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Never thought I'd still be thinking about Castlevania: LoS...
- Thread starter Neiteio
- Start date
eXistor
Member
I would have loved the game if it had a more traditional structure, like the old Castlevania's. For one: the game was waaaaaay too long, cut out 50% of content and you'd have a much more streamlined experience (easily done btw, a lot of levels add nothing to the game), also the balance in the game is all outta whack. One level is 5 minutes long, the other is just a boss battle, another just a puzzle, then you fight another boss, then there's a level with nothing in it, then a level that takes 30 minutes. There's absolutely no structure to the game. I wish they'd just gone the oldskool Castlevania way and made it levels 1-1 through 1-x and end with a boss and on to the next, distinct level.
Also I wish they would have just used orchestral Castlevania tunes instead of the generic fantasy music that's in the game. For some reason I never did, but I really wanted to just copy a bunch of old Castlevania tunes to my Xbox and use that as the soundtrack.
In the end I am very pleased with the game though. It's far from perfect, but it was an interesting enough take on the games.
Also I wish they would have just used orchestral Castlevania tunes instead of the generic fantasy music that's in the game. For some reason I never did, but I really wanted to just copy a bunch of old Castlevania tunes to my Xbox and use that as the soundtrack.
In the end I am very pleased with the game though. It's far from perfect, but it was an interesting enough take on the games.
AgentOtaku
Member
*high fives OP*
LowParry
Member
Even with the obvious flaws in the game, it turns out very good and I enjoyed it a lot. I'm really looking forward to the DLC that's in store. It's rare that I get excited about DLC. Very curious how they will tie things together in the end and I really hope we see a sequel in the near future. The problems that can be fixed can make for a second game to be off the charts of awesome. I really hope Mercury listens to their fans.
CcrooK said:
Oscar Araujo accidentally revealed that the soundtrack to the game would be darker, and a MercurySteam employee mentioned the game wouldn't be out for two and a half years, which at the time of the comment pens the game as a 2013 title. So they both revealed a game in development past the DLC, which we knew anyway. :lol
AgentOtaku
Member
To Far Away Times
Member
I enjoyed playing Castlevania Lords of Shadow, but I felt a bit different than the OP. I felt like the sum of the parts didn't quite come together as well as the individual aspects. The graphics, artsyle, music and all that are top notch. The story is better than what we get in most video games and the combat is better than God of War. But somehow, it just doesn't jell as well as it should. I felt like the game was missing something to make it truly special. That said, it's still one of the better games I played in 2010 though and I would gladly play a sequel.
strideramc
Member
This thread has inspired me to go back and finish this game. I got about 1/3 of the way through and then just stopped playing.
strideramc said:
The first arc of the game is easily the slowest to cook up. While I really didn't like the last arc of the game too much the game builds up a lot of steam in the Vampire arc of the game, which is the best example of Castlevania atmosphere in 3D since the N64 days.
SentientStone
Member
daxter01 said:
Also make the climbing as responsive and intuitive as Uncharted.
I was blown away by this game, I expected a lame hack & slash title and I got an epic quest that actually felt like a real adventure. There's a lot of variety in the environments and they're simply stunning. The gameplay was great too there's room for improvement but the platforming/climbing and fighting worked quite well. The story was great compared to other games this year. Overall it was a great game and easily one of my favorite games released this year with a bit more polish it could've been this generations 'Resident Evil 4'.
Climbing didn't feel this good since Shadow of the Collussus and Mirror's Edge. At some points the climbing parts got quite difficult but the game mostly rewarded you with an awesome scene if you managed to climb on top a tower. Showing the world in the background and often you could spot places you already visited. Climbing in games like Uncharted and Assassins Creed works well but outside of a few scenes it didn't look like Drake and Ezio were struggling to climb on mountains and buildings.Leshita said:Also make the climbing as responsive and intuitive as Uncharted.
The Praiseworthy
Member
Since the first trailer and the game didn't click with me... Wasn't even in my games to buy list... And i downloaded the demo 3 times and hated it... Then last week when i had nothing to play and felt bored Toke a Risk and bought it.
MY GOD!!! The game is soooooo underrated :/
The game is so fantastic and amazing.. The levels design are very beautiful and the ost is epic and the fight system is fun!
I'm so enjoying the game and can't believe i was skipping it... Such an idiot
MY GOD!!! The game is soooooo underrated :/
The game is so fantastic and amazing.. The levels design are very beautiful and the ost is epic and the fight system is fun!
