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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow |OT| The MercurySteam has Vanquished the Horrible Night

Henchmen21 said:
For modern games, it's slightly tougher than most but I wouldn't say it's difficult especially not compared to the Classic CV's


It's Beta footage from Lords of Shadow.


ah ok, so when are we going to get a sequal to this amazing game?
I aint talking DLC.

I need my castlevania fix man.
 

Riposte

Member
Kurtofan said:
Am I the only one who preferred Curse of Darkness(which was okay) to this game?At least it felt like a Castlevania.

Feeling like a Castlevania is extremely unimportant. If you think Lords of Shadow isn't a Castlevania, then don't treat it as one. Not a big deal, given it isn't even in the same genre of Castlevania I-IV, SotN, and so on.
 
Question: if I go back into a level to get something I missed (say I didn't have the right skills/gear the first time), once I get what I was looking for, can I quit out, or do I have to finish the whole level again?
 
I tried this game after reading this thread, and I am not understanding the love at all. It has too many QTE's which I thought GAF hated? (I remember the BF3 thread where it was revealed that you drag your teammates with QTEs and everyone was upset.)

The giant bosses are impressing to the eyes, but as I said, it is a drag to do the QTE climbing on them just to fall down and start over, not my cup of fun. And what is up with those orchs that you have to grab with a button combo in order to steal their grenades, which is obligatory in some levels? I was really frustrated.

The game gets a bit better after the swamp levels, but I feel that they never take off. Is this really Castlevania? Sure the scenery is beautiful, but it did feel more like a poor mans god of war.

I thought the flawed Curse of Darkness to PS2 was more fun, but that's just me.
 

X26

Banned
Neuromancer said:
Question: if I go back into a level to get something I missed (say I didn't have the right skills/gear the first time), once I get what I was looking for, can I quit out, or do I have to finish the whole level again?

yep
 
Neuromancer said:
Question: if I go back into a level to get something I missed (say I didn't have the right skills/gear the first time), once I get what I was looking for, can I quit out, or do I have to finish the whole level again?

I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly but I'm pretty sure you can quit out after you find what you're looking for.
 

GraveRobberX

Platinum Trophy: Learned to Shit While Upright Again.
Neuromancer said:
Question: if I go back into a level to get something I missed (say I didn't have the right skills/gear the first time), once I get what I was looking for, can I quit out, or do I have to finish the whole level again?


StunandStab said:
I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly but I'm pretty sure you can quit out after you find what you're looking for.


Sagitario said:
I thought you had to finish the chapter.

I think you to finish the chapter or trigger a save at a checkpoint, but every time you unlock something through chest/hidden item, it triggers save

Sorry =/, last time I played it was in January =3
 

Aru

Member
Kurtofan said:
Am I the only one who preferred Curse of Darkness(which was okay) to this game?At least it felt like a Castlevania.

Not Curse of Darkness, I prefer Lament of Innocence to LoS. At least LoI had a great soundtrack that fits the Castlevania universe. LoS doesn't. And it's a huge deal breaker.

Mercury Steam, please learn to make the sequel something that isn't a mix of previous games I've already played. Great inspiration, disappointing execution.
 

Riposte

Member
Aru said:
Not Curse of Darkness, I prefer Lament of Innocence to LoS. At least LoI had a great soundtrack that fits the Castlevania universe. LoS doesn't. And it's a huge deal breaker.

Mercury Steam, please learn to make the sequel something that isn't a mix of previous games I've already played. Great inspiration, disappointing execution.

lol, this is funny because you clearly want something mixed in from previous games(classic Castlevania music).
 

Wallachia

Member
I don't think LoS could've been much better than it is. Sure the music was repetitive at times, more cinematic and God of War'ish/LotRings'ish than Castlevania, but still awesome and fitting at times. I think people will alwasy find something to nitpick, but overall, it was an inspired and quality outting, with ALOT of great fan service and plenty of surprises. The combat mechanics are pretty fucking awesome too..

The % touch to each level also is nice for replayability. There are STILL items I have yet to find, and I bought thus game Day 1.

Anyway, I guess I am fanboying it a bit, but I feel this game warrants some defending.
 
Wallachia said:
I don't think LoS could've been much better than it is. Sure the music was repetitive at times, more cinematic and God of War'ish/LotRings'ish than Castlevania, but still awesome and fitting at times. I think people will alwasy find something to nitpick, but overall, it was an inspired and quality outting, with ALOT of great fan service and plenty of surprises. The combat mechanics are pretty fucking awesome too..

