Topic: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate 3DS (Discussion Thread)

[Sumac]

My point was more along the lines of that, while the original canon has plotholes a-plenty and a good chunk of confusing backstory, it's not so irreparable that my own imagination can't fill in the blanks and I can go about being happy with what it was.

I think that good story should not leave out stuff that directly related to the storytelling for the viewer / gamer to use imagination. Some riddles could exist, but they shouldn't affect the immediate plot of the story, otherwise it's a bad storytelling. Definitive answers should be provided sooner or later. And if they don't - then its once again bad storytelling or bad planning. This where old canon fails hard - there is too much things that exist without any explanation or even hints. For all we know Sent-Germen could an alien-star-fish in the guise of human from another galaxy.

And imagination could only get you so far in this case, since you know that whatever you have created is non-canon and couldn't be seriously used in discussions about game story and the real answers (if ever delivered) could be completely different. I've seen cases when people confused they imagination with canon.

It's not like I encourage story to provide absolutely all answers. MGS managed too constantly keep players guessing for almost decade and they played that card very good until lately. Half Life is another example of the story, where riddles doesn't turn story into a mess, besides there is big chance that definitive answers will be provided someday. But I stand that "riddles" should be kept at minimum, answered someday and doesn't involve trivial stuff (like "Who was the son of Simon Belmont?" or "How Belmont Village in OOE came to be?").

[Sindra]

I think that good story should not leave out stuff that directly related to the storytelling for the viewer / gamer to use imagination. Some riddles could exist, but they shouldn't affect the immediate plot of the story, otherwise it's a bad storytelling. Definitive answers should be provided sooner or later. And if they don't - then its once again bad storytelling or bad planning. This where old canon fails hard - there is too much things that exist without any explanation or even hints. For all we know Sent-Germen could an alien-star-fish in the guise of human from another galaxy.

And imagination could only get you so far in this case, since you know that whatever you have created is non-canon and couldn't be seriously used in discussions about game story and the real answers (if ever delivered) could be completely different. I've seen cases when people confused they imagination with canon.

It's not like I encourage story to provide absolutely all answers. MGS managed too constantly keep players guessing for almost decade and they played that card very good until lately. Half Life is another example of the story, where riddles doesn't turn story into a mess, besides there is big chance that definitive answers will be provided someday. But I stand that "riddles" should be kept at minimum, answered someday and doesn't involve trivial stuff (like "Who was the son of Simon Belmont?" or "How Belmont Village in OOE came to be?").

While I agree with you, there's different circumstances with the "616 Universe" (yes, I will continue using the Marvel Comics comparisons here because, goddammit, that's what it is in my mind!) and the LoSverse. With the original timeline, you have 25 years and several different people's contributions to muddle through in terms of ironing out a coherent story, let alone one without plotholes. Then IGA came along and (as odd as it is to say) tried to tie them all together in some fashion. While it worked in some places and really didn't in others, it was still a difficult process. However, when you think about it, the original writers for Castlevania probably didn't intend to have this huge flowing storyline attached to the games. They just made the first game for what it was, then tacked on Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse with as much story as either needed to be plausable, and move on. And so on, and so forth.

So now we have the LoS universe potentially making gaping plotholes, when the writers really are trying to make a huge flowing storyline attached to their game. Should this be excused any more than the plotholes in the original universe, because of the difference in circumstances?

I know, it's total speculation at this point and we're probably making far more of it than it will actually be. (What can I say? I love debating in-depth storytelling and stupid shit like that) But hey if MS and Cox (or hell, throw IGA in there too) happen to read any of these topics and posts and whatnot, they'll hopefully see that coherent plot and storytelling really is seen as an artform in and of itself by some of us.

I'll stand as a proponent of that always. 

[Inccubus]

I was being sarcastic with that one. My point was more along the lines of that, while the original canon has plotholes a-plenty and a good chunk of confusing backstory, it's not so irreparable that my own imagination can't fill in the blanks and I can go about being happy with what it was. (Give me a few good artists and a co-writer, and I could make an entire webcomic series that could fill in a lot of those plotholes and have it make sense too. Seriously. I've done the outlining. It's doable.)

