By popular request. My first impression of the new Castlevania game.
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November 17, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Uh, James….there’s no video. I just thought I’d let you know.
November 17, 2010 at 5:03 pm
yeah Were is the video
November 17, 2010 at 5:05 pm
first to see it!!!
November 17, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Platinumed that bitch(PS3 version). Epilogue was very surprising.
November 17, 2010 at 5:15 pm
this game is a clone to the god of war it got nothing of the old casttlevania games to me
November 17, 2010 at 5:17 pm
I was thinking you were going to review the recent 2D linear castlevania on the Wii. My friend has it and it plays just like the originals. Still can only whip horizontal.
November 17, 2010 at 5:28 pm
just like gonzalo said:
it reminds me a hell of alot of god of war. from the annoying puzzles, to the “press-that-button-right-now-or-youll-regret-it” to the restricted environment. doesn’t mean g.o.w is a bad game. doesn’t mean the new castlevania is, but for fucks sake why don’t they get rid of these flaws…
November 17, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Weird to hear you talk about newer games lol. I didn’t pick this one up myself.. the God of War formula can get tiresome and the “quick time events” in boss battles are always annoying.
Would be interesting to see you talk about some other newer games if u ever get the time, you have nice different perspective to them =)
November 17, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Glad to see you momentarily ditched the retro!
November 17, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I HATE these stupid quick-time bosses! I already drained their health. What more do you want, game?!
But what really hate about this game are the poor-man’s “Shadow of the Colossus”-bosses (an AMAZING game, James). Do you have no shame, Capcom?
November 17, 2010 at 5:44 pm
3:24
woah fairy tits!
November 17, 2010 at 5:46 pm
James ends the video saying he felt the early puzzles and boss battles were tiresome. In the middle of the video, he says that he finds the normal fights to be repetitive. Basically guys, he finds the game aesthetically pleasing but something like a chore, and I would agree.
November 17, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Cool game but my favorite is still Symphony of the Night!
November 17, 2010 at 5:57 pm
SOTC boss battle ripoff.
November 17, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Thanks for fixing that! As you said, the graphics and the scenery look great, but overall, i’m not really interested in playing it. But I think the sword moves are pretty sweet!
November 17, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Nice little video there, I’m always interested in your thoughts about never video games. And yeah, I too hate these puzzle shit. Of course, variety is a good thing, but if I want to play a puzzle game, I play a fucking puzzle game.
November 17, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Tired of God of War clone trolls…god of war is a devil may cry clone and so on ….bla bla bla….who cares as long its a good game ^^
well castlevania lord of shadow is a fun game but the camera angle is annoying and the music is epic.
November 17, 2010 at 6:07 pm
The ring puzzle reminds me of the puzzles in Assassin’s Creed 2 when you have to unlock the hidden truth segments from subject 16.
November 17, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Pile of boom! 3,2,1 BOOM! http://www.vizzed.com/vizzedboard/vizzedindex.php?ref=65348
November 17, 2010 at 6:35 pm
to anyone who is calling this a god of war clone: god of war was a clone of zelda mashed together with Ico and streets of rage. quit calling it a clone, because its not. its just another typical sub-linear video game.
as for not tying into the franchise, it does so at the VERY end of the game. even explains why the belmont’s have the curse to begin with. anyway, awesome review its nice to see something other than NES.
November 17, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Trust me, dude, you WANT that update. That’s the one that keeps your save file from corrupting…like mine did during the final boss and I had to start over.
Anyway, I love the original series, and I thought this game tied in nicely with it. Thanks for giving it a preview. Also, I do hope sometime you can mention the PS3 without slagging it off.
November 17, 2010 at 6:43 pm
It’s too bad you only played the first chapter. Because once you get to around chapter 4 it REALLY picks up in every possible way: Variety, in-depht combat, fun bosses, fun puzzles, and classic Castlevania atmosphere.
To tell you the truth I hated the ice titan boss (and the other titan too that you fight in chapter 2). I have no idea why they decided to put these 2 bosses at such early parts of the game, they discourage players…
Anyway, I really recommend you give it another chance because I was initially disappointed by it too, but in the end it became one of my favorite games in the whole franchise.
And yeah, you suck ass at the game
That ring puzzle is really easy too, but whatever.
I hope you read this comment, and you continue playing it sometime.
November 17, 2010 at 6:43 pm
I tought i was the only one who found this game similar to god of war…
November 17, 2010 at 6:45 pm
American Dad forever changed my view of Patrick Stewart’s voice. I’ll never be able to hear it and take him serious
November 17, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Oh come on don’t start with God of War. Lament of Innocence came 2 years before the first GoW and had similar gameplay. And Im sure there was another game before that.
On Lords of Shadow now. James, and everyone else, the game gets better as you play it. Its a slow starter thats for sure. The light and shadow magic system and the subweapons make the game really interesting, although I wished they had more of the classic subweaps. Also the plot later on gets really interesting.
I love the Castlevania series and at first I was a litte dissappointed because LoS sure is different. But after playing it a little more I started to get the same feeling I had when I played the original series.
Metroidvania fans will sure be dissappointed as there are really few reasons to go back to older areas and most of the time it will be optional and not that important.
Lords of Shadow is a very well made game from a small european company that apparently loved what they where doing. In the end its a Castlevania reboot, and if you keep that in mind and face the game with an open mind you’ll enjoy it.
