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[Tokubetsu]

So I guess theres no 360 demo then? I was hoping I wouldn't have to blind buy this...fuck.

 

[brandonh83]

Wow. Okay.

The combat is just fantastic. As Segata said, it feels like God of War but not too much like God of War. At first I didn't care for block being L2 and dodge being L2+analog, but the more I played it, the more it made the dodging/blocking seem to have more weight behind it. The combat isn't meant to be ultra-fast, on your toes kind of stuff like in Bayonetta, it has some real weight behind it and there are still a lot of mechanics that makes it feel more unique. I think the graphics and atmosphere go a long way to helping it not feel too much like God of War; to me it totally feels like Castlevania done "correctly" in 3D. From what I played the game does certainly have its own identity. Borrowed elements or not, they're incorporated and re-dressed in such a way that it does not feel like a blatant rip-off and I have to wholly disagree with all the reviews that complain about this.

The horse riding section ended up being a bit better than I had anticipated from watching the videos, but it's still something I'm indifferent toward. I got admittedly a bit excited during the moments when the lycans tried to knock me off the horse-- the reason being is going to lead to a major compliment that makes me feel better about the rest of the game-- the QTE's. Rather than having to worry about when the button prompt appears at random, you get a shrinking circle graphic instead of a random HOLY FUCK PRESS TRIANGLE OH SHIT I PRESSED SQUARE ACCIDENTALLY which plagues a load of games like this. I've never, ever liked QTE's but this does not bother me at all, in fact I quite like it and it vanquishes a big concern I had about the game having tons of horrible QTE events. These may still appear frequently, but I'll take this execution of QTE's over God of War's any day. Thank you, MercurySteam.

Also appreciated several nods to old classic platformers, like having to grab dropped subweapons before they disappear, and the brief segment in the sun-drenched yet rainy forest totally felt like what a 2D straightforward Castlevania level might be like if presented in 3D. Some reviews complain about not having enough freedom but for me it's closer to the old-school straightforward path design. Some may feel that I'm grasping at straws here, but that's honestly how I felt when I played the demo. All in all I had a great experience on my first time with the game and the idea of 15-20 more hours that just gets better as it goes has me thrilled to the core. So far, so good. So very good.

 

[Lyonaz]

Demo was way too short.

Love the presentation and design, so beautiful.
But goddamnit, why does Gabriel's dead wife Marie look so generic compared to the other characters?
She's voiced by Natascha McElhone ffs, just model Marie after her. Mercury Steam should have asked KojiPro to do Marie's design.

Combat was okay for now, hopefully it's way more elaborate in the full game. Also nice that they placed the QTE buttons on screen correspondingly to their placement on your controller like in GoW3. I hate it when then don't do that, like in Dante's inferno.

Loved the soundtrack so far and the voice acting is great.

Definitely will buy the game next week.

 

[gutter_trash]

I'm not to sure how I feel about the fixed camera....Hope its not a big deal.

Game looks great and I can't wait to play.

fixed cameras actually help with orientation and where you can or can't go, it helps you not feel lost

 

[dark10x]

At first I didn't care for block being L2 and dodge being L2+analog, but the more I played it, the more it made the dodging/blocking seem to have more weight behind it.

See, this to me has always felt great. This is how the Ninja Gaiden (XBOX) worked and I much prefer it to the right stick. Dodging and blocking are two actions that ultimately have the same goal in mind so integrating the two just seems more natural to me.

 

[brandonh83]

She's voiced by Natascha McElhone ffs, just model Marie after her. Mercury Steam should have asked KojiPro to do Marie's design.

Marie's design is very generic, definitely one of the few shortcomings I have about the game at this point.

See, this to me has always felt great. This is how the Ninja Gaiden (XBOX) worked and I much prefer it to the right stick. Dodging and blocking are two actions that ultimately have the same goal in mind so integrating the two just seems more natural to me.

I agree with that, now. Like I said, at first I guess I was just naturally used to hitting right analog in the direction I wanted to roll in :lol

 

[TimeKillr]

- L2 + left stick to dodge is going to take some getting used to. Would probably be better on 360 controller. The triggers on PS3 are terrible for something so important as dodging, and alas, like nearly every game this gen, no way to change the controls.

