Topic: Little bit o news about Castlevania LOS sequel! (Spoilers here)

[uzo]

I honestly was expecting something more like this when it came to the arrangements that were to be in Lords of Shadow. I would have been very pleased.

Dracula ~New Classic~ - 03 Beginning

[Alutwon]

Hehe yea I was really considering the perfect selections for my next play through. Metal and classical ftw.

[ShinAkumaXX]

I bought the LE version basically because it came with the Soundtrack. I was hoping it would be 'Castlevania' music. Too bad. I don't think the music is awful. I think it fit's the game alright and all, but I will agree that it can be repetitive. And it sucks how none of it is familiar so far. I actually own a number of Casltevania soundtracks that I will just listen to, so I like my Castlevania music! Symphony of the Night Soundtrack is one of my favorite cds probably. I loved the tunes on Rondo of Blood as well. Heck we all know they all rock. But shoot, the PS2 Castlevanias had much better tunes, they sounded like Castlevania tunes. I'm listening to the Lament of Innocence Soundtrack now, House of Sacred Remains. Good stuff. I think the game looked plenty vania to me. I'm okay with no meat being in the walls. I don't really need all the enemies from the past. As cool as that would be. It's nice to see some change, LoS rocks! But I guess like everybody else, I wish the music sounded like Casltevania music. I don't see why that needed changed for any reason. That's probably half the reason I like Castlevania and got sucked in, the music. Heck a good soundtrack helps a lot! Star Wars... Braveheart... great movies, great soundtracks. I don't see other series cutting out their classic jingles.

[e105beta]

I honestly was expecting something more like this when it came to the arrangements that were to be in Lords of Shadow. I would have been very pleased.

Dracula ~New Classic~ - 03 Beginning

I've always loved that arrangement.

The problem is it's so discordant with the feel of LoS. It's a gap that I want to bridge but can't.

[Sir Hanksta]

I liked some of the music in the castle, but most of it sounds like old Disney movie music. Would love classic Vania music in next game. More horror and goth levels also.

[Reinhart77]

i'm just happy it's not "rock music".  i groaned when i heard yet another rock sound track being used for Harmony of Despair.

[Dremn]

i'm just happy it's not "rock music".  i groaned when i heard yet another rock sound track being used for Harmony of Despair.

The entire OST for HoD is really awful.

[Vampire Killer]

Climbing so slowly with shimmying was done in Uncharted just so you can look at the vistas and have higher interactivity with them, but uh, that isn't Castlevania (the I am being slow so I can appreciate the environment). ; - ;
I hope they have more traditional skill-based platforming too. Plus, it would mesh better with the combat and the game won't feel like two games. I mean, I don't mind the gorgeous environments, but it's a bit odd how outside of the platforming, they're really just "paintings."

Actually, I've always found "being slow so I can appreciate the environment" as one of my favorite parts of the series, especially since CV4.  I love sitting back and just taking my time to enjoy the environments. LoS does this perfectly.

[thernz]

What I mean is that you're never really forced to do that. You usually move at a constant pace in those games. I don't think there's an equivalent of the platforming in LoS in the classic games to suddenly move along at this drastically slower pace. Like, to appreciate the environment, I rather do it myself without the game forcing me to. That's why I prefer obstacle-based traditional platforming.

[Thunderbrand]

I really want THE castle to somehow be in the sequel. Carmilla's castle was cool in LoS, but I'd love to see MS design a fully detailed, gorgeous version of Drac's place.

It really hasn't been done correctly in 3D yet. The castles in CV64 and LoD had weird layouts. Walter's castle in LoI was neat but got repetitive. Drac's castle in CoD was more like a big cathedral than anything else and the broken, winding staircase to the keep was lame...they tried to get too cute with it. The Abandoned Castle was done well though. That was like a nice 3D recreation of the castle from CV1.

I just want to see a massive, detailed version of THE castle in the next game, with all the classic areas.

[Vampire Killer]

What I mean is that you're never really forced to do that. You usually move at a constant pace in those games. I don't think there's an equivalent of the platforming in LoS in the classic games to suddenly move along at this drastically slower pace. Like, to appreciate the environment, I rather do it myself without the game forcing me to. That's why I prefer obstacle-based traditional platforming.

I see what you mean. Platforming in general is difficult to design in 3D w/o either making it "slower" or making the playable character move like Mario (and even then you're not gonna match the speed of 2D platforming).  As far as platforming in three dimensions has come over the years, it'll never be as precise control wise, so you'll either be "forced" to go slower, or to be on extreme rails.  I don't think though, that MS deliberately designed LoS to be slower (in the sense of forward momentum) in some parts just to show you the pretty. Instead, I believe that they designed the platforming/climbing for it's own sake, and decided to make it all pretty while you were going about it, to match a CV feel.  Personally speaking, the moments I found most beautiful were times where I could choose to go at my own pace, but decided on my own to walk and not run.

[eternal night]

Thunderbrand, I completely agree with you on the "Castle" needing to be more prominent in this next outing. I've played through LoS 3x now and have spent considerable time replaying the castle areas, and there's no doubt that it looks amazing and detail is breathtaking, it's just that there's really not enough of it in this game.

Most Castle levels within a chapter are limited to a few rooms at most and they never seem to "open" up to any exploration. I feel like we only saw a mere glimpse of it's totality. 2 Levels in the final Castle chapter are simply boss fights. It felt to me that a couple levels should have been placed inbetween the Olrox and Carmilla fight.

When it comes down to describing "What makes a Castlevania game", the single most defining answer would have to be the Castle itself and the atmosphere it provides during our great adventure. In LoS, the castle takes a back-seat to the main story and it's mysterious past is only elluded to in a dead knight scroll. Beyond a few short chapters containing levels that are limited to a few rooms, there just wasn't enough shown to leave me satisfied.
I'm certainly not opposed to having levels and chapters take place outside of the Castle,(in fact I love them) but I do feel that every Castlevania game (at some point in the story's progression) the level design should begin to focus soley on the Castle itself and devote considerable time to exploring it's depths.

The ending of this game has me worried in that we don't see Dracula taking residence inside Castlevania and I'm having a hard time imagining how the next game (if it takes place in present times) with Gabeula and Zobek working together to thwart the 2nd coming of Satan, how the Castle will come into play in all of this. I

[Kingshango]

Well Dracula needs a new base of opperation since Zobek bust his up, might as well take up residence in a abandoned castle in the outskirts of town.

I seriously don't think the next castlevania will take place in downtown Tokyo or whatever the next setting is.

Plus, Carmilla's castle was never destroyed.

[default2k]

Boring soundtrack, im going to delete it right nao!
Bring Michiru back please!!!

[Thunderbrand]

Well Dracula needs a new base of opperation since Zobek bust his up, might as well take up residence in a abandoned castle in the outskirts of town.

I seriously don't think the next castlevania will take place in downtown Tokyo or whatever the next setting is.

Plus, Carmilla's castle was never destroyed.

I sure hope it dosen't take place in the middle of that major, modern city. Maybe it will start there but then the whole game takes place in a flashback to the events leading up to that? Who knows. I found it interesting how Gabe just walled himself up in a bell tower of a big church in the middle of a city though. Interesting hiding spot. 

As for Carmilla's castle, while it was massive, dark, spooky and atmospheric, it just wasn't quite right. I didn't exactly like the layout. It was basically 4 huge buildings all connected with enormous support chains, which was way too similar to Dracula's castle in the Van Helsing movie.