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[Dascu]

Ya know, that does bring about a question that I'm not understanding. Why do people think this isn't a Castlevania game? What is there that we are not seeing that makes it just that?

Bone-throwing skeletons.

That, and in the gameplay footage, I didn't see the main character jump even once.

 

[Henchmen21]

Oh man, guy doing PR playing fast and loose with the truth? Someone wake up the media!

And you have proof that Cox is lying? No you don't. You have assumption. Neither you nor I was there at that meeting so we have to take his word for it. Until someone chimes in that was there and can definitively prove that Cox is lying than we have to take his words at face value.

Or do you think Dante's Inferno was free of God of War influence?

No I agree with you here. Dante's Inferno was a cheap clone. But what do you expect from EA? That company has been creatively bankrupt for decades.

 

[revolverjgw]

Ya know, that does bring about a question that I'm not understanding. Why do people think this isn't a Castlevania game? What is there that we are not seeing that makes it just that?

Like I said in my previous post, I kind of envisioned a 3D Vania as something slower paced and less... extreme. The classic 2D games were very deliberate by 2D action standards. Demon's Souls pacing (and difficulty) with platforming segments like God of War, but a little heavier... that's what I always wanted. But I'm not in the "this isn't CV" camp. It's just not my ideal dream CV.

 

[Dascu]

No I agree with you here. Dante's Inferno was a cheap clone. But what do you expect from EA? That company has been creatively bankrupt for decades.

And Konami is a brilliant bastion of innovation.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Ya know, that does bring about a question that I'm not understanding. Why do people think this isn't a Castlevania game? What is there that we are not seeing that makes it just that?

For me, I just want to see some platforming stuff. That's one area where it's not going to be adequate to ape God of War, because God of War is frigging terrible at it. I don't care if they rip off the combat to hell and back, because frankly God of War is a pretty fun game when it comes to the combat, but Castlevania is combat + platforming, often at the same time, and I hope we see that here.

 

[LowParry]

Bone-throwing skeletons.

That, and in the gameplay footage, I didn't see the main character jump even once.

He jumps. I think it's in the Gamespot video of the demo impression where you the player trying to jump over the fallen tree and failing pretty hard.

The way I see what makes Castlevania, Castlevania is a lot of things.

- Atmosphere (which they nailed).
- Monsters (which all seem to recognizable. I'm still waiting to see Medusa heads flying).
- Music (we've only heard the theme but it's got to have the trademark music we know and love from the series).
- "Metroidvania" - (items found to make progression. Previous or in new found area's.)
- Characters - (By the trailer, they seem to have this done very well).

Am I missing anything? Candles to whip for hearts? Whip upgrades?


Edit: Yes. Platforming I really want to see in this game. The Gamespot impressions said they were light on it but I don't know what that means. Wall balance walking? Whip swinging to next platform?

 

[Henchmen21]

And Konami is a brilliant bastion of innovation.

They were once. EA on the other hand...

 

[Dascu]

They were once. EA on the other hand...

I don't want to get into listwars here, but today's EA wipes the floor with Konami in the creative new IP department. MercurySteam doesn't have a high pedigree either.

But enough talk.

Spoiler

Have at you!

 

[Henchmen21]

He jumps. I think it's in the Gamespot video of the demo impression where you the player trying to jump over the fallen tree and failing pretty hard.

Man I was laughing so hard at that. The first time was understandable but after he keeps trying to jump it and fail...man.

 

[Canova]

Bone-throwing skeletons.

That, and in the gameplay footage, I didn't see the main character jump even once.

no he definitely jumps. I saw it in one of the footages. there's aerial combo too

 

[Dascu]

no he definitely jumps. I saw it in one of the footages. there's aerial combo too

Must've missed it. Either way, I fear the level design is going to be a series of two types of rooms:
- arena-like closed off areas where you need to fight an arbitrary amount of punching-bag enemies (you know, kind of like that gameplay footage in the OP)
- empty, linear areas with some easy platforming or semi-automated whip-swinging mechanics

I hope I'm wrong and they find a way to integrate the two elements (combat and platforming). The Zelda franchise does this to an extent.

 

[revolverjgw]

They were once. EA on the other hand...

EA have done pretty well this gen, I'd say, Dante's Inferno was shameless but isn't indicative of a typical EA-published game. Mirror's Edge was a landmark first-person title, Burnout Paradise was an important racer, Dead Space did well in taking the RE4ormula and building on it, Battlefield BC introduced a game-changing mechanic, etc.

 

[Henchmen21]

EA have done pretty well this gen, I'd say, Dante's Inferno was shameless but isn't indicative of a typical EA-published game. Mirror's Edge was a landmark first-person title, Burnout Paradise was an important racer, Dead Space did well in taking the RE4ormula and building on it, Battlefield BC introduced a game-changing mechanic, etc.

