TGS '10: Castlevania Lords of Shadow Hands-On

[Tarrker]

I dont know why they keep trying to make castlevania a 3rd person game, 2d is where its at

I agree completely. Why are side scrolling games so universally hated amongst the community? We have this great technology now to make newer games like Symphony of the Night with a more modern feel. Does anyone remember playing that back in it's hayday? That WAS the current technology of the time and it looked great. You CAN make a 2D game with modern graphics that looks amazing. It certainly would be nice to know weather I'm going to hit something in combat without having some god awful auto target system.

But I digress. It just comes down to the fact that the masses have proved again and again that they can and will settle for a mediocre game with high end graphics. I used to wonder why beds and mattresses cost SO much until I got a job at a mattress factory. I'll tell you now, that, it doesn't matter if it only costs $5 to make a mattress. So long as people EXPECT to pay $300 plus for them, they will CHARGE $300 plus for them...

 

[Tarrker]

I've lost all interest in Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night. None have come close to it since. That game fulfilled all my needs when it came to that franchise. All that have followed strike me as flawed and mediocre. And I think Castlevania 64 helped bury my feeling for it in a shallow grave. I'm sure there are a few good ones in there for other people, but I just can't get excited about the franchise anymore.

/sigh

I was a HUGE fan of Symphony of the Night myself and I actually played it back when the PSX was still a new thing. Honestly, if you want the same feel, try Curse of Darkness. The music is not as good as SotN and the beginning it pretty boring but, once it gets going, the game is very much like it's older brother. There are LOTS of secrets of ALL kinds (not just tiny rooms), it has familiars, the main character uses a wide variety of weapons (starting with the sword) and he has a close relation to Dracula. I won't lie, it really is hard getting past the Abandoned Castle in the beginning but, honestly, the secret weapons and familiars make it WELL worth the while. Come on, you can stun and bash enemies with and electric guitar. There's even a secret area where the walls and floors look like you're inside some sort of creature and you fight the Granphaloon from SotN! Still haven't beaten that beotch!

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Kinda figured it be a DMC/GOW clone. CV only needed deeper level design better mechanics and a better story.

If you want to make it hit hard and deep and last you have to make it more like Zelda and less like GOW.... same for Mega man.....

I've lost all interest in Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night. None have come close to it since. That game fulfilled all my needs when it came to that franchise. All that have followed strike me as flawed and mediocre. And I think Castlevania 64 helped bury my feeling for it in a shallow grave. I'm sure there are a few good ones in there for other people, but I just can't get excited about the franchise anymore.

/sigh

I was a HUGE fan of Symphony of the Night myself and I actually played it back when the PSX was still a new thing. Honestly, if you want the same feel, try Curse of Darkness. The music is not as good as SotN and the beginning it pretty boring but, once it gets going, the game is very much like it's older brother. There are LOTS of secrets of ALL kinds (not just tiny rooms), it has familiars, the main character uses a wide variety of weapons (starting with the sword) and he has a close relation to Dracula. I won't lie, it really is hard getting past the Abandoned Castle in the beginning but, honestly, the secret weapons and familiars make it WELL worth the while. Come on, you can stun and bash enemies with and electric guitar. There's even a secret area where the walls and floors look like you're inside some sort of creature and you fight the Granphaloon from SotN! Still haven't beaten that beotch!

COD was a bit better than LOI but not by much and I really hated the steal ability it made made getting somethings impossible.... pissed me off so much I quit 15 hours in

Still combos could be better, equipment a bit less generic and levels alot less bland.

 

[Mordwyl]

I've lost all interest in Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night. None have come close to it since. That game fulfilled all my needs when it came to that franchise. All that have followed strike me as flawed and mediocre. And I think Castlevania 64 helped bury my feeling for it in a shallow grave. I'm sure there are a few good ones in there for other people, but I just can't get excited about the franchise anymore.

/sigh

You may like Aria of Sorrow, though it's a bit on the small scale compared to its predecessor.

 

[WittyInfidel]

I've lost all interest in Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night. None have come close to it since. That game fulfilled all my needs when it came to that franchise. All that have followed strike me as flawed and mediocre. And I think Castlevania 64 helped bury my feeling for it in a shallow grave. I'm sure there are a few good ones in there for other people, but I just can't get excited about the franchise anymore.

/sigh

You may like Aria of Sorrow, though it's a bit on the small scale compared to its predecessor.

Not sure on Aria of Sorrow (GBA), but Dawn of Sorrow (DS) just caught my eye.

 

[Amnestic]

I've lost all interest in Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night. None have come close to it since. That game fulfilled all my needs when it came to that franchise. All that have followed strike me as flawed and mediocre. And I think Castlevania 64 helped bury my feeling for it in a shallow grave. I'm sure there are a few good ones in there for other people, but I just can't get excited about the franchise anymore.

/sigh

You may like Aria of Sorrow, though it's a bit on the small scale compared to its predecessor.

Not sure on Aria of Sorrow (GBA), but Dawn of Sorrow (DS) just caught my eye.

It's not as large as Symphony of the Night and the soul-collecting mechanic can lead to a bit of a grind (though no more so than grinding the Crissaegrim in SotN) but they've refined the combat and it's generally quite decent. Standard mode is your Metroidvania RPG like SotN and when you complete the game you can replay it in Julius Mode which just has you and a few scrollable subweapons (and two collectable characters which you can switch between at will for more flexibility).

It's probably the best Castlevania game on the DS so far. Portrait of Ruin was decent and had more varied music thanks to more exotic locales and Order of Ecclesia just rubbed itself wrong with me. I think it was the "world map" thing. I didn't like that terribly much.

 

[Towels]

I don't understand all the resistance to a 3D Castlevania.

Legacy of Darkness (N64) wasn't a bad game. I rather liked its story and ambient mood. The gameplay was better than most other 3D adventure games I played on the N64, and so of the music I still listen to when I'm in the mood for game music.

Lament of Innocence (PS2) was an ok game too. Good story, great gameplay. It would have been a great game if it wasn't so bloody short.

Oh I just remembered Curse of Darkness. That game was a piece of garbage.

I love the Metroidvania games too, but I think its time to mix it up a bit.

 

[42forlife]

The people I know who are picking this up are rather the guys who are so brand loyal that Nintendo has literally over the years drained any concept of freshness out through the controller (it was stored in the cartridge), or think that using religious icons as a weapon is amazingly cool and didn't get their fill from Dante.

Considering those demographics I think I'll skip this one.

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

As a fan of 2D Castlevania, Kojima games, and Bayonetta, this looks like my cup of tea, provided they execute it right. Definitely interested. However, if it's too cutscene-heavy, the gameplay is too linear, and the plot isn't up to scratch I'll pass.

In the meantime, I'll play some Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner. Wheee ~

 

[Lord_Panzer]

Everything sounds so intense in Japanese.

 

[linkzeldi]

This game is looking awesome.

 

[darkknight9]