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Castlevania LoS Mirror of Fate (3DS) Demo thread

My feelings are very mixed. It's similar to how I felt when Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts came out. Like, it's not a BAD game, but when you're playing a game like a Castlevania, and you loved the last six entries that were a certain way, you're hungry for a new one and it comes along and it's not much like it.

The graphics didn't impress. They were dirty and the 3D was either too strong or too weak. It wasn't good. Not being able to use the D-Pad for sidescrolling aside, the controls were solid. Yeah, it was God of War, but that's kind of an evolution of the Castlevania combat. The music was boring as hell, especially coming off tons of catchy tunes in previous games.

So it's a mixed bag. I kinda liked it. I'm afraid as the game fleshes out it might not be as good, so it might be a $20 purchase one day.
 
Did anyone else find the first knight's note kind of strange? He said he'd been a hit a couple times and couldn't sustain a third hit. Why the hell was he writing a diary entry in the middle of a fight.
 
I'm surprised by the...anger(?) at the demo. I didn't think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread but I enjoyed it. I wasn't really expecting 60fps but I thought the castle looked cool in 3D. There were a number of special moves in the menu.

Combat wasn't just "whip the enemies", there was a timing element to it. While the game did have some QTEs, I wasn;t as annoyed by them as I was in games like Force Unleashed or Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

My only real gripe was having to open a gate by backtracking to the previous room, dropping down three levels, crawling through a narrow area and swinging across a massive chasm to a ledge where the switch was located. Then having to run back to the gate in time.

If the rest of the game is like the demo then I can see a 7/10 or 8/10 out of this one.
 
braves01 said:
Did anyone else find the first knight's note kind of strange? He said he'd been a hit a couple times and couldn't sustain a third hit. Why the hell was he writing a diary entry in the middle of a fight.
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Yeah, I actually did think about that. Nice of the beast to wait long enough for the knight to write that note.
 
Is this like the older, non metroidvania Castlevania games in terms of linearity and combat, ie Rondo of blood, or something else entirely? Alternate routes are in or no? Haven't spent too much time looking into this game.
 
ricochetguro said:
Is this like the older, non metroidvania Castlevania games in terms of linearity and combat, ie Rondo of blood, or something else entirely? Alternate routes are in or no? Haven't spent too much time looking into this game.
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Think Ecclesia, or Simons Quest. Not linear, not metroidvania.
 
time to give IGA a call again...

I mean, all his GBA and DS castlevania games are critically reviewed. I never understood why they canned him in the first place.
 
To be fair, I havent tried the demo yet and will. But isnt this a demo from like 7 or 8 months ago? Might not be indicative of final product, but still I understand that this is supposed to sell the game.
 
TalesOfWin said:
time to give IGA a call again...

I mean, all his GBA and DS castlevania games are critically reviewed. I never understood why they canned him in the first place.
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100K sales, the 3D turds, Judgement.

That last thing is enough to kill his carreer. Also, Nanobreaker..?
 
Im sure itll be a fine game. Just people need to get over the past 6 games. I know I love that style and this is new. I didnt love Lords of Shadow proper and consider myself a huge Castlevania fan. It wasnt bad, just not what I wanted, therefore on the internet its bad. Lords of Shadow was a decent game in its own right, and had it not bared the Castlevania title, people would have loved it.
 
gameongreggy said:
Im sure itll be a fine game. Just people need to get over the past 6 games. I know I love that style and this is new. I didnt love Lords of Shadow proper and consider myself a huge Castlevania fan. It wasnt bad, just not what I wanted, therefore on the internet its bad. Lords of Shadow was a decent game in its own right, and had it not bared the Castlevania title, people would have loved it.
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LoS is an overrated game with lots of QTEs'. Every damn boss battle was a QTE fest.

climbing the titans might be my least favorite video game moment ever. So frustrating starting all over if you lost the grip.
 
For a game with such dark backgrounds, you would expect there to be some noticeable ghosting, but there's absolutely none that I can see. I'm frankly very impressed. The 3D effect is quite stunning, in general.

edit: okay, I take it back; I see a little bit, but it's masked quite well.
 