It certainly deserves the title Castlevania in my opinion even if its not screaming it.
ps. The plot in this one is really good. The post-credits video its simply CRAZY!
ps2. sorry for my mistakes. English is not my mother tongue plus its late at night and Im sleepy
November 17, 2010 at 7:17 pm
It’s nice to see you play some of the newer games and give your opinion on it. I personally don’t own any of the next gen consoles. Being 23 I might have become too old for them and I stick to the PS1 & PS2 era. Just likes the NES, SNES and all the other consoles, there’s tons of games still out there to be played.
What my initial thought was when you climbed on the giant boss: Shadow of The Collosus. It’s the exact same thing. In Shadow of the Collosus, you had to kill all the collosus/giants by certain techniques. Often finding their weak point and then almost always climbing onto their back, destroying their weak points and killing them. In SOTC you had to hold a button to keep hanging on to them as well. I think it would’ve been cooler if you could run and dash even if the boss was moving, like in Kingdom Hearts. This feels too much like a stolen idea.
Either way, nice review!
November 17, 2010 at 7:41 pm
It’s awesome to see James review a newer game! It sux he’s too busy to really go in depth, like an AVGN episode. I’m familiar with this game, it has a great ending that makes it all worth while. I would enjoy hearing what James had to say about it (the ending).
It would be AMAZING to see an AVGN series on newer games all set to the hardest difficulty. Like Ninja Gaiden’s newest games – talk about infuriating!!!!
Thanks for the entertainment Cinemassacre!
November 17, 2010 at 7:47 pm
im glad you like playing ps3 games now and that you did this review for the fans
everyone deserves a break now and again, you know?
it seems like theres a new video on here EVERY DAY lol
November 17, 2010 at 8:01 pm
I was realy looking forward that you was going to make a review for this game. Just wanted to know your opinion for this game. For me this game was awesome.
But James continue this gameplay and you will like this game with different enemies and good story line with great cut scenes.
And you will be surprized with the end of the game, its worth it trust me
November 17, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Hehey this game is so the exact same thing as the God of War series!
November 17, 2010 at 8:04 pm
That second boss battle seemed A LOT like ‘Shadow of The Colossus’…
November 17, 2010 at 8:05 pm
that too
November 17, 2010 at 8:12 pm
a very nice review indeed, i myself found the game to be a bit repetative and the puzzles really pissed me off in parts as well…wasa bit of a letdown and didn’t live up to the castevanias of old, but then, none of them have for like 15 years so why would they start now?
November 17, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Well i just need to express my anger somewhere, might as well do it here?
This game blows
.
As you said well it has nothing to do with castlevania, but then again, why the f’ck did they use the name. To sell the crap of course, but i dont see how that is fair.
Also, without spoiling story, it tries to be castlevania later on, but fails.
The story in itself is voiced by great actors, but they dont say anything. And all the stupid story is just boring and it makes for a long game that should be shorter.
The gamplay is like you showed only more. And the big boss, well you will play some more of them, just the same.
And the game only gets crappier the longer you play. But hey, that’s just me i guess. I kinde like som games in the genre, but this one just blew my mind in how badly you can fail with a failproof concept. like 1-2 more years and a bit of castlevania in this castlevania would have done something good for it.
I think i will go bask in the light of the great title Enslaved instead
November 17, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Good first impression James. To be honest, that was my first impression of the game as well… that it was good but not Castlevania. As a fellow gamer… I am just gonna say, push on. I have beaten the game, and once you get past like the first like 4 hours or so, it really picks up and never lets loose. There are plenty of Castlevania references and really gives you a fresh look at old concepts from past games. It is a really sweet game and worthy of the Castlevania namesake…. but the first 4 hours are really slow. Anywho, that is just my opinion. I hope you get to experience the full game some day and keep up the great work. Thanks for bringing smiles to me by destroying those horrible games of my past. ^_^
November 17, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Awesome vid, I’m glad you took the time to show gameplay and do a voice-over rather than just text. I’m happy, I’m sure the fans are happy, and I’m glad you enjoyed the game…at least parts of it so far.
November 17, 2010 at 8:42 pm
You are like me, James. We come from the same generation and grew up with the classics in video games. I don’t much care for newer games myself, not cause I suck at them or anything like that, but because they give me nasty friggin’ headaches. Last new game system I bought was the XBOX and it broke last year. I don’t plan to get it replaced or by an
XBOX 360 because the fact is I prefer the cartridge era and I honestly feel that’s when video games truly ended. Most of these modern games are more like interactive movies where you control the characters in the film. Thanks for reviewing the new Castlevania game, James. I agree, it doesn’t look like Castlevania to me either.
November 17, 2010 at 8:46 pm
nice first impression, seems like a pretty cool game. It seems like it has elements from other great games. The cameras that arent movable are God of War like and so is the combat and battles. What I noticed as well though is when you described having to climb the second boss and it tries to shake you off, that is straight out of Shadow of the Colossus(a fantastic game). That’s all part of the challenge, its meant to be tough because in real life if you climb a monster, you bet your ass its gonna try to shake you off and its gonna be tough to hold on. I definitely want to play this game, but I’ll wait for a price drop.
November 17, 2010 at 8:48 pm
I wished you played a little more of the game before posting this video since the game really picks up as you go deeper into the game. It also seemed like you were nickpicking a lot; it was a 16MB patch that took less than 20 seconds to download and install, after all and it is there to make the game better/repair bugs.
