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

B

burgerdog

Member
Crap, I may have to change my shipping address on my Amazon order. Seeing as how they removed the $20 credit, would changing the address screw me over? I think they handle an address change as a new order, but I'm not 100% sure. Best example I could come up with is when I had the ME2 LE pre-ordered, I moved and they weren't taking any more LE orders, and even though I had the LE pre-ordered. I wasn't able to change my shipping address until they allowed more LE orders.
 
J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
Phloxy said:
This thread just proves that their is too much emphasis on review scores still. Shit will never change.
Click to expand...

Yes thank you. It's not like there's some huge disparity in the review content itself.

-Game is ambitious and gorgeous
-Fantastic presentation
-Lots of content and variety for an action-adventure

-Combat somewhat derivative
-Feels padded in parts
-Some technical issues

How much each affects the overall impression is, you know, where opinions come in.


burgerdog said:
Crap, I may have to change my shipping address on my Amazon order. Seeing as how they removed the $20 credit, would changing the address screw me over? I think they handle an address change as a new order, but I'm not 100% sure. Best example I could come up with is when I had the ME2 LE pre-ordered, I moved and they weren't taking any more LE orders, and even though I had the LE pre-ordered. I wasn't able to change my shipping address until they allowed more LE orders.
Click to expand...

Contact customer service. I e-mailed them to confirm I still had the pre-order credit after they took it down and they replied in a couple of hours.
 
K

Kimosabae

Banned
Never knew anything about this game (outside Kojima being involved) until I saw the GT review last night - holy shit. Game looks incredible! I can't wait to play this.

Anyone know if there's going to be a 360 demo?

*edit*

I wonder how I'll feel about the lack of hand-holding in regards to player direction that the review mentions. On one hand, the younger me loves the idea of the challenge and exploration derived from having to search for progress. Very exciting.

On the other hand, my older me simply doesn't have time to get lost in a game, and that might frustrate me. I stopped playing Shadow Complex due to this.
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
Joe Shlabotnik said:
How much each affects the overall impression is, you know, where opinions come in.
Click to expand...

No matter what, an experience is different to each person. Many loved God of War III because it was a technical powerhouse with fun combat. I disliked it because I found it to be severely lacking, creatively, compared to God of War II, and was let down by the final third of the game and found the final boss to be incredibly underwhelming and too close to the final boss in GOW II. I'm the kind of gamer that actually favors content, atmosphere, and simply the way a game progresses both story wise and with better and better level design as it goes. GOW III seemed to fizzle out about halfway through and the second half of the game, to me, was very lacking in imagination and incredible-looking vistas, which the second game absolutely nailed.

However, some people simply don't care about that sort of thing because GOW III's gameplay did indeed hold up even through those creatively dull moments and the game never stopped being "badass." I did find fault with it though and it ended up being one of the most disappointing games of this year right next to FFXIII. I hope and pray that Lords of Shadow does not follow a similar path.
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
brandonh83 said:
No matter what, an experience is different to each person. Many loved God of War III because it was a technical powerhouse with fun combat. I disliked it because I found it to be severely lacking, creatively, compared to God of War II, and was let down by the final third of the game and found the final boss to be incredibly underwhelming and too close to the final boss in GOW II. I'm the kind of gamer that actually favors content, atmosphere, and simply the way a game progresses both story wise and with better and better level design as it goes. GOW III seemed to fizzle out about halfway through and the second half of the game, to me, was very lacking in imagination and incredible-looking vistas, which the second game absolutely nailed.

However, some people simply don't care about that sort of thing because GOW III's gameplay did indeed hold up even through those creatively dull moments and the game never stopped being "badass." I did find fault with it though and it ended up being one of the most disappointing games of this year right next to FFXIII. I hope and pray that Lords of Shadow does not follow a similar path.
Click to expand...

Agreed

Grew to hate GOWIII. The 6-7 hours it took to finish felt like an ungratifying chore.
 
E

Edgeward

Member
So all the reviews so far have convinced me to get, except now Amazon isn't offering $20 credit anymore. WTF? =( I guess I'll just have to wait for a sale on Black Friday, but this sucks. Game looked pretty solid after seeing the GT review.
 