TalesOfWin said:
LoS is an overrated game with lots of QTEs'. Every damn boss battle was a QTE fest.

climbing the titans might be my least favorite video game moment ever. So frustrating starting all over if you lost the grip.
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Yea but every game is now. Tomb Raider, Uncharted, God of War, Resident Evil. ALl blockbuster games, with QTE's so for me that argument is moot. I dont like them, but it's in everything now and its a cop-out for devs to do less programming.
 
I just played this demo and it was the first Castlevania game I've played since Symphony of the Night.

What the heck is this? Total garbage. Slow, clunky, and feels lifeless. No thank you.
 
Zeer0id said:
For a game with such dark backgrounds, you would expect there to be some noticeable ghosting, but there's absolutely none that I can see. I'm frankly very impressed. The 3D effect is quite stunning, in general.

edit: okay, I take it back; I see a little bit, but it's masked quite well.
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Speaking to a developer, apparently Nintendo has strict do's and dont's on making 3ds games. 1 of the major don't is they cant blur the background to create artificial depth. Which funnily enough, NSMB2 every BG is blurred to create a sense of depth. They do what others dont :/
 
gameongreggy said:
Speaking to a developer, apparently Nintendo has strict do's and dont's on making 3ds games. 1 of the major don't is they cant blur the background to create artificial depth. Which funnily enough, NSMB2 every BG is blurred to create a sense of depth. They do what others dont :/
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And the reasoning for that is.....?
 
374454_357660271018478_27476933_n.jpg


RIP
 
Some these negative impressions seem blown way out of proportion.

Truth is, if you disliked Lords of Shadows, you will dislike this.

On the other hand if you're like me and feel that Lords of Shadows was a fuckton of fun, then you will enjoy this.

My only gripe is with the finishing moves. They don't feel as brutal as they did in Lords of Shadow. They could have benefited from added frames of animation to the finishers. As they are, they just seem weak.

Other than that, you have a solid portable version of Lords of Shadow.

I'm really looking forward to the full game.
 
gameongreggy said:
Speaking to a developer, apparently Nintendo has strict do's and dont's on making 3ds games. 1 of the major don't is they cant blur the background to create artificial depth. Which funnily enough, NSMB2 every BG is blurred to create a sense of depth. They do what others dont :/
Click to expand...

NSMB2's 3D effect is probably the worst thing about it, lol

it's the only game for which I can't turn the slider up to max, it just looks too shitty. I keep it about half way.


more impressions: the platforming is kinda bad, the framerate is iffy, and Trevor's facial model in the close-up is hiiiiideous! I'm enjoying the combat so far.
 
VARIA said:
Some these negative impressions seem blown way out of proportion.

Truth is, if you disliked Lords of Shadows, you will dislike this.

On the other hand if you're like me and feel that Lords of Shadows was a fuckton of fun, then you will enjoy this.
Click to expand...

Obviously this isn't true as there are people in this thread who loved LoS and disliked this.
 
Ahasverus said:
And the reasoning for that is.....?
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IDK he didnt say, he just said Nintendo explicitly states no blurring the BG in order to create a depth of field. WHich he then to me pointed out the NSMB2 levels. Everything is blurry,, until you lower the slider. Weird that theyll do stuff they tell devs not to do. Probably cuz it works and they want to use it in their games. But yeah, IDK why exactly.
 
Awesome game loved the demo...I liked the parry at the right moment to perform a riposte. I loved the distant grabbing moves and finishers...I loved the dodge roll to evade and the charge attack while blocking. I loved the hold whip to keep whipping attack, and the sub weapon's usefulness. I went back for a second run to play it with 3D on, and wow I was impressed. Most fun I've had on 3DS since Revelaitons. Day one for me. I can only imagine how tough the game will get, and how cool the light/dark moves will be along with unlocking new abilities and characters. I love all 7 Metroidvanias, all the original Castlevanias and Lords of Shadow...can't wait for this game and Lords of Shadow 2.

