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[Epcott]

I honestly find it strange I am one of the few disappointed with the game.

I mean, more power to you guys, but I just don't understand the really high praise for it. I absolutely could not think of a more disappointing game this year.

What exactly disappointed you?
How unrelated it is to the previous installments?
The unforgiving combat and pesky counter timing?
The puzzles?
The lack of Iga-ness??

 

[Eccocid]

I honestly find it strange I am one of the few disappointed with the game.

I mean, more power to you guys, but I just don't understand the really high praise for it. I absolutely could not think of a more disappointing game this year.

Same.. I loved the visuals but there is something that bugs me in gameplay i cant name it. Maybe it is framerate maybe it is the controller lag(if there is any i cant be for sure). I never enjoyed the controls in this game. Gabriel feels like he has no weight .

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I don't mean to come off as somebody on a high horse here but why were your hypes so high for the game anyway? Looking at the previous pedigree of 3D Castlevania games they barely hit the halfway mark more associated with the 2D games when it came to quality and greatness. They were average 3D romps, and almost entirely insignificant to the other titles around. I was expecting more of the same, but something I as a Castlevania fan could find something to like, and I was surprised that it was not only an enjoyable Castlevania game, but a good 3D action game in general.

That's the thing, my hopes for this game were middling at best. I assumed it would actually be bad until I heard a lot of praise for it and decided to give it a try, but...

What exactly disappointed you?
...
The unforgiving combat and pesky counter timing?
The puzzles?
...

Among other things. I didn't find the combat unforgiving, I found it bad. I found it amateurish. In a year where Bayonetta basically rocked the brawler mechanic world, in a generation where even one of the worst brawlers structurally in pacing (DMC4) was leagues more advanced, this game needed to step its game up. Super inconsistent enemy hitboxes alone just scream that the focus was on modeling environments and gameplay took a backseat.

I honestly don't mean to shit on anyone's tastes here and if people think I am dragging this thread down or trolling, I'll immediately stop. I just did not think the game was particularly good. It scratched at the surface of good ideas, but left so much tedium and crap on top of it that there is no way a consistent level of quality could breathe.

To see people call it Game of the Year, while I respect the sacrosanctness of opinion, baffles me.

 

[Eccocid]

What exactly disappointed you?
How unrelated it is to the previous installments?
The unforgiving combat and pesky counter timing?
The puzzles?
The lack of Iga-ness??

I dont find combat unforgiving at all.. I wish it was unforgiving and played like a Ninja Gaiden game. It ried to be like that but i guess it is not smooth as NG.
about being related to previous games, i dont care about it much every Castlevania had its own story and never feel connected to toher games besides reused sprites. But in this game so far i feel it is not gothic enough to be a Castlevania.. The forest spritis, that glowing horse riding part and titans...I cant fit them in to anything. So fairy tale for me.

 

[Sharkington]

The thing that disappointed me is that they didn't create a unique and original whip mechanic -- they just used the whip like a God of War weapon. I find that unacceptable for one of the most prestigious brands in the medium. There's a licensed Ghostbusters out there that's more innovative mechanically.

 

[Finaika]

So I get to the end thinking Dracula

Spoiler

would be the big baddie and well... that wasn't the case.
If not for the epilogue after the credits, I would be pissed that this had any association with Devil's Castle Dracula, since there was no Drac in it at all :lol

Spoiler

That's why the game is called "Castlevania" even in Japan, not the usual Akumajou Dracula.

I honestly find it strange I am one of the few disappointed with the game.

I mean, more power to you guys, but I just don't understand the really high praise for it. I absolutely could not think of a more disappointing game this year.

There are so many more other disappointing titles this year. FFXIII, FFXIV, Metroid: Other M etc to name a few. Castlevania: LoS was hardly disappointing.

 

[Amir0x]

I honestly find it strange I am one of the few disappointed with the game.

I mean, more power to you guys, but I just don't understand the really high praise for it. I absolutely could not think of a more disappointing game this year.

You're not. You just are in the thread after the big group of people who played this game and disliked it left.

 

[Epcott]

I found it unforgiving due to the hit box issue, and I guess that would tie in with difficulty (or cheap deaths to be more accurate).