Also, this game is supposed to be adressed to people like you, James. People that think Super Castlevania IV is the best CV game rather than Symphony of the Night. Lords of Shadow does have a bigass castle later on but it does contain levels outside a Castle… just like you said you like them ebtter in your Castlevania marathon.
Also, there’s no shame in playing it on easy! But please give this game a try, its outstanding. Just remember to dodge a LOT (L2 buttong + analog stick). It gets more and more Castlevania-esque as you move on. You’ll get to use Holy waters, listen to some Super Castlevania IV tunes, fight vampires, whip candles for subweapons and so on.
Also the ending is absolutely brilliant! And you, being the horror film nut you are, are you to love it. If you dare to give it a fair chance.
November 17, 2010 at 8:48 pm
You probably get this way too much but, If you really want to review a good PS3 game, do Killzone 2, I would recommend playing the first one before you start it but it’s not nearly as good of a game in my opinion, the game is pretty short but it makes up for the amazing eye candy and good gameplay.
November 17, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I forgot to mention that the game lets you skip any puzzle by clicking select when the scroll that contains the hint on how to solve said puzzle is flashing. So if you encoutner another puzzle you dont like you can just skip it!
November 17, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Damn, my first comment is filled with typos. My apologies.
November 17, 2010 at 9:14 pm
The puzzlke part reminds me od The Onimusha Saga.. >//< jajaja
November 17, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Hey James I picked this up the day it was released and had it finished 100% in about a month ( total slacking ) Anyway I personally loved it even though it doesn’t seem much like a castlevania game until the very end after the credits. The end is a total shocker and if your a fan I think you will find it amusing. It plays more like god of war but I am a big god of war fan to so liked it a lot. Anyway hope you do get time to play through it.
November 17, 2010 at 9:36 pm
We can be horrible at new games together James! reminds me of a mix of devil may cry and god of war chain whipping, not that its bad but i wish they would have implemented more style to make it its own game.
I’d like to see you do a video where you go to an arcade place and see the arcade games you enjoy playing.
November 17, 2010 at 9:48 pm
The beginning is kind of annoying but as you go it gets better…but the game wasnt GREAT. I gave it a quick play through and enjoyed it, but after that I sold it….and as a huge castlevania fan and a guy who usually hangs onto all of his games, its a rarity for me to get rid of one. I just figured I’d never play it again, and it wasnt great like the side scrollers, so after playing it, I was done with it forever.
Your review is pretty much exactly how I felt during those stages. The boss battle where the dude keeps shaking is annoying as hell, especially that first time you do it. It took me forever. Get used to it though because quite a few other bosses have the same technique needed to be them.
Once you power up, it starts to become more enjoyable and the story is pretty cool at times. The ending was kind of quick and confusing for everything I had gone through, and the scene after the credits was pretty cool, especially if you think of a sequel based on that final sequence, but I dunno….I like the “Metroidvania” type games a lot and was hoping this would have elements from those and it didnt. It was a decent reboot of the series, but I felt like it was missing “something” and I hope that if they stick with this style, they figure out what that “something” was and add it.
Enjoy!
November 17, 2010 at 10:15 pm
lol @ the guy who said 23 is “too old” for modern games.
You know the average age of players today is around 30 right?
Unless you’re like Rolfe and you just don’t play video games any more and stick to something else you really love. (Rolfe’s case would be filmmaking)
November 17, 2010 at 10:15 pm
great review! You do new videogame reviews better than most ‘new videogame review’ critics:-)
November 17, 2010 at 10:16 pm
man, love your reviews…
don’t matter if they ar angy video game nerd, or just calm james voice nerd…. is just interesting hearing you talk about games… keep up the good work..
November 17, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Great Review, Good To See You Doing a New Game, It would be great if you could do a Review of Alan Wake for the Xbox 360, if you have time, arguably one of the most underrated games of the year, just because it didnt sell more than a million copies doesnt mean it isnt a great game, hell they spent 4 years on it, plus the DLC makes it even better. Dont Know if you have an Xbox 360 or not but it would be kool to hear your opinion on it. Also Resident Evil 5 lol.
November 17, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Wow, I wasn’t expecting to see this. You can tell James barely scratched the surface of this game; he didn’t even get to the second chapter. Yeah, it’s true that this might be Castlevania in name only, but it’s still a beautiful and great game. The puzzle sequences are pretty lame, and there’s a bunch more later on. You can read the hint scrolls at the loss of experience points, and the scrolls give you the answer if you’re willing to sacrifice experience points. At least the designers give you the option if you don’t want to do those stupid riddles.
November 17, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Thanks for doing this! It’s cool to see your impressions since you’ve obviously a big fan of the older titles. As someone who played the game through multiple times, I can tell you that it only gets better, especially when you get to the vampire castle. While there’s not hearts to collect or meat inside walls, I still get a castlevania feel from it and I love being able to fight all these mythical creatures using a chain whip thats attached to a cross. Hope you get a chance to finish it!
November 17, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Watch me kick the ice titan’s ass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiNoN9UNOXc
November 17, 2010 at 11:20 pm
Good review. I was wondering if you could do a review on super contra. I would like to hear your thoughts on it if you have it.
November 17, 2010 at 11:32 pm
I’m sure you’ve gotten this request before. but i really want to hear your thoughts on the back to the future game, when it comes out. i recently bought the trilogy and am loving them again. when i heard of the game i instantly thought of your ghost busters review of the new game. well just throwing that out there.
