Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

That looks ridiculous. Can't wait. Auto-buy.

[CMH]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

A Contra remake in today's gen would be very, very nice considering the success of many war games.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

A Contra remake in today's gen would be very, very nice considering the success of many war games.

They already did that, but they changed the title to Gears of War.

[DickDalewood]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

They already did that, but they changed the title to Gears of War.

Lol.

Don't be silly, I do NOT remember having my bullets split into three, OR doing a flip when I jump

[Behindshadows]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

OMG! Please let there be a collector's edition. This game is absolutely beautiful. I'm a die hard Castlevania fan, with IV being the best! Mode-7 and SNES made that game incredible.

[trobinson97]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

Wow, I've been sleeping on this. It looks amazing.

[Flawless]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

Gamespot Impressions

As a Castlevania fan, when a new trailer starts with the opening music from Super Castlevania IV, it becomes clear that the people at Mercury Steam--the developers behind the game--are also long-time fans of the series. Of course, that becomes even more apparent when Dave Cox, a Konami producer on the game, says that not only will that song be in the game, but it (as well as several other classic Castlevania tunes, like Vampire Killer) will also be performed by a full orchestra. In fact, much of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow functions as what Konami calls, "a love letter" to fans of the series, but at the same time, Mercury Steam has made great efforts to produce a game that newcomers can enjoy just as well.

Gabriel's combat cross functions as a whip (a great relief to long-time Castlevania fans) that enables him to produce up to 40 different kind of combination attacks that are unlocked as you progress through the game. Within these combinations, there seem to be attacks that are stronger than others. For example, one of Gabriel's ranged attacks is great for dealing with a great number of enemies just outside of his immediate area, but these attacks are weaker because of their added reach. Naturally, Gabriel also has access to the classic secondary weapons of the Castlevania franchise--we got a peak at the holy water as well as the dagger, but there will be more and it's worth mentioning that all secondary items can be upgraded in some manner. Gabriel also has access to a light and dark magic system, and while we got a brief glimpse of it in action, we don’t quite know how it functions, just yet.

But we do know that platforming will also be a big part of the Lords of Shadow experience. In quite a few scenes, we saw Gabriel taking long leaps across enormous chasms. We also saw him using the combat cross to scale objects and repel down walls. All of this comes in handy when you have opportunities to explore the environments and find hidden areas that may contain useful items you can use later. Some of these items may prove to be quite useful when battling some of the boss characters known as Titans. As you can imagine, the Titans are massive creatures--so massive that Gabriel has to scale them to find their weak points, which he has to smash in order to take these Titans down. If that sounds a little familiar, it should--the sequence Konami showed looked quite similar to the way the Colossi are defeated in Shadow of the Colossus, and it actually looked pretty cool to see that kind of gameplay in such a detailed setting.

Surprisingly, Lords of Shadow also seems to have a fairly strong puzzle solving element to its gameplay. The puzzles in the game range from fairly straightforward physical puzzles, such as where Gabriel has to use his dash move to light up a series of panels beneath his feet, to some that require a little more brain power--like the puzzle that requires you to line up a series of mirrors to properly reflect a beam of light. It's not clear just how often these puzzles appear, but from all indications, these occur when Gabriel needs a specific item, like a key to a particular room.

Everything we've seen so far from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow looks mighty impressive, and Castlevania fans should have every reason to be excited that this new game is coming from people who have a genuine love for the series. It's also clear that Kojima Productions' involvement with the game, which included significant refinement on Gabriel's design, had a positive impact. At any rate, we're excited to get our hands on the game at this year's E3, get a feel for the combat, and see just how massive the game really is--especially if Gabriel needs horses and eagles to traverse the landscape. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is scheduled for release later this year for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

New Screens

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

I need this game now.

[WTF]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

That makes two of us... One of my favorite all time series.

[Flawless]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

IGN

Cox emphasized the team's desire to make the game rewarding to players who put some time into the game's combat system. "We enjoy games like Street Fighter and the like, and we wanted the combat to be very fast moving. Button mashing can get players so far, but players need to mix up blocks and standard and ranged attacks. It's very strategic. If (they're not) thinking about what they're going to do, then they're going to get killed."