Usually, unless you're just lucky, read a faq/walkthrough, or really knew enemy and boss animations to a tee... the counter is a risky move that leaves you unnecessarily open (blocking only works with some attacks). It's a feature they push, but it's execution is hit or miss... mainly misses, which sucks.

Rolling works well, however, often you think you may have moved away from or countered an attack, only to find you didn't because you rolled/blocked in the middle of an animation and not the exact moment before it. It sucks when you see the death screen and a whip or tentacle right behind you, not even touching you (which mysteriously did).

Of course, earlier bosses this is no problem, but when fighting against Reapers or the Silver Warrior, it can prove frustrating.

I'm not big on action as much as some of the faithful on Gaf.
I didn't play Vanquish nor Bayonetta (wish I did), but I did play DMC4.

Personally, I'm not really big into overly complex brawlers or action games, so that may be why I'm a little less upset about the combat (besides the issue mentioned).

I only made it to Alma in Ninja Gaiden... I'm happy the combat is not that intense, I'd probably never have finished this Vania :lol

 

[infinityBCRT]

I never had hit detection problems with this game. I found the combat to be very precise and I really got into parrying and using the plethora of moves and magic available to you. I felt like there was tons of variety in enemies and the strengths/weaknesses of enemies were very different and it made you use different moves to be effective against certain enemies. If I ever had problems in a fight, it was because I wasn't parrying and I wasn't approaching the fight the right way. I never felt like I was being unfairly destroyed and only beat a fight by luck.

 

[QisTopTier]

I can easily think of BlazBlue CS. Just off my head.

Wut? Game is good been having a blast almost every day since it came out :lol

 

[Fimbulvetr]

I found it unforgiving due to the hit box issue, and I guess that would tie in with difficulty (or cheap deaths to be more accurate).

If having a hard time can be attributed to cheapness, that's not difficulty; it's bad design.

And the game isn't ever really that hard once you get holy water.

 

[Epcott]

If having a hard time can be attributed to cheapness, that's not difficulty; it's bad design.

And the game isn't ever really that hard once you get holy water.

:lol Yeah, I realized that after I wrote it... but I moreso meant it was difficult for me

I wanted more holy waters, especially against the possessed coffins.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

:lol Yeah, I realized that after I wrote it... but I moreso meant it was difficult for me

I wanted more holy waters, especially against the possessed coffins.

The coffins provided the best example of extremely sloppy (and yes, extremely unpolished) checkpointing.

 

[Ledsen]

That's the thing, my hopes for this game were middling at best. I assumed it would actually be bad until I heard a lot of praise for it and decided to give it a try, but...



Among other things. I didn't find the combat unforgiving, I found it bad. I found it amateurish. In a year where Bayonetta basically rocked the brawler mechanic world, in a generation where even one of the worst brawlers structurally in pacing (DMC4) was leagues more advanced, this game needed to step its game up. Super inconsistent enemy hitboxes alone just scream that the focus was on modeling environments and gameplay took a backseat.

I honestly don't mean to shit on anyone's tastes here and if people think I am dragging this thread down or trolling, I'll immediately stop. I just did not think the game was particularly good. It scratched at the surface of good ideas, but left so much tedium and crap on top of it that there is no way a consistent level of quality could breathe.

To see people call it Game of the Year, while I respect the sacrosanctness of opinion, baffles me.

I agree that the combat really shows the inexperience of the developers with this genre. Despite that, I found it to be more enjoyable than God of War's combat. It's certainly nowhere near Bayonetta, but the animation was great, the parry system was a neat addition (except when dealing with said wonky hitboxes) and it had a very heavy, meaty feel to it. In short, I loved the combat. I also loved the environments and the atmosphere, probably the most important things for me in any game. The game was unpolished in many areas, with crappy framerate, questionable level design and some strange control decisions, but the aforementioned combat, environments and atmosphere outweighed them by far. That's why I like it so much. It's not my GOTY (that'd be RDR or Bayonetta), but I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the game and it's certainly one of my favourites this year. I guess I have no problem overlooking some pretty big flaws if one or two aspects of a game really appeal to me (for example, Far Cry 2 was my GOTY 2008).

