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

[Ahasverus]

Loved the Ice Titan   It reminds me old Castlevanias, when a big golem was so big, you were a flea compared to it.
And remember, Alvarez said that there are no QTE on boss fights, so, IT'S REAL TIME, it's not like Shadow of The colossus. Also see it in a real world perspective, its impossible to a whip to penetrate in solid rock, don't matter how strgon Gabriel could fight, so, this is the only reasonable way. And, hey, SOTC was one of the best games of the past gen, this game is being compared to the best games of the past, I don't know why you don't like it.
You decide, this, or button smasher... I preffer this.
And, what don't you see the bright side? The graphics, damn graphics, this looks like a dream, the light effects, the scale, the textures, is too perfect for the CV Iga have been showed us through 12 years. God Bless Mercurysteam.
I'm gonna love this game.

[PFG9000]

In Reply To #1093

Where were there QTEs in Shadow of the Colossus?  That entire game was real time.

[shelverton.]

If you're gonna copy another game, I say go all out! There's nothing wrong with having a SotC-inspired boss battle, as long as it improves upon its source material. I have faith in this happening with LoS.

Unlike, say, Lament of Innocence which was nowhere near as good as Devil May Cry (and God knows LoI wanted to be DMC), Lords of Shadows looks like it's borrowing bits from other games while actually trying to do everything much better. I obviously don't know much about the gameplay, but the screens look incredible in comparision to what both LoI and CoD looked like in pre-release screenshots.

[DragonSlayr81]

Loved the Ice Titan   It reminds me old Castlevanias, when a big golem was so big, you were a flea compared to it.

I wouldn't say "old Castlevanias", considering the majority of towering bosses came with IGA's reign. Hell, the last towering boss was in Order of Ecclesia.

I hope the controls are tight when battling this boss. I was never a fan fo Shadow of the Colossus. NEVER. I hated the whole "climb the fur, keep your grip" thing. I can see how some fans love it, but I didn't. It's kinda like me with Vagrant Story, as well. Some people obviously can geek out to that type of gameplay, but I was never one of them. Considering it looks like Mercurysteam is aiming this towards the mainstream players, perhaps I have nothing to worry about.

[UnManuel]

I wouldn't say "old Castlevanias", considering the majority of towering bosses came with IGA's reign.

What about Koranot from Super Castlevania IV?

[DragonSlayr81]

In Reply To #1097

I wouldn't say Koranot was "that" big. Definitely not big enough so that "you were a flea compared to it". The only time Koranot is remarkably massive is after he's killed, where he becomes giant, then dies. But, you never fight him at that size.

The only one I can think of, from the older games, is the giant rock monster from Haunted Caslte. Other than that, the majority of "massive" bosses were found in the IGA games(Galamoth, Legion, Forgotten One, Eligor, Menace, Balore, Talos). 

[Ahasverus]

But my "flea" comment was not about size, but about power, you can see Galamoth and the big Ecclessia boss, but you don't fear them, the character is always "overpowered", yes, it's not that overpowered, but they are powerful compared to the little Simon Belmont from CV IV, he feels little, weak, and the big boss, makes you fear. Miss those old days  *Sometimes*

[DragonSlayr81]

Yeah, but it's too early to judge how powerful the LoS golem giant is as of right now. All we can do is compare the size.

[DingusBelmondo]

 I think the Ice Titan will not be real time. The blue orbs on him are identical to the ones Gabriel swings from in other pictures. It could be that you grab onto a blue ball, manually climb up (like in the trailer when hes scaling the wall), and then have to time your swings to the next point based on when his arm or body part is close. Than, if you take to long, he knocks you off. It could totally work.

[RichterB]

...OK, the ice titan was one thing...but now there looks to be a horseback battle in these screens, as well. Ironically, I know some people who skipped Shadow of the Colossus, and they think that LoS is coming up with this stuff. [Roll Eyes] Now, I liked SotC--even if you had to wrestle with the controls at times--but I'm bugged that Castlevania has to ride the coattails of other series, when it should be a trend setter. There's A LOT of dynamic whip-swinging scenarios to be had without them including the scaling of a giant monster. (And even if you did climb a monster, why stab its glowing sections? Why not whack away at its head with the whip or something?)

This is a BLATANT copy. And a Castlevania hero with a horse [in combat] just isn't right. Visually, the screens look good, but...the similarities to SotC are bordering on glorified parody. I imagine that giant Orc battle will play out like this, too. There better not be any more Collosi in this game. (And now we're getting some Twilight Princess glows to go along with our SotC aesthetic). This doesn't have anything to do with the old battles with Koronot.

Seeing Castlevania sink to these tactics to be "relevant" is sad.

[Ahasverus]

It's by posts like those ^^ that people die in this world everyday. We humans are experts for judging something for its appareance, or for whatever we wany to think about something.
They are ONLY 4 SCREENS from 2 scenes!! AND YOU ARE SAYING IT'S A BLATANT COPY?
 

[RichterB]

It's by posts like those ^^ that people die in this world everyday. We humans are experts for judging something for its appareance, or for whatever we wany to think about something.
They are ONLY 4 SCREENS from 2 scenes!! AND YOU ARE SAYING IT'S A BLATANT COPY?
 

Is the whole game a blatant copy? I doubt it. But those screens suggest that this particular fight was a bit more than "inspired" by SotC. If the text accompanying the pictures is accurate, that furthers the notion. There's no need to get defensive.

[Ahasverus]

Oh, my bad, I misread ypur post, my apologies 
Yes, I think they took heavy inspiration, but what's better to take inspiration from that one of the best games of past generation?
Personally speaking, I don't want it to take inspiration from Cv 64 

[RichterB]

Oh, my bad, I misread ypur post, my apologies  
Yes, I think they took heavy inspiration, but what's better to take inspiration from that one of the best games of past generation?
Personally speaking, I don't want it to take inspiration from Cv 64  

It's all right. I can see the merits of swinging around a giant monster with the whip--if it's done dynamically in the gameplay and isn't simply a timed event or something as mundane as climbing with Link's Hookshot. However, I wish they hadn't made the visual design and potential method of winning so remaniscent of a SotC encounter. (And I'm concerned this will be repeated for a few more bosses given what's been in the trailers).

So, basically, to answer your question, I just worry that the more this game "takes," the less it will create. In other words, rather than be a definitive Castlevania in 3D, it will be pieces of many other games with a pseudo-Castlevania skin overlaying it.

And, as a difference of opinion, I personally liked the N64 Castlevanias (even with their flaws), and think an ideal 3D Castlevania should build off what they started in terms of meaningful platforming with consequences, spooky atmosphere, self-contained levels, a balance of action and puzzles, and a combat system that's not so overbearing. (The need for the main character to be a "super hero" and plow through tens of villains at once ala Devil May Cry and God of War just doesn't fit with Castlevania's strategic placement of villains that is at the heart of the series. It can happen every so often, but I don't want it to be the main thrust of the combat, personally)

[Harrycombs]

Remember that the Castlevania series saved itself before by copying Super Metroid. Then they practically ripped off Devil May Cry (and badly). But in the end, they added enough of their own elements to make the games unique, and part of the Castlevania series.

Its no surprise that they are trying to reinvigorate the series by taking ideas from other series, there is nothing out of the ordinary.