Support NeoGAF

[Relix]

I swear I tried swapping and didn't work. Damn :lol

 

[zoukka]

Even though there's not much originality in this game, it's safe to say I'm already enjoying it more than GoWIII right now. Just started Chapter III and even the story is kinda fascinating and we already had one twist! Oh it's so rare when something like this happens in a game.

 

[Relix]

NVM I am an idiot :lol

 

[boutrosinit]

Important question on the subject of items/upgrades: if you go back to a level and collect a chest early on, does it save the item when you go the world map? Or do you have to advance to the next checkpoint for it to save?

If you see the 'save' swirl, then yes.

I did this a few times I believe, so you should be okay.

 

[boutrosinit]

My take on why the hits toward Gabriel feel off:

1 - Hitboxes for some enemies are active too early in the animation.
For example, the giant ghost armors hit you the second they start their downward hammer strike. So you basically get hit by their knee moving or something equally unfeasible or plain unreadable.

2 - The camera angles at times can confuse the sense the of depth.
This annoyed me particularly against flying enemies, especially since this issue really magnifies the first one.

3 - Because of both 1 + 2, timing insta-blocks can seem off.
I learned that you need to hit 'block' the second a boss character twitches. That way, you time it perfectly, in line with how the game sees the hit, not as your eyes see it (i.e, when the hitbox is active, too early in the animation).

Anyone know anything ore about the forthcoming DLC? I'm about to start killing the game on Paladin, plus finish all the trials (ARGH @ that fucking poison spider one, anyone got a tip for that?).

Hopefully I don't throw my Xbox out the window.

 

[boutrosinit]

The game is both polished and yet amateuristic in design, it's really weird.

My take - they had some bad level designers who were fired too late, or great ones who left and had to be replaced at the last minute.

Also, I feel the game was rushed.

 

[zoukka]

My take - they had some bad level designers who were fired too late, or great ones who left and had to be replaced at the last minute.

Also, I feel the game was rushed.

Well this all accumulates when the team isn't as experienced as other AAA teams and the game world is really fucking big.

 

[Creamium]

People say the game ramps up quickly after chapter 2, but I dunno. I just completed ch5 and it really dragged on. The environments are stunning and I'm always full of anticipation before starting certain areas, but the levels just never live up to their looks gameplay-wise. This game has a tendency to have enjoyable sections at one point, only to counter those with annoying or frustrating parts, like where you

Spoiler

and Zodek have to push statues into ghoul holes. Simple solution actually, but it took me way longer than necessary because ghouls swarm you from all sides.

Gabriel continues to be a total badass though. The finishers for some bosses are really satisfying. Oh, and crashing through windows never gets old.

 

[Oneself]

My take - they had some bad level designers who were fired too late, or great ones who left and had to be replaced at the last minute.

Also, I feel the game was rushed.

I guess the team was just too ambitious being "new" in this business... but it might as well be an "editing" problem; not enough parts were cut off the final game so we get some subpar sections and weird, out of place "levels"

Spoiler

the first titan anyone?

.

 

[boutrosinit]

Well this all accumulates when the team isn't as experienced as other AAA teams and the game world is really fucking big.

Yup.

It feels like they built it brick by brick, level by level, rather than outline the game and iterate all parts to perfection once they had it all laid out, and could then feel out the strengths and weaknesses of the 'living' game beyond design docs and predictions of fun.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

My take - they had some bad level designers who were fired too late, or great ones who left and had to be replaced at the last minute.

Also, I feel the game was rushed.

It's interesting, but as the game generally gets better as it progresses--I think the Necromancer's Abyss is arguably the best level in the game--I wonder if the game was largely designed chronologically, and there weren't enough resources to polish or re-do the early levels.

If that's the case I think it at least speaks to the ambition of the team--if anything, most games tend to blow their load early and put their best levels up front, while rushing the endgame.

 

[blazinglord]

Finished this game today. Like everyone else, I didn't really enjoy the first couple of levels but as it progressed, it just got better and better. I think once you've got to grip with the controls, the level of enjoyment increases. The one puzzle that really pissed me off was the music box level, but everything else is just great.

The Vampire Wargame in the extras menu is an extremely nice touch because that was actually one of my favourite minigames during the gameplay. The cut scene at the end of the credits is a bit wtf (a Castlevania novice here), but I assume it will be explained in the sequel if there is one.