I'm so enjoying the game and can't believe i was skipping it... Such an idiot
Sir_Crocodile
Member
I stopped playing it during the second world because I wasn't enjoying it. The way the levels and camera came together I thought particularly bad. I haven't played any of the God of War games, so I don't know how much this was or wasn't ripping it off, but I guess I would have preferred something more like Darksiders.
BMX Bandit
Member
Delete Pan. Fix the framerate. Stewart's phoned in voice acting.
Only major beefs I had with the game. Besides that, it was really enjoyable.
Only major beefs I had with the game. Besides that, it was really enjoyable.
The game has a lot of problems, I mean A LOT of small technical and design problems that amount to a pretty decently-sized hill. First play-through bordered on painful and I came away from the game with a mostly negative impression. I gave it a second chance and I enjoyed it a lot more as I knew where all those problems where and how to avoid/overcome them, and I could actually appreciate and enjoy the game. Weird I know, but that's how it worked for me. If they released a PC version I'd rebuy the game only for the 60fps.
If they released a PC version I'd rebuy the game only for the 60fps.Every game has flaws and this one is no different. Unlike most games castlevania keeps adapting the game play with new abilities and with these reinforcements you begin to play differently. The block may not be responsive but if you play more thoughtfully then it works better. It's a hardcore approach and a big reason it won't sell very well. Thankfully it's exactly what I want.ShockingAlberto said:
Playing through this game right now for the first time. I like the art, environments, GRAPHICS, atmosphere, etc. However as stated there are some niggling issues, which do detract from the overall experience. The big ones to me are: Patrick Stewart, just shut the hell up already, having to hold down R3/L3 during combat to pick up orbs, awkward camera transitions, and awkward level endings with the immediate cut to the travel book. It feels like the game just needed more time, to make it more cohesive. Overall though, and awesome first effort and I'd say a solid "B" range game. A great value for your money. BUY IT!
get2sammyb
Member
Just finished the game now and agree with everything the OP wrote. Fantastic game, loved it to pieces. The art was ultimately what got me. Some of the enemy types are so creative. I also loved the whole Vampire section and thought the Frankenstein levels provided a real gothic tone.
I don't know why I didn't get this at launch. I think I assumed it was "more Lord Of The Rings" stuff, and that high-fantasy tone never really does it for me. Once it got really gothic though I was hooked. I actually liked the final third too. I agree the game's a bit long and disjointed (I'd prefer a more seamless experience than the split up levels). Also wasn't particularly fond of the combat, though I did like the variety of moves and magic mechanic. Wish orbs just picked up automatically though to be honest.
It's the art that will stick with me though.
I don't know why I didn't get this at launch. I think I assumed it was "more Lord Of The Rings" stuff, and that high-fantasy tone never really does it for me. Once it got really gothic though I was hooked. I actually liked the final third too. I agree the game's a bit long and disjointed (I'd prefer a more seamless experience than the split up levels). Also wasn't particularly fond of the combat, though I did like the variety of moves and magic mechanic. Wish orbs just picked up automatically though to be honest.
It's the art that will stick with me though.
The coffins with tentacles and scarecrows were my favourites.
Yeah sadly I have to disagree with the OP. I find the worst thing about this game is I played through it and that was it. I'm not talking about how Great Lords of Shadow was like I wanted to be by the end of the year.
I had a great time playing through the game but something just felt missing to me and I have a hard time pin pointing it. Combat flaws and everything I adjusted to and didn't mind much really. It was a hard game and that is what I was looking for in all of that.
I don't really mind that it took it to a completely different level it still felt Castlevania in that sense but I think what I was missing was more of the Fan Service. Where is my Bloody Tears and other memorable musical tracks? Where are the candles I can break on the walls, Why didn't we see Axe, Cross, Bible and more classic go to Subweapons. The fairy and the crystal I found myself never using.
Little tiny things they could have done too make it feel more Castlevania while still making it a completely different game and I felt they dropped the ball on that somewhat so to speak.
Also seemed to me like I thought I would care for Gabriel's struggle a lot more. Maybe that didn't happen because of how the game was presented with Stewart telling the majority of the plot while the action wasn't happening or because it wasn't done totally in cut scene form but he didn't really click with me as much as I though either.
Despite all this though it's still an enjoyable experience. I would say definitely play through it in 2011 because it's worth doing so.
Edit*
I had a great time playing through the game but something just felt missing to me and I have a hard time pin pointing it. Combat flaws and everything I adjusted to and didn't mind much really. It was a hard game and that is what I was looking for in all of that.