Wasn't it the same in Bayonetta?

I had zero problems adjusting to button dodging. In fact I like it a HELL of a lot more, unless it's a non-invincible dodge (and more of a directed dodge than anything).

I'll have to try it, but I actually prefer button dodging than right stick dodging, for many reasons - it's typically much more responsive, and you also don't need to take your thumb off your attack buttons to dodge, which is very important...

 

[Teknoman]

I need to make a UK account.

Its alot easier to do than XBL. John Smithingsonton has a PSN now :lol

 

[alr1ght]

See, this to me has always felt great. This is how the Ninja Gaiden (XBOX) worked and I much prefer it to the right stick. Dodging and blocking are two actions that ultimately have the same goal in mind so integrating the two just seems more natural to me.

That's how it works in the GOW PSP games too. I would like an option to use the right stick though, as it doesn't seem to have any purpose.

 

[LowParry]

Wasn't it the same in Bayonetta?

I had zero problems adjusting to button dodging. In fact I like it a HELL of a lot more, unless it's a non-invincible dodge (and more of a directed dodge than anything).

I'll have to try it, but I actually prefer button dodging than right stick dodging, for many reasons - it's typically much more responsive, and you also don't need to take your thumb off your attack buttons to dodge, which is very important...

I was thinking it was the same as NG with the block and dodge as well. Which I liked a whole lot better in use than having to use the right analog stick. It keeps me thinking two steps ahead of what I wanted to do and I didn't have to worry about having my fingers fumble from analog to the face buttons. I got the demo on the d/l so I'll see how it works out.

 

[Danielsan]

See, this to me has always felt great. This is how the Ninja Gaiden (XBOX) worked and I much prefer it to the right stick. Dodging and blocking are two actions that ultimately have the same goal in mind so integrating the two just seems more natural to me.

Yup. It takes getting used to be ultimately it's better.

 

[Haeleos]

Wasn't it the same in Bayonetta?

I had zero problems adjusting to button dodging. In fact I like it a HELL of a lot more, unless it's a non-invincible dodge (and more of a directed dodge than anything).

I'll have to try it, but I actually prefer button dodging than right stick dodging, for many reasons - it's typically much more responsive, and you also don't need to take your thumb off your attack buttons to dodge, which is very important...

I think this is more of an issue that I hate the PS3's triggers for this kind of stuff. I really like Ninja Gaiden's dodge, and that used L2 + stick, but on 360's triggers.

 

[heringer]

See, this to me has always felt great. This is how the Ninja Gaiden (XBOX) worked and I much prefer it to the right stick. Dodging and blocking are two actions that ultimately have the same goal in mind so integrating the two just seems more natural to me.

Agreed. I still hate dodging with the right analog stick.

 

[Keikoku]

I tried the demo. It was good, but nothing special in terms of gameplay. The battle system reminds me of God of War, I hope it has its own characteristics too. Music and art are both amazing, the production value is really neat. The game looks almost as good as GOW3, even if it has some framerate problems, it didn't bother me that much (PS3 version).
I hope the emphasis on the story means that it's good. Looking forward to this when it comes out anyway.

 

[andymcc]

i really like how the dodge is handled. much preferred to using the other analogue. the game looked really good, gotta love the art in the travel guide.

the mount scene kind of sucked. frame rate was lame. the camera would get stuck in some unusual places during the first wyvern attack in town.

 

[Danielsan]

I think this is more of an issue that I hate the PS3's triggers for this kind of stuff. I really like Ninja Gaiden's dodge, and that used L2 + stick, but on 360's triggers.

Get yourself some trigger clip-ons. Problem solved.

 

[Simo]

Loved the demo, albeit as short as it was. Combat was enjoyable and fun, I expected it to be the same as GoW with light and heavy attacks mapped to square and triangle as opposed to attack and area attacks like they did. Presentation is fantastic as well as the music and voice acting.

Whoever said they could spend the whole game in the travel book in the demo thread was right. I think I spent the majority of my time playing the demo just looking at the book from the range of moves and upgrades I'd never be able to afford, and their awesome animations, to the artwork and bios for Gabriel, Marie and the enemies along with the weakness chart. Likewise with the items. Makes me glad I got the LE just for the art book.

