keltickennedy
Member
Yeah, I got caught a couple times trying to figure out how to go about completing it. Took me about 15 minutes. People gotta remember to use dat mist form!
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 - |OT| - Dead and Loving It!
- Thread starter Ahasverus
- Start date
Yeah, I got caught a couple times trying to figure out how to go about completing it. Took me about 15 minutes. People gotta remember to use dat mist form!
During normal play i didn't witness loading times during those segments. The elevator or the door would transition/open as soon as i flipped the switch without the hourglass icon appearing in the bottom left corner. After finishing the game however and going back to some places that involved me taking a ride in an elevator i did notice prolonged travel time and the hourglass icon spinning. Backtracking reduced loadtimes back to 0 though.
As far as the modern setting goes it's not that impressive and i think it's not trying to be. I got the impression of a heavily gothic - inspired city with a very dark and gloomy feel. Visually it was cold, distant and oppressive with a gothic revival-esque look and some imposing Greek/Roman style statues in certain areas.
On one hand it showed a people with a deeply rooted fear in the paranormal and an even deeper faith in god and on the other the cold sterile look of the laboratories and the pipe-laden buildings and subterranean segments show a heavily industrialized society. The gloomy feel and look made me think that this industrialism felt aggressive, forced and somewhat twisted
and by my understanding of the plot and reading of the monument scrolls i am right in that the major power players in the town of Castlevania are the pharmaceutical and the arms company alongside the church and the business men/women. The people are well aware of the monsters that used to roam those lands in the past and even had a museum dedicated to them and there was also abnormal demand for psychological/mental assistance that led to the construction of mental institutes
So while i think that the modern setting doesn't have the same oomph as the castle does, i do believe it carries its own nuanced "beauty". Regardless of taste though i do believe that the aspects "Fidelity. Visual Effects. Attention to detail." still ring true.
I thought Zobek was one of the major financial contributions to making the city, which in turn brought Satan's acolytes to create environments around the city. I assume Zobek did this so he can off of all of his competitors and have full reign on earth as a big baddie all in one observable area. I think the naming of the city is absurd, though. 
So I disliked the
section but then it was followed by the awesome
battle. Game definitely has some high's and lows when it comes to pacing.
That whole section with
made good use of the real time cutscene stuff. Carlye' speech was prett decent.
It's strange to think that Castlevania has basically become Silent Hill.
train
Carmilla
That whole section with
Carmilla
It's strange to think that Castlevania has basically become Silent Hill.
brandonh83
Banned
HOLY SHIT
... just... fuck.
that entire sequence with Victor, the fight with him, his backstory, his sacrifice, then the boss battle in the pool of blood
I tried to do it without mist form before I realized how much it is needed. I think it's incredibly difficult without.
The game's peak.
Now prepare yourself for the game's lowest low. The laststealth section and the thing that comes later.
Still very early on - just got the Wolf Medallion - but I'm really enjoying it. Even the stealth sections don't really bother me. There's definitely something about Mercury Steam's art direction that I find really appealing - incredibly talented team in that respect.
It's worth mentioning that I've never been a big Castlevania fan, so I have no expectations in that area. I enjoyed the first Lords of Shadow quite a bit as an action/adventure game in spite of its shortcomings; hoping to have a similar experience here.
So far, so good.
It's worth mentioning that I've never been a big Castlevania fan, so I have no expectations in that area. I enjoyed the first Lords of Shadow quite a bit as an action/adventure game in spite of its shortcomings; hoping to have a similar experience here.
So far, so good.
liquidekkah
Member
AmethystEnd
Member
So many orgasms in the past few posts. I need to hurry up and start playing again.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Someone answerered this earlier I beleive and you sorta have the answer in your post
The blood man, kill the blood!
It wasn't for me. Unless I didn't find the optimal solution and did it bad and just pushed through it, then in that case forget what I said.
doniewhalberg
Member
Haha I actually find it much quicker to just run around and kill the skeleton bones piles rather than the blood, I couldn't keep up with the blood itself.
Ohhhhh LOL
BIONIC-ARRRMMM!!
Member
Freeze the puddles with a void projectile then attack it.
Reading the logs on new enemies is incredibly helpful btw.
doniewhalberg
Member
Haha. Such timing that I came to write this right as you posted that Aha.....I literally just played the Agreus part of the game and
This is the first time so far I've saw an environment outside of the main castle I've stopped and been impressed with haha. Clever use of game systems oppose to rinse repeat *puzzles* that require very little thought or actual autonomy. And I really liked the boss battle haha. Both the puzzle then the fight are showcases for the
and use it cleverly. Kind of felt like the last game for a minute.
