Topic: One word to describe the state of the franchise.

[beingthehero]

justice-boner

[Flame]

Foggy.

There's potential, but uncertainty at the same time.  Lords 2 could really (really) hit the spot, if Cox and MS can answer some criticisms . . . but what of the classic-style, and what for the future? Uncertainty, but potential.

I like this one. seems about right.

[darkwzrd4]

It seems that most of us have given up on the old timeline, but despite there feelings about LoS not feeling like a true CV, they seem to think that that timeline has some promising potential.

[Charlotte-nyo:3]

The question then becomes whether they've given up on the old timeline because it seems like Konami will no longer make games on it/no longer cares about it or whether they actually dislike it now. I'd describe the old timeline as "doomed" given what I've seen out of Konami since OoE, but I certainly don't prefer the LoS timeline for instance. If LoS is the future, I don't see CV in the future really resembling the past CV at all, so I'd probably just stop caring about it

[Dremn]

"Lost" is on the money.

[DragonSlayr81]

Inconsistent.

Though, given the state of how Konami has be treating the series lately(and putting other series at higher priority), I'd also say "Forgotten" and "Fallen".

[shelverton.]

I just want to know WHAT ELSE is in store for CV other than LoS2. I'm fine with them making these GoW-style Castlevanias, as long as there's something else too. If it's part of the old timeline or even a third one by someone new I don't really care.

[Successor The Cruel]

My feelings about the state of the series don't have much to do with timelines, more so to do with Konami putting out crappy games and crappy games that behave as though they have no business being called Castlevania.

[DragonSlayr81]

I just want to know WHAT ELSE is in store for CV other than LoS2. I'm fine with them making these GoW-style Castlevanias, as long as there's something else too. If it's part of the old timeline or even a third one by someone new I don't really care.

If Konami are streamlining their business logic, there is nothing else besides LoS for the time being. There's just no money, seemingly, in running two canon universes side-by-side. It would confuse newcomers and be a waste of money. That's not including the Pachi-slot thing, which I don't count as a CV title more than it is one of Konami's Pachi-slot ventures using popular Konami franchise(there are some others too) to sell it. I see LoS continuing on until it's wrapped up, then the CV franchise, if it's still relevant and doesn't suffer from ADHD-popularity(and in turn, doesn't gain as much momentum as Konami thought because the first was "lightning in a bottle", which would basically make Konami stomp the franchise FURTHER into the realm of obscurity), they'll hand it over to other producers. 

[Foffy]

My feelings about the state of the series don't have much to do with timelines, more so to do with Konami putting out crappy games and crappy games that behave as though they have no business being called Castlevania.

I certainly hope there are more games it that type of category for you than Lords of Shadow, because if that's a 'crappy' game but the nightmarishly boring PS2 games were any better..

[Successor The Cruel]

^ I recently had a discussion with a friend about that. Here's the difference to me between the PS2 games and Lords of Shadow.

The PS2 games are bad.

Lords of Shadow is insulting and violating to the series.

There is a big difference there. Besides, during the day of the PS2 games, we were certain we'd also be getting other types of Castlevania games. Dawn and Curse were pretty much released in conjunction, so there was nothing to make us believe that we'd only be getting boring arena brawlers for the foreseeable future.

If Konami are streamlining their business logic, there is nothing else besides LoS for the time being. There's just no money, seemingly, in running two canon universes side-by-side. It would confuse newcomers and be a waste of money. That's not including the Pachi-slot thing, which I don't count as a CV title more than it is one of Konami's Pachi-slot ventures using popular Konami franchise(there are some others too) to sell it. I see LoS continuing on until it's wrapped up, then the CV franchise, if it's still relevant and doesn't suffer from ADHD-popularity(and in turn, doesn't gain as much momentum as Konami thought because the first was "lightning in a bottle", which would basically make Konami stomp the franchise FURTHER into the realm of obscurity), they'll hand it over to other producers.

For whatever it's worth, Harmony of Despair was released like a month or month and a half or something before Lords of Shadow and then continued to get additional stages. I know that's likely not canon, and it's just a side downloadable game, but it's something. That said, I don't disagree with you, and it's the reason I'm somewhat militant (dramatic term) against Lords of Shadow. As long as that dark path is being walked, I think that it, for the time being, will indisputably be Castlevania with no worthwhile alternative outside the old games, and that is an incredibly depressing thought to me.

[Rugal]

Shit.

[Flame]

That's not including the Pachi-slot thing, which I don't count as a CV title more than it is one of Konami's Pachi-slot ventures using popular Konami franchise(there are some others too) to sell it. I see LoS continuing on until it's wrapped up,

In b4 LoS pachislot

[DragonSlayr81]

Dawn and Curse were pretty much released in conjunction, so there was nothing to make us believe that we'd only be getting boring arena brawlers for the foreseeable future.

On a side note, despite the flaws present in both games, I did think it was clever of those two games giving little nods to each other. One of of the biggest, apparent nod was that both games used a part of Voyager for their clock tower themes, and both clock tower bosses, for the first time to my knowledge, were time-related/time-controlling bosses. It was kinda like IGA said, "Hmm, lets do this and see if anybody picks up on it!".

[Munchy]

Kojima.

(I'd seriously love him to straight up make a Castlevania. That dream sequence in MGS3 gave me a raging action-horror boner.)