• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

owlbeak

Member
Is there a chance of anyone getting a copy of the EU Edition w/ mask and mailing it to a nice gentleman in the US of A? (will paypal $ of course)

Or pointing me to where I could find it online, because I haven't found it anywhere.
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
I don't really like the horse back riding segments. Square for a certain enemy, triangle for a certian enemy. WUT?

And then throw in the L2/R2 shitty triggers on the PS3 for blocking and healing and it's... yeah...

I do like the combat. It's kinda DMC + God of War + Castlevania. But the whip coming from the cross (I assume) is "wait... what?"

Still, nice to see that Kojima's influence in cutscenes and overlooking the gameplay turned out a decent 3D Castlevania for once. But give me another 2D HD Metroidvania, Konami. :|
 

RavenFox

Banned
Horsebite said:
Care to explain?
This is the build that we all saw videos of just after E3. It's the same E3 build-warthog fight and horse ride through the old hunting path. All I'm saying is don't commit to it looking the same in the final build. We all saw how GOW3 turned out. It was like a different game from the demo.

edit:beaten :)
 

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
TheSeks said:
I don't really like the horse back riding segments. Square for a certain enemy, triangle for a certian enemy. WUT?

And then throw in the L2/R2 shitty triggers on the PS3 for blocking and healing and it's... yeah...

I do like the combat. It's kinda DMC + God of War + Castlevania. But the whip coming from the cross (I assume) is "wait... what?"

Still, nice to see that Kojima's influence in cutscenes and overlooking the gameplay turned out a decent 3D Castlevania for once. But give me another 2D HD Metroidvania, Konami. :|

The horseback segment is clearly filler, IMO, but the attacks make sense, even if they're described in a weird way. They should have just called them vertical or horizontal attacks or something. It's almost exactly like the Pegasus section in GOW2, actually.

I have complained about triggers before, but for something that happens only occasionally like healing at a fountain it's a non-issue for me.

The combat does seem pretty solid, based on what little there is, though I worry it will become less fun as enemies gain more HP or don't react when you hit them (as can be seen in several gameplay videos). I know big enemies are not supposed to flinch, but I hate it when attacks feel ineffectual. If you can't do the long combos the game provides because the enemies just attack you in the middle of them every time, it could be a problem for me.
 
TheSeks said:
Still, nice to see that Kojima's influence in cutscenes and overlooking the gameplay turned out a decent 3D Castlevania for once. But give me another 2D HD Metroidvania, Konami. :|
I honestly can't tell what Kojima did on this other than give it a more reputable name.
 

Vrakanox

Member
ULTROS! said:
I hope there's no console war thing here.

Anyway, demo is halfway, taking pretty long. I'll post my impressions, my side might be a bit biased since I grew up with SotN and above (including the 3D PS2 titles of Castlevania), plus I play Castlevania for collecting stuff.

I'm a HUGE SotN fan. Possibly my favorite game of all time. I'd rather have an Alucard sequel but I'm loving Lords of Shadow.
 

NeoUltima

Member
Segata Sanshiro said:
He kind of came out swinging right away at the IGAvanias and the fans of the IGAvanias, which wasn't good, and he certainly backtracked on that. He's made tons of empty promises and he's just totally come off as a guy that'll say anything if it gets people to buy the game, whether it's true or not.
I have read/watched most of the interviews about this game...I have not seen or heard such things that I would constitute as taking swings toward IGA.
He's said the game has nothing to do with IGA, when people have asked him about that. He said it is taking its inspiration from earlier Castlevania's rather than Metroidvanias. He's never said those games are bad, just that isn't where they are heading. I think you are reading too much into his statements. He is just saying how it is.
 

Simo

Member
Prime crotch said:
I honestly can't tell what Kojima did on this other than give it a more reputable name.

I think he was more of a Consultant Director/Supervisor given what David Cox has said in the past in that if Mercury Steam had any creative questions or problems with tech they'd consult with Kojima to get his input.

Reported case of this, from Cox himself, was that Mercury Steam were having trouble synching the VO audio to the animation so Cox consulted with Kojima who in return sent some members of the team from Kojima Productions with the MGS animation tools to help them out. In return Mercury Steam helped out with some questions and problems with mulitplatform development for the Metal Gear Rising team.
 

burgerdog

Member
Prime crotch said:
I honestly can't tell what Kojima did on this other than give it a more reputable name.
I find his involvement annoying actually. G4's review says something like 'finally, thanks to kojima we have a good 3d castlevania.' It's as if mercurysteam did nothing.
 