Of course I go back through the thread and this is the bit everyone has been shitting on ha.
looks like my favourite part so far is everyones most hated haha!
mist power
Of course I go back through the thread and this is the bit everyone has been shitting on ha.
Tizoc
Member
i FINd that to detract from the gameplay flow, and I somewhat don't like it when a game can tell you how to defeat an enemy.
I just finished the game up last night and felt I should write up my opinion on this one. The game felt like two separate works at times. That is, there are the modern sections and Dracula's Castle bit. Both seem really separate on a lot of levels that are only tangentianlly related but it does come together a bit at the end. That said, I felt the Castle bits had a lot of fantastic moments and were much closer in line with the original LOS than the modern sequences. So what I'm left with is a subpar game that at times reminded me of DMC2 while at other times, something that is closer to LOS 1.
. Also the less said about the ending, the better. It betrays a lot of the themes running through the game and having read the original ending, the one present in the game is almost laughably bad.
The main thing of worth in the game, from a storytelling perspective, is the Castle segments. Here is where the game comes to life on multiple levels. First there is the Trevor bits where it's clear that you're somewhat hallucinating but it's also real as well. Dracula knows this and his interaction with Trevor in that he's full of regret and trying to protect this imaginary son, while still knowing it's too late. This is the Gabriel from the first game both full of rage and sadness. There's a very good amount of introspection from Dracula in these bits, whether he speaks it out loud or not. Dracula also encountering the spectres of his past does a good job of twisting some elements from LOS1 as well which gives a bit of depth to Gabriel's interactions, and he perceived them to an extent, in the first game.
I would say the Toymaker bit is the highlight of the game for me.
The art design in that area also started to really have some flair and gave some life to the game. The boss fight was really something else as well. Just really fun stuff.
Now for the gameplay stuff, let me first off rant about the stealth bits. What the fuck were they thinking? They're not fun to play, not because it's difficult in of itself, but rather they're difficult due to bad game design. It's not clear at times what you should be doing. This might be desirable in a stealth game if it wasn't for one major aspect, there are usually only one or a couple of correct strategies. So what this spirals into, is a bullshit puzzle segment that isn't fun and can feel overly frustrating. The
bit was actually one of the better uses of stealth in the game as you can progress using a number of different strategies. Another problem with the stealth stuff is why is Dracula sneaking around? It feels extremely forced in the later parts of the game as Dracula is pretty much at full strength but still sneaking around. I mean with
, you fight him less than five minutes later, so why were you sneaking around? The stealth segments break the pacing and just aren't fun to play.
As to the combat, this is really where the game shines. It's a pretty big improvement over LOS1 as it not only feels faster but also more versatile. The air system has been really improved from the first game and definitely adds better versatility to the fighting game. The unblockable attacks can get annoying though after awhile as some of the enemies just spam the everlasting fuck out of them. The subweapons actually feel somewhat useful in combat, more so than in LOS1. The boss fights as a whole, focus on the combat and so they never really feel annoying like the Titans in LOS. I was disappointed in the actual number of enemy types. It feels really 'samey' in the City after awhile.
All in all, it's an okay game but I can see why the reviewers ripped it to shreds. Much of the game's identity got lost and at times the game feels like something from a completely different, and worse, franchise.
One of the biggest differences that struck me, is how they told the story early on. It's bad storytelling on a lot of levels in that the game spends five minutes infodumping the background between LOS1 and LOS2. It's overly clumsy and feels like the franchise blew its load since LOS1, something that repeatedly creeps up further in LOS2. Instead of using a gameplay sequence, it felt like I was reading a book based off a movie. I understand there are games that cover that sequence however the way it's shoehorned into the game feels clumsy at best. The narrative itself is very weak and if it wasn't for a late game 'twist', I would have written the narrative off as a complete misstep. Instead it's just a dud that doesn't hold a candle to the original LOS. The modern segment of trying to stop Satan's revival is utterly droll. You're nerfed down and hunting a bunch of 2nd rate has beens who have no character and are utterly lifeless as villains. There is nothing remarkable at all about any part of the modern quest. It very much feels like DMC2 at times as the game just doesn't work in the modern city. There is also some really bad characterization bits such as
with Victor who you fight and less than 10 minutes later, seemingly, he's willing to die to help you. There is no where near enough build up for that segment to have any sort of real emotional impact
The main thing of worth in the game, from a storytelling perspective, is the Castle segments. Here is where the game comes to life on multiple levels. First there is the Trevor bits where it's clear that you're somewhat hallucinating but it's also real as well. Dracula knows this and his interaction with Trevor in that he's full of regret and trying to protect this imaginary son, while still knowing it's too late. This is the Gabriel from the first game both full of rage and sadness. There's a very good amount of introspection from Dracula in these bits, whether he speaks it out loud or not. Dracula also encountering the spectres of his past does a good job of twisting some elements from LOS1 as well which gives a bit of depth to Gabriel's interactions, and he perceived them to an extent, in the first game.