 

[brandonh83]

Konami holiday card :lol

 

[Grisby]

Ha ha, good stuff. I wonder when Mercury Steam is going to get that DLC out that was mentioned a while back.

 

[jergrah]

Hoping to finish this up tonight, Im on 11-2 right now. Been a fun game and very enjoyable experience. Glad I checked into this thread and saw all of the positive feedback, otherwise I would have missed out on this gem.

 

[Manus]

I wish the block button wasn't the same thing for roll. That's probably my biggest complaint about the game.

 

[Foffy]

Ha ha, good stuff. I wonder when Mercury Steam is going to get that DLC out that was mentioned a while back.

Dave Cox has been hinting something about it on his Twitter page. I figure they're going to hold onto it for just a bit and potentially release the DLC worldwide within a particular timeframe. Japan just recently got the game a week or so ago, so it may seem a bit premature to pump it out, considering it needs some time there.

It'll probably be out soon, though at the same time, there seem to be boiling rumors popping up that Koji Igarashi is making an iteration for the series on the 3DS. This is good or bad, depending on who you are. Pretty exciting time to be a fan, methinks.

 

[Stripper13]

I agree that the combat really shows the inexperience of the developers with this genre. Despite that, I found it to be more enjoyable than God of War's combat. It's certainly nowhere near Bayonetta, but the animation was great, the parry system was a neat addition (except when dealing with said wonky hitboxes) and it had a very heavy, meaty feel to it. In short, I loved the combat. I also loved the environments and the atmosphere, probably the most important things for me in any game. The game was unpolished in many areas, with crappy framerate, questionable level design and some strange control decisions, but the aforementioned combat, environments and atmosphere outweighed them by far. That's why I like it so much. It's not my GOTY (that'd be RDR or Bayonetta), but I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the game and it's certainly one of my favourites this year. I guess I have no problem overlooking some pretty big flaws if one or two aspects of a game really appeal to me (for example, Far Cry 2 was my GOTY 2008).

I agree 100%. I finished CV and GOW3 within a couple of weeks of each other, and CV was the better experience by far. The combat system, like you said, had issues - but was much more enjoyable and had a better feel. 90% of the time Gow3 made me feel like I was slicing through water with little to no impact, while CV made it feel like I was throwing a heavy ass whip around an enemy and then smashing a huge Lycan in the face etc. More importantly, the light/dark system was far more interesting and engaging than the rage/item/magic system in GOW3 - with the only redeeming factor being some of the summons with the claws of hades being truly enjoyable.

Castlevania is definitely in my top 10 GOTY list, and more importantly, I am very interested in what mercury steam do next - I assume they will learn some lessons from this game and make some improvements to make the whole package that much better.

 

[Noisepurge]

can't wait for the Resurrection DLC. "Resurrection, which continues the story directly following the game's epilogue. Expect questions answered, new questions asked, and a showdown with "a very notorious enemy."

Sounds excellent! Don't have to wait until Castlevania LoS 2 for that stuff ;D

 

[Relix]

can't wait for the Resurrection DLC. "Resurrection, which continues the story directly following the game's epilogue. Expect questions answered, new questions asked, and a showdown with "a very notorious enemy."

Sounds excellent! Don't have to wait until Castlevania LoS 2 for that stuff ;D

Wait. Where did you get that. Fuck fuck fuck fuuuck =O!!!

 

[dankir]

can't wait for the Resurrection DLC. "Resurrection, which continues the story directly following the game's epilogue. Expect questions answered, new questions asked, and a showdown with "a very notorious enemy."

Sounds excellent! Don't have to wait until Castlevania LoS 2 for that stuff ;D

So awesome indeed!

http://kotaku.com/5716012/castlavania-lords-of-shadow-whips-up-a-double-dose-of-dlc

 

[brandonh83]

OP updated. Exciting times.

Sounds like there'll be more castle gameplay, which was a nitpick I had in the game. What was there was really, really good but there was so much time before and after the castle, that when it finally came and ended it made it feel kind of short.

However, I did find it interesting that they didn't base the entire game on the castle-- I like how he just came upon the castle as if it were just some old sanctuary of evil, instead of the castle being the main focus.

