Topic: I knew it! Castlevania: Lords of Shadow!(SPOILERS HERE, PLZ USE THE SPOILER TAG)

[Ahasverus]

The site isn't working anymore. BTW, did anyone read the blog?

[James Belmont]

If people wanna support IGA and hump Symphony, let them. We can also voice our concerns with this project just like others can praise it. Cool, right?

If you let others feelings question your loyalty to cv, then you don't even deserve to call yourself a fan in the first place.

I'm not telling anyone what to do, but that is what should be done. The series doesn't begin and end with SotN and it's clones, and the sooner this is realized, the better off everyone is.

And I don't question my loyalty to CV, but I certainly question my loyalty to it's fanbase if it can't handle the idea of an Iga-less game.

[Danial]

the original Lords of Shadow website contained very little.  1. The first teaser trailer.
2. A blog that was posted in once thanking everyone for being interested in the game, telling them to stay tuned for more updates, and wishing them a merry christmas (it was posted right before the holidays).
3. The description (with a couple of rendered pictures)that was linked to in an earlier post.  The major difference is that the original description did not have the Castlevania title.  It was just Lords of Shadow. 

I think that the original description doesn't apply anymore.  If you'll notice, it says nothing about a mask or Gabriel bringing his wife back to life.  It's more about him keeping the end of the world from happening.

[Lumas]

After reading the article (http://e3.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/696233/Kojimas-Castlevania-A-Slap-In-The-Face-To-Igarashi.html) I do have so say that is kinda an opinion based on a IGA fan point of view but it does however make a point. It does make Konami come off as being very disrespectful but in all truth IGA was handed the throne after SotN so it was really never his baby to begin with he just adopted it. And since then he hasn't really put out a fresh Castlevania though he had a good attempt with LoI but CoD seemed like a step back from that.

That being said we all have played and continued to support the franchise since IGA took over while others haven't really had much to do with it since then. IGA probably could've done a good job with the series if he could have let go of his own desires for it (2D and such) and got a good budget that Kojima had with his MGS series.

[Oralox]

Guys I understand you must like making opinions on what IGA is doing.

IF SOMEONE!!
Could!

Please send an e-mail or something to konami or kojima pro or some reviewer

[Reinhart77]

well, if we find his name attached to the next Tokemiki Memorial game, we'll be able to figure out what happened to him.

[Lumas]

There I emailed Konami about IGA weather or not they respond or comment on IGA's were abouts it up to them.

[Oralox]

In Reply To #382

What did you say in it?

[Kamirine]

In Reply To #366

Um, again, it hasn't felt like Castlevania since before SotN. Castlevania has changed before, and will continue to change. If anything, that's what they all have in common, is that each entry is different from the last.

Would you say SCIV doesn't feel like a Castlevania game? Or Bloodlines? Or perhaps even Dracula X? They all bring something unique to the table, but they aren't any less worthy of being called a Castlevania game.

Why would I? Those games pretty much play/seem alike, minus a few minor changes given the title and time they were put out. SOTN was the only major change, given how you play the game. (Though there's more to the 'feel' arguably then just how the game plays.) I wasn't actually talking about or comparing the game to previous CV titles at all.

I was actually referring to the fact that it pretty much seemed like GoW with a Belmont (if he even is one) stuck in it. That's why I said it doesn't seem very 'Castlevania' like. It just comes off like GoW without all the heavy influence of Greek monsters. I'm hoping that the game itself has its own 'flare' so to speak to set it apart from games like GoW or (as some have mentioned elsewhere) DMC. Inspiration is one thing but being a damn near carbon copy/ borderline rip-off is another.

That's why I'm 50/50: on the one hand, there isn't much of difference, however, I haven't seen nearly enough gameplay or screen shots as a whole to just write the entire thing off yet. ( I never do until I play the game.) There are some things that have seen mentioned or that I've seen that give it a lot of potential, so I'm rather hopeful.

I'm just curious to see how this entire thing turns out.

[Lumas]

In Reply To #382

What did you say in it?

Hi thanks for reading this email. Several Castlevania fans (from the forums on Casltevania Dungeon) are curious to know what IGA is currently involved in since he is not involved with your amazing reincarnation of Castlevania Lords of Shadow and if he is still on the castlevania team. If you can comment on this I would appreciate it if not then thank you for your time.

Sincerely
Lumas

I have never really written an email to a corp like Konami so i apologize if it isn't what you wanted.

[James Belmont]

In reality, the sources of the fantasy creatures are not different. Going by the trailer, I'd say it still draws very much from Eastern European myth, just like the entire CV series has, but it's the approach to it that's different. The classics had a Hammer/Universal horror approach to it's style. SotN took it to Anne Rice/girlyvamp fop level. This new CV resembles Pan's Labyrinth, but darker.

Still, the mythological sources are not changed. Just the approach. Myself, I think it's a very interesting idea. In fact, I'd say it's probably not very different from what we'd get if Guillermo del Toro helmed a CV movie, and people have certainly dropped his name before. Myself, I think he'd be a great choice, but I digress.

Why would I? Those games pretty much play/seem alike, minus a few minor changes given the title and time they were put out. SOTN was the only major change, given how you play the game. (Though there's more to the 'feel' arguably then just how the game plays.) I wasn't actually talking about or comparing the game to previous CV titles at all.

I was actually referring to the fact that it pretty much seemed like GoW with a Belmont (if he even is one) stuck in it. That's why I said it doesn't seem very 'Castlevania' like. It just comes off like GoW without all the heavy influence of Greek monsters. I'm hoping that the game itself has its own 'flare' so to speak to set it apart from games like GoW or (as some have mentioned elsewhere) DMC. Inspiration is one thing but being a damn near carbon copy/ borderline rip-off is another.

That's why I'm 50/50: on the one hand, there isn't much of difference, however, I haven't seen nearly enough gameplay or screen shots as a whole to just write the entire thing off yet. ( I never do until I play the game.) There are some things that have seen mentioned or that I've seen that give it a lot of potential, so I'm rather hopeful.

I'm just curious to see how this entire thing turns out.

Ah, I misunderstood. Still, a solid gameplay style has never really been locked as far as 3D CV's go, even among the two Iga 3D games. Besides, no one has played the game yet anyway, so it's hard to tell whether the gameplay really is like a GoW clone. As far as the story, it's classic CV. Guy wants to avenge/save his true love by exploring a monster-ridden land so he may face the evil that killed/captured her and face it. When it comes to the mythology and the creatures, it's like I said; the sources are not so different as the approach is.

So far, from what I've seen, this doesn't stylistically resemble either GoW or DMC. To me, it's closer to Prince of Persia, but even that's really far off.

[Lumas]

Did anyone else notice that the horse that Gabriel jumps onto in the trailer looks like it belongs in Tron?

[RichterB]

To say the least, this game is causing a huge uproar. It is getting the peoples attention. It isn't another symphony clone leaving people saying "oh cool. I bet that will be fun because the other Castlevanias were fun." Eventually, after about five more metroidvanias, I think more people would welcome this overhaul. So why not now, before it grows tiresome?

Hold on. Very few, myself included, have said we wanted 5 more Metroidvanias. Absolutely not. Change WAS needed--especially in the realm of 3D. However, the question remains: was shoehorning the independent "dark fairy-tale" that was Lords of Shadow into a Castlevania title really the best way to make a next-gen revival of the franchise? (In some ways, it seems like a white flag by Konami that they didn't even try to commission a studio to specifically make a big budget 3D Castlevania game. It makes it sound like they lost confidence in the franchise, and just went for convenience).

In the end, all we here are saying is we don't want Castlevania to turn into God of War just to be "popular." That's a betrayal of the franchise. Castlevania has it in its digital guts to be a 3D franchise that stands on its own in game design and excels with a unique, rich atmosphere. It merely needs to be properly tapped. LoS may grow into a Castlevania game, but it has a good way to go given its origins.

[Lumas]

In response to IGA disappearance

I'm sorry... I'm getting busier and busier. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting too old. I'm just waiting for my lottery winnings and then I can leave Konami.- From gamersradar interview with IGA

Im pretty sure he was joking just like the rest of us do about our jobs but who knows maybe he was really getting burnt out and decided to take a break for a bit to become re inspired.

[crisis]

That quote was from several years ago, though.