Edit: the game select screen is sweet in 3D.
 
Hehe, I love the "hold Y" attack

I have this pre-ordered for $19.99 and I think I'm gonna keep it. It's not terribly creative or anything and it could have used more polish, but it's enjoyable enough. For $20, I don't think it's worth saying no.
 
VARIA said:
Some these negative impressions seem blown way out of proportion.

Truth is, if you disliked Lords of Shadows, you will dislike this.

On the other hand if you're like me and feel that Lords of Shadows was a fuckton of fun, then you will enjoy this.

My only gripe is with the finishing moves. They don't feel as brutal as they did in Lords of Shadow. They could have benefited from added frames of animation to the finishers. As they are, they just seem weak.

Other than that, you have a solid portable version of Lords of Shadow.

I'm really looking forward to the full game.
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Thats not true for everyone. I like LoS but I thought this demo was pretty bad.
 
+ Awesome backgrounds, I LOVE the whole gothic scenery
+ 2.5D
+ Kinda linear

- Lots of crosstalk but I'm still trying to keep the 3D slider all the way up because I love the look
- Music doesn't do anything for me, it just plays in the background like elevator music but doesn't engage me or make me hum along with the melody
- Enemies take to many hits. Why can't they just make it like in the old 8/16 Bit-versions?
 
Pappasman said:
Thats not true for everyone. I like LoS but I thought this demo was pretty bad.
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You played a small sample of the first level with no light/ dark magic...yet alone only basic moves and easy enemy encounters. I think the full title will be insanely incredible and full of hater scolding surprises.
 
So, I played it.
The game reminds me of God Of War: Chains of Olympus.
It's a great demo, and the game feels fantastic! But, it's just not Castlevania.

The whip felt weak against many of the enemies, but I feel like that reinforces the fact that you're a guy fighting skeletons, demons, haunted armor, and such. It was an interesting choice that I can actually agree on.

There is a low amount of strategy involved, as many of the attacks can be avoided with the dodge/block button, making it a simple pattern. Nevertheless, I actually liked it. It was simple gameplay and it felt good.

The graphics are rather nice. Nothing too impressive in that aspect. But the 3-D?
Damn. It's awesome. Really shows the capabilities of 2-D platforming on the console.
When I used the menu to check the attacks, I felt like I was looking at a shadow box.
It's my favorite thing in the demo. If someone states that the 3D sucks, they are honestly "just hating."

The attacks are varied, and there are a few combo techniques that make the fighting in the game pretty fun. As stated before, it plays like a God of War game. I was having fun playing it as such. But it's not Castlevania.

The framerate drops every now and then, whether in 3D or not. In my opinion, it's not as bad as some comments make it seem.

The D-Pad being the weapon management was a good idea to me, but I understand the complaints. I hope that there is an option to change it in the final game. It doesn't bother me, I guess.

Finally, the music. Eh... It was disappointing. I just played some of my old Castlevania soundtracks while playing the demo the second time, as I thought that it would be neat.
It was.


I will purchase this game. It's fun.
Good: The 3D is amazing, the story seems interesting as a side-quest, the gameplay and fighting is good, and the controls feel nice.

Bad: The music is eh, framerate sometimes drops, and people want a "real" Castlevania game, and this is not one. It gets kinda close.

So... yeah. I like it.
 
Ahasverus said:
Remember how LoS demo was representative of the final game?


Yeah...
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Man...I forgot how bad that demo was. I almost missed out on the greatness of that game, because of it's generic-ness. I know this demo hasn't shown anyone a damn thing.
 
HYDE said:
You played a small sample of the first level with no light/ dark magic...yet alone only basic moves and easy enemy encounters. I think the full title will be insanely incredible and full of hater scolding surprises.
Click to expand...

Seriously. As you said, the demo offers a tiny sample of the full experience and everyone already has a full opinion on the game. I recall people saying the same things with the Lords of Shadow demo and then retracting their comments once they saw/played the whole game.
 
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