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

[shelverton.]

Meanwhile in my country (Sweden), the game is mostly scoring 7/10 and 3/5. I'm still waiting for IGN Sweden to say something. I wonder if they go for the high european scores, or the low US one. Probably something in between. Game is out here tomorrow and I'm probably picking it up right away. Unless I pick up Ni No Kuni instead...

[The Silverlord]

Reading a lot of positive comments (NeoGAF are really taking to it) and I'm itching to play this game, but I has no 3DS  . . . er, I might get into trouble from the missus if I buy one.

Great interview Koutei and I think Cox talks with a lot of common sense.

[son_the_vampire]

I love the entire Castlevania Franchise. i currently have a DS to but I told myself to get a 3ds when a CV came out.The reviews were love/hate as expected. my question is,  IS IT WORTH FORKING OVER THE CASH for a new system? i wanna play out the already spoiled game myself but i just feel shaky about getting a 3ds for one title.... someone help.

[shelverton.]

I've been watching a couple of different videos of this game, and I was wondering... does this game have any music at all for the levels? what about boss fights? The demo had music, but all the gameplay videos I'm watching right now have none at all, just background noise and grunts from the main character. I'm guessing it's supposed to be "atmospheric". For me it's really depressing and off-putting.

[Dark Nemesis]

I've been watching a couple of different videos of this game, and I was wondering... does this game have any music at all for the levels? what about boss fights? The demo had music, but all the gameplay videos I'm watching right now have none at all, just background noise and grunts from the main character. I'm guessing it's supposed to be "atmospheric". For me it's really depressing and off-putting.

Don't expect what you have heard in LoS, musical pieces, are very few on MoF, you can count them in one hand.

[Gecko]

I've been watching a couple of different videos of this game, and I was wondering... does this game have any music at all for the levels? what about boss fights? The demo had music, but all the gameplay videos I'm watching right now have none at all, just background noise and grunts from the main character. I'm guessing it's supposed to be "atmospheric". For me it's really depressing and off-putting.

Nemesis is right that there aren't a lot of songs, but they do play. The gameplay videos you've seen have the music turned off for some reason. Music is playing most of the time during the game. I actually really like the songs it has, and they never really grate on my nerves or anything, personally.

[Ahasverus]

Look: More than 40 MOF-Reviews from all around the world
Score-average from all reviews = 8.3

Metacritic needs to update.

What are the coolest bosses in MoF? I liked how Simon was turned on by the Succubus and he almost fell for her heheh that was nice, I liked the boss fight.

[Inccubus]

Some of what I've heard so far is a little reminiscent of some of the music in LoI. At least what they do have seems to be a little more melodic. However, I still can't stand the "Battle Music" interrupting the BGM. It's one of those little things that is unnecessarily reminiscent of GoW and other such thingamabobs.

[Dremn]

So I found a spare SD Card and downloaded the game last night, currently on Alucard's portion right now.

This game is a ton of fun, and a bit challenging at times. So far Alucard's campaign is my favorite part of the game. No major complaints yet, it's just way better than LoS was all around except in framerate, but that honestly doesn't bother me at all.

I'm really liking the new Alucard too, but I can't help but wish he used a sword instead of a blood whip.

[Dark Nemesis]

Nemesis is right that there aren't a lot of songs, but they do play.

I know, what i meant is that there is not variety.

[Johnny Alucard]

I actually really like the songs it has

I do too. I wonder if they'll be available in a separate OST or along with the LoS2 soundtrack? I personally love the song that plays during some the puzzles and the second half of the credits.

[Neobelmont]

I'm in the Alucard part and what I can say is that

(click to show/hide)

Luigi died in the pipes section from a poison mushroom most likely

My gripe with this game is the framerate.

This happened in los as well, when it's at it's best my gosh it's much more awesome so fluid. Like the fight with pan compared to the catacombs with the blues flames and stuff.

The difference is like night and day.

A solid 30 fps would make this game so,so much better than it is. I felt it when Simon got off his horse and when alucard awoke from his slumber and in the end it felt like a tease     .

[RichterB]

New interview.
http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/47482/features/castlevania-3ds-interview-the-metroidvania-formula-had-been-done-to-death/

COX: "What happened with Symphony of the Night, it was a spin-off series, it was the N64 games that were going to be the next real Castlevanias. But what happened was Symphony of the Night became really popular, especially critically, but it didn't sell so well. It was the critical darling of the press and over time it built up that snowball effect and that became Castlevania."

  Now that is a statement you don't hear everyday. One I strongly agree with. In spite of their shortcomings, it's baffling that the N64 games left very little impact on the series going forward. Usually there are blanket statements of "I don't want to talk about those," when, in fact, a certain amount of Castlevania's core DNA from its earliest days sort of died with the N64 entries. That notion, and the "snowball effect" it had, completely altered the course of the series in the next decade. Not always for the worse in the short term, but certainly not good or healthy for the long term.

As an aside, it's interesting that the favorite game of one of CV64's main creators was "Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse," (an influence on MoF according to Cox), and how the "style" of Castelvania was interpreted by the CV64 crew: "The Castlevania series has always had a theme of horror behind it. This does not mean bloody scenes or chilling torture, but a mood of darkness and absence of light, that still has cool beauty and elegance to it. Retaining this theme has been what I have been careful with while designing the game. In regards to the character design, I have tried to bring the former enemies to life in 3D and retaining their atmosphere, while keeping them appropriate and looking cool for this generation of game system." He stated that CV64 will bring in some elements people associate with and enjoy from SotN, including "exploration" and "puzzles" [and he forgot to mention inventory].

COX: "We felt that the Metroidvania formula had been done to death, and the brief from Konami HQ was that they wanted to appeal to Western gamers, they wanted to make the series mainstream again. It had become this very core, very focused series that really only appealed to hardcore gamers who enjoyed the challenge and the 2D graphics, so that's why we started from scratch. We started again with a new story, an alternate universe."

I was tired of Metroidvania-style, too; but the question is, did they succeed in getting "Castlevania" back into the mainstream discussion?

[shelverton.]

I was tired of Metroidvania-style, too; but the question is, did they succeed in getting "Castlevania" back into the mainstream discussion?

I was tired too, but now it's been a few years and I would really like another one! Not made by IGA, not made by Cox... someone else should make it. I'm sure there's a new generation of developers who have fresh ideas for this - stuff we haven't seen before. All this talk about making Castlevania "mainstream" is so depressing I don't know what to say. I completely understand it from a business point of view, but the whole appeal of the series (for me) was that Castlevania was never like every other game out there.

It may have grown stale but it was always a very special series for me. I enjoy the LoS series for what it is, but it's not the same. And this has nothing to do with me being an IGA fanboy, because like I said - as much as I loved his games, I want someone else to have a shot. And I want it to be more japanese again. But whatever. I'm fine with whatever happens, but I'll never think of Castlevania in the same way again if "mainstream" is the future...

[thernz]

COX: "What happened with Symphony of the Night, it was a spin-off series, it was the N64 games that were going to be the next real Castlevanias. But what happened was Symphony of the Night became really popular, especially critically, but it didn't sell so well. It was the critical darling of the press and over time it built up that snowball effect and that became Castlevania."

  Now that is a statement you don't hear everyday. One I strongly agree with. In spite of their shortcomings, it's baffling that the N64 games left very little impact on the series going forward.

the funny thing is that after sotn, iga tried to bring back old vania, or at least test the waters for its potential in the new market, and it was seen as mediocre, while the n64 guys deliberately continued the legacy of sotn with cotm.

if anything, why did people have to be terrible and hate chronicles