Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

I finally got a chance to try the demo tonight.

I got up to the werewolf boss fight, and it was so far so good.

Then it started telling me to pick up this giant stick on the ground.

So I did. And I stood there, because I didn't get any follow up instructions on how to use it, while the werewolf battered me to death.

At this point I deleted the demo.

Rubbish.

Lard wrote:

I finally got a chance to try the demo tonight.

I got up to the werewolf boss fight, and it was so far so good.

Then it started telling me to pick up this giant stick on the ground.

So I did. And I stood there, because I didn't get any follow up instructions on how to use it, while the werewolf battered me to death.

At this point I deleted the demo.

Rubbish.

Yeah that was annoying (second time through at least, first time through it walked you through it in the full game)...

Spoiler:

you have to use the log at the point his eyes flash bright red when he's up on his high perch. Took me several attempts to spot this and then ANOTHER few attepts to actually time it right.

Still, not even close to being as annoying as the Titan fight at the end of the chapter.

Lard wrote:

I finally got a chance to try the demo tonight.

I got up to the werewolf boss fight, and it was so far so good.

Then it started telling me to pick up this giant stick on the ground.

So I did. And I stood there, because I didn't get any follow up instructions on how to use it, while the werewolf battered me to death.

At this point I deleted the demo.

Rubbish.

What's that? Lard DOWNLOADED a demo!?

There are no instructions. You just pick it up, and the game does the rest.

Game picks up significantly once you get past the titans. Combat gets just complicated enough, fun boss fights and powers, more varied visual direction. Music stays strong.

Patrick Stewart does grind on my nerves, as other have mentioned. Camera man is definitely a vampire, considering how often it get sin the way. Also, Frankenstein's clock tower is...annoying. This game definitely should try to be a plat former when the camera isn't in the players hands.

Still, I'm having a lot of fun. I do love killing me some vampires.

I've unfortunately only been managing 15-30 minute gaming sessions the past couple of weeks so I'm not making near as much progress on Castlevania before the release of Fallout as I would like to. However, I'm currently about 8 hours in and just finished chapter 5 (this includes some level repeats looking for crystals and dagger capacity upgrades).

To be honest, I was not crazy about the combat to begin with and agree with others in the thread that find the titan battles tedious. That being said, my opinion of chapters 3, 4, 5 is much higher than the first two chapters. I'm enjoying the combat much more now that I have to focus on blocking and my focus meter just to stay alive. I've also enjoyed the boss battles much more in these chapters. I'm actually finding the combat more fun than in God of War because you can't just button mash.

I also haven't found the platforming to be as poor as many others have described, but I've yet to reach the clocktower in the post just above. With the small exception of a spot where I was stuck for awhile because I forgot you could hold down a button to kick off from a wall while hanging by the whip, I haven't found it frustrating and have quite enjoyed experimenting with alternative climbing paths to find items (although there is not as much of this as I would like.)

My favorite section of the game so far has been Chapter 4 because of the

Spoiler:

Ogre and the Crow Witch.

Just finished. This game definitely picks up as it went along. I'm pretty positive on the end. Cliffhanger for sure, but not too frustrating. Definitely piqued my interest for the announced sequel.

Just finished it this morning. Outside of a few annoying boss mechanics I really liked this game. The ending was both odd and cool.

Dr.Ghastly wrote:

Just finished it this morning. Outside of a few annoying boss mechanics I really liked this game. The ending was both odd and cool.

I also finished on Saturday morn. I agree that some of the bosses made me put down the game for the rest of the day/night and come back with a fresh attitude. I just don't have the patience for the mega-stick-and-move-wear-down-a-huge-health-bar-a-bit-at-a-time-how-many-more-dashes-can-I-fit-into-this type of boss battles. The werewolf boss being a particular Female Doggo to my sensibilities.

But overall a really great game, good mix of platforming and hack and slash. I will say that even though the combat is much more complex and deep than Enslaved, once you get to the later chapters in the game, it's almost impossible to use alot of the combos as you don't have enough time to execute them. You really have to rely on potshots and dodging in order to stay alive. I mean, how am I supposed to do a complex 9 button combo when I'm getting swarmed by enemies that can take me out in 2 hits and can interrupt said combos at will?

The ending had some predictable twists that I saw coming for a while, but the epilogue? Fuhgedddaboutit. That sh!t was pretty awesome.

Local Blockbuster didn't have it. Frownyface.

