. Too bad the game didn't deliver.

 

[spazchicken]

yeppppp

this is insane how bad the level design was overall.

My biggest grip was the spacing. After the first amazing game, I never thought they could create such a boring game. The force stealth section are the worse, and they happen way to often.

Glad I skipped it then. I have no idea why I did, since I really enjoyed the first one.

lol Those pictures look crazy. I still can't believe it.

 

[poodaddy]

Not if you played the first game, the trailer really resonates if you know what it is about.

I played and loved the first game. The trailer is drek.

 

[K.Sabot]

Araujo is up there with the greats for videogame osts imo.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

Lords of Shadow 1 doesn't feel like "Castlevania" to me, ever, at least LoS2 tries at parts.thats the biggest failing of the series (other than uneven quality of course
Damn i was so hyped

LoS1 takes most of inspiration from the more medieval Super Castlevania IV rather than the more romantic and *ahem* fruity Igavanias. I do see the SCIV connections though.

 

[AlexFlame116]

Anyone remember this song?
It was from the Mask website.It's the only version I can find of it. I absolutely love this song and I really wish there was a high quality version of it or the original. Sadly the site is gone now.

All the site had was this picture and some secret code.

 

[poodaddy]

LoS1 takes most of inspiration from the more medieval Super Castlevania IV rather than the more romantic and *ahem* fruity Igavanias. I do see the SCIV connections though.

Care to elaborate?

 

[adamsapple]

Yeah, LoS 2 had an amazing reveal trailer which fully sold me on it but the end result was a huge disappointment.

The first Lord of Shadow's gameplay trailer was also pretty damn good I must say, that music and editing really wowed me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN7W3-_uTQY

Wasn't this trailer cut by Kojima ? Maybe I'm mis-remembering but Kojima was somehow involved in the game besides voicing that little troll character.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

Yeah, LoS 2 had an amazing reveal trailer which fully sold me on it but the end result was a huge disappointment.



Wasn't this trailer cut by Kojima ? Maybe I'm mis-remembering but Kojima was somehow involved in the game besides voicing that little troll character.

Nope. Kojima only cut the Japanese trailer of LoS1.

By all accounts Kojima was not involved at all with the LoS sequels. Only the first one (hence why there's no Kojima logo in MoF or LoS2)

 

[Son Of Sparda]

Yeah, I love that reveal trailer especially the last part with Alucard. Too bad that the actual game wasn't anything like that though.

 

[tolkir]

Yeah, LoS 2 had an amazing reveal trailer which fully sold me on it but the end result was a huge disappointment.


Wasn't this trailer cut by Kojima ? Maybe I'm mis-remembering but Kojima was somehow involved in the game besides voicing that little troll character.

This is the Kojima trailer/preview.

 

[Alexious]

Well, to me the game is underrated, too. Played it on PC, by the way, so 60FPS combat.

 

[Schlomo]

Well, to me the game is underrated, too. Played it on PC, by the way, so 60FPS combat.

Yep. Sure, it wasn't as good as LoS1, but it was far from bad. Combat, bosses, atmosphere were all amazing.

That said, I'd love another game with an Araujo OST, no matter what franchise.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

Yeah, it's pretty cool I guess.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

modern day ruined the game i don't know what they were thinking

100% Agreed, Castlevania does not need to be related to modern times.

Same goes to Assassin's Creed but that's part of the original story.

 

[Fantastapotamus]

I thought the trailer was really, really bad tbh.
There's no excitement watching what is supposed to be the main character easily mow down thousands of humans without any trouble. If he was the villain, maybe the trailer would have been more effective. But knowing that you won't be that powerful in the game when it comes out...eh
And that's all before a fucking medieval robot shows up.

(Just because people are talking about the Witcher trailers)
Not saying the Witcher trailer is better or worse, but at least you can believe Geralt taking on two dudes.

 

[Drilbit777]

Why are the doors so fucking huge? lol

 

[Son Of Sparda]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this before, but I think the Dracula's Vengeance trailer was pretty good as well.

 

[D4rth Man7iz]

One of my favorite reveal trailers of the previous gen. Araujo's piece is mesmerizing.

 

[Chumley]

What the hell am I looking at? Was that place designed for giants or did the level designer just massively fuck up?

 

[Bedlam]

Why are the doors so fucking huge? lol

Level-design of the modern parts is a complete shitshow and was apparently done by less capable artists than the old Castle sections (multiple designers left mid-development etc.). They probably also just resized everything after they found the levels are difficult to navigate.

Man, what could've been if development of that game hadn't been such a mess due to crappy management (supposedly). I loved LoS1 despite its rough edges, I loved this LoS2 trailer and I was so hyped. Then it became my biggest gaming disappointment that year.