The % touch to each level also is nice for replayability. There are STILL items I have yet to find, and I bought thus game Day 1.

Anyway, I guess I am fanboying it a bit, but I feel this game warrants some defending.
It also warrants a lot of criticism.
 

zlatko

Banned
I hope MercurySteam gets to do a #2 of this. While Lords of Shadow isn't perfect, the things that it fumbles up are easy to fix things in a sequel,(too many QTEs) and the things it does right are things they can build upon. (Combat, story) As far as games of this genre go, it was my favorite of its kind this generation.

Plus, that ending after the credits just screams for an amazing sequel. :p
 
I like the ambient music in this game, but not the battle music- which I feel often goes on for too long after a fight. In fact some times I'll be platforming and still hear the battle music playing.
 
Aru said:
Mercury Steam, please learn to make the sequel something that isn't a mix of previous games I've already played. Great inspiration, disappointing execution.

I say they should just copy&paste Batman Arkham Asylum formula and make a new Castlevania :p
 

Wallachia

Member
zlatko said:
I hope MercurySteam gets to do a #2 of this. While Lords of Shadow isn't perfect, the things that it fumbles up are easy to fix things in a sequel,(too many QTEs) and the things it does right are things they can build upon. (Combat, story) As far as games of this genre go, it was my favorite of its kind this generation.

Plus, that ending after the credits just screams for an amazing sequel. :p

Yes, this. And sure, alot of criticism is welcome, but look at the amount of levels rendered, enemies/bosses, in-game art/style, cutscene quality. I guess I liked the QTEs, though I agree, I want less of them, or at least more creative executions of them.
 
Wallachia said:
Yes, this. And sure, alot of criticism is welcome, but look at the amount of levels rendered, enemies/bosses, in-game art/style, cutscene quality. I guess I liked the QTEs, though I agree, I want less of them, or at least more creative executions of them.

I think the game is pretty good, but going from "this game is nearly perfect!" to "okay it had problems, but look at the shinies!" is pretty funny.

And yeah, it could have been much better than it was. That's exactly why I'm hoping for a sequel now that they have a good base to work with.
 
There are parts of this game I really enjoy (the graphics, the music, the atmosphere, the platforming.)

Then there are parts of this game I want to punch in the face (the QTEs, the boss fights).

I end up being very frustrated half the time and loving the game the other half. =\
 
harriet the spy said:
I just finished this. Can anyone confirm that neither DLC contribute anything signficant to the story, in particular with regards to the epilogue?

The DLC explains
how Gabe became a Vampire and demon lord respectively, also confirms that he hates God.

That's about it.
 
I finally beat this game on Saturday thanks to a 9 hour mini-marathon (which is kind of sad considering that I bought the game on launch day).

(Lots of spoilers, including end-game related stuff)

I really enjoyed the story in LoS but was fairly confused after watching the epilogue (seems like a trend judging by the spoiler thread). After reading through the entire spoiler thread I was finally convinced of my original conviction, that Gabriel was "split" into two halves after defeating Satan, with his good half ascending to heaven and his evil half remaining on earth, Lords of Shadow style. Considering the whole "blue light shooting out of the mouth and entire body" deal I don't really think there is any better explanation. Also, the epilogue goes from ridiculous to completely insane if we consider Gabriel "undivided" after the events of the Satan battle, regardless of how much time has passed. Basically everything Gabriel said and stood for during that final battle would be completely meaningless, contradictory, and ironic, which I can't imagine MS would be silly enough to go for.

As far as the common complaint of having Satan as the final boss, I really don't see how this is as much of a surprise as people are making it out to be. The simple fact that "God" is mentioned throughout the story, along with various other references to Christian ideas and principles, should be enough to imply that Satan exists within this universe. I made the connection that it was him as soon as he began speaking to Zobek at the end of the game, and I honestly didn't find it that surprising.

Now, onto the topic of DLC --- I've read through the Reverie thread and have also searched around for more information on what happens in the DLC's but I still don't understand the details. Can someone provide a more comprehensive explanation of what happens to Gabriel during these DLC's, particularly in the case of Resurrection?
 