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

WOWOWOWOW I just beat the game. I am literally shaking. That finale was the definition of epic and I never saw it coming. I look hopefully to the follow-up for this. I loved every minute of the game. I thought it definitely earned the Castlevania title and is definitely the best of the 3D games.

Also I want to throw it out there, but for me it has been the best looking Xbox360 game bar none. Some of the levels were jaw dropping. The level design for some of the levels were a little below par, but the overall look and atmosphere was incredible.

 

[thetrin]

People say the game ramps up quickly after chapter 2, but I dunno. I just completed ch5 and it really dragged on. The environments are stunning and I'm always full of anticipation before starting certain areas, but the levels just never live up to their looks gameplay-wise. This game has a tendency to have enjoyable sections at one point, only to counter those with annoying or frustrating parts, like where you

Spoiler

and Zodek have to push statues into ghoul holes. Simple solution actually, but it took me way longer than necessary because ghouls swarm you from all sides.

Gabriel continues to be a total badass though. The finishers for some bosses are really satisfying. Oh, and crashing through windows never gets old.

You know you can just incessantly grab and instantly kill ghouls by just mashing the throw button right? It takes like, 5 seconds to kill a group of them, and then you have TONS of time to do what you're supposed to do there.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Oh, and crashing through windows never gets old.

Indeed!

 

[-Winnie-]

that fucking poison spider one, anyone got a tip for that?).

Here's what I did.
-They'll poison you with their unblockable attack which happens when you attack them while they're blocking.
-Make sure you kill as many of the actual spiders as possible when poisoned.
-The second spider you fight where there are werewolves as well, get yourself poisoned without killing any of the wolves. Then fire up shadow magic and shoot out a wave of daggers which should kill a whole bunch of the wolves.

It's not easy since you can't always get the spider to block and missed shots occasionally end up in dead wolves, but I got it after a few tries.

 

[Creamium]

You know you can just incessantly grab and instantly kill ghouls by just mashing the throw button right? It takes like, 5 seconds to kill a group of them, and then you have TONS of time to do what you're supposed to do there.

I'll keep that in mind if I go to that part again (which I most likely will).

Just finished ch8 and I must say MS delivered on their

Spoiler

clocktower

. The fight against the

Spoiler

second vampire general took me ages. Afterwards I figured that maybe I should've thrown daggers instead of running up to hit him when he's feeding. I probably let him regen too much per coffin doing this. 2nd lord fight had an amazing finale, wow.

Last few chapters have been great. The puzzles are also surprisingly decent and fun. Especially the

Spoiler

wargame.

 

[boutrosinit]

Here's what I did.
-They'll poison you with their unblockable attack which happens when you attack them while they're blocking.
-Make sure you kill as many of the actual spiders as possible when poisoned.
-The second spider you fight where there are werewolves as well, get yourself poisoned without killing any of the wolves. Then fire up shadow magic and shoot out a wave of daggers which should kill a whole bunch of the wolves.

It's not easy since you can't always get the spider to block and missed shots occasionally end up in dead wolves, but I got it after a few tries.

Thanks dude. The attacks seem very inconsistent unfortunately.

Does this strategy work on hard difficulty? I find the werewolves hit me almost always before the spider follows up the web attack with poison.

 

[akilshohen]

Should I press on with this game? I got it unopened from the BOGO sale at Target. I played the demo and those wargs are effing annoying, but I enjoyed it otherwise.

 

[-Winnie-]

Thanks dude. The attacks seem very inconsistent unfortunately.

Does this strategy work on hard difficulty? I find the werewolves hit me almost always before the spider follows up the web attack with poison.

Can't remember if I did it on Paladin, but there's no reason why you can't just do it on the easiest setting.
I don't you need to wait for a web attack for poison. Just attack the spider until it starts blocking, and keep hitting it and eventually it'll lunge at you and you'll be poisoned.

 

[John Harker]

Even though there's not much originality in this game, it's safe to say I'm already enjoying it more than GoWIII right now. Just started Chapter III and even the story is kinda fascinating and we already had one twist! Oh it's so rare when something like this happens in a game.

Same boat man. I just completed Chapter III, and at least to me (us?), it's better than GoWIII... well, I'm enjoying the story, graphics, and combat more anyway. Though I find it challenging as hell... I die constantly. Blocking is hard for me to get down. And there are so many damn moves, I get beat most of the time just trying to experiment :lol

 

[scitek]

Here's my review: http://ctrlaltkill.org/2010/11/08/video-review-castlevania-lords-of-shadow-ps3/

B-

 

[thetrin]

Should I press on with this game? I got it unopened from the BOGO sale at Target. I played the demo and those wargs are effing annoying, but I enjoyed it otherwise.