I guess that's where we differ. I've never enjoyed any EA game. But hell I'm still miffed at them for what they did to Origin Inc. and Wing Commander.

 

[TheThunder]

I have never played any Castlevania game and I think this looks great.

Sure the combat is GoWish but God of War is one of my favorite game series so no complaining here.

I just hope I can keep up with the story since like I said I'm a Castlevania virgin.

Edit: The music oh the MUSIC is incredible.

 

[Dascu]

I have never played any Castlevania game and I think this looks great.

Sure the combat is GoWish but God of War is one of my favorite game series so no complaining here.

I just hope I can keep up with the story since like I said I'm a Castlevania virgin.

It's a story "reboot", so don't worry. You might not catch a few cameos and such, but it shouldn't hinder your enjoyment of the game.

 

[Nizz]

I'm praying this game doesn't get delayed. I'm really liking what I see here. I'm starting to get back into 3rd person character-action games again. In large part for playing through the GoW Collection again and GoW3.

I might be feeling FPS game burnout. I still love em to death, but I welcome more action adventure games like this.

 

[Genesis Knight]

I just hope I can keep up with the story since like I said I'm a Castlevania virgin.

Honestly I'm not sure if prior storyline knowledge has ever been really necessary for a Castlevania game. You're fine.

 

[quetz67]

Very dark and rainy...

Hope they'll do 3D, those horse riding sequences would look extremely good with real depth. As do most 3rd person games with pretty small figures.

 

[TheThunder]

It's a story "reboot", so don't worry. You might not catch a few cameos and such, but it shouldn't hinder your enjoyment of the game.

Good stuff

 

[Henchmen21]

I'm praying this game doesn't get delayed. I'm really liking what I see here. I'm starting to get back into 3rd person character-action games again. In large part for playing through the GoW Collection again and GoW3.

I might be feeling FPS game burnout. I still love em to death, but I welcome more action adventure games like this.

Yeah that annoys me. They should have announced a release date yesterday. There's no better time to announce a release date if they still want to get this out by fall.

 

[Lord Error]

When you run out of answers its always tea time!!!!

The horse riding segment looks practically identical in execution in every way to Pegasus riding section in GoW2. Did that start from DMC as well?

 

[MightyHedgehog]

It looks like Castlevania.

Yes, it does...the shitty post-N64 3D Castlevania...but those games were basically marrying the grind-y nature of post-SoTN DS ARPG CV design with DMC-like forced, combo-heavy fights in rooms and enclosures that came with the PS2/XBOX 3D CVs, Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness, while completely eliminating actual level design in favor of a bunch identical cells or rooms to form larger locations.

This new one has seemingly ditched more of the SoTN/DS CV style to go straight toward God of War-flavored progression. The game camera is pulled back to center on the main character from a 3/4 perspective, seemingly auto-controlled, and enemies come into a temporarily enclosed area forming an arena that will only allow further progress once all enemies are defeated. And the way it's done seems more GoW than DMC (a game which GoW is inspired by) with its even lower expectation of the player. Long, strikes that form combos after multiple presses and an experience system where some form of currency is used to upgrade or buy wholly new techniques which themselves require new motions and controller invocation. The similarity is undeniable to all who would be honest with themselves and are familiar with those titles.

Ya know, that does bring about a question that I'm not understanding. Why do people think this isn't a Castlevania game? What is there that we are not seeing that makes it just that?

It's not classic Actionvania nor is it even Metroidvania, at least as far as combat. Outside of boss encounters, those games always focused on and allowed for the player to move on past enemies and not be trapped into DMC/GoW-like arena fights in order to progress. The biggest thing, however, is that platforming and fighting enemies could take place at the same time no matter what because fights were not limited to specific spots and enemies could freely travel the levels. The enemies were always part of the platforming where it was required to fight and platform at the very same time. There is no way to deny this game's direction as going further down the road of taking their already present DMC-like temporarily closed rooms and arenas while you fight into the GoW-take on things. It's not CV, but in name and reference only. And that's fine for a reboot if your standards are that a reboot should just ape something else so completely instead of trying something new or at least honoring some of the classic design beyond some iconic elements and nostalgic callbacks.

I'd love to be wrong about how completely it seems to have cut itself from its past, but I'm not hopeful.

 

[TreIII]

There is no way to deny this game's direction as going further down the road of taking their already present DMC-like temporarily closed rooms and arenas while you fight into the GoW-take on things. It's not CV, but in name and reference only. And that's fine for a reboot if your standards are that a reboot should just ape something else so completely instead of trying something new or at least honoring some of the classic design beyond some iconic elements and nostalgic callbacks.