November 17, 2010 at 11:44 pm
This game to me was a dissappointment, all it is, is God of War 3 with CastleVania characters and the name CastleVania……its a god od war rip off…..the CV franchise is too old and to respected to do something like that. It be like making a game called Dantes Inferno and making it play exactly like GOW 3…..oh wait, they did.
STOP RIPPING OF GOW AND GET CREATIVE!!!!
November 18, 2010 at 12:17 am
I’m okay with the downloading on my PS3 which I got a year ago this week, mostly because mine isn’t connected to the internet.
Lords of Shadow looks more cool than the other 3D Castlevania games, mainly because the characters don’t look like they’re from a manga or anime.
1:04- You’re not alone, James. I’m not a video game expert, and I also set the game to the easyest difficulty because I don’t want to be defeated too often, get p!$$ed off, and throw my console out the window.
Patrick Stewart? Awesome choice, Konami. B)
2:52- A little different from the “Star Wars: The Force Unleased” games.
Awesome video, James. Looking forward to your AVGN Christmas episode of this year.
November 18, 2010 at 12:19 am
Good review. But I think you should play a little longer if you have time. It’s a great game.
November 18, 2010 at 12:21 am
The end will make you want to rip your hair out.
November 18, 2010 at 12:32 am
And also it doesn’t remind you of Castlevania much because it’s a God of War clone.
November 18, 2010 at 1:08 am
As someone who has played and beaten the game, I have to put in my two cents.
quick backstory, I am beyond reason fan of this series. Despite never beating cv1 (sorry, death is too hard), the majority of the series is something I play religiously. CV2 was my favorite game growing up, Super CV4 I literally held a cassette recorder up to the speakers on my tv to record the sound track. I have been symphony a million times, own it on the original PS (not the greatest hits!) and on the remake of rondo of blood. I have the japanese release poster of Lament of Innocence, farmed every single weapon and familiar in Curse of Darkness, leveled up Soma to 99 in BOTH aria and dawn of sorrow, and well… played CV 64 and managed to make it through it without throwing up =)
I have read nearly every interview IGA has done, used a scan of his business card from a few E3s ago as my facebook profile pic. I BOUGHT A WHIP WHEN I WAS A KID AND PLAYED AS SIMON BELMONT IN MY PARENTS GARDEN KILLING SPIDERS.
What all of this is getting to is simply; lords of shadows is where this series needs to go. It is stronger for going here, and it is handled in such a way that I feel the same passion for the series I felt when I put symphony in for the first time. This game is what it is BECAUSE of all the previous titles despite the fact that it throws out much of those titles; gameplay and story.
The music is tremendous and Gabriel’s animations are hit for hit just as compelling as alucard’s. I challenge ANYONE to prove to me that the plot that runs through this game is not compelling. Either you are preset to be disappointed or you have a rose tinted view of the other CV games.
I would petition anyone, including James, who feels the game is too difficult, too much a God of War clone (ah… have you played the last half dozen CV games.. they are clones OF THEMSELVES), to at LEAST watch the cutscenes. there is a guy posting them slowly onto youtube and a few of us are pestering him to finish it up. His name is JagrDemonBis , or you can do a search for lords of shadows all cinematics. also watch the screwattack CV retrospective.
For any series to go past a decade it has to evolve, it has to change. that very thing happened with symphony. I love those games, and I am sure without a doubt that the next one IGA puts out I will buy whatever collector’s edition (portrait of ruin’s was awesome!) Konami sees fit to produce. But Lords of Shadows is a necessary and I truly feel exciting step for the series. In order to make sure that the series keeps the fanbase the previous set of fans has to at least give it a try and simply not dismiss it as a clone or “not canon”. Castlevania IS in this game and you DON’T have to look deeply at all; you have to let go of the Vampire Killer theme song, let go of Lament’s defintion of Dracula. Once you do that you will see a holy knight with a whip killing vampires and shades and werewolves with a level of platforming that stands toe to toe with any other CV game.
November 18, 2010 at 1:13 am
Since were at this point again i would like to request
”Alan Wake” for the 360
wich i for a fact know you own
For your own good, try it out.
FYI: Psychological thriller game
November 18, 2010 at 1:19 am
My only comment is it looks like another wannabe Devil May Cry, God of War, and all the other shitty repilicas that tried to follow there success
November 18, 2010 at 1:22 am
@jobowyer
I agree with you. The direction this game went in was necessary. It really recalls to me the CV games on the N64. There’s a lot of platforming in this game, which I like. This game is just beautiful to look at–but it’s got depth too which makes it just an amazing epic game. I can’t wait for the sequel.
November 18, 2010 at 1:27 am
I have yet to play this one other than the rather painful demo, but if I was going to rec a recent Castlevania that felt a bit more like the old ones I would say Order of Ecclesia for DS. It’s got the SOTN/explorer ish aspects to the game, but the leveling up and ability to change your skills around doesn’t make the game ridiculously easy after a point. It’s pretty challenging most of the way and you spend a lot of time outside the castle. Well actually, I bet you played it, but a review would be interesting anyway.
But yeah lords of shadow doesn’t hold much hope for me, considering how the game was presented as the Castlevania for the non-Castlevania fans, and the demo was rather… unfun/structured feeling. That timed button press crap is way too confining for my liking, can’t help but prefer to kill an enemy off my own way, not using some script that tells me how.
