Topic: Lords of Shadow Opinions (has Spoilers)

[Joachim]

Or they should have had interesting, engaging platforming rather than a repetitious assault of rappelling and ledge-climbing.

[Oneinchbiceps]

I liked some of the boss fights. One with the Ogre was the best. I didn't totally hate the game but I'm certainly not in love with it. Isn't Castlevania to me. could have been improved with more CV music. Doesn't feel like a Castlevania game to me. I wouldn't of finished this game if it wasn't called Castlevania.

[Valtiel]

Or they should have had interesting, engaging platforming rather than a repetitious assault of rappelling and ledge-climbing.

Heh, on their defence... what was the last interesting 3d platformer? Uncharted 2 is often cited as the best of the best, and it's basically one gigantic QTE.

[corneliab]

Super Mario Galaxy 2?

[Valtiel]

Super Mario Galaxy 2?

Good pick, but would that work for CV?

I don't know if someone here played Metroid: Other M. That's the closest you get to the oldschool "CV" platforming in a 3d game, and I can't say it was a success.

And honestly... was the platforming in the 2d CV games ever, uhm, good? I mean, it's quite basic stuff for 90% of the game, and then it ramps up to REALLY good stuff in the inevitable mechanical tower level, only to get butchered by medusa heads (CotM sort of got it good, SotN was a complete disaster in both castles).
I mean, there's no real "CV trademark platforming" to translate in 3d. It's nothing as recognizable as whipping or subweapons. In the 2d games the most prominent platforming aspect is "do I have the upgrade needed for this jump?".

Conversely, upgrades make the platforming in areas where you don't actually need it a blast. Double jumping in areas that require single jumps, when the level design is good, is often a lot of fun, as is dashing and sliding etc. It only works if you have a solid amount of backtracking, but that's something I'd gladly see in the next LoS episode. Not only the upgrades allow you to access new areas, but they allow you to play around in the old ones. You don't need to ledge-climb that wall because you can double jump, wall slide, backflip in the other wall and chain-grip the edge to victory.

That's why I really liked the videos of the machine tower speedruns. Upgrades making traversal become more fluid = good.

[SIRHardle]

I finished this game on hard and platinum’ed on my second playthrough. And this is probably the most disappointing CV I've ever played. I had mixed feelings about LOS ever since it was first announce as a CV game instead of a new IP or something like that. And in the end I was rather displeased with the final result. LOS should have been a separate entity. =/

Oh well, let's see what the future holds...

[crisis]

LOS should have been a separate entity. =/

It kinda already is, since it's not canon in any shape or form. Although there's still some people that swear otherwise, despite Cox repeatedly saying it's not connected to the real timeline nor will ever be.

And in the end I was rather displeased with the final result.

Believe me, you're not the only one!

[thernz]

Heh, on their defence... what was the last interesting 3d platformer? Uncharted 2 is often cited as the best of the best, and it's basically one gigantic QTE.

well, you know, that's ledge climbing too so~

[Valtiel]

... despite Cox repeatedly saying it's not connected to the real timeline nor will ever be.

The world "real" is misleading.

It's not like Cox said "LoS is a fanfiction, for the real deal look at IGA!". He said LoS isn't part of that canon. There's a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig difference.

[crisis]

It's Konami's canon, not IGA's. He just added to the mythos. It's the official canon that's been established since 1986. Perhaps I should've said "original" canon? I'm sorry if it ruffles your feathers so much that Cox doesn't want his ideas to be officially recognized.

[Valtiel]

It's Konami's canon, not IGA's. He just added to the mythos. It's the official canon that's been established since 1986. Perhaps I should've said "original" canon? I'm sorry if it ruffles your feathers so much that Cox doesn't want his ideas to be officially recognized.

Don't worry, you're not ruffling my feathers. I simply think you're looking at things with a fan approach that isn't shared by Konami for sure. They didn't look at rebooting the series for nothing. If there's a saga that received a sensible amount of canon-butchery it's CV. And as IGA could remove non-IGA games from the canon, Cox could in the future remove IGA games from it.

But overall, I don't really see the big issue. It's not like these stories are "real". None of this stuff really happened. It's not like one made up story is more real than the other. They're there for entertainment.

[crisis]

And as IGA could remove non-IGA games from the canon, Cox could in the future remove IGA games from it.

Didn't Cox say he doesn't wanna become "Mr. Castlevania?" Once Kojima takes over CV, ring the alarm, lol.

But overall, I don't really see the big issue. It's not like these stories are "real". None of this stuff really happened.

Whaaaat?!

[RichterB]

I noticed something amusing. The famous path to Wygol village with the camera pan and snow that shows Carmilla's castle in LoS is EXTREMELY similar to the early part of level 3 in Devil May Cry 4 where Nero comes across the castle in the snow. Uncannily so.

Didn't Cox say he doesn't wanna become "Mr. Castlevania?" Once Kojima takes over CV, ring the alarm, lol.

Actually, Cox said that "Contra" was on his radar. That's the series he wants to touch next.

[X]

Almost done...almost done...C**P!!! Stupid Dracolich fight! This is probably one of the most longest games I've ever played through. It's only long cause whenever I get tired of it I go through a rather lengthly hiatus, then come back to it later. It was a terrible grind just getting through the first three chapters and I did not like them at all. They were nowhere near to being anything like castlevania. But once I got to chapter four, then the game started to pick up the pace a bit. Although I'm almost finished, the whole game itself still doesn't feel like castlevania at all (and I expect to CV to have a CV vibe). There's too much 'God of war' and 'Shadow of the Colossus' combat going on here rather then combating bosses like with CV64/LoD, LoI or CoD. The puzzles are way too much at one time and more of an annoyance rather then being benificial (but that chess set was kind of interesting). Fighting a bunch of annoying minor enemies that should just die in several quick hits rather then beating them down for several minutes at a time like GoW is not very castlevania-ish either. In all honesty (and twelve years ago I would not have said this) I think that the best 3D CV formula is only found in CV64/LoD. If we were to receive a new CV game done in that style rather then what we've been getting, then I think it would be much better received and be an overall success.

-X

[Valtiel]

If we were to receive a new CV game done in that style rather then what we've been getting, then I think it would be much better received and be an overall success.

-X

I'm not entirely sure I can agree (in fact, I doubt it would click with the average tastes of people right now), but I would be also curious about seeing a 3D game with less drawn-out fights.
Mercury Steam could take the cue (if they're setting the next game to star Gabe/Dracula again) and use the excuse "you're a superpowerful vampire now" to try and build 3D gameplay around the notion that most stuff is dead in the span of a short combo.
Basically nobody is trying that right now; it could be because it doesn't work, but it could also be because it's just hard to make it work, and in that case, if they succeeded, they would have a quite unique game in their hands. Fast paced 3D combat? I'm interested.