So from the sound of things, we'll get to explore the castle more and it will perhaps make the castle a more important, prominent focal point in the new series.

Also, getting to discover exactly what the hell is going on during and after the epilogue will be great without having to wait years for the sequel. Whether they pull it off or completely fuck it up remains to be seen, but at least we'll only have to wait a few short months to find out if they fuck it up, instead of a few years (or more). :lol

 

[NeoUltima]

O man, that DLC sounds to be just what I wanted. Too bad we have to wait until February and April

 

[Sydle]

can't wait for the Resurrection DLC. "Resurrection, which continues the story directly following the game's epilogue. Expect questions answered, new questions asked, and a showdown with "a very notorious enemy."

Very much looking forward to this!

 

[Relix]

YES!!!!!

 

[brandonh83]

O man, that DLC sounds to be just what I wanted. Too bad we have to wait until February and April

I'll take that as opposed to a few years or whenever the sequel does finally come out.

This could be a test, too, to see how people respond to the direction they're going with. If they continue the

Spoiler

epilogue and set the gameplay in the modern times

and people hate it or it just doesn't feel right for the series, I imagine that they may scrap it.

I do wonder if the DLC will have new music or if they'll just use materials from the existing score. Would be nice to hear some more older tunes though.

 

[Henchmen21]

I really like the picture Kotaku had in that link.

 

[Foffy]

I'll take that as opposed to a few years or whenever the sequel does finally come out.

This could be a test, too, to see how people respond to the direction they're going with. If they continue the

Spoiler

epilogue and set the gameplay in the modern times

and people hate it or it just doesn't feel right for the series, I imagine that they may scrap it.

I do wonder if the DLC will have new music or if they'll just use materials from the existing score. Would be nice to hear some more older tunes though.

More than two, I hope! Vampire Killer and Waterfalls were nice songs, but imagine beginning with an orchestra, or a fancy take on Reincarnated Soul.

 

[thetrin]

can't wait for the Resurrection DLC. "Resurrection, which continues the story directly following the game's epilogue. Expect questions answered, new questions asked, and a showdown with "a very notorious enemy."

Sounds excellent! Don't have to wait until Castlevania LoS 2 for that stuff ;D

FUUUUUUUUUCK

Must have!

The first piece of DLC sounds kind of inconsequential, narrative-wise, but it does sound like a lot of fun. It sounds like it'll capitalize on the best section of the game, too.

 

[.la1n]

O man, that DLC sounds to be just what I wanted. Too bad we have to wait until February and April

Or just wait for inevitable combined collection version for $29.99 unless you just absolutely need to play the DLC day one. Wish they would just do it the way Capcom did with Case Zero. I don't have finished games just sitting around collecting dust waiting on DLC to come along, especially when all they have to offer is a single player campaign.

 

[thetrin]

Or just wait for inevitable combined collection version for $29.99 unless you just absolutely need to play the DLC day one. Wish they would just do it the way Capcom did with Case Zero. I don't have finished games just sitting around collecting dust waiting on DLC to come along, especially when all they have to offer is a single player campaign.

I don't sell my games, so this is apparently designed especially for me. :lol

 

[Foffy]

FUUUUUUUUUCK

Must have!

The first piece of DLC sounds kind of inconsequential, narrative-wise, but it does sound like a lot of fun. It sounds like it'll capitalize on the best section of the game, too.

There's new artwork assets on IGN that seem to be artwork for Reverie. It may build on the mythology the game presents.

Spoilers are abound with some of the art samples, for those who haven't finished the game.

 

[thetrin]

There's new artwork assets on IGN that seem to be artwork for Reverie. It may build on the mythology the game presents.

Spoilers are abound with some of the art samples, for those who haven't finished the game.

Hard to tell what is what. It's all kind of mixed in with the regular art and screens. The portraits are gorgeous, though.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Really excited for this DLC!

 

[brandonh83]

Holy wow. Those new images are amazing.

 

[Barakov]

Really loved this game so I'm down for both of these. Resurrection has me particularly interested.

 

[The Praiseworthy]

Before I jump to the party and buy the game... this is a completely new fresh start in the series with new story and characters to follow... right?

a new players can feel safe that this is not related to older Castlevania games so they aren't missing anything... correct?

