Just played the XBLA demo. It's got a poor framerate to begin with, but it manages to drop even lower during fights. One would assume the Xbox 360 could handle a 3DS port, but apparently you have to put more than minimal effort to achieve that. Terrible framerate and terrible audio. Saving my 15 dollars since I already feel like I wasted 40 dollars when I bought the 3DS version.
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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate: HD (XL/PSN) |OT| - We ran out of colons
- Thread starter Ahasverus
- Start date
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
To make some time for a stealth Vita release?
Just wanted to say I thought this was a decent game too. 100% the 3DS one in about 12 hours or so.I think if you're a fan of LOS then this is worth a playthrough. I really liked some of the boss fights.
Probably pick this up on a sale for a replay.
Probably pick this up on a sale for a replay.
Nice. I didn't know that a LOS2 demo came with this. I was hoping Mercury would do some good stuff with this new engine. February can;t get here soon enough.OMG they fixed Dracula's hair shading in LoS2, it looks GERAT now, very natural
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
Wait, so they didn't improve the framerate at all? There are still dips?
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
guessing the pc version is contingent on LOS selling decently on steam, which i don't think it did
I'm sure it's coming to Steam either way.
SkyTurnsRed
Banned
Haha, we just now got the review code for this today. Few days late is better than none. I haven't played the 3DS version, so I'm definitely interested.
Tried the demo hoping I would enjoy it, as the price seems to be right. Nope. The audio alone was reason enough for me to not buy it. Dear god. Hitting monsters sounds like a muffled fart.
I want the LOS2 demo too.
i noticed this too. really bad sound design. weird.
i found the whole thing underwhelming and actually shut it off before finishing the demo. im a big CV fan and this was a no brainer for a purchase... until i tried the demo.
Stealth brag initiated*
SkyTurnsRed
Banned
Nah, just thought it was kind of funny that it came AFTER the release. I'm honestly not expecting a lot.
DoctorPayne
Banned
Just tried the demo and goddamn it's hideous. If you're going to port your shit from the 3DS you've got to at least put SOME work into it, like with Capcom did with RE:R. Looks like a PS1 game with shaders.
WickedLaharl
Member
Holy faq the LoS2 demo is BADASS.
Double post but I wanted to bump this with my early impressions of the game.
It's obviously not as good as the handheld castlevania's have been but they ran that risk by entering Iga's realm. I felt like the fanboys knocking Lords of Shadow were being really unfair because it was never trying to really be like those games, but this is. It's a competent game and nothing as awful as the recent Batman Vita game but I feel like it's too streamlined.
What I don't like so far:
-Map system telling you how many secrets are in each area and if you completed an area totally. They brought that over from Lords of Shadow but in a metroidvania game I don't feel like it fits. It ruins the exploration aspect.
-It's way too easy so far. Enemies pose little threat since I just roll out of the way and hit them with a basic combo.
-Movement is sluggish. Maybe it's just Simon as a character but he doesn't move or attack as fluid or clean as most of the characters in the Iga games do. Even the jump is too floaty, it's like a littlebigplanet game.
Other than that it's not completely awful yet like many people said it was. Granted I tend to ignore people when it comes to this series because I can't tell if they're being honest or they're just bitter Iga fans trolling.
It's obviously not as good as the handheld castlevania's have been but they ran that risk by entering Iga's realm. I felt like the fanboys knocking Lords of Shadow were being really unfair because it was never trying to really be like those games, but this is. It's a competent game and nothing as awful as the recent Batman Vita game but I feel like it's too streamlined.
What I don't like so far:
-Map system telling you how many secrets are in each area and if you completed an area totally. They brought that over from Lords of Shadow but in a metroidvania game I don't feel like it fits. It ruins the exploration aspect.
-It's way too easy so far. Enemies pose little threat since I just roll out of the way and hit them with a basic combo.
-Movement is sluggish. Maybe it's just Simon as a character but he doesn't move or attack as fluid or clean as most of the characters in the Iga games do. Even the jump is too floaty, it's like a littlebigplanet game.
Other than that it's not completely awful yet like many people said it was. Granted I tend to ignore people when it comes to this series because I can't tell if they're being honest or they're just bitter Iga fans trolling.
SkyTurnsRed
Banned
This is how I felt. I came into it thinking it was going to be a complete trainwreck and was surprised to find how much it has held my attention so far.
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
Wait...when was this announced?
Ok, maybe one of you guys can help me.
I finished the game yesterday, then started my way to the 100% using the chapter selection.
...now i'm 98% and the only unexplored place left is the Mirror of Fate room... which i cant access because the door leading to it (in the Belfry) is closed... how do i get back in there?
I finished the game yesterday, then started my way to the 100% using the chapter selection.
...now i'm 98% and the only unexplored place left is the Mirror of Fate room... which i cant access because the door leading to it (in the Belfry) is closed... how do i get back in there?