I'm ready to throw this game right out the window. Serves me right for buying a game at full price with only mixed reviews. If I hear that chorus music again after you die I may just snap the disk in half. I really tried to like this. I'm at the last part of chapter 2 where there is a tedious boss battle after an infuriating titan level. I feel like half of the game is getting lucky hits or dodges and the other half is patience. Like God of War, you can buy all sorts of combos that you'll only use a few times, and they are totally worthless on bosses. For bosses you just hit and, hit and run, hit and run. The difference is that God of War still managed to make the game fun. Every single boss and titan also seems to have the AOE attack "I'm gonna punch or kick the ground and somehow that will cause you significant damage if you don't jump in time." The boss at the end of chapter 2 has black goop that swims around and holds you. This is especially infuriating when you finally whiddle down his HP to zero and you have to do the obligatorily quicktime event to kill him, the goop holds you. So, he becomes unstunned and gets back 25% of his power. Bah, I'm done. I'll maybe give it a shot again later, but I have received no enjoyment from this game.

Maybe I should just play on easy mode, but I'm not sure if I can change it in the middle of a game. It sounds like the game gets better after this point, but I really don't see how it could get worse.

PoderOmega wrote:

Maybe I should just play on easy mode, but I'm not sure if I can change it in the middle of a game. It sounds like the game gets better after this point, but I really don't see how it could get worse.

It does get noticably better after Chapter 2.

For the boss, the best thing you can do is to stay cautious. Only attack after he has, and don't make it a long combo unless you're sure of its effectiveness. Otherwise, move and dodge. The goop's worst nightmare is the direct heavy combo (hold primary attack, repeatedly tap). You need good aim and at least be medium distance (ie safe) from the boss to kill them. I was playing on Hard, so it may be slightly different for you.

Lastly, feel free you change your difficulty. Think of LoS more as Super Mario X in level structure. I've had to replay some levels on easy to 100% them; those challenges can be annoying.

Mother f*ck those titan things. Wait until you get the tall titan battle, where you have to fling a stone back at him and then climb him.

hmmm...I started this game the other day.. now I'm not so sure I should suffer the aggravation..

Don't get me wrong, the game is pretty good. There's just a cold spot in a garbage pail full of used dooshbags and rotten apples for the person who designed the titans.

oops, double post

Yeah, DanB this was my single player experience of 2010. Great value compared to any other single player only action game.

Was given this game out of the blue for christmas and I have to say I am surprised it hasn't been given more love (or advertising). Just finished it after starting on Knight (hard?) and I thought the difficulty curve was pretty well paced; there was a real satisfying progression of really mastering the game towards the end. Also I got into the melancholy air of the game, it's pretty unusual. There's a quiet loneliness to the platforming and the plot dialogue, especially the pre-level Patrick Stewart dialogue, that really builds that atmosphere.

Controversially, I really like the titan battles, I really liked Shadow of The Colossus and it's pretty cool here. Also they're a good change of pace to the usual level combat or bosses. In fact the whole game is full of interesting things that change the pace, it was never particularly boring to me.

Finishing the trials and running through it on the hardest level now; seems like an easy (and my first) Platinum PS3 trophy

Mystic Violet wrote:

I wish the story had been revealed in a better way. I enjoyed what I saw, however, the majority of the story was told through Patrick Stewart's monologue during the loading screens. It was disappointing because, instead of seeing or experiencing what Gabriel was going through, Stewart's character just flat out told you what was happening between each stage. It got to a point where Gabe's character might have been changing but there was no sign from Gabe himself that this was occurring. It was all on Zorbek to inform the player of what he was witnessing instead of showing the player.

Totally agree, but I'm not sure within the structure of the game how you'd go about showing Gabriel's change to any great effect or the kinds of existential issues Zobek is describing. One thing though, those pre-level speeches are really gratingly melodramatic and cheesy, slightly out of tone with the rest of the dialogue. And...

Spoiler:

And Zobek's soliloquy at the end is so unbeliveably over the top and over played it was almost painful to listen to, kinda glad they replaced him with satan as the final bad guy.

Mystic Violet wrote:

The ending:

Spoiler:

Well, I saw Zorbek's betrayal coming. I don't think anyone missed it.

Yup, pretty much guessed that the first time they were in a cut scene.

Mystic Violet wrote:
Spoiler:

The ending screams "sequel" but I wonder if it'll be about Gabe's road to becoming Dracula or take place in modern times.

Spoiler:

A sequel about how Gabriel becomes Dracula followed by a third set in modern times would be my favourite option.

