Support NeoGAF

[andymcc]

If you're talking about the Evil Butcher, I didn't have that issue at all. That's really bizarre.

a few people, including myself, have noted similar issues with larger villains.

 

[Ninja Moomin]

is anyone else finding this a tiny bit soulless?


does it get better later on?


finding myself a bit bored and the story and leaden exposition really isn;t motivating me to continue... i'm about halfway through chapter 2....?

does it get better?

 

[TheKaeptain]

is anyone else finding this a tiny bit soulless?


does it get better later on?


finding myself a bit bored and the story and leaden exposition really isn;t motivating me to continue... i'm about halfway through chapter 2....?

does it get better?

Just keep playing.

 

[heringer]

is anyone else finding this a tiny bit soulless?


does it get better later on?


finding myself a bit bored and the story and leaden exposition really isn;t motivating me to continue... i'm about halfway through chapter 2....?

does it get better?

Yes, it does get a lot better.

 

[silentspork]

is anyone else finding this a tiny bit soulless?


does it get better later on?


finding myself a bit bored and the story and leaden exposition really isn;t motivating me to continue... i'm about halfway through chapter 2....?

does it get better?

It starts picking up soon, first couple chapters are a little weak.

 

[diglyd]

Yeah, it's kind of tricky. Basically what I do is repel down as far as you can before the chain breaks. It's pretty cheap how it does that, but what you'll want to do is go down to where Gabriel is hanging right above what looks like a hole in the wall beneath his feet.

Once there, hit square to kick away from the wall, followed by a jump, and you should land on the bridge.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I really appreciate it. This part was driving me crazy all day yesterday.

 

[vireland]

is anyone else finding this a tiny bit soulless?


does it get better later on?


finding myself a bit bored and the story and leaden exposition really isn;t motivating me to continue... i'm about halfway through chapter 2....?

does it get better?

No. If the story and leaden exposition is bothering you, it does NOT get better. It's the thing that bothered me the most about this game. The writing is atrocious for a game at this level. I mean, in one of the clues, they actually try to rhyme "wood" with "food" - both end in "ood", so that should work right? It doesn't? Ugh.

Besides the bad melodramatic cliche-ridden writing, there's run-on sentences, bad hand-wrapping resulting in the text spilling off pages, bad line breaks, what kind of stickyface proofed this?

I'm sure that the story/exposition colored my impression of the game severely in the negative direction. I was really excited to play it, but that waned so that even by the middle (far overdue) when it starts LOOKING like a Castlevania, I still had the "mehs". The ridiculous ending didn't help.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness are no less derivative from DMC/Ninja Gaiden and whatever action game ripoff you can think of than Lords of Shadow. The only things that Curse of Darkness could possibly have more Castlevania over Lords of Shadow are A) the soundtrack and B) Trevor Belmont.
I won't get into a discussion about Japanese vs non-Jap devs but I agree for the most part they typically have a higher frame rate seeing as Lament of Innocence had 60fps.
As for the last comment, I don't understand. Metroid Prime is as much of a Metroid game as Super Metroid is and they are both fantastic.
One last thing about the frame rate and I do agree it does need attention but hasn't been detrimental for me. However if you played Other M and never noticed slow down then you are truly fooling yourself, especially when you are trying to enter another room or when using speed booster/shine spark.

LoI and CoD might have been inspired by other games, but LoS straight up copies them. There's a big difference. What makes it worse is that they fail on just about everything from combat controls to platforming and from bad framerate to bugs. From a production level, the biggest things that stands out are the levels themselves to inlude art direction and the layout. Character design themselves are hit and miss imo. Some of them (Gabriel and Pan) look good and some of them look bad (Zobek and Maria).

As far as Metroid goes, the framerate in Other M is nowhere near as bad as it is in this game. It has some minor slowdown in a few spots, but for the most part it's fine and it never hinders the gameplay whereas it does in this game. Regarding Prime, I'm not saying the games weren't good. I'm saying that they weren't a true sequel to the series. It was a spin off, albeit a very good one. I feel the same way about this game, except it's not nearly as polished. The story doesn't fit with the other games in the series, so there's really nowhere for it to go except as a spin off. I don't see them abandoning the canon that's already been built for the series due to this game. One day there will be a Japanese sequel that continues on the story that's already there.