 

[RoadHazard]

I really liked the original game, and this trailer made me super hyped for the sequel. Then all the bad impressions came in, and I never bought it.

 

[Turin]

Lords of Shadow 1 had great art direction. Very cool aesthetically.

 

[Dream_Journey]

This is the Kojima trailer/preview.

Wow, didn't know about this. Thanks!

"Chupacabra: Hideo Kojima"

 

[Parsnip]

Yup.

Also, I don't think the game ended up being bad in the end. Just really uneven. The stealth stuff blew up in a weird way considering how little of that stuff there is in the game.

The scale of the modern day is still a bit of a weird thing. I can imagine artists doing all the gothic stuff and modern stuff to the same scale (in relation to Gabriel), and at the very late realizing that shit, giant gothic doors look pretty grand and cool, giant elevators and cars maybe not so much.

 

[Y2Kev]

I don't think Lords of Shadow 2 is that bad. Disappointing maybe but definitely not terrible.

 

[Y2Kev]

Anyway this trailer is better. The use of the CV4 music is omg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT86un5tR38

 

[LeleSocho]

Meh, the music in that trailer felt completely disconnected from what it showed not really a fan.

 

[Sad Affleck]

I don't think Lords of Shadow 2 is that bad. Disappointing maybe but definitely not terrible.

Should I buy it? I quite liked LOS1 even though I don't generally play games like that. Is the drop in quality similar to the Darksiders series?

 

[Y2Kev]

Should I buy it? I quite liked LOS1 even though I don't generally play games like that. Is the drop in quality similar to the Darksiders series?

For me, it really depends on what you liked.

If you liked the combat, the well-directed cutscenes and voice acting (sans Captain Picard lol), the music, and the art design, yes. The combat in LoS2 is dramatically improved. The performance on console is improved. The problem is that the game is split into two segments: a "modern" day Castlevania City (yes) where you have some element of stealth gameplay, of...I dunno, other dumb shit, and so on, and a "past" group of segments that take place in and around Castlevania and feature gothic architecture and stuff like that.

The past stuff is great and the core combat gameplay is much improved.

The modern day stuff is just so plodding and repetitive that it hurts the overall game. I think Lords of Shadow is like an 7 or an 8 and Lords of Shadow 2 is like a 6 or 7, but for different reasons. LoS has a lot of heart and it is a seriously meaty game, and it released after years of IGA doing basically nothing. LoS2 lost the creativity and added a bunch of crap, but it really did refine the core of the game.

BOTH games needed a lot of editing.

 

[Ahasverus]

LoS1 takes most of inspiration from the more medieval Super Castlevania IV rather than the more romantic and *ahem* fruity Igavanias. I do see the SCIV connections though.

Dude no, we left this idiotic homophobic criticism back in 2006.

 

[Alexious]

Yep. Sure, it wasn't as good as LoS1, but it was far from bad. Combat, bosses, atmosphere were all amazing.

That said, I'd love another game with an Araujo OST, no matter what franchise.

I'm also a fan of Robert Carlyle. I think his voice over was great there.

 

[Sad Affleck]

BOTH games needed a lot of editing.

That's true. Thanks for the detailed post, I might actually buy it since I enjoyed the first game mostly for the reasons you mentioned.

 

[v1oz]

The CG in that trailer is already outdated.

 

[SlipperyFishes]

Anyone remember this song?
It was from the Mask website.It's the only version I can find of it. I absolutely love this song and I really wish there was a high quality version of it or the original. Sadly the site is gone now.

All the site had was this picture and some secret code.

I remember that site fondly. It was really epic.

 

[DemWalls]

Indeed. Lords of shadow has one of the best soundtracks in the series despite the weird fanboy backlash it got for being too "western".

Yeah. To me, that always felt like some people who just listen to catchier tunes not being able to appreciate something more "complex", so to say.

What the hell am I looking at? Was that place designed for giants or did the level designer just massively fuck up?

From what we know, that may be due to different groups within the development team not really communicating due to the director's near-dictatorship. I guess that such a situation can lead to some baffling errors.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

It's a good CG trailer, I'll give it that. Also, LOS2 > LOS. The only interesting parts of the first game were the Castle sections. The beginning 5 or so hours in particular were boring as fuck.

 

[Maedhros]

It does have some memorable boss fights, but that's it. Fuck Modern days, fuck shitty level design, fuck stealth

 

[InvincibleFist]

For me, it really depends on what you liked.

If you liked the combat, the well-directed cutscenes and voice acting (sans Captain Picard lol), the music, and the art design, yes. The combat in LoS2 is dramatically improved. The performance on console is improved. The problem is that the game is split into two segments: a "modern" day Castlevania City (yes) where you have some element of stealth gameplay, of...I dunno, other dumb shit, and so on, and a "past" group of segments that take place in and around Castlevania and feature gothic architecture and stuff like that.