PoderOmega wrote:

I'm ready to throw this game right out the window. Serves me right for buying a game at full price with only mixed reviews. If I hear that chorus music again after you die I may just snap the disk in half. I really tried to like this. I'm at the last part of chapter 2 where there is a tedious boss battle after an infuriating titan level. I feel like half of the game is getting lucky hits or dodges and the other half is patience. Like God of War, you can buy all sorts of combos that you'll only use a few times, and they are totally worthless on bosses. For bosses you just hit and, hit and run, hit and run. The difference is that God of War still managed to make the game fun.

Can't argue with any of that but as I got to the end of the game and you learn how the combat works there is a real rhythm to it that is really satisfying to master. Doesn't stop the fighting boss battles from being a bit tedious mind.

e2a: And I thought the art direction was superb. Occasionally the graphics were a little peculiar (the faces throughout) but mostly it looks really pretty. But more significantly the framing of the scenes, the camera placement and the tracking and panning (when they occurred) showed off a really smart and affecting eye for cinematography. Because of all that I can mostly forgive the occasional screwy camera.

I just beat the game.

DanB wrote:

I thought the difficulty curve was pretty well paced

Disagree.

If the first half of the game had the polish given to the second half, this would've been a great experience for me. As is, it's a good game with too many rough edges. An example of this was one of the toughest fights for me, the Spider and Lycan encounter in 2-2. As soon as you start the level you get your first encounter of the Spider. Not too sure about their decision to start off a level with a mini-boss, but my qualm is with the very next room you enter. When you drop down into the room 5 Lycans spawn. At this point in the game you're still relatively weak, and I hadn't learned to effectively parry the Lycan's attacks yet. So, I've already got a decent fight on my hands, and having just come from a mini-boss fight I could use a few bandages. "Nah, that's not enough. Let's only give the player a couple seconds before a Spider spawns." So you're surrounded by a handful of fast lycans, a sturdy mini-boss which you had already faced not a minute ago, and during the fight a few more Lycans spawn.

That's just one combat pacing problem. There were many others, some of which didn't have checkpoints beforehand so you'd have to platform again and again until you beat the encounter, and others still that had multiple "arena" fights before a checkpoint. Don't forget the genius decision to lower your total health every time you respawn.

I played on Knight difficulty.

DanB wrote:

there was a real satisfying progression of really mastering the game towards the end.

Agree.

Besides a couple fights that're bullsh*t (I hate you, coffin creepers), and The Clockwork Tower, I really enjoyed the game's second half. The time between Cornell and Carmilla was a bit long (castle, castle, castle, more castle), but it only effected the quality of the story for me. Once I unlocked Ultimate Light, most fights were a breeze, especially if there was an energy statue nearby. I really like the idea of levels that are massive puzzles, or challenges, despite their not so successful execution. Oh, and the epilogue, yah, pretty amazing.

Where this game really shines is in its presentation. The quality and quantity of art in this game is really amazing. And even though I dread hearing it for the three-hundredth time, the death music is only part of a score that never disappointed me. Character's facial animations are the only thing that stand out in a negative light here.

All said, while I might not have been the biggest fan of this game, I'm really looking forward to the planned DLC and sequel. Just like Assassin's Creed, this game screams for refinement. Here's hoping for a more polished product next time.

cyrax wrote:

An example of this was one of the toughest fights for me, the Spider and Lycan encounter in 2-2. As soon as you start the level you get your first encounter of the Spider. Not too sure about their decision to start off a level with a mini-boss, but my qualm is with the very next room you enter. When you drop down into the room 5 Lycans spawn. At this point in the game you're still relatively weak, and I hadn't learned to effectively parry the Lycan's attacks yet.

Yeah I found that tough but I kind of like the near vertical learning curve and I'm amazed you were trying to parry, I mostly used the roll to get out the way. The parrying is just too annoying when the camera is fixed too far out from the action.

Character's facial animations are the only thing that stand out in a negative light here.

All said, while I might not have been the biggest fan of this game, I'm really looking forward to the planned DLC and sequel. Just like Assassin's Creed, this game screams for refinement.

Totally agree. Didn't really like all of Patrick Stewart's pre-level dialogue either, it was a bit too cheesy and hammy.

DanB wrote:
cyrax wrote:

An example of this was one of the toughest fights for me, the Spider and Lycan encounter in 2-2. As soon as you start the level you get your first encounter of the Spider. Not too sure about their decision to start off a level with a mini-boss, but my qualm is with the very next room you enter. When you drop down into the room 5 Lycans spawn. At this point in the game you're still relatively weak, and I hadn't learned to effectively parry the Lycan's attacks yet.