 

[andymcc]

No. If the story and leaden exposition is bothering you, it does NOT get better. It's the thing that bothered me the most about this game. The writing is atrocious for a game at this level. I mean, in one of the clues, they actually try to rhyme "wood" with "food" - both end in "ood", so that should work right? It doesn't? Ugh.

Besides the bad melodramatic cliche-ridden writing, there's run-on sentences, bad hand-wrapping resulting in the text spilling off pages, bad line breaks, what kind of stickyface proofed this?

I'm sure that the story/exposition colored my impression of the game severely in the negative direction. I was really excited to play it, but that waned so that even by the middle (far overdue) when it starts LOOKING like a Castlevania, I still had the "mehs". The ridiculous ending didn't help.

pretty much my feelings exactly

 

[Despera]

I don't know what you guys are talking about. I'm enjoying the story. So far, so good.

 

[Scuba Steve]

Crazy glitch just happened

Level 3-1 maybe? I was grappling on a ledge, and I fell. I should've died, but I landed on the non existant floor and was able to roam around. Eventually I fell and saw nothing but clouds but it was pretty cool :lol

I took a video after I fell, I was running around for a few seconds before I fell even deeper and got stuck in limbo.

If anyone wants to see it I'll upload it to youtube, otherwise I'm too lazy.

 

[vireland]

I don't know what you guys are talking about. I'm enjoying the story. So far, so good.

People have different sensitivities. That's why I replied to the poster that IF the story is bothering him/her at the BEGINNING, it WILL bother them throughout because the writing does not improve from what's on display at the start, and in fact, I think it gets worse as you go. The "food/wood" ridiculous failed rhyme is a ways into the game, for example.

If you're sensitive to bad writing, you'll notice it in spades in this Castlevania. If you're not, you won't. Simple as that.

 

[ZeroRay]

People have different sensitivities. That's why I replied to the poster that IF the story is bothering him/her at the BEGINNING, it WILL bother them throughout because the writing does not improve from what's on display at the start, and in fact, I think it gets worse as you go. The "food/wood" ridiculous failed rhyme is a ways into the game, for example.

If you're sensitive to bad writing, you'll notice it in spades in this Castlevania. If you're not, you won't. Simple as that.

Yup, the dialogue is especially terrible and made waste to the talent all the VA's had.

 

[vireland]

Crazy glitch just happened

Level 3-1 maybe? I was grappling on a ledge, and I fell. I should've died, but I landed on the non existant floor and was able to roam around. Eventually I fell and saw nothing but clouds but it was pretty cool :lol

I took a video after I fell, I was running around for a few seconds before I fell even deeper and got stuck in limbo.

If anyone wants to see it I'll upload it to youtube, otherwise I'm too lazy.

We had one happen where after launching a magic with a bunch of enemies (well, a bunch for this Castlevania. It was probably 8), the framerate slowed to like 1 frame per MINUTE. Took 15 minutes to resolve, but it finally gave us control back with normal gameplay. Very weird.

 

[Windom Earle]

I mean, in one of the clues, they actually try to rhyme "wood" with "food" - both end in "ood", so that should work right?

In Spain it does

 

[bubnbob]

I love how they introduce the double jump wallkick at the Clocktower with no mention in the entire game.

And I love the Chupacabra bits, those are very enjoyable to my experience

<- forced smile btw

 

[Absoludacrous]

My only problem with the story was how non-existant it was through most of the game. Then at the end

Spoiler

Zobek spends 20 minutes detailing the entire plot like a Bond villian.

 

[vireland]

Yup, the dialogue is especially terrible and made waste to the talent all the VA's had.

Patrick Stewart is renovating his bathroom needed a quick paycheck confirmed. Finalist for the Ben Kingsley award 2010.

 

[vireland]

My only problem with the story was how non-existant it was through most of the game. Then at the end

Spoiler

Zobek spends 20 minutes detailing the entire plot like a Bond villian.

The Devil's in the details, apparently.

 

[Absoludacrous]

Patrick Stewart is renovating his bathroom needed a quick paycheck confirmed. Finalist for the Ben Kingsley award 2010.

I can't believe how much straight text they got him to read. Might as well been an audio book.