Absolutely. The demo is NOWHERE as good as the rest of the game.

 

[Sevket-Erhat]

One of the best games of 2010

 

[Finaika]

Should I press on with this game? I got it unopened from the BOGO sale at Target. I played the demo and those wargs are effing annoying, but I enjoyed it otherwise.

You have a Morrigan avatar. This game should be right up your alley.

 

[Gouty]

I hope we see an Uncharted to Uncharted 2 jump in quality with the sequel. I'm liking it more than not liking though, it's greatest strength being the variety of environments. Really not a fan of the colossi, they're more frustrating than fun. And of course there’s the framerate. Yikes.

For the next go around I'd like to see more visual ties to the Castlevania series. I want axes, hearts, candles and Medusa heads. Ok maybe not Medusa heads but you get the idea. I'd also love to see them open the game up a bit, take it in a Simon's Quest direction. That would do quite a bit to distance itself from God of War and Dante's Inferno.

 

[Noisepurge]

Really not a fan of the colossi, they're more frustrating than fun. And of course there’s the framerate. Yikes.

Im on the second one and i hate it for being such an trial&error run where the error leads in death + restart from the beginning (i play on hard difficulty)

 

[Hyphen]

Anybody in Europe still sitting on the fence with this one, Play.com have it available for £17.99 in their 'Monday Madness' deal. So snap it up from them today (available for that price today only) if you want it cheap.

 

[Creamium]

Eeh, I need a hint for the

Spoiler

music box. So I got 3 keys. The only way forward following the color code on the floor is red -> purple. When I get to the purple bit I can see the gears moving, but there's just no way across without dying. I don't get it, since every other way either can't be accessed or is a dead end. I even equipped the holy water shield to check if the invincibility'd work on the gears. Then I figured this can't be it since they'd give you a bag of infinite items if the solution was item-based. I'm stumped.

 

[DRock]

Eeh, I need a hint for the

Spoiler

music box. So I got 3 keys. The only way forward following the color code on the floor is red -> purple. When I get to the purple bit I can see the gears moving, but there's just no way across without dying. I don't get it, since every other way either can't be accessed or is a dead end. I even equipped the holy water shield to check if the invincibility'd work on the gears. Then I figured this can't be it since they'd give you a bag of infinite items if the solution was item-based. I'm stumped.

Spoiler

roll under the gears

 

[Creamium]

Spoiler

roll under the gears

...

damn.

 

[wouwie]

Started playing this game last night. Too early for impressions. I'm in the last part of chapter 1. I can already understand both the positive and negative points which have been voiced in this thread though.

But damn, i love the art direction. The game looks gorgeous at times. First chapter and i've seen more diversity in scenery than a lot of games have in their entirety. Is this quality and diversity maintained throughout the whole game or is it just in the first level?

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Started playing this game last night. Too early for impressions. I'm in the last part of chapter 1. I can already understand both the positive and negative points which have been voiced in this thread though.

But damn, i love the art direction. The game looks gorgeous at times. First chapter and i've seen more diversity in scenery than a lot of games have in their entirety. Is this quality and diversity maintained throughout the whole game or is it just in the first level?

This game is very diverse and gets better after the first 2 chapters.

 

[Zerokku]

But damn, i love the art direction. The game looks gorgeous at times. First chapter and i've seen more diversity in scenery than a lot of games have in their entirety. Is this quality and diversity maintained throughout the whole game or is it just in the first level?

General consensus is that everything (from art design to combat) gets better from the third chapter on.

 

[wouwie]

It looks like i'll never make it past chapter 1. My ps3 crashed twice during the boss battle in part 5, chapter 1 (the first boss in the snow). Crashed completely, turned off and the red light was flashing. Nver had any problem before that.

Now it isn't starting anymore. Starts about a second and turns off again, with the red light flashing. Also, disc is still inside.

Did Castlevania just broke my ps3? Can i try something to remedy this?

 

[John Harker]

Damn, I feel like you could say this more and more often these days, but is this one of the best looking games ever or what? The graphics are mesmerizing, and on top of actually having great art... it's almost a rare combo :lol

 

[-Winnie-]

Damn, I feel like you could say this more and more often these days, but is this one of the best looking games ever or what? The graphics are mesmerizing, and on top of actually having great art... it's almost a rare combo :lol

It's certainly up there with the best. Easily some of the most beautiful vistas I've ever seen, add that with the amazing soundtrack and man... it's just a delight to the senses.