RavenFox

Banned
burgerdog said:
I find his involvement annoying actually. G4's review says something like 'finally, thanks to kojima we have a good 3d castlevania.' It's as if mercurysteam did nothing.
Not to take away from anything from Mercury System since they have done a fantastic job but you need to read up on the history of this game. Trust me, the thanks Kojima san gets is not unwarranted.
 

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
burgerdog said:
smh

I just said that it runs better on 360 on Deathspank, clearly stating that Phyre Engine runs on 360.

Here, took a snapshot for you.
http://i51.tinypic.com/pvce0.jpg

Kagari said:
It can. Most games that use PhyreEngine, however, start on PS3.

So the PhyreEngine actually runs on 360? I thought Sony made it as a cross platform engine only for PS3/PSP/PC development. My bad then.
 

Spike

Member
RavenFox said:
Not to take away from anything from Mercury System since they have done a fantastic job but you need to read up on the history of this game. Trust me, the thanks Kojima san gets is not unwarranted.

What did he do? From everything I've read, from Mercury Steam themselves, has said that he is the reason that the game is Castlevania. They pitched the idea to Konami, and were rejected, but Kojima liked what he heard and pushed the project forward. As far as I've read, that's all. Also, when they were unsure if something should be added in, they asked him what he thought, and he basically gave them creative freedom with the title. It's not like he came up with the ideas and contracted out Mercury Steam to deliver his vision for Castlevania.
 

wouwie

Member
Played the demo 3 times yesterday and i've got mixed feelings. I love the game world, atmosphere, presentation, voice acting. Game looks great too, nice cutscenes, high production values.

I learnt from GOW3 that i suck at hack n' slash and it's a game genre that i just don't seem to enjoy (it always amounts in button mashing in my case). However, this game felt as a somewhat slower more tactic version of hack 'n slash and i enjoyed it a bit more here. Still not sure if i would enjoy it for an entire game though so i will wait for impressions on how mixed the gameplay is. If the hack 'n slash is mixed with a lot of puzzle and platform gameplay, then i might pick this up.

In conclusion: i love everything about this game except the hack 'n slash gameplay. Which is a shame as it seems to be a very nice single player story driven fantasy adventure game with superb production values.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
So, can anyone here confirm that this game really is a solid 20 hour long quest? Is it RE4 length or is that review hyperbole?
 
dark10x said:
So, can anyone here confirm that this game really is a solid 20 hour long quest? Is it RE4 length or is that review hyperbole?

Every review has noted that the game is long, arguably to its detriment. I don't think it would be mentionable if it were the average 10-15 hours.
 

Denzar

Member
Just played the demo for the first time and wow.

What an amzing audiovisual presentation. Amazing art direction, bone chilling orchestral music. Great stuff.

Too bad the framerate is that low. I will wait for console comparisons before I purchase.

Pre-order placed.
 
NeoUltima said:
I have read/watched most of the interviews about this game...I have not seen or heard such things that I would constitute as taking swings toward IGA.
He's said the game has nothing to do with IGA, when people have asked him about that. He said it is taking its inspiration from earlier Castlevania's rather than Metroidvanias. He's never said those games are bad, just that isn't where they are heading. I think you are reading too much into his statements. He is just saying how it is.
That's fine. Your interpretation is that he's telling it like it is and you want to cuddle by the fireplace with him. My interpretation is that he's an assmunch riding a wee bit high on himself and has only harmed the game's chances with his candor and false promises. The truth perhaps lies somewhere in the middle but it doesn't change the fact that I like this game better if I disassociate him and his lies from it, so I will.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Just finished the demo. Graphics were solid and I didn't notice any graphical problems, no obvious screen tears and frame drops. Good presentation.

Although it did feel a bit like God of War + Bayonetta. Personally I don't feel the "Castlevania" vibe in much for some reason (maybe its because I haven't seen the castle portion yet). Unfortunately I think I'll pass this for now.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
burgerdog said:
I find his involvement annoying actually. G4's review says something like 'finally, thanks to kojima we have a good 3d castlevania.' It's as if mercurysteam did nothing.
Kojima did the most important thing--he got them money.
 

Aklamarth

Member
Y2Kev said:
Kojima did the most important thing--he got them money.

Actually Konami did that. I bet the name "Kojima" appears there only for reputation. Mercury Steam deserves all the props for this great work.
 
RavenFox said:
This is the build that we all saw videos of just after E3. It's the same E3 build-warthog fight and horse ride through the old hunting path. All I'm saying is don't commit to it looking the same in the final build. We all saw how GOW3 turned out. It was like a different game from the demo.

edit:beaten :)
They are wargs, not warthogs.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
ULTROS! said:
Just finished the demo. Graphics were solid and I didn't notice any graphical problems, no obvious screen tears and frame drops. Good presentation.