The past stuff is great and the core combat gameplay is much improved.

The modern day stuff is just so plodding and repetitive that it hurts the overall game. I think Lords of Shadow is like an 7 or an 8 and Lords of Shadow 2 is like a 6 or 7, but for different reasons. LoS has a lot of heart and it is a seriously meaty game, and it released after years of IGA doing basically nothing. LoS2 lost the creativity and added a bunch of crap, but it really did refine the core of the game.

BOTH games needed a lot of editing.

I agree. The best parts of LoS 2 are better than the best of the first game, but the aforementioned modern day sections -particularly the stealth segments with those enemies you never get to kill even at full power- really hurt the overall experience. The ending was a disappointment for me as well, especially after the much bolder ending of the first LoS.

 

[SmokedMeat]

It feels more like a trailer for a cgi movie rather then a game.

 

[DemWalls]

The ending was a disappointment for me as well, especially after the much bolder ending of the first LoS.

LoS 2's supposed original ending would've made more of an impression, that's for sure. Depressing, maybe, and not necessarily "better", but certainly more memorable.

 

[Gbraga]

The first game had some incredible trailers, too. I still know the lines for most of them, haha.

Still didn't play 2 because of the negative reception, but I'll get to it at some point, love the first.

 

[Synless]

LoS 2's supposed original ending would've made more of an impression, that's for sure. Depressing, maybe, and not necessarily "better", but certainly more memorable.

What was said original ending?

 

[DemWalls]

What was said original ending?

Spoiler

When Satan possesses Alucard, Gabril forces the combat cross inside him, killing his own son again, and the spirit of human Trevor Belmont is seen ascending to heaven smiling at his father; however, the Combat Cross was destroyed, thus letting Gabriel with no chance of ever reuniting with his family or die, Dracula starts screaming like a maniac on the ground and the brotherhood of light captures him (with him giving not resistence) and scenes are shown of them torturing him braveheart style for many centuries, tearing off limbs, cutting him with knives until the end of time while Gabriel never gets the peace he wants.

.

 

[Maedhros]

Yeah. To me, that always felt like some people who just listen to catchier tunes not being able to appreciate something more "complex", so to say.

I consider it just background sounds. Nothing memorable or that sticks after I finish the game. The same problem modern movies have, really.

It's just a different approach, but I can see how people think it's a bad one. I consider it a bad approach too.

 

[Synless]

.

Well damn, that would have been a fucked ending.

 

[Despera]

The 1st game was a pleasant surprise, the 2nd an unpleasant one.

But considering all the shit that went down at Mercury Steam during development it's no surprise.

The vast majority of this team is aware that the game we've done is a real piece of shit that has nothing to do with the first one's quality and production values... Nobody is surprised by the low reviews we've got.

They are a talented team and deserve another chance, and with Metroid SR coming out soon I hope this means they found their footing and successfully moved on from that debacle.

And fuck stealth sections in adventure/action games. 99% of the time they're shit.

 

[yurinka]

What is the composer Óscar Araujo up to these days? Does he work exclusively with Mercury Steam? That guy could make some music.

He is working on Mercury Steam's next game: Raiders of the Broken Planet. And it isn't confirmed, but while ago he said to be working on a big IP, so he also may be working on their Metroid.

As composer he also works for cinema in different Spanish movies and shorts. After Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 he did work in a released movie and 2 shorts:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1067800/
http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,66299/

Even if he is very close to the Mercury Steam team, in games he's a freelance who also worked for Ubisoft Barcelona on a GameCube + PS2 game or Rebel Act (defunct company with members who are now in Mercury Steam or Tequila Works).

He is well known and valued by the Spanish gamedev scene, I assume that if other dev teams don't work with him here in Spain it may be because should be really expensive and most teams are small indie devs, and because we have many other great composers here: David Garcia Diaz (Rime), Damián Sanchez (Rise & Shine, Blues & Bullets), Fingerspit (Gods Will Be Watching), Mateo Pascual (Commandos series, Sandstorm: Pirate Wars), Pascual Gallego (Candle), Alberto Oliván (Dead Sincronicity)...

He only worked on Spanish projects, so I assume he already has enough work here or doesn't speak English.

 

[Despera]

Yeah. To me, that always felt like some people who just listen to catchier tunes not being able to appreciate something more "complex", so to say.

And this has been a big problem whenever discussing game music on GAF.

It seems that, to some, any effort to make an orchestral soundtrack with some complexity will always be labeled an attempt to mimic Hollywood or something, which to them is considered automatically bad.