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

[bobby digital]

That is if you assume they aren't interested in making a game featuring a simon belmont.

[cecil-kain]

A new article on 1up:
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3175699

One of my favorite parts: "...several of the old Castlevania themes will be used throughout..." !

The article has some interesting news, but most of it is clearly a puff piece to sell us on Dave Cox and the new development team.  It's one thing to compliment good work -- that has still barely shown much -- but this article is oozing with a certain suspicious gooey substance.  The musical tidbits are somewhat reassuring, but where's the hard news on this game?  It's been over 2 months since E3 and still no details on gameplay mechanics.  Still no details on what traditions have been retained or cut.  Still no details on the innovations (if any) that are being introduced.  None of these interviewers ask probing questions about much of anything.  It's almost as bad as how all the IGA interviews wasted space talking about 3D Vs 2-D gaming.  Good grief --is a transcript of the interview to much to ask?  I'd love to show these nimrods in the gaming press how to do their job.   

[Reinhart77]

Now knowing that David Cox's favorite game was Super Castlevania IV, I feel rather comfortable with the game thinking of it as a next gen 3D interpretation of Super Castlevania IV. 

[Giz]

I say IGa's chronology because all the mess was made by iGA. Until SOTN,evertthing was ok, but later Harmonny of Dissonance... arghhh

You're joking, right?
The timeline was a huge inconsistent mess before IGA came onboard; it was practically to the point where more often then not each game could hardly even be counted as part of a consistent series of events and just as their own little story.

[bobby digital]

The article has some interesting news, but most of it is clearly a puff piece to sell us on Dave Cox and the new development team.

[Venkman]

Wait, so has Gabriel been confirmed to be a Belmont? An interview i read says Dave Cox confirmed he is one, which would men the "Combat Cross" is the VK, unless they r leaving the vampirekiller in the old story line.

[cecil-kain]

Just a slightly better article...

GC 2009: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Details
Producer Dave Cox sheds some light on the beautiful new Castlevania adventure.
by Matt Casamassina

August 21, 2009 - His name is Gabriel. His wife was murdered. He's on a quest that is somehow intricately intertwined with two holy masks, both of which wield very special powers. This is what we know for certain about the story -- brought to life realistically through in-game cut-scenes and voice-overs from Hollywood talent like Patrick Stewart -- that is the backbone for Konami's new PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 adventure, Castlevania: Lords of The Shadow. There are still a lot of uncertainties, though. For example, the ripped, chain-whip-wielding hero just might be related to the Belmont clan and Dracula is probably his enemy, although Konami producer Dave Cox won't confirm any of this as I sit with him in a suite tucked away at the company's Gamescom booth in Cologne, Germany this week.


Lord of Shadows has the Hideo Kojima stamp of approval -- the designer's production company is working directly with developer Mercury Steam and Konami to craft this rebirth of the Castlevania franchise; a means to introduce a whole new generation of players to the franchise, which hasn't appeared on home consoles in years. It doesn't follow any Castlevania timeline, says Cox, because Konami didn't want to limit the potential audience to the truly hardcore. As it stands, the story unfolds inside a bubble of the Castlevania universe so that anybody can understand it regardless of their experience or history with the series.

Cox says that with Lords of Shadow, the developer has created a Castlevania title that stays true to the series without "becoming a slave to it." As a result, longtime fans will find the fundamentals of the Belmont adventures in place, including a main character who cracks a chain whip, carries daggers and holy water, and fights off werewolves and vampires. But -- and this is evident in the extended trailer of the game released at Gamescom -- a great emphasis has been placed on platforming and environmental navigation than ever before. Gabriel uses his whip to latch onto objects and pull himself around when he's not scaling the faces of cliffs and castles.

The character seeks the mythical God and Devil Masks, two items which will remain a mystery for now because Cox isn't ready to divulge details about their inclusions in the game. They are primarily story related, though, and not so much gameplay-changers. The story itself will be told via more than an hour of cinematics, the longest of which lasts upward of 14 minutes, according to the producer. There will also be stylized quicktime sequences -- ones that are different from the standard selection in some way -- but, again, Cox won't elaborate. All of the in-game visuals, which are remarkably detailed and fast, are generated via the developer's proprietary Mercury Engine. He says that the developer is striving for a final fluidity of 30 frames or higher, but that reaching a rock-solid 60 is not the priority.

Gamescom unfortunately isn't home to any gameplay demos -- just the new trailer and interviews -- but Cox opens up about controls. He refers to the PS3 control scheme for the purposes of my preview. Gabriel is manipulated with the controller's analog stick. Asked about what the right stick does, he says, "I can't say." I suggest that it seems ideal for precise directional whip control and he agrees. Square is for short-range directional attacks; triangle ranged attacks, X jumps, and circle uses secondary weapons like the aforementioned daggers and holy water. You won't need to worry about camera controls because the angles are fixed.

Gabriel will be able to upgrade his weapons. At one point, for example, he's able to enhance his combat cross, effectively turning it into a stake that can be stabbed through the hearts of the vampires he encounters throughout his adventures. And vampires aren't his only enemy. The trailer shows werewolves and gargantuan bosses, all of which attack the character in real-time. Even the monolithic Ice Titan shown near the end of the trailer is a fully interactive enemy, an amazing feat.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is roughly 60 percent complete and, supposing all goes well, might be the beginning of more remakes to come. When asked if he would like to give a similar treatment to another franchise, Cox doesn't hesitate before replying that he's had Contra on the mind.

Stay tuned to more IGN coverage of the exciting project in the coming weeks and months.

[Thomas Belmont]

You're joking, right?
The timeline was a huge inconsistent mess before IGA came onboard; it was practically to the point where more often then not each game could hardly even be counted as part of a consistent series of events and just as their own little story.

Right, because the whole 100 hundred year resurrection of Dracula was massively confusing.

[justin312]

The timeline was a huge inconsistent mess before IGA came onboard

I don't agree with this.

[Reinhart77]

Thanks for that latest news article, it has some good details in it.

So, they won't confirm that Gabriel is a Belmont or that Dracula is his enemy.

[cecil-kain]

I don't agree with this.

[Reinhart77]

Oh, and the part about the combat cross being enhanced to become a stake to kill vampires nicely puts to rest any concerns about vampires not being in the game.

[Ahasverus]

Look at this guys!




LOVED the castle

[Aridale]

In Reply To #1044

yes... plural... More than 1 vampire REAL vampire hasnt happened often in CV

[Ahasverus]

Another one... This REALLY feels like a castlevania, THIS IS CASTLEVANIA!!!