November 18, 2010 at 1:31 am
You know, I have an idea, lets make a game like Devil May Cry but have it deal with Greek mythology. Wait, that’s God Of War! I’m so fucking sick of hearing people say “they copied GOW” when the damn game isn’t original at all! Are they good games? Sure. But are they so original that any game remotely similar MUST have just copied it? FUCK NO! SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT GOD OF WAR AND GET OVER IT! If you want to just keep saying that this game copied that game, then why don’t we just say that any adventure game is just a copy of the Atari 2600 game Adventure, or any FPS is a copy of Wolfenstein 3D, or any platformer is a copy of Mario! If the game is enjoyable, then who cares how close it is to some other game, it’s not like their can be 5 billion different styles of games so not one game is anything like the next. It’s just like that Game Informer review of Clash Of The Titans that said it was just a God Of War copy. Even though it was a remake. I mean it had Athens and Hates in it, and God Of War was where they first appeared, right? It’s not like Athens is an actual city or Hades was worshiped in ancient times, no God Of War made those up so anything else dealing with them just took it from the game. It’s things like this that have made me refuse to play the 3rd one.
And James, you’re fucking awesome, fuck everyone else just do what you feel like doing, ’cause that’s when it’s the best. Although a review of Chakan : The Forever Man for Genesis some without day is my request I suppose. If you’ve never played that, it’s a good game, just hard as fuck and completely ruined by the ridiculously hard final boss and worst ending ever if you somehow are ever able to defeat him without save states.
November 18, 2010 at 1:56 am
You know how Roger Ebert, even with his health problem, still reviews movies to this day? That’s passion right there, and I believe you share that same passion with him not only in movies, but also in games.
This video is proof that you’re the kind of reviewer that today’s gaming industry lacks. I love the down-to-earth dialogue that you do in all of your unscripted videos. And the reason why I’m going on with this is because I hope that the day you retire the Nerd, you consider not retiring from the short videos; in or out of character.
More specifically, if you could make reviews/first impressions like this one, that would be amazing, even if just as a hobby, once in a while, without any contracts.
I have nothing wrong with most reviewers out there: I try to watch GT, IGN, 1UP, G4, Gamespot, and others; but I don’t know why, but they feel that because they are getting paid, they have to use smart words and write poetry into every review. I don’t care if you have an English degree, you know? Just tell me how the game made you feel. And that’s pretty much what you do, so thanks for this video.
P.S.: Notice all the requests. You make an exception, and the people want more. Do yourself a favor, and try God of War III if you haven’t already. It sounds like you never played it, so if you did, you’d understand the clone criticisms (which you might already, but you didn’t mention it in the video so that’s why I said that).
November 18, 2010 at 2:04 am
This actually looks like something I’d like a lot, it reminds me of Price of Persia. Too bad I don’t have a PS3.
November 18, 2010 at 2:38 am
All I see is a God of war rip off with while your wiping around with your weapons and the timing attacks in the boss sequences.
November 18, 2010 at 2:57 am
Thanks for review it, James! It’s a good game, I really like it.
This is what i said 3D Castlevania. Much better then IGA’s, IGA fucking sucks, he shoule leave Castlevania away !
November 18, 2010 at 3:05 am
i’d love to see you doing more of these if you have the time, james. it has a casual feeling that reminds me of the earliest nintendo nerd episodes, where you were just progressing in the game and commenting along.
not to say that i don’t like your newer stuff, and i understand that you need time to make the avgn feature film and the other cinemassacre stuff.. i just like this ‘let’s play’-style, it’s like sitting in a room with a friend and watching him play..
November 18, 2010 at 3:08 am
@angel85
This game’s also on Xbox 360.
Trust me, its great! It starts slow but it does get better and more Catlevania-esque as you go deeper. You want value for your money? This action game will take you 20 hours to beat and thats wbefore you backtrack to get the optional items you miss the first time.
November 18, 2010 at 3:14 am
I can’t stress this enough: Castlevania Lords of Shadow is a game made for those who think Super Castlevania IV is the best CV game rather than Symphony of the Night.
Its a more linear game, with a fantastic story (and mind blowing ending), that doesnt happen entirely inside a castle.
And please stop with the GoW comparisons. Castlevania was inspired already before by horror movie clichés and then by Metroid and jRPGs, why cruxify it now because its combat looks like God of War?
Give it a try.
November 18, 2010 at 4:19 am
NO PS3 ,How were you sucked into that piece on monstrosity.
November 18, 2010 at 4:52 am
I’m not a big Castlevania fan and I haven’t played Lords of Shadow yet but even I can tell that this game doesn’t look like a Castlevania game. It’s nice to see James playing a new game. Thanks for sharing it with us.
November 18, 2010 at 5:12 am
Reminds me of God of War… You should give it a try, James. I mean if you like this, you gonna love GoW… less puzzles, more action, great scenes… and Id like to know your opinion
November 18, 2010 at 5:17 am
Lords of Shadow is awesome! If you read the scrolls you will see nods to the old series such as Cronqvist and Gandolfi. I agree it’s very different from other Castlevanias but there are Castlevania games of the past that are linear action games. I think the main thing that is missing is the old school Castlevania theme tunes but to be fair the music in Lords of Shadow is awesome in its own right. While I love the old timeline it has run its course and it’s hard to say for sure what is canon or not so i’m glad they’re rebooting the series as long as we still get some classic style Metroidvanias along the way!