DownLikeBCPowder

DownLikeBCPowder

Member
Man, I sure thought I'd be playing that demo about now.

Edgeward said:
So all the reviews so far have convinced me to get, except now Amazon isn't offering $20 credit anymore. WTF? =( I guess I'll just have to wait for a sale on Black Friday, but this sucks. Game looked pretty solid after seeing the GT review.
Click to expand...
Oof..
 
G

gutter_trash

Banned
brandonh83 said:
No matter what, an experience is different to each person. Many loved God of War III because it was a technical powerhouse with fun combat. I disliked it because I found it to be severely lacking, creatively, compared to God of War II, and was let down by the final third of the game and found the final boss to be incredibly underwhelming and too close to the final boss in GOW II. I'm the kind of gamer that actually favors content, atmosphere, and simply the way a game progresses both story wise and with better and better level design as it goes. GOW III seemed to fizzle out about halfway through and the second half of the game, to me, was very lacking in imagination and incredible-looking vistas, which the second game absolutely nailed.

However, some people simply don't care about that sort of thing because GOW III's gameplay did indeed hold up even through those creatively dull moments and the game never stopped being "badass." I did find fault with it though and it ended up being one of the most disappointing games of this year right next to FFXIII. I hope and pray that Lords of Shadow does not follow a similar path.
Click to expand...
100% agree

I even prefer the PSP God Of Wars over GOW3 because the PSP ones are closer to the feel of the PS2 GOW1 and GOW2's feel
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
The Ghost of Sparta demo was amazing and if the whole game is as good, it will rip GOW3 to shreds.

Just read this from the Edge review:

Platforming and cutscenes are used to break up the hack’n’slash monotony into shards of adrenal joy. Traversing icy death to reach the looming, gigantic castle is a dazzling and foreboding scene: scaling the vertiginous outer reaches is exhilarating, with regular nods to the two-dimensional past framing leaps and swings beautifully. It’s at this point that you realise the opening segment, brimming with an ensemble of brilliantly designed and animated creatures, was just an epic sightseeing tutorial.
Click to expand...

In a structural concession to the Castlevania series, the story is broken up into bite-size chunks, motivated by one of the game’s main incentives: replay value. On first run-through you’ll likely pillage 50 per cent of its treasures, unlocking some gruelling time trials and revealing just how many items you’ve missed. Going back is often the best way to progress overall, particularly on the harder difficulties which demand a fully fleshed move-set and some serious holy-water-filled balls. That cutscenes can be skipped is an acknowledgement both of the need for brevity in timed replays and the fact that the cinematics are a little overwrought.
Click to expand...
 
B

burgerdog

Member
F

FrankT

Member
Full Edge review, good stuff;

Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow ReviewBy Edge Staff

For Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula, first impressions were the secret to ensnaring his prey. Luring in the vulnerable with an innocuous appearance, the Count was a master of mimicry, and so too is MercurySteam’s take on the Castlevania legend in 3D.

The copy is almost flawless. For its first six hours Lords Of Shadow is God Of War III with Greek mythology swapped out for gothic folk tales. Goblins, Wargs, Lycans, a talking horse and giant eagle: all stand in suitably for Medusa and co. Even Belmont’s chained crucifix is a dead ringer for Kratos’ tethered blades, swinging you from ledge to ledge, spinning whirlwinds of fiery death and, of course, staking a claim in the chests of the damned.

It’s almost a shock when the vamps do rear their ugly heads. So engrossed is Lords Of Shadow in the gothic horror realm (a visit to Frankenstein’s electric lab is a highlight) that you wonder if this new developer has forgotten about the series’ legacy altogether. It may be a result of Kojima Productions changing the course of the project partway through its development, but it’s arguably to the game’s benefit that the iconic candle-lit castles are reserved for the final, climactic third. When MercurySteam does get its teeth into Konami’s canon, it doesn’t hold back. Goblins and ghouls are exchanged for winged bloodsuckers and devils, brought to life with a brilliant artistic eye for the gruesome and ghastly.

