Sorry if I continue with all the stuff regarding GoW-LoS comparition... But I can´t be still without said my opinion...
The main complaint to me, to refer LoS a very similar game to GoW is not the whip-chain mechanic, no... is everything else!: the not-free camera from the first LoS, the ambience music, the QTE, the beast riding, the chain to move across obstacles, the fact that to have more energy, you must get a determined quantity of items (and for energy and magic, by the way), the puzzles (too much in the end, in my opinion)... We will see the diferences of LoS1 to LoS2 when we see Dracula and his blood whip
in action...
...If DMC, PS2 Rygar, or the pre-3d Castlevanias has all that elements, to me they are all GoW clones... but they do not have it. And lets not talk about other games influences (PoP, SotC), because is pretty clear to the most of us here that.