I really liked some of the other VA's though. Cornell was amazing, as was (endgame)

Spoiler

Satan

 

[Brandon F]

No. If the story and leaden exposition is bothering you, it does NOT get better. It's the thing that bothered me the most about this game. The writing is atrocious for a game at this level. I mean, in one of the clues, they actually try to rhyme "wood" with "food" - both end in "ood", so that should work right? It doesn't? Ugh.

Besides the bad melodramatic cliche-ridden writing, there's run-on sentences, bad hand-wrapping resulting in the text spilling off pages, bad line breaks, what kind of stickyface proofed this?

I'm sure that the story/exposition colored my impression of the game severely in the negative direction. I was really excited to play it, but that waned so that even by the middle (far overdue) when it starts LOOKING like a Castlevania, I still had the "mehs". The ridiculous ending didn't help.

The fuck? Seriously....the fuck? I am not agreeing with any of this so far up to Chapter 7. It's monster mania done quite well in a videogame.

Also regarding posts about getting hit by larger opponents before the strike seems to connect. If you are -really- close to one of the bosses and it pulls off one of it's unblockable attacks(usually denoted by it's fist glowing), you WILL take damage the moment it starts it's animation cycle(sometimes with the claw still in windup phase). Again you have to be really close and it does look really awkward. I've been hit by this stuff against every large enemy; but you do get the feel for it, learning to keep away from those particular attacks. It really pays to keep close attention to what strikes are unblockable by each boss because you REALLY have to just roll away from all of those. This sort of thing won't occur against attacks that can be blocked/parried as those do require a more natural hit detection as they give a pretty liberal window to block/counter unlike the dreaded unblockables.

Protip: Almost ANY time an enemy starts blocking your hits, notably bosses, prepare for an unblockable attack incoming unless you roll/move away(or once you upgrade enough throw in an unblockable attack of your own to break that incoming strike). Keep striking the blocking enemy and it will almost always come.

 

[Despera]

People have different sensitivities. That's why I replied to the poster that IF the story is bothering him/her at the BEGINNING, it WILL bother them throughout because the writing does not improve from what's on display at the start, and in fact, I think it gets worse as you go. The "food/wood" ridiculous failed rhyme is a ways into the game, for example.

If you're sensitive to bad writing, you'll notice it in spades in this Castlevania. If you're not, you won't. Simple as that.

To be honest, English is my 3rd language. I won't be bothered with mistakes, that, for me, are unidentifiable.

But that "food/wood" rhyme is downright hilarious. Maybe the one who was proofreading it did so with an Italian accent?

 

[Absoludacrous]

The Devil's in the details, apparently.

I was really psyched to see where they were going after the end of Chapter 2, but then literally nothing happens story or character-wise until you get to the end. It's just go here, do this, move on.

Still, despite that, really enjoyed the game, it just wasn't what it could have been.

 

[vireland]

The fuck? Seriously....the fuck? I am not agreeing with any of this so far up to Chapter 7. It's monster mania done quite well in a videogame.

Then, like I said, you must not be sensitive to the atrocious writing and that's actually GREAT for you because you can enjoy the game without reservation.

 

[Vrakanox]

For me the best case scenario would be to let MercurySteam and IGA alternate in developing the games since I really liked LOS but I also love the metroidvanias.

 

[Brandon F]

I was really psyched to see where they were going after the end of Chapter 2, but then literally nothing happens story or character-wise until you get to the end. It's just go here, do this, move on.

Still, despite that, really enjoyed the game, it just wasn't what it could have been.

This was my thoughts on Enslaved recently. But with Castlevania, the sheer goal of slaughtering almost the entire gallery of classic monsters was not enough for you people? This is what Castlevania is and always has been! Every level introduces something new to punish within an original setting or setpiece. It's a videogame about purging everything that goes bump in the night! I'm really feeling everyone claiming this 'isn't' Castlevania has no clue what Castlevania ever actually was to begin with!

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

I was really psyched to see where they were going after the end of Chapter 2, but then literally nothing happens story or character-wise until you get to the end. It's just go here, do this, move on.

Still, despite that, really enjoyed the game, it just wasn't what it could have been.

Heh, the opposite for me. I'm a sucker for the hints at what's to come only to have another obstacle put in my way. I love that. Has a real sense of adventure to it.