I would say the Toymaker bit is the highlight of the game for me.
Using the puppets to tell the story was a lot of fun and a great way to break up the pacing instead of the awful stealth bits.
Another key part is the actual level design. Gone are the chapters and I think it's for the worst actually. That's because the game feels less like a sprawling adventure where Gabriel is travelling all across the place to find the Mask and instead it's more of a local affair. It's more old school Castlevania I guess but I liked the adventure segment as it actually gives the player a sense of progress along with Gabriel. I think the Castle bits work better in this restriction as there is a lot of varied segments that really stand out in contrast to each other such as the City of the Damned and Overlook Tower. The modern city however is lifeless on an artistic level and many areas just blend in with each other, creating this boring hole that sucks out any flair the game has. It's striking how much better the artistic design is in the Castle. The Toymaker sections has a lot of theatricality to it for example, and the sprawling towers in the Castle beat out the buildings in the City. I very much want to spend more time in the Castle where I don't ever want to spend another moment in the City. While there are some Gothic elements in the City, it's nowhere near enough.
Now for the gameplay stuff, let me first off rant about the stealth bits. What the fuck were they thinking? They're not fun to play, not because it's difficult in of itself, but rather they're difficult due to bad game design. It's not clear at times what you should be doing. This might be desirable in a stealth game if it wasn't for one major aspect, there are usually only one or a couple of correct strategies. So what this spirals into, is a bullshit puzzle segment that isn't fun and can feel overly frustrating. The
Agreus
Agreus
As to the combat, this is really where the game shines. It's a pretty big improvement over LOS1 as it not only feels faster but also more versatile. The air system has been really improved from the first game and definitely adds better versatility to the fighting game. The unblockable attacks can get annoying though after awhile as some of the enemies just spam the everlasting fuck out of them. The subweapons actually feel somewhat useful in combat, more so than in LOS1. The boss fights as a whole, focus on the combat and so they never really feel annoying like the Titans in LOS. I was disappointed in the actual number of enemy types. It feels really 'samey' in the City after awhile.
The graphics are actually pretty good on PC. There is some pretty decent texture work at times and the game can really look gorgeous in the Castle areas. Yea the size perspective thing in the City is there and it's annoying but I didn't really pay much attention to it. As for the VA work, the only one I have a real bone to pick with is Zobek. Stewart really phoned that one in. I'm not as fond though of the soundtrack as many people here. I think it leans a bit too heavily on some of the stuff from the first game, which I would say also had the better score, and isn't really that distinctive on its own.
All in all, it's an okay game but I can see why the reviewers ripped it to shreds. Much of the game's identity got lost and at times the game feels like something from a completely different, and worse, franchise.
Just beat the game as of ~5 minutes ago.
That ending is pure, unadulterated shit.
On the plus side, I did uncover that there are two Draculas. This bug happened quite a number of times.
That ending is pure, unadulterated shit.
Wasn't the fucking motive for Trevor to kill his dad after Satan and Zobek were dead? Why'd he ask "What happens now?" as if this were a serious fucking question. And let me guess, what Gabriel saw in the mirror implies a sequel. Have they even explained why and how GABRIEL'S Combat Cross is the only weapon to kill him, even though a number of other Belmonts have one? Why not use Victors if needing one is so necessary, the motherfucker killed himself in a hilariously petty way. I like how nobody really listened to him when he said to get away and they just stood there...
Conclusion my fucking ass. This is bottom of the barrel storytelling, and I wouldn't be surprised to see if the same four terrible writers for the first game (yeah, the first game somehow had four fucking writers) were the same ones here.
Conclusion my fucking ass. This is bottom of the barrel storytelling, and I wouldn't be surprised to see if the same four terrible writers for the first game (yeah, the first game somehow had four fucking writers) were the same ones here.
On the plus side, I did uncover that there are two Draculas. This bug happened quite a number of times.