Yes!

Players will also see references to the iconic between-stage maps from 8 and 16 bit Castlevania titles throughout Lords' 50 levels. In a nod to the post-Rondo Metroidvania direction of Symphony of the Night and its successors, stages can be revisited at any time for a completion percentage of up to %200.6 (and if that doesn't make sense to you, then you likely won't care).

Yes!

[Flawless]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

IGN: The First Eight Hours of Lords of Shadow

Lords of Shadow is not a game you're going to plow through in a single sitting. On the map screen there are 12 chapters, each with multiple stages and some seriously long boss battles. After playing for nearly eight hours, I was slashing my way through Chapter 3. The story, as told through detailed in-game cutscenes, seemed to be just getting started.

There are heaps of collectibles, upgradeable combat techniques, and everything is tracked by a percentage rating for each stage in a chapter. I hadn't completed more than 50 percent for any of them, but I did unlock individual challenges that entice players to go back and retry stages while meeting specific goals. By the end of the day, I was overwhelmed by the scope of the game and still felt as though I'd barely scratched the surface.

Eurogamer Hands-on

You quickly realise that the game is as much about avoiding hits as it is about dealing them out. A shoulder button both blocks and rolls, leaving room for a precisely-timed counter-attack. Slow-motion and telltale glinting give you your combat cues, warning you when an enemy is winding up for an unblockable attack. It's hot on Bayonetta's high heels, resembling Sega's genre masterpiece in its sense of rhythm - though not in stylish exuberance.

More traditional Castlevania gameplay has not been ignored. Levels have alternate routes and hidden items – you can grope for their secrets on your first run through, but you must often return with better abilities in order to reach them. There are puzzles, involving matching runes or rotating plinths and other such familiar staples. There's rather a lot of platforming, too, climbing around mossy, vine-covered ruins or using the grapple to swing between between stonework ledges.

At alternating moments Castlevania: Lords of Shadow resembles Devil May Cry without the tongue-in-cheek machismo swagger, Shadow of the Colossus without the steed and sword, God of War without the gore. It takes inspiration from these games with unexpected self-confidence. It's garbed in fantasy presentation that calls to mind Tolkein and del Toro. It's got a spark, creative impetus and dramatic touch about it that the Castlevania series has lacked for some time.

Joystiq Preview

Lords of Shadow is going to be a great game and, more importantly, a great Castlevania game. The MercurySteam and Kojima Productions collaboration offers everything you'd want from a modernized Castlevania adventure: platforming, puzzle solving, and, yes, even some backtracking and exploration, with a level of polish that catapults it all into a sublime experience.

Kotaku Preview

You're reading the second set of glowing impressions of the latest three-dimensional Castlevania game. The first was penned by our Mike McWhertor after he played an E3 version of the game a couple of months ago. He was impressed, as was I yesterday when a couple of hours with the first levels of a nearly-complete Lords of Shadow got the game added to me need-to-play list. I was shocked. I expected mediocre or bad; I got good.

GameSpot Hands-on

The first hours of Lords of Shadow suggest a game with plenty up its sleeve. If it's prepared to follow through on its gradual learning curve and increasingly creative enemies and environments, we'll have an action game to stand alongside the best of them--not to mention a Castlevania game to do the series proud, "reboot" or no. Time will tell, on that count, but Kojima's stamp of approval, as the game's executive producer, should calm the nerves of Castlevania devotees. They, like us, will be waiting until October to lay eyes on Lords of Shadow's eventual castles and vampires.

...

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[LingeringRegime]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

Glad to hear that there is going to be a lot of exploration. I can't believe this is coming out so soon.

[Tha_Kid]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

Been hearing nothing but good things about this. Cautiously optimistic for a good Castlevania game in 2010.

[DickDalewood]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

And with those latest impressions, I have found my yearly "Halloween" game. I will be preordering this tomorrow.

[Flawless]

Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows (PS3/360)

Hideo Kojima directed trailer. Sleeper hit of the year?

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