 

[Brandon F]

Then, like I said, you must not be sensitive to the atrocious writing and that's actually GREAT for you because you can enjoy the game without reservation.

Damn straight! It is a -videogame- with a 20 year legacy afterall!

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Then, like I said, you must not be sensitive to the atrocious writing and that's actually GREAT for you because you can enjoy the game without reservation.

But you're not getting that some people are disagreeing with your harsh comments about the writing/dialogue. You may not like it, but that doesn't make it terrible. It's no worse than most fantasy/fairy tale stories. Some people love that stuff. Ever imagine stuff like this is by design?

Do you bitch and moan when watching people overact while performing Shakespeare? No because it's by design.

 

[vireland]

Damn straight! It is a -videogame- with a 20 year legacy afterall!

Someone forgot to tell Kojima that. It has Kijima-movie-itis, which quickly made me very nostalgic for the legacy Castlevanias that had barely any exposition by comparison but were chock-full of fantastic gameplay.

 

[Suzzopher]

For me the best case scenario would be to let MercurySteam and IGA alternate in developing the games since I really liked LOS but I also love the metroidvanias.

I reckon, Iga will be left to do handheld and downloadable Vanias whilst MercurySteam continue the home console series.

 

[Absoludacrous]

This was my thoughts on Enslaved recently. But with Castlevania, the sheer goal of slaughtering almost the entire gallery of classic monsters was not enough for you people? This is what Castlevania is and always has been! Every level introduces something new to punish within an original setting or setpiece. It's a videogame about purging everything that goes bump in the night! I'm really feeling everyone claiming this 'isn't' Castlevania has no clue what Castlevania ever actually was to begin with!

Dude, calm down, I said I enjoyed it. With the narrative and cutscenes though, they seemed like they were going for a more story-driven adventure. Then after chapter 2 (and I guess the brief twist at the end of 3), they dropped any semblence of character development and story and dumped it all at the very end of the game.

I wasn't even talking about whether it's "Castlevania" or not. That has nothing to do with it. It was about them setting up narrative expectations within the beginning of their own game and then not delivering on them.

The part where you actually play the game I really liked, as well as the art direction and set pieces.

I swear it's like you responded to a completely different post.

 

[vireland]

But you're not getting that some people are disagreeing with your harsh comments about the writing/dialogue. You may not like it, but that doesn't make it terrible. It's no worse than most fantasy/fairy tale stories. Some people love that stuff. Ever imagine stuff like this is by design?

Your argument might work if not for the "food/wood" rhyme. It's indefensible in English to try that because it simply does not WORK. The lines that run off the page and are wrapped wrong (sometimes in the middle of WORDS with no hyphen) also make clear that the writing presentation was not important relative to the visuals.

That is just a few symptoms of the pervasive awful writing and written presentation throughout the game. When I say "awful", I mean for a game with this kind of budget. There are FAR worse games out there, but a game with this kind of budget and pedigree should be better written and proofed.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

I reckon, Iga will be left to do handheld and downloadable Vanias whilst MercurySteam continue the home console series.

That's not necessarily a bad thing though considering the state handhelds are about to reach with 3DS/PSP2. Iga's better at the 2D stuff anyway, but I'd like to see him make a hybrid. I'm replaying Dracula X Chronicles on PSP right now and I'm appreciating the game a lot more now. I would like to see them try something like this again, but perhaps make some of the levels psuedo 3D like Metroid: Other M. Add in the ability to block, dodge and grapple and they could have a very compelling Actionvania on handheld that rivals the consoles.

 

[Suzzopher]

That's not necessarily a bad thing though considering the state handhelds are about to reach with 3DS/PSP2. Iga's better at the 2D stuff anyway, but I'd like to see him make a hybrid. I'm replaying Dracula X Chronicles on PSP right now and I'm appreciating the game a lot more now. I would like to see them try something like this again, but perhaps make some of the levels psuedo 3D like Metroid: Other M. Add in the ability to block, dodge and grapple and they could have a very compelling Actionvania on handheld that rivals the consoles.

I'd like to see that.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Have to agree about the writing. I can imagine Patrick Stewart rolling his eyes as he reads it.