The_Darkest_Red said:
As far as the common complaint of having Satan as the final boss, I really don't see how this is as much of a surprise as people are making it out to be. The simple fact that "God" is mentioned throughout the story, along with various other references to Christian ideas and principles, should be enough to imply that Satan exists within this universe. I made the connection that it was him as soon as he began speaking to Zobek at the end of the game, and I honestly didn't find it that surprising.

It's not the surprise. It's that Satan has no build up in the story.

Kinda like Ganondorf in Twilight Princess. I'm pretty sure people even expected him to show up, but it's still disappointing that they spent all that time building Zant up and then game is just "okay now fight this other dude for the last hour".

Just because Satan shows up at the last second and goes "just according to keikaku" doesn't mean he's much of a villain.

The_Darkest_Red said:
Now, onto the topic of DLC --- I've read through the Reverie thread and have also searched around for more information on what happens in the DLC's but I still don't understand the details. Can someone provide a more comprehensive explanation of what happens to Gabriel during these DLC's, particularly in the case of Resurrection?

Both DLCs make up a single story. Basically Laura contacts Gabriel and tells him that because the founders of his order are dead the seal they placed on a powerful demon lord is weakening. Gabriel and Laura team up to find the seal, but when they get there Laura tells Gabriel that only a creature of the dark can enter the seal(i.e. he has to become a vampire, for some reason this process involves killing her).

In the second part Gabriel is inside the seal, meets the demon named The Forgotten One. Somehow this dude is even more powerful than fucking Satan. Anyway, Gabriel steals TFO's powers and kills him, essentially becoming a demon lord in the process. That's it.
 
Fimbulvetr said:
It's not the surprise. It's that Satan has no build up in the story.

Kinda like Ganondorf in Twilight Princess. I'm pretty sure people even expected him to show up, but it's still disappointing that they spent all that time building Zant up and then game is just "okay now fight this other dude for the last hour".

Just because Satan shows up at the last second and goes "just according to keikaku" doesn't mean he's much of a villain.

Fair enough, I can understand that complaint, but I would honestly be a little disappointed if he didn't show up in the story somewhere based on the presence of Christian themes and characters throughout the narrative. I definitely get where you're coming from though, it would have been nice to see some character development for Satan and a deeper involvement in the overall story involving him, but I suppose MS would defend the decision to exclude him from the first 95% of the game as an attempt to create a more powerful twist in the end. Personally I don't mind that decision but I can certainly understand and respect the criticism.

Fimbulvetr said:
Both DLCs make up a single story. Basically Laura contacts Gabriel and tells him that because the founders of his order are dead the seal they placed on a powerful demon lord is weakening. Gabriel and Laura team up to find the seal, but when they get there Laura tells Gabriel that only a creature of the dark can enter the seal(i.e. he has to become a vampire, for some reason this process involves killing her).

In the second part Gabriel is inside the seal, meets the demon named The Forgotten One. Somehow this dude is even more powerful than fucking Satan. Anyway, Gabriel steals TFO's powers and kills him, essentially becoming a demon lord in the process. That's it.
Thanks for the summary. Honestly I wouldn't mind buying and playing the two DLC's but it just doesn't sound like they are worth $20, especially to me since I'm a little burned out on the gameplay at the moment.

Are you on board with the idea that Gabriel is "split" after the fight with Satan or do you hold to another theory? (Or, alternatively, do you think the story is too convoluted and silly for this type of in-depth analysis ;) )
 

Wallachia

Member
The F.O. should have been the final boss in the proper game and all the dynamics that involved that fight. Then through in Mr. S as a crappy DLC afterthought. I hated his PS2 quality model design especially.

(sorry, spoilers not working on this device)
 

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
So did the last DLC connect to the ending of the game? Or is that one not out yet?
Since the reviews are pretty bad, I suppose Ill skip... but please feel free to spoil the story!
 
John Harker said:
So did the last DLC connect to the ending of the game? Or is that one not out yet?
Since the reviews are pretty bad, I suppose Ill skip... but please feel free to spoil the story!
The second DLC picks up from the end of the first and it's out now. Fimbulvetr just gave me a summary on the last page:

Fimbulvetr said:
Both DLCs make up a single story. Basically Laura contacts Gabriel and tells him that because the founders of his order are dead the seal they placed on a powerful demon lord is weakening. Gabriel and Laura team up to find the seal, but when they get there Laura tells Gabriel that only a creature of the dark can enter the seal(i.e. he has to become a vampire, for some reason this process involves killing her).