Platforming and cutscenes are used to break up the hack’n’slash monotony into shards of adrenal joy. Traversing icy death to reach the looming, gigantic castle is a dazzling and foreboding scene: scaling the vertiginous outer reaches is exhilarating, with regular nods to the two-dimensional past framing leaps and swings beautifully. It’s at this point that you realise the opening segment, brimming with an ensemble of brilliantly designed and animated creatures, was just an epic sightseeing tutorial.

Combat, as his Belmont blood prescribes, is protagonist Gabriel’s raison d’etre. With all the items, magic and weapons in his arsenal, he’s a joy to work with. Light and Shadow magic are toggled to either heal or devastate (a similar system to Dodonpachi’s Slaughter and Menace mechanic) and it means that for every medieval maniac there’s a chance to regroup and revive with careful resource management. Combos can run ridiculously long, slicing and dicing gangs of enemies until stunned, before opening them up to a button-bashing finisher.

By not taking any major gameplay chances, Lords Of Shadow manages to get most of the fundamentals right. The camera is an occasional inconvenience, however, with its fixed perspective often rendering you helpless against offscreen projectiles, and the lack of a firstperson mode is a bane in some of the puzzle rooms. It’s forgivable thanks to the range of moves and upgrades at your disposal, though, bought with currency earned from missions and puzzles.

In a structural concession to the Castlevania series, the story is broken up into bite-size chunks, motivated by one of the game’s main incentives: replay value. On first run-through you’ll likely pillage 50 per cent of its treasures, unlocking some gruelling time trials and revealing just how many items you’ve missed. Going back is often the best way to progress overall, particularly on the harder difficulties which demand a fully fleshed move-set and some serious holy-water-filled balls. That cutscenes can be skipped is an acknowledgement both of the need for brevity in timed replays and the fact that the cinematics are a little overwrought.

The numerous scenes of Gabriel strutting through ancient map backdrops are archaic and trite, backed by a grandiose score that frames the brutal meathead as a saint purging an unholy land. While the production is never less than triple-A (Patrick Stewart providing his authoritarian tones for sidekick duties), it’s never truly rousing or paid off with anything more than the usual quota of killing. There are moments of genuine craftsmanship, however, in the marrying of prerendered scenes with in-game action. Mounting one of the many beasts - Wargs being the most burly and satisfying to control - is often rewarded with a snapshot of action, like the scaling of a wall or a leap and bound over a decrepit ruin.

What MercurySteam’s competitors keep in mind is that less can be more in a genre as relentless as this. Clocking in at around the 15 to 20 hour mark for an initial, medium-difficulty playthrough, Lords Of Shadow threatens to test your stamina. The variety of challenges and the curvature of the game’s narrative spine help ease the pain, but it’s nevertheless a relief to reach the home stretch, meaning that the encouraged replays may have to wait for your fingers to properly recover.

Nevertheless, this 3D spin on Castlevania is ultimately a greater success than anyone could have reasonably expected, given its unconventional origins. It’s a vehicle that may win over more action fans than true-bloods, but its plagiaristic tendencies represent a shrewd way of ensuring that the series gets a firm footing outside of the 2D realm where it has enjoyed such success. [8]
Click to expand...

http://www.next-gen.biz/features/castlevania-lords-of-shadow-review
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
Belmont’s chained crucifix in Lords of Shadow is a dead ringer for Kratos’ tethered blades which are a dead ringer for Belmont's whip in the original Castlevania which came out 24 years ago LOL
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
David Cox's Twitter:
EUR PSN Demo is live. The US one is not out until 5th October. Don't shoot the messenger! :(

:lol :lol :lol

It's not up YET though, don't see it.
 
R

RavenFox

Banned
Edgeward said:
So all the reviews so far have convinced me to get, except now Amazon isn't offering $20 credit anymore. WTF? =( I guess I'll just have to wait for a sale on Black Friday, but this sucks. Game looked pretty solid after seeing the GT review.
Click to expand...
Well they better honor my $20 credit. I had the CE preordered for a while now.
 