See, I would be all for these of critiques, if it meant that people would be willing to take the same type of critique for the last decade+'s worth of CV games, as well. SOTN, especially. For better or worse, SOTN could be considered the jump-off from where the last major revamp for the series occurred. And what did it do? Did a lot to "ape" Super Metroid in more or less the EXACT SAME WAY this game does God of War. :lol

Was SOTN any less of a "CV game" because of it? I mean, SOTN certainly did exactly what you're talking about: "ape something else completely instead of trying something new", and did more to toss the older way of doing things aside, "beyond some iconic elements and nostalgic callbacks".

So, which is it? If you don't like LoS for some other type of fundamental reason, fine. But you can't hate on it for doing basically all over again what SOTN did almost 15 years prior. :lol

 

[MightyHedgehog]

See, I would be all for these of critiques, if it meant that people would be willing to take the same type of critique for the last decade+'s worth of CV games, as well. SOTN, especially. For better or worse, SOTN could be considered the jump-off from where the last major revamp for the series occurred. And what did it do? Did a lot to "ape" Super Metroid in more or less the EXACT SAME WAY this game does God of War. :lol

Was SOTN any less of a "CV game" because of it? I mean, SOTN certainly did exactly what you're talking about: "ape something else completely instead of trying something new", and did more to toss the older way of doing things aside, "beyond some iconic elements and nostalgic callbacks".

So, which is it? If you don't like LoS for some other type of fundamental reason, fine. But you can't hate on it for doing basically all over again what SOTN did almost 15 years prior. :lol

If you've read my past comments on the series, you'd know that I'm not a big fan of the Metroidvania design. At times, I really fucking despise it for leaving some honestly good and still-unique stuff behind. I'm an Actionvania fan through and through. I'll tolerate Metroidvania, however, if it means that I can avoid having to be forced into combo-heavy, beat 'em up focus found in DMC and GoW (and featured in later 3D CV titles and, now, this new 3D CV). If anything, this was one of the reasons why I prefer the N64 3D CVs to any of the later 3D stuff. It was closer in spirit to the Actionvania I love and much prefer.

 

[TreIII]

If you've read my past comments on the series, you'd know that I'm not a big fan of the Metroidvania design. At times, I really fucking despise it for leaving some honestly good and still-unique stuff behind. I'm an Actionvania fan through and through. I'll tolerate Metroidvania, however, if it means that I can avoid having to be forced into combo-heavy, beat 'em up focus found in DMC and GoW (and featured in later 3D CV titles and, now, this new 3D CV). If anything, this was one of the reasons why I prefer the N64 3D CVs to any of the later 3D stuff. It was closer in spirit to the Actionvania I love and much prefer.

Understood.

Well, in any case, I still have hopes for this game, because if nothing else, I read quotes like the following, and it sounds like the stuff that's music to my ears:

But, [Cox] stresses, Lords isn't just simple action. "There's lots of platforming and exploration. One of the things I liked about the earlier games, especially Simon's Quest, was the sense of exploration... The demo is very linear, but the game then opens up and you can explore. We encourage players to explore. You have a map, and once you complete a stage you can revisit earlier stages. You may reach a boss and remember there was an upgrade a few stages back, and go back to get it."

- http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3179951

So, if the game does a bit to cite GoW, as far as a battle system is concerned, fine. But like Sanshiro, I feel that where it will sink or swim will be on how it does everything else, ESPECIALLY in the platforming aspect.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

So, if the game does a bit to cite GoW, as far as a battle system is concerned, fine. But like Sanshiro, I feel that where it will sink or swim will be on how it does everything else, ESPECIALLY in the platforming aspect.

Yeah, which is why I want to see the platforming and exploration shown...but nothing yet...just 'epic' boss fights and combo-heavy arena fights that has been the tired focus of action adventure titles of the last and current gen. I'm already down on it before I see because I think they'll be completely clean activities separate and wholly distinct from the combat as I expect the game to be a three-way split of an experience divided neatly, with no overlap, into 'platform/exploration zone,' 'combat zone,' and 'cinematic action scene/boss zone.' All even more neatly delineated and bookended by cutscenes. And that will just be awful cookie cutter motherfucker moist as dudes disappointing.

 

[Nostalgic Nightmare]

Forgive me as I'm old and my memory isn't what it used to be, but the first castlevania forced you into a boss at the end of every stage. It was Simon's Quest that allowed for open exploration as well as areas that you could work your way into before deciding to bail out. I really would like to see the same again with this. Hell I even want this to happen with Zelda.