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
Played the demo last night on PS3. Performance was a joke considering the game's origins. Like another poster mentioned, I had thin black bars on both sides of the screen. The combat felt okay. It was pretty fun with Gabriel in the opening, and I assume the other character gains a similar move set over time. The demo ended prematurely without showing me anything compelling and overall the port feels like a cash grab. Might play it if it comes to PC and is very cheap.
I'm trying to be excited for LOS2 but after this and replaying Lords of Shadow Ultimate I don't know how much faith I have in Mercury Steam. I hope they've learned a lot about melee action games since LOS1.
I'm trying to be excited for LOS2 but after this and replaying Lords of Shadow Ultimate I don't know how much faith I have in Mercury Steam. I hope they've learned a lot about melee action games since LOS1.
Sorry to bump this slightly older thread again, but it seemed like the best place to post impressions without creating a LttP one (which is perhaps a bit too soon).
After ignoring the game on 3DS and being slightly put of by the HD version demo initially, I still wanted to try the full HD version because of a hunkering for games that fit with the recent Halloween / Autumn vibe.
Let's just say that I'm extremely glad I did, as I quite adored the game all the way from start to finish! No, it's certainly not flawless as has been pointed out again and again, but as far as making a modern version of classic 2D Castlevanias action with a Metroidvania map and exploration goes, I think it's a blast as well as the best way to go without simply repeating the Igavania game formula again.
To put the negatives up first:
- Combat is better than LoS (imo) but still not as snappy and a bit too combo heavy perhaps compared to the classic games;
- Some audio / sound effects still sound a bit compressed (though the music is far clearer);
- It shows it's 3DS heritage despite the HD graphics when it comes to animation, background detail etc.
- The controls can feel a tad unresponsive / sluggish and this can be a problem in certain later platforming sections (though the game in general is quite generous with checkpoints). Yes, you will occasionally die / get hurt because of the controls during certain trickier platforming sections (
anyone?), but it certainly isn't a game ruiner imo due to the checkpoint system.
And now for the positives (I'll hide the story spoilers):
- I love the multiple character based chapters and the way they all tell a part of the overall story
. I especially adore how they manage to fill in the backstory of
- The environments look great despite their 3DS heritage. They are quite varied and often contain beautiful diorama-like views and camera pans. Most of them simply feel like they are worth visiting, just as those do in games like Dark Souls and Super Metroid. Highlights are the various statues and paintings that give nods to past games, the Theater, parts of the castle exterior and the cemetery parts outside. The environments are also chock full of things to find so you are tempted to explore every nook and cranny (at least I was).
- I like the overall gameplay, including the platforming (bar a few rooms that perhaps asked a bit too much of the controls).
- I liked how each character had different magic spells and subweapons, and how all of them were nods to old games.
- I liked the overall atmosphere - partly due to the great but often also subdued music - and it really feels like an old 2D Castlevania before their design went quite anime-ish with Rondo of Blood. I consider this game to be a perfect Halloween / Autumn game because of this.
- While the combat can drag a bit, I still liked how I unlocked more and more impressive moves, subweapons and spells to aid me during fights. I also liked the finisher moves, though I couldn't always trigger an enemy to get stunned (which is a bit of a negative point). What did help keep the combat interesting is the good variety of enemies, all of which make sense within the lore and have short profiles that you can unlock. A few of the bosses were also very noteworthy in concept, even though they sometimes did require some quicktime events to finally finish them off (resulting in spectacular cinematics, expecially for such a smaller budget game).
- Finally, and this is the most subjective, is that I liked how everything felt weighty, both in the sense that characters and enemies felt solid and well designed and in how the main characters felt capable and powerful for lack of better terms. As said, I really liked the protagonists designs and felt them to have the right amount of new details without them looking too different from their classic 2D versions. The same applies to LoS for me by the way, but here it especailly felt noticable due to there being more of them to control.
I'll wrap up by saying that I feel that anybody that loves classic Castlevania games or games like Super Metroid and (the to me inferior to this game's) Shadow Complex should give this game a chance. This includes anyone who was happy with LoS's overall aesthetics and gameplay, but especially also those people that were put off by its God of War-esque gameplay and wanted a more traditional 2D game. I think MercurySteam has managed to justify its love for Castlevania (and Guillermo Del Toro movies) with this game and I think they did an excellent job of taking what worked in the old games and combining that with modern storytelling techniques and semi-modern interconnected level design and spatial storytelling from a 2.5D perspective (wihout sacrificing too much classic action snappyness). Even if the game isn't technically perfect, I had a blast playing it (bar a few frustrations here and there) and totally felt it was worth it's low asking price. For those interested, I completed the game 100% in around 13 hours (not counting quite a few deaths of course).
After ignoring the game on 3DS and being slightly put of by the HD version demo initially, I still wanted to try the full HD version because of a hunkering for games that fit with the recent Halloween / Autumn vibe.
Let's just say that I'm extremely glad I did, as I quite adored the game all the way from start to finish! No, it's certainly not flawless as has been pointed out again and again, but as far as making a modern version of classic 2D Castlevanias action with a Metroidvania map and exploration goes, I think it's a blast as well as the best way to go without simply repeating the Igavania game formula again.