 

[RedAssedApe]

PPS: I sent an email to Amazon about it and they said that although I missed the promotional period they were going to make an exception and knock off $20 off the price of the game once I put my order in. Not sure if it was because I'm an Amazon PRIME member or if this is their policy, but I thought that was pretty damn awesome of them.

Lucky duck. Now you aren't "forced" into buying another game off Amazon just to use the coupon.

 

[Despera]

360 demo won't be out till the 5th of October?

Is this confirmed for the EU store as well?

 

[Hydrargyrus]

Very disappointed with the demo.

I was expecting more. The game is good, but seeing the last reviews I was expecting more.
IMO, after playing the demo, seems to me that it's more near to the 7'5 of Gamespot than the 9's, at least for me.

But this is only a demo, I need to see the platform stages and more, but I'll buy a bargain price, not in the release date

 

[paperheart]

Loved the demo, albeit as short as it was. Combat was enjoyable and fun, I expected it to be the same as GoW with light and heavy attacks mapped to square and triangle as opposed to attack and area attacks like they did. Presentation is fantastic as well as the music and voice acting.

Whoever said they could spend the whole game in the travel book in the demo thread was right. I think I spent the majority of my time playing the demo just looking at the book from the range of moves and upgrades I'd never be able to afford, and their awesome animations, to the artwork and bios for Gabriel, Marie and the enemies along with the weakness chart. Likewise with the items. Makes me glad I got the LE just for the art book.

This is nice to read. I don't feel like making a EU account to play it, so hearing other people enjoy the demo makes me happy.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

Goddammit, I just watched the Jason Isaac narrated video and I'm so ready to play the demo, but it's still got 300mb to go.

 

[dark10x]

Very disappointed with the demo.

I was expecting more. The game is good, but seeing the last reviews I was expecting more.
IMO, after playing the demo, seems to me that it's more near to the 7'5 of Gamespot than the 9's, at least for me.

But this is only a demo, I need to see the platform stages and more, but I'll buy a bargain price, not in the release date

There's barely anything to this demo.

If you haven't seen this video, I urge you to check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCNf_Ryp95c

It shows off a lot of the different gameplay aspects in great detail and demonstrates that there is far more to the game than the demo would suggest. They most certainly could have created a better demo, I feel.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

Very disappointed with the demo.

I was expecting more. The game is good, but seeing the last reviews I was expecting more.
IMO, after playing the demo, seems to me that it's more near to the 7'5 of Gamespot than the 9's, at least for me.

But this is only a demo, I need to see the platform stages and more, but I'll buy a bargain price, not in the release date

I wouldn't make pronouncements about whether it's a 9 or a 7.5 based on this demo, which many, many people have said is lackluster compared to the full game. Maybe you haven't watched any other footage of the game, and if that's the case, maybe you should.

 

[jett]

:lol Aw snap, did anyone notice how this game acknowledges the existence of Lament Of Innocence? In the menu book Rinaldo Gandolfi is a mentioned as a possible creator of the combat cross...he's the same guy that makes the Whip of Alchemy for Leon in LoI. IGA am cry tears of joy.

And what's the deal with the Physx logo at the beginning? PC port all but confirmed?

Demo is unfortunately barebones, but I enjoyed what little combat is there, it feels different enough from GOW, like others said it's not the blatant ripoff that Dante's Inferno turned out to be. Visually it looks GREAT, only drawbacks are the iffy framerate and the image quality(game uses no AA at all, I wish it implemented MLAA...). Speaking of the framerate with the menu running at 60fps it makes the change to the in-game framerate all the more jarring. I don't like that.

 

[neojubei]

I missed out on all the TGS fun, but suffice to say my hype-o-meter skyrocketed with the last two trailers. Downloading demo.

Welcome back jett, nice avatar.

 

[Hydrargyrus]

I know, I know... I've said that I was talking only about the demo and that I need to see the platform stages and more.

It's only that I'm disappointed with the demo

 

[RavenFox]

Very disappointed with the demo.