November 18, 2010 at 6:04 am
hmmm i dont know if you played this…. but that big frozen boss was such a rip-off from “shadow of the colossus” one of the best games for the PS2. and almost without doubt the most beautiful.
.
if you played it you know what i mean
but all in all this looks like a neat game, and i might get it.
November 18, 2010 at 6:04 am
i was a bit confused why nerd was doing new game rview. but honestly i myself was kinda intreasted to see what he had to say about this game. and oddly enough its the same thing i was thinking. the game was a bit of a disapointment.
November 18, 2010 at 6:09 am
That boss was stolen straight out of Shadow of the Collossus, the wheel puzzle from Assassins’s Creed 2 and the general combat and gameplay from God of War.
Anyone remember when the Japanese actually made good, original games? Those were the days.
November 18, 2010 at 6:17 am
Though the title says Castlevania, it’s definently everything but Castlevania. But it’s still a good action game, though it borrows alot from God of War.
November 18, 2010 at 6:24 am
I’m a huge Castlevania fan and was looking forward to LOS since i saw the Teaser Trailer, im also playing through it right now, on chapter 5 i think, and my impression of it is, well i love it, its not exactly original in alot of its ideas, but to be honost, idk, Its a 3D Castlevania thats playable, which i think is good because, out of all my friends i am the only one that ever played Castlevania, they used to watch me on my Nes playing the first or on GBA etc, and now since LOS came out, most of them have looked back and wanting to play the old ones, (Forced one to play Aria of Sorrow which is my fav) So by acctully bring out a Good 3D castlevania on a major console does alot for the series as a whole, even if you dont like LOS you have to agree with that.
November 18, 2010 at 6:24 am
Haters gonna hate….game is pretty solid and the CV mythos is fully intact. It also has one of the coolest endings of all time!
November 18, 2010 at 6:49 am
This guy’s review basically said it all. Very informative and entertaining as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfN_KR_tWi4
And like I said before. Lords of Shadow is more likely to be your cup of tea if you think Super Castlevania IV is the best game in the series rather than a Metroidvania like Symphony of the Night. Nonetheless its an excelent game any way you see it.
November 18, 2010 at 8:04 am
James I’m saying this in the nicest way and I understand you more than likely have a very busy schedule, but my guess is that you don’t play too many newer games.
November 18, 2010 at 8:48 am
Seems actually like a pretty bad game to me.
The graphics are awesome and the style is spot-on, yes, but it looks like a generic slasher.
… and it has button timed events! The bane of video gaming in my opinion.
November 18, 2010 at 8:52 am
Wow! Interesting, thanks so much for showing, James.
But yeah I saw in a previous comment about someone mentioning God of War. The attacks look similar for sure, but GoW IS a wicked game! I haven’t PLAYED it… but i bought my husband the games and he played it and I watched… EVERY bit! It got so bad I would beg him to play just so I could watch!
But yeah, hey I just wanted to say thanks for the videos and hours of entertainment. It really shows how much you work on your videos and whatnot and yeah, keep up the great work, and don’t let anything get you down. *Internet high five*
Cheers!
Lori
November 18, 2010 at 9:17 am
This is the best Castlevania Game since Symphony of the night. And perhaps one of the GOTY. Incredible graphics and music, in my opinion quite better than gow3
November 18, 2010 at 9:18 am
Well James, it sure was interesting finding your thoughts on this one… not really.
To be honest, I’m a lot more interested on knowing your opinion on the old school Castlevania gamed for the Game Boy. Those that feel like NES games. I really would love to find out about what you think of those
November 18, 2010 at 9:23 am
Shouldn’t there be a CASTLE in the CASTLEvania game ???
November 18, 2010 at 9:53 am
James I understand the point of this first impression. But I really believe you should play the game atleast halfway to chapter 7-8 to get the “Castlevania feeling”. The game starts slow and catches up alot later on, it introduces alot of gameplay, especially combat mechanics, and the game turns out incredible in my opinion. The story is very interesting and the ending blows your mind. So I’d be very interested to see a full review when you’ve finished the game James. It’s always nice to hear your thoughts, especially on the Castlevania series since you’re a big fan of it.
For the people saying there isn’t any castles in Castlevania LoS:
How funny. How about taking a second or two to make a small research about the game? There isn’t any castles? You spend atleast 3 CHAPTERS inside castles. Stop spewing out ignorant things if you havent played the game guys. It’s embarrassing.
November 18, 2010 at 10:12 am
I played the demo version and boy, am I disappointed – it’s not “Castlevania”, it’s “God of War” in a fantasy setting. Perhaps the game picks up later on, but I just don’t care enough to play the full version.
November 18, 2010 at 10:31 am
I saw the Japanese trailer of this game a couple months ago at the Tokyo Game Show while on vacation in Japan. I didn’t get to play it yet (because of the long, long, LONG lines), but i was able to see the cast of the voice actors/actresses along with Hideo Kojima himself. If I had a coice, I’d rather play the Japanese version (it makes it a whole lot COOLER). Anyway, great review, James!
November 18, 2010 at 10:32 am
@ Octo Seven
Retard, you know it was made by a Spanish company named Mercury Steam, right? You could at least research before you leave your hater crap on here.
Kojima just offered tiny bits of guidance and the company’s name for slapped on for value.
