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

[Dremn]

Good thing I haven't bothered to listen to IGN in years.

I've made peace with the fact this was never going to be the Castlevania I wanted for 3DS awhile ago, but the demo was enough to seal the deal for me if that was arguably the worst MoF has to offer.

I love SotN too but I've really had just about enough of that format. I would rather get more traditional Castlevanias that incorporate platforming and combat in the design together like the originals instead of breaking it off into their own sections like LoS does. This image does a great job explaining exactly what I mean; (Excuse the insults, not my doing)



Snagged it off of /v/ not too long ago.

[Neobelmont]

Then you can be in our club. 1984 babies rule! WOOH!

Okay 

The reason why I game is partly(or majorly) due to dracula's curse  It was the first game to make me think about games in awhole new light odd, considering that I was afraid of games like mario and stuff.

[Neobelmont]

If you think the IGN review was bad, check out the extra discussion by the reviewers

Dissecting the Many Faults of Castlevania: Mirror of Fate

I just realized something...

The 1-up review is not going to be so hot is it?

[Ahasverus]

I just realized something...

The 1-up review is not going to be so hot is it?

1up doesn't exist anymore 

[thernz]

GOING OUT WITH A BANG

[Neobelmont]

1up doesn't exist anymore 

What did I mishear it then?

[somasworld]

Now, after all these awesome reviews we can say,
that Mirror of Fate is becoming a masterpiece of Castlevania-game!!!

Nintendo Insider: 93
Official Nintendo Magazine: 92
VideoGamer: 90
gamerfuzion: 8.8/10
GameInformer: 8.5/10
Nintendoworldreport: 8,5/10
Vandal (Spanish site): 85
Gamestrust: 85
CVG: 8.4
Meristation (Spanish site): 8.3
Nintendo Life: 8/10
godisageek: 8/10
pocketgamer: 8/10
thegamershub: 4,5/5
huffingtonpost: 4/5
press-play: 4/5
tvballa: 4/5
MComputerandvideogames: 4/ 5
gadgetshow: 4/5
Giga: 80
Metro Gamecentral: 80
Edge Magazine: 70
Eurogamer: 7
EGM: 6.5/10
Gamesradar: 6/10
IGN:(USA) 4.7
IGN:(Germany) 8,0
IGN: (Spain) 90
kotaku: "Mof is fun in its own fashion"
multiplayer: 8.8
gamestats: 8.9
gamesvillage.it: 8 / 10
vgnetwork.it: 8.5 / 10
Biogamer Girl: 8/10
GamersGlobal: 8.5

[RichterB]

I'm staying away from full reviews, but I listened to IGN's afterthoughts. I think it will be an amusing game, and its definitely a game I'll consider at some point. That said, I don't know that it's capitalizing on the series' potential by any means, and I think these IGN guys made some good points, especially when they said: "[MoF] puts all these influences together...[but] it doesn't stop to ask 'why did these things work to begin with?'"

That's been my contention, and OSM's borrowed diagram kind of demonstrates this. (The command prompt auto-swinging over gaps is another concrete example). Regardless, I don't agree with IGN's assertion that it and everything has to be like "SotN."

Some people, myself included, do not judge a Castlevania game by SotN, and I think that has set the series back for years due to the closed mindset it created. (SotN was an aberration, like Simon's Quest. Strong and fun in its own right, no doubt, but not the definitive example of the meat and potatoes).