I was expecting more. The game is good, but seeing the last reviews I was expecting more.
IMO, after playing the demo, seems to me that it's more near to the 7'5 of Gamespot than the 9's, at least for me.

But this is only a demo, I need to see the platform stages and more, but I'll buy a bargain price, not in the release date

It's an old demo dude. Think E3. Then again you may feel the same way about the final version.

Woah Jett awesome avatar man

 

[AndyMoogle]

:lol Aw snap, did anyone notice how this game acknowledges the existence of Lament Of Innocence? In the menu book Rinaldo Gandolfi is a mentioned as a possible creator of the combat cross...he's the same guy that makes the Whip of Alchemy for Leon in LoI. IGA am cry tears of joy.

And what's the deal with the Physx logo at the beginning? PC port all but confirmed?

Demo is unfortunately barebones, but I enjoyed what little combat is there, it feels different enough from GOW, like others said it's not the blatant ripoff that Dante's Inferno turned out to be. Visually it looks GREAT, only drawbacks are the iffy framerate and the image quality(game uses no AA at all, I wish it implemented MLAA...). Speaking of the framerate with the menu running at 60fps it makes the change to the in-game framerate all the more jarring. I don't like that.

Why would a PhysX logo mean that a PC port is coming? There are plenty of console games that use PhysX.

Anyway, the demo was ok. I'm definitely picking this up when it goes down in price.

 

[AsylumBlue]

.

 

[LowParry]

I see the potential of what the combat has to offer. The pause between each attacks to me indicates a switch in a combo. It also makes great use for using secondary weapons on the fly. Really liked the demo. I hated the whole rain on screen effect. That's the case with any game I've played. I just don't like it. And the difficulty with the Knight version will probably be my sweet spot of playing this. I died a couple times on the "boss" fight then realized I better do some damn dodging. Success. Next week is going to be fucking amazing. The demo just isn't doing justice for the game cause as Jett put it, it's so bare bones. So I understand how people feel underwhelmed about the demo.


Edit: Also, if you're love to play actions games, there absolutely no reason for you to not get this. Combat plays fine. So if you're used to God of War's pace of fighting, this is perfect for you. But it isn't exactly like God of War. In fact, I think it's better.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

Maybe it's because we don't want to PAY MONEY TO PREORDER a game we haven't been able to PLAY IN ANY CAPACITY.

you crazy kids these days... :lol

Imagine the good old days of Atari 2600 and NES/Master System when you would have to take a leap of faith and buy/ask for a game without ever playing it. MADNESS!

Spoiler

although, admittedly, I wish I could have played the Dick Tracy NES game before owning. Good god I regretted having that game after about 35 minutes of playing it...

More on-topic,
I think I'm going to pass on the demo and just wait for my preorder to arrive. Go in fresh! Tempting to jump into my Euro PSN account, however. Very tempting.
Thank god for Dead Rising 2 currently consuming my soul.

 

[dark10x]

It's an old demo dude. Think E3. Then again you may feel the same way about the final version.

Woah Jett awesome avatar man

It is definitely possible that the final game will perform better than this demo. That's precisely what happened with God of War III. The original demo was missing a LOT of effects (object motion blur was completely missing in the demo, for instance), featured inferior lighting and ran at a much lower framerate than the final game. It was really a striking improvement.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

you crazy kids these days... :lol

Imagine the good old days of Atari 2600 and NES/Master System when you would have to take a leap of faith and buy/ask for a game without ever playing it. MADNESS!

Spoiler

although, admittedly, I wish I could have played the Dick Tracy NES game before owning. Good god I regretted having that game after about 35 minutes of playing it...

There was a real gambling-type hook to video game shopping back then, wasn't there.

Appropriately enough, Castlevania was the first game I asked for when I got an NES for Christmas, solely based on the box art!

 

[brandonh83]

if the game performs better than the demo, I speculate it will only be a minute difference. but even if the framerate is just a smidgen better I'd be happy.

updated the product information and music section in the OP-- nothing major, just re-did the music icons and added a header for the product info.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Well I loved the demo and I'm glad I preordered the CE now also. Hyped!

 

[NeoUltima]

Is it possible that all those ridiculously heavy rain effects are what are hampering the framerate in the demo? That and the build is old.