November 18, 2010 at 11:10 am
This game seems to be a mix, God of War, and Shadow of the Colossus for the PS2, keeping right up there with other popular games and I would think they used the name to attract the adult gamers who played the originals so long ago
November 18, 2010 at 12:03 pm
this is like “What if Castlevania wanted to be God of War?”
and I FUCKING HATE GOD OF WAR
November 18, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Well, normally I fully agree with James, but on this one, that’s not true. Ofcourse, if you just played this part of the game, it seems true, but as you advance, it isn’t. I played the game and the whole game I wondered: How the hell is this referred to the original Casltevania Series? At the end, all is answered, but I won’t post it here. Spoiler case.
November 18, 2010 at 12:37 pm
@Konamikoden
There is a castle. A lot of the game is in the castle.
November 18, 2010 at 12:54 pm
It’s a rip off Dante’s Inferno! Though Lords of Shadow of takes place in the normal world and Dante is in the Hell, both games look so much alike! In the beginning of the game Dante even gets the Grim Reaper scythe that looks a lot like Gabriel’s whip…
Now who’s guilty EA or Konami…
By the way, I played Dante’s Inferno on my PSP and it sucks. So definitely I’m not touching Castlevania: Lords of Shadow!
November 18, 2010 at 1:41 pm
I have never left a comment before. Didn’t have any need to. And I saw the registration thing and I thought “Pssh, I’m not going to register!” But actually the process was a lot easier than other sites and quick. So props on that. But anyway, Castlevania. I loved Lords of Shadow. I know it took from other games and stuff but I genuinely had a fun time playing it. With Patrick Stewart doing the narrations in between levels I felt as if the tale were being told right there in the woods over a campfire. Odes that make sense. I wrote a huge review on it myself but don’t worry I’m not here to advertise myself or whatever. I just wanted to say that Lords of Shadow, though flawed, was really a great experience for me and although at first I didn’t have the same feelings for it as I did with Super Castlevania 4, by the end I was back to that happy place as if the ruined architecture and raw elementals of the terrain in the game were right in my room. SC4 is still my favorite, but this game was a nice break from the Mertroidvania anime games. Anyway, Love what you do here at Cinemassacre and keep it comin’.
November 18, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Great Spanish programmer´s game
November 18, 2010 at 2:33 pm
This games is a combination of God of War, Prince of persia and Shadow of the Colossus
November 18, 2010 at 2:54 pm
The game is pretty nice, I pretty much enjoyed playin’ it. but to be honest, im not satisfied with the ending. not at all. it feels like you didn’t accomplish anything
November 18, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Yeah, played some of this this in the store, PS3 version.
My reaction was like the commercial to The Legend of Zelda for the NES.
‘Look at those graphics!’
But, uh, yeah, can’t afford to own it sadly.
That and Patrick Stewart.
November 18, 2010 at 3:23 pm
lol hey have you played Assasins creed 2? that bridge puzzle is just like this one part in it, it pissed me off so much lmao!
November 18, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I don’t think the system update is that often. I like the voice of the guy while spinning the whip, I’t like Alucard from SOTN. Is the fairy naked? The bigguy boss reminds me of The Shadow of the Colossus.
Damn you, James! I bought Super Castlevania IV from the Wii Shopping Channel, I bought an NTSC version of Castlevania – Symphony of the Night f for Playstation (I’m in a PAL region, and that was a Black Label version, not a Greatest Hits edition) I bought 2 PS2 Castlevania games, both NTSC and finaly I bought Castlevania – NES Classic for the Gameboy Advance. Your big Castlevania marathon made me love the series! Curse you James, you made me spend a lot of money
And I’m sure I’ll buy this game as well.
It’s sad that you don’t play games anymore
November 18, 2010 at 5:12 pm
I think James is contractually obligated to say something bad about the ps3 everyone once in a while, but other then that, pretty good review. Ive only played a couple levels as well, and it seems……ok. Just ok. Maybe its going somewhere with this….but maybe not.
(ive seen the ending. That was……ok. lol)
November 18, 2010 at 7:03 pm
From what I’ve seen it looks like the game lifts God of War’s basic gameplay and smaller boss battles. The giant ice monster thing looked a lot like a Shadows of the Collossus boss. Seems like a decent game, but not really classic Castlevania.
November 18, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Iop, those installations suck balls. Hate it too.
I haven’t got the chance to play the game, but i certainly will when it gets cheaper. But so far, i like it.
Thanks for your words on it, hope you ill do a full review on this game, if you have the time and nerves. Greetings from Luxembourg.
November 18, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Wow James, thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule just to take a request, we all really appreciate it!
I’m near the mid-way point in Lords of Shadow, and I agree with you about most of what you said. But believe me when I say the game gets way, way better after the levels you spoke about. It’s basically non-stop platforming, fighting, and exploring, from that point on…especially when you get to the first main castle that’s being overrun with vampires.
I too, felt it was a weird sequence of bosses/puzzles early on that you talked about, but after those levels, it settles into a great rhythm of combat and adventure.
Just two things I needed to mention, I dunno if it’s in the PS3 version, but the 360 version lets you skip most of the puzzles in the game, by giving you hints to finish them, the cost though is that it takes away the potential XP you gain if you had finished it without the hint.