That'd be awesome.

[Munchy]

Just watched those two Gamescon videos. I'm glad to hear that puzzles will be environmental rather than a slide puzzle or matching shapes.

My main questions now are how exactly character switching is done, and how much combat there will be while platforming. We saw some potential for this from the big bat dudes and know there's gotta be some more judging from the way the area attacks arc (and that Trevor has that air dodge).

Also want to know how much the framerate will improve. It looks kinda barfy now. It doesn't have to be 60FPS, but locking it would make it far easier on the eyes.

[Sumac]

However, when you think about it, the original writers for Castlevania probably didn't intend to have this huge flowing storyline attached to the games.

Yes, but afterall the series almost for a decade was under leadership of one producer - I believe there was enough time to remake timeline in something more unified. Maybe not even via game, but with something like Final Fantasy's Ultimania Guides.
Sadly most of the plotholes were introduced after SOTN. Before it, the timeline was easily comprehensible, while not very detailed or rich.

So now we have the LoS universe potentially making gaping plotholes, when the writers really are trying to make a huge flowing storyline attached to their game. Should this be excused any more than the plotholes in the original universe, because of the difference in circumstances?

No, of course, if anything MS mistakes would be even more jarring, since they claim that their story always was supposed to be a big trilogy, meaning no excuses like in old canon. But I believe it's a bit to early to provide a final judgement to the MOF storyline, least LOS-verse arc.

[Heuss]

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate Nintendo 3DS gameplay

[e105beta]

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate Nintendo 3DS gameplay

I think this has been posted a while ago, but:

Nice to know you can just hang off of the swing points, but why does there have to be a QTE to open chests? Why? The first boss finisher didn't even have a QTE, so why the damn chests?

[CastleDan]

That cover art...

I love that they kinda have Alucard doing the same pose as his symphony of the night cover pretty much.

[Mystic Myotis]

uttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHd2eSih7_w#t=5m20s

That cover art...

I love that they kinda have Alucard doing the same pose as his symphony of the night cover pretty much.

Simon's pose is similar to one of the Chronicles poses.  I should look through my pics and see if there's a corresponding one for Trevor's pose.

[Dremn]

Yea I really don't like how opening a chest requires mashing the B button, just seems silly.

I wonder how different this game is going to feel after this delay time, maybe they're going to take some of our criticism into account.

[DragonSlayr81]

Yea I really don't like how opening a chest requires mashing the B button, just seems silly.

I wonder how different this game is going to feel after this delay time, maybe they're going to take some of our criticism into account.

HOPEFULLY they take the criticism into account. I mean, c'mon QTE to open chests and barrels that you have to perform combos on just to break them? LOL! Both of those cases should be solved with a simple, single push of the action button. One push to open a chest, and one swipe of your weapon to completely break barrels to pieces.

[Havatchu]

Yea I really don't like how opening a chest requires mashing the B button, just seems silly.

I wonder how different this game is going to feel after this delay time, maybe they're going to take some of our criticism into account.

That's just fucking annoying. That's the one thing from GoW that I didn't want injected in the Lords series at all.

PUSH BUTTONS FASTER!

It is urgent that you open treasure chest! Hurry!

FASTER!!!

[Dark Nemesis]

That's just fucking annoying. That's the one thing from GoW that I didn't want injected in the Lords series at all.

PUSH BUTTONS FASTER!

It is urgent that you open treasure chest! Hurry!

FASTER!!!

This. Why they still keep making annoying things like this one, when they have repeatedly got negative responses from the fans? I just don't get it how they are thinking.

[Grimlock78]

Tap the button faster than the speed of light and maybe you'll open the chest.

[Inccubus]

Yea I really don't like how opening a chest requires mashing the B button, just seems silly.

I wonder how different this game is going to feel after this delay time, maybe they're going to take some of our criticism into account.

Agreed. As I mentioned before it also doesn't help that the chests in GoW work pretty much exactly the same way. I apologize for the comparison, yet again, but I don't think any other game series has that particular quirk.