Although it did feel a bit like God of War + Bayonetta. Personally I don't feel the "Castlevania" vibe in much for some reason (maybe its because I haven't seen the castle portion yet). Unfortunately I think I'll pass this for now.
Playing the demo and watching this video paints enough of a picture to suggest that this is going to be an epic experience.

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

There is not yet a quality 3D Castlevania game with the vibe you are searching for, so I think it's best to approach this as something new.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
Aklamarth said:
Actually Konami did that. I bet the name "Kojima" appears there only for reputation. Mercury Steam deserves all the props for this great work.
Have you seen konami's other games? They don't look like this. Do you think mercurysteam is that much more talented than double helix?
 
Aklamarth said:
Actually Konami did that. I bet the name "Kojima" appears there only for reputation. Mercury Steam deserves all the props for this great work.
No, iirc Kojima was the reason they (Konami) went with Mercury instead of another company.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
dark10x said:
Playing the demo and watching this video paints enough of a picture to suggest that this is going to be an epic experience.

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

There is not yet a quality 3D Castlevania game with the vibe you are searching for, so I think it's best to approach this as something new.

I know you'd hate me for saying this but I enjoyed Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness. Sure they aren't the best Castlevania games but I was able to enjoy 'em nonetheless. Still I'll see how Lords of Shadow will be and make a final decision after a few more full impression.
 

jett

D-Member
Segata Sanshiro said:
That's fine. Your interpretation is that he's telling it like it is and you want to cuddle by the fireplace with him. My interpretation is that he's an assmunch riding a wee bit high on himself and has only harmed the game's chances with his candor and false promises. The truth perhaps lies somewhere in the middle but it doesn't change the fact that I like this game better if I disassociate him and his lies from it, so I will.

You sound like a bitter IGAvania fanboy to be honest. I have not seen David Cox trash IGA or his work.
 
burgerdog said:
I find his involvement annoying actually. G4's review says something like 'finally, thanks to kojima we have a good 3d castlevania.' It's as if mercurysteam did nothing.

This is kind of a shitty deal for Mercury Steam. Konami have kind of been marketing it as a Kojima game. A lot of my friends that are more mainstream, and really don't read up on gaming stuff, thought that Kojima Productions were developing it.

I can see this happening two ways, if the game is a successful Kojima will get all the praise. If the game tanks and is shit, then Mercury Steam will get the blame. This is unfortunate, but what are you going to do, right.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
ULTROS! said:
I know you'd hate me for saying this but I enjoyed Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness. Sure they aren't the best Castlevania games but I was able to enjoy 'em nonetheless. Still I'll see how Lords of Shadow will be and make a final decision after a few more full impression.
Honestly, if you enjoyed those, I'm baffled as to how you could skip out on this one.
 

Simo

Member
ACE 1991 said:
So is there anyway I can get the PS3 demo? US gamer over here.

Sure, you've just got to wait till next Tuesday or just create a UK account in 2 minutes. Of course it'll take a few hours to download the demo. :lol
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
CaptYamato said:
Lament of Innocence was a good game dammit.
I thought it was OK, but even its fans should be able to see that it had some design issues. The combat was fun, the music was great, and it had great potential, but the environments nearly spoiled the whole thing. The level design was flat out boring. They copy and pasted a bunch of rooms together and left you to slog through each one fighting a small handful of enemies. It didn't matter if you were exploring the "dungeon", the "sewer", the "gardens" or any other location, they were all basically the same series of hallways and rooms. The only difference between any of the levels were the textures used to paint the walls.

On paper, the game sounds great as IGA essentially created a replica of the 2D games in 3D. If you look at a map in a 2D CV title you'll see it contains a series of corridors and large open areas. When you visit areas represented as a large block in the 2D games, however, you'll actually find a series of intricate platforming challenges along with the enemies to face. In 3D, however, each of these block rooms literally ended up being a small arena where you'd fight a bunch of enemies before selecting one of the potential doors (and they were generally in the same place). The level design was no more intricate than, say, Smash TV. There was nothing to really fill in those blocks on the 2D map and that is why it failed.

This new game appears to have variety in spades with a huge assortment of environments and challenges based on those environments. It looks like an amazing world to explore and seems to contain enough assets to fill multiple games.
 

burgerdog

Member
See you bitches on the other side.

qHyOEqI
 
Top Bottom