 

[Spiegel]

Before I jump to the party and buy the game... this is a completely new fresh start in the series with new story and characters to follow... right?

a new players can feel safe that this is not related to older Castlevania games so they aren't missing anything... correct?

Correct

 

[Kaldea]

Awesome new artwork. I absolutely cannot wait for the DLC.

 

[Philanthropist]

It can't come soon enough

 

[Foffy]

Before I jump to the party and buy the game... this is a completely new fresh start in the series with new story and characters to follow... right?

a new players can feel safe that this is not related to older Castlevania games so they aren't missing anything... correct?

The only thing newbies may not grasp are nods and winks to other games. Chapter 5 in particular references quite a number of other Castlevania games from the names of towns or forests. But nothing directly in terms of story. It's an isolated story, DLC and sequel in the works notwithstanding.

 

[Violater]

Any deals out there on this one?
I am almost done with Bayonetta and I need something to cleanse my palette

 

[thetrin]

Before I jump to the party and buy the game... this is a completely new fresh start in the series with new story and characters to follow... right?

a new players can feel safe that this is not related to older Castlevania games so they aren't missing anything... correct?

It's a reboot, but it has a lot of really well done winks to the old series (including character names and monsters)

 

[brandonh83]

Before I jump to the party and buy the game... this is a completely new fresh start in the series with new story and characters to follow... right?

a new players can feel safe that this is not related to older Castlevania games so they aren't missing anything... correct?

Yep. Like Foffy said, there are things in the game for the fans, but nothing significant.

I think, if they make another one, it's going to be better than Lords of Shadow. Now, I obviously loved the game, but on the other hand it kind of felt experimental at the same time.

It felt like it was comprised of a lot of different ideas and directions, which made the game feel sloppy and not tight enough to some, but I'm really hoping that the next game takes into consideration the pros and cons that people had, and shape it into something much more identifiable.

They're off to a good start, but there's work to be done. I'm really holding out some high hopes for the sequel. Perhaps the DLC will begin to show signs of improvement. I know they got blasted for the framerate, so it would be nice to see advances in that particular area.

 

[Henchmen21]

Yep. Like Foffy said, there are things in the game for the fans, but nothing significant.

I think, if they make another one, it's going to be better than Lords of Shadow. Now, I obviously loved the game, but on the other hand it kind of felt experimental at the same time.

It felt like it was comprised of a lot of different ideas and directions, which made the game feel sloppy and not tight enough to some, but I'm really hoping that the next game takes into consideration the pros and cons that people had, and shape it into something much more identifiable.

They're off to a good start, but there's work to be done. I'm really holding out some high hopes for the sequel. Perhaps the DLC will begin to show signs of improvement. I know they got blasted for the framerate, so it would be nice to see advances in that particular area.

Hopefully the next game has Simon

 

[Zeal]

the experimental nature of the game's design is what made this castlevania so special to me. it was truly castlevania reborn, updated and evolved. the cinematic look and feel was just awe inspiring...and the story, wow...what a fucking story. so much love and time went into every aspect of LoS, whether the music, incredible art direction, level design, camera design, cinematics, battle system...everything was on another level.

here, this screenshot says it better than i ever could:

BRING. THIS. SHIT.

 

[aparisi2274]

I was totally floored by the after credits ending. I couldn't believe that in this reboot they went with

Spoiler

a Belmont as Dracula

. I was very happy that we might explore what it must be like for

Spoiler

the belmont clan to have to hunt down their past mistakes and try to right a wrong that was caused by Gabriel becoming Dracula

. That was until I read a biography on Gabriel and found out that

Spoiler

he is not a true Belmont by birth, and that he was left on the doorstep of the order that he was raised in. It was them who gave him the surname of Belmont.

Also, if you pay close attention, Gabriel refers

Spoiler

to himself as Dracul, and not Dracula

This could lead us to believe that he has

Spoiler

an offspring somewhere who is the real Dracula, who is causing havoc in the world

and that is why Zobek came looking for him to help him rid the world of it.

What do you all think???

 

[aparisi2274]

It's a reboot, but it has a lot of really well done winks to the old series (including character names and monsters)

and the classic CV theme when inside

Spoiler

music box