In the second part Gabriel is inside the seal, meets the demon named The Forgotten One. Somehow this dude is even more powerful than fucking Satan. Anyway, Gabriel steals TFO's powers and kills him, essentially becoming a demon lord in the process. That's it.
 

sajj316

Member
Midway through Chapter 3 ...

1. I like most of the combat and it's certainly more challenging than God of War
2. Platforming is frustrating at times. It's not mindless platforming as seen with Enslaved but it's not intuitive either. There were certain spots in the game where it wasn't easy to figure out what to do next. Expect DEATH by TRIAL. Alot of it!

I'm expecting things to get better as indicated by this thread ... can't wait!
 
sajj316 said:
Midway through Chapter 3 ...

1. I like most of the combat and it's certainly more challenging than God of War
2. Platforming is frustrating at times. It's not mindless platforming as seen with Enslaved but it's not intuitive either. There were certain spots in the game where it wasn't easy to figure out what to do next. Expect DEATH by TRIAL. Alot of it!

I'm expecting things to get better as indicated by this thread ... can't wait!
Yes, the game really starts to pick up from Chapter 4 on. I finished the last 6 chapters in one day so that should tell you how much I enjoyed playing through that portion of the game. The artwork is particularly fantastic in some of the mid to late chapters.

My biggest piece of advice: avoid spoilers at all cost.
 

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
The_Darkest_Red said:
The second DLC picks up from the end of the first and it's out now. Fimbulvetr just gave me a summary on the last page:

Oh so not connection to the future we see, and our certain friend still roaming the land/stopping by for a visit? It just ends with him getting the demon's powers? Still... ugh, I'm tempted, even though I'll likely never play it
 
Fimbulvetr said:
The latter.
At least this way I can justify crazy theories in my mind that improve my opinion of the overall story. I just have to avoid thinking about it too hard, don't want to accidentally discover some more plot holes...
 

sphinx

the piano man
do we know what will Konami do with the Castlevania franchise now that the DLC has been released?

I was hoping for a full fledged sequel, I liked this game alot and would definitely buy it, just not some overpriced DLC...:-/
 
sphinx said:
do we know what will Konami do with the Castlevania franchise now that the DLC has been released?

I was hoping for a full fledged sequel, I liked this game alot and would definitely buy it, just not some overpriced DLC...:-/
I'll tell you what I would love to see. 2D gameplay but 3D graphics, like some of the platforming sections in this game. I would die and go to heaven.

(By 2D gameplay I also mean not a Metroidvania, more like traditional levels. Maybe with branching paths, Castlevania 3 style.)
 
Neuromancer said:
I'll tell you what I would love to see. 2D gameplay but 3D graphics, like some of the platforming sections in this game. I would die and go to heaven.

(By 2D gameplay I also mean not a Metroidvania, more like traditional levels. Maybe with branching paths, Castlevania 3 style.)
This is exactly what I'm hoping they do on the 3DS. The GBA and DS have spoiled me into expecting 3 2D Castlevania's on each Nintendo handheld from now on...

I wouldn't mind seeing them do this for consoles either, although I doubt they would be willing to make a 2D Castlevania game that is anything other than a $15 downloadable title (which may not be a bad thing, judging by games like Outland).
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
I picked the CE of this up on clearance for $30 a while back. I've finally put some time in and damn this game is great. The art and music realy make the atmosphere. I'm almost done with chapter 6 and this may be my biggest surprise of the generation.
 

the chris

Member
RoboPlato said:
I picked the CE of this up on clearance for $30 a while back. I've finally put some time in and damn this game is great. The art and music realy make the atmosphere. I'm almost done with chapter 6 and this may be my biggest surprise of the generation.
Welcome to the flock my friend.
 
CadetMahoney said:
gotta given credit to the art direction, you can tell alot of work went into it.
Definitely. There were some parts of the game where I just stopped to take in the view, something I do very rarely in games. 8-1 in particular stands out to me as absolutely breathtaking, although there are dozens of other indoor and outdoor locations in the game that are quite memorable. I especially appreciated how varied everything was.

Neuromancer said:
I'm not too crazy about the main dude many of the environments are gorgeous.
I always thought his head looked kind of small for some reason but other than that I like his character design.
 
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