 

[LowParry]

Is it possible that all those ridiculously heavy rain effects are what are hampering the framerate in the demo? That and the build is old.

That was my first impression. The rain is killing it.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

I see the potential of what the combat has to offer. The pause between each attacks to me indicates a switch in a combo. It also makes great use for using secondary weapons on the fly. Really liked the demo. I hated the whole rain on screen effect. That's the case with any game I've played. I just don't like it. And the difficulty with the Knight version will probably be my sweet spot of playing this. I died a couple times on the "boss" fight then realized I better do some damn dodging. Success. Next week is going to be fucking amazing. The demo just isn't doing justice for the game cause as Jett put it, it's so bare bones. So I understand how people feel underwhelmed about the demo.


Edit: Also, if you're love to play actions games, there absolutely no reason for you to not get this. Combat plays fine. So if you're used to God of War's pace of fighting, this is perfect for you. But it isn't exactly like God of War. In fact, I think it's better.

This is your conclusion based on a demo in which you have access to only the most basic combo and one unlockable move? Are there attacks in the demo that literally no one has performed in any video released so far?

 

[GoncaloCCastro]

Apart from the frame rate issues I loved the demo, looks really polished and plays really good.

 

[LowParry]

This is your conclusion based on a demo in which you have access to only the most basic combo and one unlockable move? Are there attacks in the demo that literally no one has performed in any video released so far?

Blah blah blah. So what? I see a demo being better than a final product.


Edit: Actually. Let me put this into more fair terms. When I first played God of War 3 as a demo, I knew what I was getting into. We all did who played the previous games. When we got to play it, it was "yep, God of War. Awesome".

Playing the demo of Castlevania, there's something different in the way it works. The pace is the same in terms of battles and possibly platform stages (which is a guess on my part. Also factoring in the demo shown from a Konami presentation and Cox's demo).

But between the games, one takes a shorter time than the other. So that pace is either going to be too long for Castlevania and drag, or continue to build as the player continues to play. Either way, for what I see, the pace between these two games seem to fit in certain areas or the other. So if you liked God of War, there's no reason to not like Castlevania.

 

[jett]

Is it possible that all those ridiculously heavy rain effects are what are hampering the framerate in the demo? That and the build is old.

There's all kinds of framerate weirdness. The cut-scenes when you ride the magical horse thingy run at a pretty low fps, despite having the same graphics as the gameplay.

 

[Teknoman]

Apart from the frame rate issues I loved the demo, looks really polished and plays really good.

This pretty much...the retail version's framerate is much better with drops here and there right?

 

[Square Triangle]

Loved it. Another great addition to this years line up of action adventure titles.

Finally a great 3D Castlevania!

And I know this has been beaten to death but is there a solid statement that one console is better than the other? Not that I want it to be a factor but it seems that way with so many multiplatform titles. =/

 

[NeoUltima]

And I know this has been beaten to death but is there a solid statement that one console is better than the other? Not that I want it to be a factor but it seems that way with so many multiplatform titles. =/

Gamespot says the 360 framerate not as good.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Gamespot says the 360 framerate not as good.

Why'd you have to say this when I just pre-ordered?

 

[andymcc]

i just kind of think this was a bad demo. not just for technical reasons either

demos like bayonetta, where almost the entire move set was unlocked, showing what you're able to do, are a much better representation of the final product.

why the hell you'd want to demonstrate the mount section is beyond me. hate to keep up bringing bayonetta, but it would've been like putting the largely disliked space harrier-esque portion on it's demo.

using the E3 demo was a bad idea.

 

[Teknoman]

What I want to know is why are some people complaining about the game's early section being outside castle walls?

How many Castlevania games, aside from Symphony of the night, placed you inside the castle from the start? None that I can remember...

 

[brandonh83]

This is your conclusion based on a demo in which you have access to only the most basic combo and one unlockable move? Are there attacks in the demo that literally no one has performed in any video released so far?

I agree with what he says, though. I agree that if you like action games you should play it, and I agree that the combat feels more satisfying to me than GOW does.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

How many Castlevania games, aside from Symphony of the night, placed you inside the castle from the start? None that I can remember...

All of the previous 3D ones?