I see what MS was trying to do. Basically, they wanted something with a more Metroidvania feel in layout to ease fans and mesh with CV's recent portable history, but wanted to keep the core of LoS in the flashy combos, persistent arena battles, and separation of platforming and fighting. There's where that IGN quote comes in, because while it's an admirable idea to try to make something your own while also referencing the series' history, I think it sort of backfired from having a truly unstoppable stage presence, because those two styles don't mix well and have contradictory elements. (On the other hand, this idea they put forth that RoB was the perfect mixture of SotN and Classicvania was not entirely accurate, IMO. It's a start, but that game, too, suffered from contradictions, where, for instance, you could skip out of some levels very early, breaking the design of the action-platforming parts. I know RoB gets a lot of love, and I respect it in a lot of ways, but I don't hold it in the same regard as many fans seem to. I prefer the SNES Dracula X, where the path choices have more consequences because you can't turn back, and there's more hazards in the level designs. And if we're talking mixing Classicvania and Metroidvania, I felt CV64/LoD's hybrid of consequential action-platforming and atmospheric exploration may be the best example, and a base model for going forward in 3D).

That's all I can say right now about MoF, though. I wish the CV series the best. This has been an awkward time for the series. There's no doubt a lot of effort and talented artistic vision being brought to bear, but it's missing a lot intangibles and core gameplay concepts I expect to experience. The bread and butter being what OSM noted (plus death pits).

PS: I think that's the bottom line. "What do you want as a Castlevania fan?" Enjoying the LoS series requires you to take it almost 100% at face value, and leave all preconceptions at the door. (Not even SotN-style, with its heavy Metroid influences, made you forget so much about the series' technical, aural, and visual history). Anyway, I did that with LoS1, paying full price, and enjoyed it for what it was...but it didn't overall fulfill the need for a "Castlevania" game. I had better luck with the bare-bones The Adventure Rebirth. In that regard, I am conflicted about MoF. Because while I'm sure I can enjoy some of what it does artistically, it doesn't appear like I'll feel I've gotten my CV fix, which seems a bit counter-intuitive to the wallet and mind.

...But maybe I'm just being too hard on this while thing. I think the fact that I haven't really been satisfied with Castlevania's overall direction for a long time has something to do with this. I'll have a better grasp when I get to play it, but I don't think that'll be for a while.

What did I mishear it then?

It's going under, but will have one last sendoff review with MoF as I understand it.

[JR]

Just got mine in the mail, but I can't play it tonight. 

I had to laugh at the pre-order bonus, though. The 3DS case is more like, "Here's two pieces of plastic, and a sticker. You figure it out." It's so half-assed that I can't really be mad. It's hilarious.

Konami will be giving us all wet diapers for the LoS2 pre-order bonus.

 

[Neobelmont]

Just got mine in the mail, but I can't play it tonight. 

I had to laugh at the pre-order bonus, though. The 3DS case is more like, "Here's two pieces of plastic, and a sticker. You figure it out." It's so half-assed that I can't really be mad. It's hilarious.

Konami will be giving us all wet diapers for the LoS2 pre-order bonus.

I know even the sticker picture looks cheap heck the mirror of fate part just looks so cheap.

[Inccubus]

The castle feels very empty... just like LoI.

[Neobelmont]

Well gametrailers gave it a 6.8 that's it folks this game was never meant to succeed critically (I thought as much the "BIG" Guys would kill this) it seems. Personally I think MS did a good job seeing as how it's their very first time doing a handheld and a 2d game at that when compared to a style from another team that had like what well over a decade to perfect seems fair to me    .

[Johnny Alucard]

About an average 7 seems right.

The game is good, but not great. There's definitely a lot of untapped potential which could not be realized due to the MoF team being so barebones compared to what LoS2 has.

[lolTimmy]

For me the game barely squeaks above good. It is LoS in a 2D plane, so no platform-y classic goodness and no real exploration. You can't roll past enemies so you can get stuck, platforming is nothing more than ledge-grabbing, and the bosses feel kind of few and far between, and extremely forgiving. I did like the bosses though.

I'll probably finish this one as fast as I can and take it to eBay or something. It's just, meh. Although I was never much of a big fan of LoS anyway but that's another can of worms.

EDIT: First post, howdy!

[Dark Nemesis]

I've played it a little last night and i can say that i like it more than LoS and while i hear many people complaining here, i for once, i really like the game.

p.s. I'm from 82