Topic: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate 3DS (Discussion Thread)

[sannyclause]

...So I just saw the Lords of Shadow movie the other day. Oh wait, that was The Hobbit. My mistake. All the Orc faces and trolls threw me off.
HO HO HO if you were trying to be funny you failed miserably :/

HO HO HO if you were trying to be funny you failed miserably 

[demon king 92]

HO HO HO if you were trying to be funny you failed miserably 

keep your jammies on st. nick, its just his/her opinion

[Flame]

It still wasn't funny. the LoS/LotR Joke always has, and always will, just fall flat. It's not funny, because it just doesnt hold up as well as  people who dislike LoS seem to think.

[JoshuaKadmon]

After replaying LoS over the last several nights, I've revised my opinion of the game a bit.  At first, I was bothered by the non-canon story reset, the prevalance of goblins and trolls, the negation of Mathias/Vlad/Dracula as we know him, the idea of the Belmonts potentially being corrupted, the GoW combat controls, the linearity of the whole thing, and the general mainstream nature of the game's design.

Now, I tend to look at it as a "what if..." that occurred before Leon or Mathias were even born, an examination of what would have happened if the Belmonts had been consumed by the darkness instead of warring against it endlessly.  A few of the same things still bother me, but I actually really enjoy the game's structure.  It pays tribute to the construct of classic linear CVs like Super IV and maintains similar aesthetics in a next-gen style, but it also allows re-exploration of previous levels to cover a bit of that Metroidvania open-worldness that hardcore fans crave.  Branching levels and upgradeable skills add some depth to the experience, and the ability to swing around and rapel using the whip hasn't been done well since SCIV anyway.  The storytelling isn't bad either.

Overall, I'm not sure that LoS is the direction I'd choose for the future of the series, but taken as a 3-episode "what if...", it's a pretty good entry.  Still, what I want to see most is an anthology or two to consolidate the series before moving forward, and maybe we'll get that from Konami once MercurySteam is done with their contributions.

[Reinhart77]

...So I just saw the Lords of Shadow movie the other day. Oh wait, that was The Hobbit. My mistake. All the Orc faces and trolls threw me off.

When I was watching The Hobbit, I couldn't help but think "dang, I feel like playing some Lords of Shadow".  I like to think of LoS as enhancing the Castlevania franchise with LotR elements, not replacing it with them. 

[Dark Nemesis]

When I was watching The Hobbit, I couldn't help but think "dang, I feel like playing some Lords of Shadow".  I like to think of LoS as enhancing the Castlevania franchise with LotR elements, not replacing it with them.

You sir just made some enemies...........just kidding. I saw Hobbit and not once has the thought of LoS crossed my mind. Goblins, trolls and other monsters, are bind by evil and i don't see a reason, why they shouldn't be there. What i don't like is their designs, they look like a rip off from Lotr. Older castlevania games have trolls, but with different designs and since they are minions of Dracula, i believe that they should have a twisted shape. That would be because they have been corrupted by evil. Just my opinion about them. I hope that Mercury will redeem their self for that, with the two new games.

[Inccubus]

I don't recall any trolls in any of the old games. To what games do you refer?

[Dark Nemesis]

I don't recall any trolls in any of the old games. To what games do you refer?

What about the cave trolls?

[Inccubus]

That's the US name for Chupacabra. I don't count that at all. Plus maybe it's my age, but I don't think of SotN when I think of *old* CV.

[Dark Nemesis]

That's the US name for Chupacabra. I don't count that at all. Plus maybe it's my age, but I don't think of SotN when I think of *old* CV.

Well, SotN, might not be a classic Castlevania, but still it's an old Castlevania game and that doesn't change the fact that i like a more dark approach for these enemies than the generic, since we are talking about the Castlevania universe and the absolute evil and not a fairy\fantasy game.

[DragonSlayr81]

Well, SotN, might not be a classic Castlevania, but still it's an old Castlevania game and that doesn't change the fact that i like a more dark approach for these enemies than the generic, since we are talking about the Castlevania universe and the absolute evil and not a fairy\fantasy game.

For me, considering CV was birthed in horror movie pop culture, classic horror themed enemies would always be much more preferred for the series than classic medieval fantasy themed enemies(or even Tolkien/D&D themed enemies). I wouldn't be thrilled in sing Mind Flayers or Displacer Beasts in CV games either.

[Dark Nemesis]

For me, considering CV was birthed in horror movie pop culture, classic horror themed enemies would always be much more preferred for the series than classic medieval fantasy themed enemies(or even Tolkien/D&D themed enemies). I wouldn't be thrilled in sing Mind Flayers or Displacer Beasts in CV games either.

I think the same way as you, but since the leading team has decided to go with that kind of monsters, at least they should take the effort and make them a more fitting design for the series.

[Inccubus]

Well, SotN, might not be a classic Castlevania, but still it's an old Castlevania game and that doesn't change the fact that i like a more dark approach for these enemies than the generic, since we are talking about the Castlevania universe and the absolute evil and not a fairy\fantasy game.

Oh, I agree. I'm with DragonSlayr, too. The classic horror pop culture flavor should a big part of any CV game.

As for my thing with SotN I guess I consider it as part of a different era than the *old* games. For me the old CV is synonymous with Classicvania. Although I guess Adventure ReBirth isn't exactly old like the rest of the Classicvanias.

[beingthehero]

I will forever hate myself for coining 'classicvania'. It was meant to make fun of people trying to separate the newer games from the older ones, except questvania (for cvII) and megavania (for belmont's revenge) never caught on.

[Sumac]

I will forever hate myself for coining 'classicvania'

I think it's an awesome term. And besides, series already have very distinct border between old games and the new ones, so it would have been named somehow anyway.