Yeah I found that tough but I kind of like the near vertical learning curve and I'm amazed you were trying to parry, I mostly used the roll to get out the way. The parrying is just too annoying when the camera is fixed too far out from the action.

It's hard to be effective with the dodge (which did grow on me the more I played) in this fight. It's not a very open arena and you have to deal with the enemies constantly moving around, plus there's enemy collision.

DanB wrote:

Didn't really like all of Patrick Stewart's pre-level dialogue either, it was a bit too cheesy and hammy.

I didn't dislike it, but it was rarely effective for me.

Spoiler:

Also, like you stated in a previous post, Death's "I'm awesome" speech (aka muahhahaha!) was laughable. I love a good evil rant as much as the next person, but the quality of the script and cliches were ridiculous.

Spoiler:

Unrelated, but I must mention the point in the game where I uttered, "f*ck ya." It was the climax of the Carmilla fight. She's flying you around, trying to knock you off. Gabriel somehow maintains his footing on the top-side of the castle, at which point he yanks Carmilla down, skewering her onto the point of the castle. f*ck ya.

I'm looking forward to the DLC. I hope it isn't too short, but I don't think it will be considering the length of the main game proper.

Fxeni wrote:

I'm looking forward to the DLC. I hope it isn't too short, but I don't think it will be considering the length of the main game proper.

More so the time it took to make. LoS released Oct. 5.

Reverie is out on PSN now. No critic reviews yet (week early), but Gaf isn't shouting praises. The consensus is the content isn't worth $10 (~2 hours), with nothing standout except for the story and cutscenes.

brandonh83 wrote:

Pros:
Very cool ending. Loved it.
Nice puzzles that are kinda fun.
Couple of great backdrops.
Great, stylistic cutscenes.

Cons:
Some annoying segments.
No bosses or new enemies.
Way too short.
No new music.
Breaks a lot of promises*

Overall:
Some neat stuff, and I really liked the final scene a lot. As a huge fan of the game it's a treat to get some new material. However, the content itself is nowhere near being worth $10. Honestly they should have simply waited until Resurrection was finished, and combined them both as one DLC for $10. I'm sure that would be worth it, but unless you absolutely loved the main game, it's not. And this is coming from me.

Sounds like I'll wait for a sale or pack, damn shame.

cyrax wrote:
Reverie is out on PSN now. No critic reviews yet (week early), but Gaf isn't shouting praises. The consensus is the content isn't worth $10 (~2 hours), with nothing standout except for the story and cutscenes.

Sounds like I'll wait for a sale or pack, damn shame.

Hmm, maybe they'll eventually release a version with the DLC inlcuded (I know, I know, talking about it before it's all out) since I don't have the game yet, I'd be willing to wait.

Started this game late.

Was rather liking it until the Ice Titan of... Chapter 1? Two failed attempts and while I know how to beat him now, I feel like I can't be bothered to go through it again. Glad I only paid $20 for this because it's probably going back on the shelf for a while.

So I beat the game a couple days ago on Knight. Once I got my head around dealing with off-screen enemy crowd control, it was generally quite fun. The 1st level in Chapter 11 was about 5x too long, though. It was mostly puzzles just too many long segments. So I've got 2 trials and then get to decide if I go for a run on Paladin. Anyone care to enable me or tell me its so much harder it is not worth it?

mrtomaytohead wrote:

So I beat the game a couple days ago on Knight. Once I got my head around dealing with off-screen enemy crowd control, it was generally quite fun. The 1st level in Chapter 11 was about 5x too long, though. It was mostly puzzles just too many long segments. So I've got 2 trials and then get to decide if I go for a run on Paladin. Anyone care to enable me or tell me its so much harder it is not worth it?

It's not much harder if you've got the combat down and you're at the top end of the upgrade path. One of the few games I went platinum trophy on PS3

DanB wrote:
mrtomaytohead wrote:

So I beat the game a couple days ago on Knight. Once I got my head around dealing with off-screen enemy crowd control, it was generally quite fun. The 1st level in Chapter 11 was about 5x too long, though. It was mostly puzzles just too many long segments. So I've got 2 trials and then get to decide if I go for a run on Paladin. Anyone care to enable me or tell me its so much harder it is not worth it?

It's not much harder if you've got the combat down and you're at the top end of the upgrade path. One of the few games I went platinum trophy on PS3

Already bought and collected everything. Guess it's more of a time thing, then. I'll have to figure out how the ultimate light / shadow things work, too.