 

[Socreges]

He jumps. I think it's in the Gamespot video of the demo impression where you the player trying to jump over the fallen tree and failing pretty hard.

The way I see what makes Castlevania, Castlevania is a lot of things.

- Atmosphere (which they nailed).
- Monsters (which all seem to recognizable. I'm still waiting to see Medusa heads flying).
- Music (we've only heard the theme but it's got to have the trademark music we know and love from the series).
- "Metroidvania" - (items found to make progression. Previous or in new found area's.)
- Characters - (By the trailer, they seem to have this done very well).

Am I missing anything? Candles to whip for hearts? Whip upgrades?


Edit: Yes. Platforming I really want to see in this game. The Gamespot impressions said they were light on it but I don't know what that means. Wall balance walking? Whip swinging to next platform?

Atmosphere? I don't really agree. It's dark at least. But the environments seem to be unlike what we normally see in CV.
Monsters? All seem to be recognizable? Hell no.
Music? Ok it's got the theme. There'd be no excuse to have at least that.
Metroidvania? Many games like this require items to progress. I don't think that alone is what makes a Metroidvania. It's the platforming while fighting enemies and exploring that makes it a special series. I haven't seen that.
Characters? Well they've got the main character being a Belmont and I'm sure Dracula is in there. So yeah.

 

[jjasper]

Atmosphere? I don't really agree. It's dark at least. But the environments seem to be unlike what we normally see in CV.

Really? So dark forests, medieval villages, and gothic castles are unlike what we normally see in Castlevania?

 

[Vitet]

Oh man, guy doing PR playing fast and loose with the truth? Someone wake up the media!

I'm spanish and I can assure you this isn't something Kojima ordered

 

[Henchmen21]

So still no downloadable version up yet? Considering how quickly it was leaked I would've figured someone would make a downloadable one by now. Hell even Gametrailers copy is still stream only.

 

[jjasper]

So still no downloadable version up yet? Considering how quickly it was leaked I would've figured someone would make a downloadable one by now. Hell even Gametrailers copy is still stream only.

It is on the marketplace.

 

[Salz01]

Everybody needs to chill on putting the small bit they saw under a microscope. For a demo thats suppossed to grab your attention, it does that. No developer is going to put a 'exploration and platforming' bit as their main focus, because its slower paced. Castlevania in recent years has been hammered with bad rep once it tried to go 3D. So any resemblance to GOW is a good thing since players know about that, and can get a sense of how it feels and plays.
Its just if the little details can be different. Will it hold up if they put their own flavor and spin on it.

I'm a Castlevania buff just as the next person. The first time I saw SCIV displayed at the store, I had to have it, and bought a SNES for it.

I'm giving this a chance, and so far from the little gameplay I've seen. I'm excited. I dont mind that its different.

 

[Henchmen21]

It is on the marketplace.

Two things about that.

1. I mean on the pc

2. My Xbox died recently

 

[Socreges]

Really? So dark forests, medieval villages, and gothic castles are unlike what we normally see in Castlevania?

Nah, that's not really what I meant. I was thinking more about how the player is in the environments and got off-track. He's actually right about the atmosphere. I just had images of a player fighting in an contained circular village environment with enemies waiting around him and then attacking one-by-one (obviously related to the transition from 2D to 3D but still fundamentally not CV and a clear influence from GoW and DMC) and racing through a forest while riding on a horse (also plays so very similarly to something like GoW). The atmosphere is really the only thing they've gotten right. Based on the cutscenes, something I at first neglected, it seems like they'll obviously include the castle environments later in the game, too.

This really doesn't look or play like Castlevania as we know it, though. I think it looks like a great game, regardless. But it's so much more like God of War than Castlevania. We'll see what the platforming's like and if such sections will be concurrent with fighting, but I don't know if that'll be the case.

 

[Mar]

I've never enjoyed any EA game.

I know you're just trying to be inflammatory, but that statement still needs to be thrown back in your face. EA has been around since the 8bit era and have published arguably the best catalogue of games in video game history. There was certainly a time where EA were the evil corporation for a while, but it has been back on track for a number of years now.

If you can really say that you've never enjoyed a single EA game in its, what, 30 years of publishing, then I feel sorry for you and would argue you aren't a gamer.

Now, back on topic. When the jesus is this game getting released because my game boner is about to puncture my neck.

 

[jrricky]

I'm tired of GOW clones.

.

Me no likey at all. It looks really tired now...nothing special at all..meh...

Hope it dies in a fire like DI did...

 

[robor]

Like Metal Gear Solid: Rising, this is the other big surprise for me at E3. Looks fantastic. I can't wait to see the exploration aspects of the game.