The game itself is good though, you guys are right about it picking up after Chapter 2. Wasn't really feeling it at first.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Your argument might work if not for the "food/wood" rhyme. It's indefensible in English to try that because it simply does not WORK. The lines that run off the page and are wrapped wrong (sometimes in the middle of WORDS with no hyphen) also make clear that the writing presentation was not important relative to the visuals.

That is just a few symptoms of the pervasive awful writing and written presentation throughout the game. When I say "awful", I mean for a game with this kind of budget. There are FAR worse games out there, but a game with this kind of budget and pedigree should be better written and proofed.

I haven't witnessed any of that yet...

 

[Vrakanox]

That's not necessarily a bad thing though considering the state handhelds are about to reach with 3DS/PSP2. Iga's better at the 2D stuff anyway, but I'd like to see him make a hybrid. I'm replaying Dracula X Chronicles on PSP right now and I'm appreciating the game a lot more now. I would like to see them try something like this again, but perhaps make some of the levels psuedo 3D like Metroid: Other M. Add in the ability to block, dodge and grapple and they could have a very compelling Actionvania on handheld that rivals the consoles.

That sounds like something I would pre-order the limited edition of.

 

[Brandon F]

Dude, calm down, I said I enjoyed it. With the narrative and cutscenes though, they seemed like they were going for a more story-driven adventure. Then after chapter 2 (and I guess the brief twist at the end of 3), they dropped any semblence of character development and story and dumped it all at the very end of the game.

I wasn't even talking about whether it's "Castlevania" or not. That has nothing to do with it. It was about them setting up narrative expectations within the beginning of their own game and then not delivering on them.

The part where you actually play the game I really liked, as well as the art direction and set pieces.

I swear it's like you responded to a completely different post.

Different expectations really. I just find it silly that so many are expecting so much from the narrative at all. For what it is, I find it entirely serviceable to the core game experience. You get interlude setups for the massive scope and variety of locations visited, and all the stuff to kill en route. The budget is much larger and allows for more flair in the telling, but the core goal is no different from "Level 1 - Kill Giant Bat!". It's a production entitled 'Lords of Shadow' afterall, are you all REALLY hoping Castlevania steps outside of the realms or merely being a videogame. That it poses a clear message or injects substantive emotional engagement or dramatic effect into the mere level-introductions?

As for the grammatical errors and 'wood' stuff...might be something post Chapter 7 I have yet to still see. Thus far, I haven't noticed, and I have read every diary to this point. Any other blatant examples?

 

[Absoludacrous]

Different expectations really. I just find it silly that so many are expecting so much from the narrative at all. For what it is, I find it entirely serviceable to the core game experience. You get interlude setups for the massive scope and variety of locations visited, and all the stuff to kill en route. The budget is much larger and allows for more flair in the telling, but the core goal is no different from "Level 1 - Kill Giant Bat!". It's a production entitled 'Lords of Shadow' afterall, are you all REALLY hoping Castlevania steps outside of the realms or merely being a videogame. That it poses a clear message or injects substantive emotional engagement or dramatic effect into the mere level-introductions?

Again, I am talking about the expectations this game, itself, sets up within its own cutscenes in the first few chapters. I was expecting more cutscenes like the ones this game, itself, has in the first few chapters. Instead the remaining cutscenes outside of a small handful are just introductions to new characters. I am talking about this game in a vaccum, not in relation to any other game, before or after. That's it. I think this is my last post on it cause I'm not sure what else to say to make you understand.

 

[Brandon F]

Again, I am talking about the expectations this game, itself, sets up within its own cutscenes in the first few chapters. I was expecting more cutscenes like the ones this game, itself, has in the first few chapters. Instead the remaining cutscenes outside of a small handful are just introductions to new characters. I am talking about this game in a vaccum, not in relation to any other game, before or after. That's it. I think this is my last post on it cause I'm not sure what else to say to make you understand.

yep and I am just saying, "Hey! Take a step back and realize what you are playing!" Not sure what exactly you are hoping for still. I've not found any dramatic change in the way the narrative or cutscenes are presented in Chapter 1 versus any other given chapter.

What exactly touched you so greatly in the early game cutscenes that isn't in the midgame?

Spoiler

More OMG moments like when the armor chick gets stabbed?

 

[revolverjgw]

Someone forgot to tell Kojima that. It has Kijima-movie-itis, which quickly made me very nostalgic for the legacy Castlevanias that had barely any exposition by comparison but were chock-full of fantastic gameplay.

I wish Kojima was the guy behind this game's story beyond just nodding and saying "whatever". His stories are long-winded and non-sensical, but at least he's funny and weird and creative. This game's presentation is so dry. There's no character or charm at all. It's actively depressing listening to Patrick Stewart sleepwalk through his lines, I can't hit the skip button fast enough.

Ideally, I would have preferred they gave it about as much exposition as Demon's Souls, or maybe go for a creepy silent-movie feel rather than this totally generic Hollywood wanna-be style. The music and story and script and characters and everything just scream BLAND.

Still, the art direction is amazing and the action is fun, I really like this game. Just irritating how there's still so much squandered potential.

 

[Dartastic]

I reckon, Iga will be left to do handheld and downloadable Vanias whilst MercurySteam continue the home console series.

I have absolutely no problem with this.

 

[thetrin]

I'm in Chapter IX, so temper your opinions of this post as such:

The story to me suffers a lot from the same things Kojima games tend to. That is to say, the writing is bad, the delivery is okay, but the ideas are awesome.

Patrick Stewart could read a grocery list to me and I'd be ecstatic, but I'm sure he was thinking "Really? Really?" while reading through his lines. The chapter blocks before levels are badly written, but they're leading to something. The actual intention is clear, and I'm enjoying what the team had in mind, but the delivery is really not that great.

Not a lot of people can live on intentions and overarching ideas alone, and I don't blame them. Communication is what separates hacks from great writers. I think I appreciate the ideas presented in the game enough to enjoy the story despite the bad writing. It helps that the gameplay is great, too.

I have absolutely no problem with this.

Neither do I. I actually hope that's the case. IGA has the handheld Vanias down to a science.

 

[Glix]

I'm in Chapter IX, so temper your opinions of this post as such:

The story to me suffers a lot from the same things Kojima games tend to. That is to say, the writing is bad, the delivery is okay, but the ideas are awesome.

Patrick Stewart could read a grocery list to me and I'd be ecstatic, but I'm sure he was thinking "Really? Really?" while reading through his lines. The chapter blocks before levels are badly written, but they're leading to something. The actual intention is clear, and I'm enjoying what the team had in mind, but the delivery is really not that great.

Not a lot of people can live on intentions and overarching ideas alone, and I don't blame them. Communication is what separates hacks from great writers. I think I appreciate the ideas presented in the game enough to enjoy the story despite the bad writing. It helps that the gameplay is great, too.

They are surely a little long winded, but they are there to cover up the load times. A pretty good way of doing it, if you ask me.

 

[thetrin]

They are surely a little long winded, but they are there to cover up the load times. A pretty good way of doing it, if you ask me.

See, the length isn't what bothers me. The writing is just bland and, at times, embarrassingly badly written. That said, I like the overarching decay of Gabriel as he goes deeper and deeper into the world.

I appreciate the themes and story elements that the game puts forth. I just think the delivery kinda sucks.

 

[dwebo]

I just think the delivery kinda sucks.

Amen. Patrick Stewart just sounds off sometimes, beyond the restraints of the material. Like he'll just raise pitch at odd times in sentences. It really started bothering me as the game wore on. I don't recall him doing that in other stuff, though I could just be crazy.

 

[Peff]

The writing style is actually really plain in Spanish, not much different from a narration in any modern novel. Not to say the English text is super fancy or anything, but it definitely has more ambition than what I assume is the original.

This finally arrived today (ugh konami :/). Really enjoying it so far, and if it gets better after Chapter 3 like I've read I'm in for a treat

 

[Dartastic]

Amen. Patrick Stewart just sounds off sometimes, beyond the restraints of the material. Like he'll just raise pitch at odd times in sentences. It really started bothering me as the game wore on. I don't recall him doing that in other stuff, though I could just be crazy.

It could just be crappy direction tbh.

 

[Phenomic]

Have a question regarding Chapter 11.

Spoiler

Fighting the Dracolich and I'm climbing down toward his back I guess. However, I find there's no place to go after a certain point. I'm currently hanging on one of the outer bones after jumping from a relatively larger platform. Any help would be great.