I don't really mind that it took it to a completely different level it still felt Castlevania in that sense but I think what I was missing was more of the Fan Service. Where is my Bloody Tears and other memorable musical tracks? Where are the candles I can break on the walls, Why didn't we see Axe, Cross, Bible and more classic go to Subweapons. The fairy and the crystal I found myself never using.
Also, I know where this is going but I really really really wanted to fight Dracula. Maybe the DLC I will get my wish because I'm picking up the one that takes place after the ending.
Little tiny things they could have done too make it feel more Castlevania while still making it a completely different game and I felt they dropped the ball on that somewhat so to speak.
Also seemed to me like I thought I would care for Gabriel's struggle a lot more. Maybe that didn't happen because of how the game was presented with Stewart telling the majority of the plot while the action wasn't happening or because it wasn't done totally in cut scene form but he didn't really click with me as much as I though either.
Despite all this though it's still an enjoyable experience. I would say definitely play through it in 2011 because it's worth doing so.
Edit*
Also I feel like the game peaked in difficultly in Chapter 3 during the Cornell fight and was fairly down hill on difficultly after that. Man that fight took me like two hours I wish more of it had been like that.
MightyHedgehog
Member
Yeah, I've thought about it afterward. I've been thinking that this was easily the biggest misfire in the franchise just by virtue of how much work obviously went into it. Great art and environments, disappointing everything else. Should not have been given the Castlevania title to carry since this game's middling retail success will ensure that there will be no other attempts by more appropriate developers to do right by the franchise's strengths in three dimensions for, at least, a few years or more. Sorry, Mercurysteam. I just don't think it was fair to burden you with the high expectations that the franchise still can command from even some of the most indifferent of series fans. Even though it has been said that the team originally envisioned it as CV, I don't even know where that link to the older games really comes from because it doesn't feel a thing like CV, to me.
As seen as just Lords of Shadow (minus the CV title and the minimum expectations that come with it), the game is an average, almost too-derivative action-game with some extremely nice art and environment work and a whole load of little issues that hurt any real building of positive momentum from my playthrough. Game was a total slog of an experience, with hope just barely flickering the distance as you came to every little high point, a bread crumb trail promising a lot but leading you through a thorny maze full of hurt and disappointment. Not a fan.
As seen as just Lords of Shadow (minus the CV title and the minimum expectations that come with it), the game is an average, almost too-derivative action-game with some extremely nice art and environment work and a whole load of little issues that hurt any real building of positive momentum from my playthrough. Game was a total slog of an experience, with hope just barely flickering the distance as you came to every little high point, a bread crumb trail promising a lot but leading you through a thorny maze full of hurt and disappointment. Not a fan.
Great thread OP. I agree with everything you said. The most amazing thing for me was how they kept up the variety in the environments and how stunning they looked. The combat was great and the atmosphere was way up there with Alan Wake and ME2 for me.
Great game and sadly overlooked. I remember listening to Giant Bomb and the guys were like, "God of War clone, not even Castlevania, meh." And it wasn't just them. Seemed like a lot of people never gave it a chance. One of the best $60 purchases this year.
Wasn't perfect and I'd like Mercury Steam to be more cohesive about the story as well as have better monster designs for the next game. Still, it's an experience that sticks with you.
Bring on teh DLC!
ShockingAlberto
Member
This pretty much confirms my suspicions that enjoying this game is just about prioritizing what you like and writing off everything else.dextran said:
I am currently up to Chapter 7 and well I am really enjoying everything about the game apart from the combat. I am just not feeling the combat, feels too much like God of War which I dislike very much so. Game like Bayonetta, Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden has spoiled me.
Awfully tempted to turn the difficulty down to low so I can power through to the end of the game, because I so want to finish it but the combat bores me, which I guess is a bad thing as that's one of the games biggest focuses.
Awfully tempted to turn the difficulty down to low so I can power through to the end of the game, because I so want to finish it but the combat bores me, which I guess is a bad thing as that's one of the games biggest focuses.
I'm the OP, I loved the game, and my brothers and I went through it on the lowest difficulty. I recommend it -- the battles are lengthy no matter what the difficulty, so you'll get your share of gameplay either way. The combat is punchier and moves along at a brisker pace on lower difficulties, though, which will keep things fresh by getting you to new places more quickly... which is really the game's strong suit -- the experience of the journey to the end.Label said: