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

[Little Dracula]

The director of the game confirmed to the spanish media that LoS is set in his own chronology, outside the IGA realm.

[cecil-kain]

that new trailer is... fascinating...  they show just enough to make me want to see more...

[RichterB]

...Name drop "Belmont" and that's supposed to be FTW? :

More like, "for the tie." I'm on the fence. Some of what I see gameplay-wise makes me really happy. It feels like it's getting back to the nice diversity of the N64 Castlevanias and expanding it from there. However, the swinging with the whip looked a bit cheaped out...more like a point-and-click "sling-shot" rather than actually "swinging" with any kind of timing. More troubling is the aesthetic still feels jarring. It feels like a new midieval IP more so than Castlevania. I mean, the bird and the red devil screens are out of some next-gen Ghosts N' Goblins if anything, and the snow giant is some kind of Shadow of Colossus wannabe...

Now, the sixth photo on the new site and some of the new shots from the expanded trailer gave me a little more sense of Castlevania, but it's still a long distance away for me...I just can't totally get into what I'm seeing. It doesn't move me like a new, big-budget Castlevania should. Adding to the downers, Gabriel looks like a generic beefcake more than ever in this new trailer's cinema scene. At least he has a King of Fighters/IGA-style "Power Geyser," right? 

Oh, and I think the dialogue's a little juiced. "Monkeys"? Seriously? Having all these "famous" actors/actresses in it, and all the blaring Hollywood music just adds up to a feeling of boring homogenization without any spice. Braveheart, Castlevania is not. I'm hoping for the best, but count me undecided at this point.

[Ahasverus]

CONFIRMED - LORDS OF SHADOWS ISN'T PART OF THE CLASSIC CHRONOLOGY
The spanish site meristation had an exclusive interview with Dave Cox. I translated the parts related to the game; the most important part is that LOS is directed to the mainstream, so, they decided to reboot the established cronology.

" IN a storytelling level, we wanted to reinvent the franchise, go direct to its heart. We took many elements and inspiration from the first castlevania, Simons quest, Super Cv IV. We are incluiding elements from Simons Quest, it had a world to explore, it wasn't only the castle.We want to imitate that because with that, once you arrive to the Castle for the first time everything is more spectacular.
There's a truth, this game doesn't enter to the chronology we all know. The best way to be friendly with new users is changing the traditional formula but with the classic escence. we are creating a castlevania for new and old players, but it's a shame that many gamers doesn't know the franchise.
The franchise went away from the big public a long time ago, it became a series only for a determined public. We want it to be in everyone's mouth, not in some one's .
Since 1997, the franchise was stagnant on the same formula, we don't want to create another Symphony of the Night, not anymore. We want to come back to the beginning with the best elements of the current top action games. We aren't saying that the fans will get dissapointed; we arent going away from the classic legacy. The fans will recognize a lot of things related to the franchiose, they will be in there but in a different way, this is pure Castlevania. For example, the whip swinging was takn from Super CV IV. We want the game to appeal fans and newcomers, but the fans will love it because it will feel different but also familiar.
We made trailers to surprise and make people atonished, but the combats aren't the only good thing in the game. we have a great story, puzzles, a lot of platafforms. it's very different of many action games because here we can explore, find different routes. I'TS NOT A SANDBOX, somewise is a linear game but we can take different routes and we are free to explore. It's a Huge game, an exper user will finish it in about... 20 hours. Still you can explore to find hidden objects, they won't be neccesary, but it will be delightful to the ones who want to get everything (Gonna catch them all!) There will be rankings, the posibility of new subweapons, new magic... little rewards to the ones who want to explore...
Gabriel's wife was murdered and he heard the legend about collecting the fragments of the mask of God to bring her back to life. The mask is his main motivation and obsession. later, we have the damaged mask, I can't say anything eles, but let's say that it's not that good.
Masks were very important in classic castlevanias () so we wanted to bring them back in this reboot.
There was a moment when we thought if this game really deserved to be a castlevania reboot, but later Kojima came to us and trusted in us, he was very excited, he thinks Mecurysteam are genius...
The game will come out somwhere in 2010..."

[corneliab]

That last part of the trailer just made my day.

So excited for this game.

[UnManuel]

Pretty Castlevania'ish this new trailer is, I think. Pretty innovative in some ways, I might add. It is like: the Castlevania concept is thrown at us in some way like it was in mid 80's, but with the new videogame industry groove taken into account. I bet this game seriously, as a part of the videogaming industry myself. Mercurysteam got it right: the Mercury Engine is the key. Spain is the focus now.

[riverman]

If anyone is going to defeat the lords of shadow, it will be me.

[Munchy]

Thanks for the interview translation! Game sounds a lot cooler now that they can, you know, talk about it. I'm glad that they're drawing inspiration from Castlevanias that aren't Rondo or Symphony. And HOLY SHIT, THEY MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE PLATFORMS! FOR ONCE!

I'm intrigued that they brought up masks as being important in the earlier games, too. Maybe Camilla somehow becomes involved in the plot? That's the one enemy with a mask that I remember.

One complaint I do agree with is that the music is very generic. Hopefully in the future, the composer will make more complex music along the lines of what Castlevania is known for.

[Kamirine]

In Reply To #1006

Thank you for the translation and information. I rather like the sound of things so far. The story sounds interesting and I love that they're taking inspiration from the older games in the series.

[RichterB]

Thanks for the translated interview! It eases my mind somewhat, knowing that they're pulling from the roots (giving props the CvIV is always nice). I did find it amusing that they weren't "sure" it was "Castlevania," until Kojima said so...but OK. Even if I'm not crazy about the overall aesthetic so far, it is different, which might be good in the long run for variety. Plus, I think they have a handle on the idea of Castlevania as a "journey to a castle," which has been missing for a long time (CoD tried, but came up way short). Despite  the character designs, VAs, and music not being my cup of CV tea, the game design seems very sound, so I'll be patient and wait for the game, I guess. Cautious as I am, as more is unveiled, given their influences, I'd bet more CV references will emerge in the aesthetic.

[CastlevaniaX]

This is a part of Konami GamesCom press conference where Kojima and Dave Cox take the stage to present Castlevania : LoS to the press.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG6L-lXVA58

Lol at Kojima when he put the mask on.

Now I'm excited about this game especially when I hear Dave Cox saying " We have not shown anything yet".

[A n t r a x x]

I don't get it: first they say it was developed as a Castlevania all along and not to worry, and now this interview makes it sound like Kojima was the one who came in and turned it into one.

Which story is telling the truth?

[Aridale]

In Reply To #1014

Go back and look at my reply about how it wasnt a CV originally and someone saw it and thought it looked like a CV and some calls were made and some hands were shook and now its a CV... I dont care what they say about how it was always a CV... this is what happened

[Ahasverus]

Perhaps was a misunderstanding of the translation; the fact was that it was a castlevania but at one point they thought it didn't deserve the name so they almost relase it with the "Lords of Shadows" name.
Later Kojima went to them and supported them for not quit from castlevania.
That's the story

[Gunlord]

CONFIRMED - LORDS OF SHADOWS ISN'T PART OF THE CLASSIC CHRONOLOGY
The spanish site meristation had an exclusive interview with Dave Cox. I translated the parts related to the game; the most important part is that LOS is directed to the mainstream, so, they decided to reboot the established cronology.

GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! Now I'm mad

I love the classic chronology. If this isn't part of it I'm not sure I'm interested...