To put the negatives up first:
- Combat is better than LoS (imo) but still not as snappy and a bit too combo heavy perhaps compared to the classic games;
- Some audio / sound effects still sound a bit compressed (though the music is far clearer);
- It shows it's 3DS heritage despite the HD graphics when it comes to animation, background detail etc.
- The controls can feel a tad unresponsive / sluggish and this can be a problem in certain later platforming sections (though the game in general is quite generous with checkpoints). Yes, you will occasionally die / get hurt because of the controls during certain trickier platforming sections (
Belfry and Clock Tower
And now for the positives (I'll hide the story spoilers):
- I love the multiple character based chapters and the way they all tell a part of the overall story
between LoS and LoS 2 and by jumping through time
Simon, Trevor - who becomes Alucard! - and Gabriel / Dracula. I also loved playing as these iconic characters from the past and I really liked their visual designs. Sure, the story is not Shakespeare or anything but it still resonated with me enough to keep playing - partly because of the excellent voice acting. I also liked it how they explained how the Toy Maker, once a pupil of Gandolfi, made a new version of the Vampire Killer as well as other iconic Castlevania items to use. The final unlockable cutscene showing Simon standing at the famous cliff overlooking Dracula's castle as it crumbles down while Alucard flies away as a bat was also worth going for 100%
- I like the overall gameplay, including the platforming (bar a few rooms that perhaps asked a bit too much of the controls).
- I liked how each character had different magic spells and subweapons, and how all of them were nods to old games.
- I liked the overall atmosphere - partly due to the great but often also subdued music - and it really feels like an old 2D Castlevania before their design went quite anime-ish with Rondo of Blood. I consider this game to be a perfect Halloween / Autumn game because of this.
- While the combat can drag a bit, I still liked how I unlocked more and more impressive moves, subweapons and spells to aid me during fights. I also liked the finisher moves, though I couldn't always trigger an enemy to get stunned (which is a bit of a negative point). What did help keep the combat interesting is the good variety of enemies, all of which make sense within the lore and have short profiles that you can unlock. A few of the bosses were also very noteworthy in concept, even though they sometimes did require some quicktime events to finally finish them off (resulting in spectacular cinematics, expecially for such a smaller budget game).
- Finally, and this is the most subjective, is that I liked how everything felt weighty, both in the sense that characters and enemies felt solid and well designed and in how the main characters felt capable and powerful for lack of better terms. As said, I really liked the protagonists designs and felt them to have the right amount of new details without them looking too different from their classic 2D versions. The same applies to LoS for me by the way, but here it especailly felt noticable due to there being more of them to control.
I'll wrap up by saying that I feel that anybody that loves classic Castlevania games or games like Super Metroid and (the to me inferior to this game's) Shadow Complex should give this game a chance. This includes anyone who was happy with LoS's overall aesthetics and gameplay, but especially also those people that were put off by its God of War-esque gameplay and wanted a more traditional 2D game. I think MercurySteam has managed to justify its love for Castlevania (and Guillermo Del Toro movies) with this game and I think they did an excellent job of taking what worked in the old games and combining that with modern storytelling techniques and semi-modern interconnected level design and spatial storytelling from a 2.5D perspective (wihout sacrificing too much classic action snappyness). Even if the game isn't technically perfect, I had a blast playing it (bar a few frustrations here and there) and totally felt it was worth it's low asking price. For those interested, I completed the game 100% in around 13 hours (not counting quite a few deaths of course).
Matt2thefuture
Member
I recently beat LOS on PC and went and played SOTN again then I picked up this on ps3. While not as good as SOTN or the older 3ds games this game is pretty aweosme. I love that their is two playable characters and it kind of feels like an old metroidvania game. I personally like that they tell you if your close to secrets because I hated searching over and over and you can chose to turn off nav and hud if you want a harder playthrough. I think the game is easier and not as deep as the old games but it does nice nods to the old series that any fan should be happy about. Bad guys, areas, characters, weapons and more if your a fan your spot em all. I think this game was overlooked and Kanomi as usal did little to nothing to let gamers know it was even out. If your a fan of Castvania this game is more like the old then LOS, I think its deff worth the 14.99 price point.
I finished this recently and I was pleasantly surprised! It shares very little with Igavanias but it had a lot going for it. The graphics - remember, this was originally a 3DS game - were very pleasant. The combat was pretty fun. Dare I say I enjoyed the plot a little bit? Boss battles were quite fun. It was certainly long enough in comparison to older classic Castlevanias. Music was sparsely used but when it did play, it was quite nice and fitting. Despite a major change in style for the cutscenes, I did enjoy them!
The game world did feel a bit empty and the exploration elements are nowhere near as rewarding (going back all the way to the start of a world for a bestiary file is a letdown), the enemies are sparsely placed and the gameplay system isn't deep much.
Any Castlevania fans out there who had a good time with this?
It utterly pains me that this may be the last 2D Castlevania ever :[