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

Damn, I feel like you could say this more and more often these days, but is this one of the best looking games ever or what? The graphics are mesmerizing, and on top of actually having great art... it's almost a rare combo :lol

I cannot say it enough. best art/environment/atmosphere this generation yet on consoles. I feel giddy thinking what MercurySteam's follow-up will look like given the ending.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I can safely say, in a game that has frustrated me from nearly every perspective, the Clockwork Tower may in fact take the cake.

I can't imagine what hubris or incompetence lead to demanding a shitty platforming section in a game where platforming was only a secondary (at best) concern, but goddamnit, it's in here, and it makes the game immeasurably worse for it.

God. Damn.

 

[Zerokku]

I was all worried about clockwork tower because of everyone bitching about it, and then played it and finished it in a few minutes without much fuss. Don't get what the big deal is. Outside of the lightning-climbing portion, I didn't have any issue with it at all.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I was all worried about clockwork tower because of everyone bitching about it, and then played it and finished it in a few minutes without much fuss. Don't get what the big deal is. Outside of the lightning-climbing portion, I didn't have any issue with it at all.

I found the mechanics to not only be shitty, but inconsistent.

If you didn't happen to luck in to exactly what the game wanted, Gabriel would do his falling animation and you'd lose a chunk of your health.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

uhhm, so I appear to be stuck at the outer wall, where you walk along this giant chain outside the castle. There is a little tower where you have to rotate the gate so that the door is on the other side...how the fuck do you do this? Am I just missing something?

 

[Ninja Scooter]

ok nevermind i'm dumb.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Beat the second Lord of Shadow.

This game is...man, I don't know. I'm not even particularly bi-polar about it. I go between hating it and liking it but it never crosses the threshold in to greatness.

It is, if nothing else, a premier example of what happens when you give a huge budget to a team without much polishing or creative talent.

 

[Creamium]

Beat it last night. I don't know what the general consensus is on the ending, but I found it absolutely amazing. The cutscenes before the final fight were a bit lame and rife with unintentional comedy (

Spoiler

masked Zobek with exaggerated motions + patrick stewart = lulz

), but that had to be one of the most satisfying game endings in a while.

Some of the last stages were dreadful though. Scarecrow level = the pits. This game was just way too long, filled with levels that should've been cut.

This game is...man, I don't know. I'm not even particularly bi-polar about it. I go between hating it and liking it but it never crosses the threshold in to greatness.

Sums it up I guess.

 

[Ledsen]

Beat the second Lord of Shadow.

This game is...man, I don't know. I'm not even particularly bi-polar about it. I go between hating it and liking it but it never crosses the threshold in to greatness.

It is, if nothing else, a premier example of what happens when you give a huge budget to a team without much polishing or creative talent.

wtf.

have you even seen the environments in this game?

 

[ShockingAlberto]

wtf.

have you even seen the environments in this game?

I have! They are impressive.

The game can be a nice slideshow.

When I say "creative" I mean in terms of things like level design, battle system, writing, etc.

Not, you know, screensavers.

 

[revolverjgw]

The story in this game is really awkward. Picard kept going on about how Gabriel was devolving into an obsessed, murderous madman... which I never would have picked up on if I wasn't waiting to skip the boring narration, 'cuz I sure didn't see this happening in the game or cutscenes.

Cool game though, I mainly play games for atmosphere and the feeling of exploring compelling settings and this game had those in spades.

 

[Ledsen]

I have! They are impressive.

The game can be a nice slideshow.

When I say "creative" I mean in terms of things like level design, battle system, writing, etc.

Not, you know, screensavers.

Yeah well, when most people say "creative" they include artistic talent, which this team has more of than most others this generation. And relegating visual design to "screensavers" is pretty dumb.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

I was all worried about clockwork tower because of everyone bitching about it, and then played it and finished it in a few minutes without much fuss. Don't get what the big deal is. Outside of the lightning-climbing portion, I didn't have any issue with it at all.

Me either.. in fact, while I could tell the engine and controls were just terrible for what they were trying to do in that level, I didn't actually have any significant problems with it and wouldn't have given it a second thought outside of this thread.

I knew it was not executed well, but I raged much longer and harder at, say, Hades in GoW.