The ending was changed by Konami. The original one was sad as fuck. Read it 2 pages ago. Gabriel's Combtar cross is the only ioriginal one, forged in holy water with the steel from nails of martyrs and the wood of the Holy Cross. It's the holiest thing in the world.
I understand if it was changed,
because what the game concluded on was almost in the exact opposite direction that the whole plot of the game was about!
Absurd.
This was the original ending:
When Satan possesses Alucard, Gabril forces the combat cross inside him, killing his own son again, and the spirit of human Trevor Belmont is seen ascending to heaven smiling at his father; however, the Combat Cross was destroyed, thus letting Gabriel with no chance of ever reuniting with his family or die, Dracula starts screaming like a maniac on the ground and the brotherhood of light captures him (with him giving not resistence) and scenes are shown of them torturing him braveheart style for many centuries, tearing off limbs, cutting him with knives until the end of time while Gabriel never gets the peace he wants.
Argeus section and boss took me 10 minutes...I have a sick curiosity to somehow watch the 4 hour Kotaku session. You can pretty blatantly run across leaves and use mist when he gets close as he loses track easily.
That said, man is the way they integrated it dumb. The fight immediately after begs the question on why on earth was I not able to fight in in that section before.
I think it's better than the first, but they both have warts.
That said, man is the way they integrated it dumb. The fight immediately after begs the question on why on earth was I not able to fight in in that section before.
I think it's better than the first, but they both have warts.
Holy shit, that sounds a *LOT* better than the actual ending! I have to admit that I'm a person who doesn't mind spoilers, so I watched the ending as soon as it was available, and it was...really unsatisfying. But yeah, I hope that ends up in DLC or something.
Quickie question though: I know there's a lot of controversy behind this game...for someone who didn't like Lords of Shadow that much BUT enjoyed Mirror of Fate quite a bit (I know I'm the only one on the planet), would you think I'd enjoy this?
FrostuTheNinja
Member
So, is it explained in the ending that Dracula is actually Francisco Franco?
HE'S SO TINY! :|
HE'S SO TINY! :|
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
What in the fuck am I supposed to be doing as these rats? I'm running vent to vent chewing on wires but I've seemingly run out of shit to chew on.
This company takes rodent control very seriously when it comes to their ventilation system.
This company takes rodent control very seriously when it comes to their ventilation system.
It's a solid 7/10, feels like Darksiders 1 more so than GOW. Hope you enjoy it.
and I hope you like cutscenes.
brandonh83
Banned
That
TRIPLE BOSS FIGHT
doniewhalberg
Member
Well , the game had me by the balls for a few hours there. The Argeus part followed by
, so good, real feeling of the first game for awhile. Wasn't too in love with the following city area (turn the power on! run here! turn this switch!), but
Of course, this game doesn't know when it's got something good going for it.
Then after that spot of genuis,
Wtf. Who's ass do they pull this stuff out of? I'm not sure how it could be going so well then so eh.
Plus these comment about the end have me real excited to see it.
the toy maker!
catching up with Victor was worth it. Seeing him use your old moves as you fight him, very awesome.
Of course, this game doesn't know when it's got something good going for it.
Victor nonsensically kills himself 5 minutes after being introduced, making me wonder why bother.
"that building is the home of the largest weapons manufacturer in the world.
Plus these comment about the end have me real excited to see it.
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
Basically.
brandonh83
Banned
There's a part that I'm stuck at! 4/10!
Anyway,
. How the hell?
Anyway,
I'm at the dagger throwing part with Zobek's guard
Melhisedek
Member
I just got
How far in am I ?
chaos power from Gorgons
â Narayan
Member
Wow. Just fought
. What an incredible boss fight!
Agreus
brandonh83
Banned
Not far. Like at all.
LongDongJunon
Member
This ending depresses the shit out of me, but I would be lying if I said that this didn't sound like a more concrete resolution than the one we actually received.
dreamer3kx
Member
Im only a couple hours in and liking so far but jeez, so much tutorial text, they introduce mechanics and skills one after the other.
Bloodworth
Member
Get ready for
Alucard and Dracula online co-op in Lords of Shadow 3, developed by Ninja Theory
doniewhalberg
Member
Just with the dagger throwing/platform thing with the Lieutenant. Have I got much to go? Sad to say, I just want this thing done. MY feeling is I'll likely never play this again. Just replay LoS1 when I have that urge.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
The fireball will fire at your current location, keep moving left and right so that the fireball avoid the Lieutenant
brandonh83
Banned
...ah, I thought it was firing at HIS location, lol