Diseased Yak

Diseased Yak

Gold Member
@CastlevaniaLOS just tweeted: "EUR PSN Demo is live. The US one is not out until 5th October. Don't shoot the messenger! :("

Edit; beaten! But still, Oct 5th sucks. Hope I can get it with my fake-o Euro PSN account.
 
B

burgerdog

Member
brandonh83 said:
David Cox's Twitter:
EUR PSN Demo is live. The US one is not out until 5th October. Don't shoot the messenger! :(

:lol :lol :lol

It's not up YET though, don't see it.
Click to expand...

For fucks sake. First time in a long time that I'm going to have to blindbuy a multi-console game. I can't believe it, not a single screenshot/fps analysis comparison for this game and it comes out in a few days.
 
R

RavenFox

Banned
brandonh83 said:
David Cox's Twitter:
EUR PSN Demo is live. The US one is not out until 5th October. Don't shoot the messenger! :(

:lol :lol :lol

It's not up YET though, don't see it.
Click to expand...
Sweet will download when I get home.
 
D

Danielsan

Member
brandonh83 said:
Okay well it's not up yet. I think I live in a different world than some of these people.
Click to expand...
It isn't up on the Dutch or English store. I could really use that demo right about now. I need something to distract from some personal crap.

edit: It's up!
 
DownLikeBCPowder

DownLikeBCPowder

Member
Diseased Yak said:
@CastlevaniaLOS just tweeted: "EUR PSN Demo is live. The US one is not out until 5th October. Don't shoot the messenger! :("

Edit; beaten! But still, Oct 5th sucks. Hope I can get it with my fake-o Euro PSN account.
Click to expand...
Ugh. Dreams shattered.
 
M

Mt Heart Attack

Member
Diseased Yak said:
@CastlevaniaLOS just tweeted: "EUR PSN Demo is live. The US one is not out until 5th October. Don't shoot the messenger! :("

Edit; beaten! But still, Oct 5th sucks. Hope I can get it with my fake-o Euro PSN account.
Click to expand...
Never had any problem with downloading American content with my fake Beverly Hills account:p I guess the same is true for the opposite as well.

Downloading it now btw:D
 
W

Wizpig

Member
I think I'm sure that i'm the only one in this thread that doesn't even know if he will DOWNLOAD the demo.

I'm sure i'll buy the game day-one, so i'm trying to avoid "spoilers"... i might as well wait for the full game and skip the demo entirely.
But it feels wrong to do so :(
 
R

Ricker

Member
Danielsan said:
Used to be for a week. Free to everyone now.
Click to expand...


Everyone is a big word...not in North America,Canada,Germany on either the PS3 or the 360...why exactly? only the monkeys that take care of this kind of thing know(or don`t)...I know it`s not the end of the world and all but little things like this annoy me sometimes...oh well,the full game is a week away and it`s day one for me,demo or not so...
 
F

FrankT

Member
burgerdog said:
October 5th for XBL/PSN US.
Click to expand...

Yea well he wasn't clear on that twitter as he could be only talking about the PSN US version. Still who knows. Kind of crap to not have the demo until release I agree. I should hold off just to be sure, but with the $20 dollar credit I'm not canceling at this point.
 
D

DevilWillcry

Member
Ricker said:
Everyone is a big word...not in North America,Canada,Germany on either the PS3 or the 360...why exactly? only the monkeys that take care of this kind of thing know(or don`t)...I know it`s not the end of the world and all but little things like this annoy me sometimes...oh well,the full game is a week away and it`s day one for me,demo or not so...
Click to expand...
It's not like it's that difficult for everyone to make a UK PSN account. I'm an American and I've got the demo downloading right now.
 
R

Ricker

Member
DevilWillcry said:
It's not like it's that difficult for everyone to make a UK PSN account. I'm an American and I've got the demo downloading right now.
Click to expand...


Still why isn`t it out in North America now that the PSN + bullshit is out of the way?...there`s is no reason for it,someone messed up somewhere,plain and simple.
 
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