Also, while the game lacks the hearts and candles of the older castlevanias, it does actually include lots of links and story connections to them. The first Lord of Shadow you fight is named Cornell, who was the werewolf in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness for the N64. Also, the guy who built the Combat Cross Gandolfi, I believe? He’s a character in one of the DS games, also the vampire woman Carmilla who’s also in a couple of other CV games is in this one too.
Thanks again for doing this I really hope you have enough time to do a part II somewhere down the line!
November 18, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Good vid again and good thoughts put on about CV. Hopefully there will be time to get this game finished without getting bored or too annoyed by it! Perhaps sad to say but I found it somewhat amusing even that Hideo Kojima has left his “mark” on this game somewhere, it will be obvious if listening to the game but it will happen only once on one level. I found myself this one to be even nicely different, but a fair warning. These guys are apparently planning a second CV which might continue this, for that reason its perhaps good someway to finish the game… Or just spoil the plot from reading everything online. I know, I have done this few times with some games…
November 18, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Cool.
Yeah, I don’t think it feels like a Castlevania game, either. It’s okay, just not Castlevania. In other wards, nice try.
November 18, 2010 at 8:14 pm
As a fan of puzzles and boss battles, this actually got my interest, but I fear the monotony would kill the whole thing.
Anyway… my favorite Castlevania is the one you mentioned: Dawn of Sorrow: At the time the DS was new and I loved the way the story of Aria of Sorrow kept going.
November 18, 2010 at 8:43 pm
A few things to note. Originally the game was never supposed to be a Castlevania, mercury steam is a brand new company and Konami saw how the game looked and showed interest. So they teamed together so that mercury steam had some credibility now and konami gets a new Castlevania
November 18, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Small brief for those who hate puzzles in the game. If you find those glowing soldier corpses during the map, some of them hold scrolls. Few give tips, some are just diary notes, and some hold direct keys to puzzles. Yep. Just open the scroll and it asks do you want the answer to puzzle. You lose the price of solving the puzzle without help, but get to continue faster.
And those who think last video was “strange” and stuff, know that it is said that lords of shadow is a reboot for the franchise. If doesnt have to make sense chronologically.
And tips for playthrough, USE BLOCK COUNTER. Hit max 3 times in row and then roll away. Activate light/shadow magic (depends on your health) immediately when counter combo can begin. Use tools, they make game a lot easier.,
November 18, 2010 at 9:30 pm
That first boss looks like Tokka from the second Ninja Turtles movie.
November 18, 2010 at 9:42 pm
I was disappointed when this game was revealed to be honest. Hearing about a new Castlevania centered around 3D gameplay with high production values only sets the fans up for disappointment. Additionally I never felt the “dracula” or other horror staples of Castlevania to be present in previews/reviews for this game.
To me 2D castlevania is the most optimal future. Ocarina of Time got the transition right, but sadly the N64 games just couldn’t convert the great side scrolling gameplay to 3D. Curse that magical nitro!
November 18, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Again people, THIS IS NOT A GOD OF WAR CLONE! Play the damn game before spouting your stupid nonsense.
November 19, 2010 at 12:23 am
Is been confirmed that the Castlevania theme was added to this game when it was more tha 50% done, that´s why it does not feel like a Castlvania game at all, just the parts they mixed, still, people say is a good game, I´m gonna try it later, and I also hate the updates, more if you don´t play the game in weeks, there is always a new patch, and that was 16MB, I have seen updates over 200MB or like 100 liitle updates (like Little Big Planet)
November 19, 2010 at 2:12 am
Nice vid ^^
I’d really like to hear/read your thoughts after you finished the game…..
November 19, 2010 at 2:14 am
I’m completely on the fence about this one. I consider myself a huge Castlevania fan, but I do like that this is something different. On the other hand, there is a lot of GoW influence, (don’t kid yourself players, you know it to be true) I guess they couldn’t escape it. Either borrow from an engine that works or build one from scratch that may not work… tough choice. Lament of Innocence also borrowed a bit from DMC, but not nearly as much, (it’s sequel Curse of Darkness actually was the most original of the bunch being a flawed SotN in 3D).
I bought Lords for the 360 and certainly the second disc feels more like Castlevania than the first, but that’s only after several dozen name drops. The puzzles are interesting but some of them seem quite difficult (especially that first one). The platforming can be fun, but again it doesn’t feel like Castlevania… more like Prince of Persia.
I do think that everyone should try the game (more than the demo) but it becomes clear that the Castlevania influence is more cosmetic than anything. For instance the swamp level harkens back to those in Castlevania 2 and 3 with the hands coming out of the ground reminiscent of Super CV4. there are lots more nods, but it still feels tacked on with the Castlevania name.
Something I should mention about Dawn of Sorrow btw (since he brought it up) is that until your stylus hits the screen, you have an infinite amount of time to draw those seals. The pressure should only exist for drawing the damn thing right once you start.
November 19, 2010 at 4:41 am
Frst of all, just let me say that holy crap this site is the best and easiest site to register to. Now, second of all, I was going to ask you are you team Xbox 360, PS3, or PC? I’m a PC gamer to the core. And I sure hope that they port this game to PC, but for now, I’m stuck playing it on my 360. Nonetheless, I still like the 360, I just hate the PS3. It SUCKS. ‘Nough said. So, pretty much, I was just asking what team you were on.
November 19, 2010 at 6:00 am
Hello, I played the demo the other day and since I havent played the earlier versions I cant say where it belongs on the Castlevania story, but game play isn’t that good, this from somebody that LOVES “GOD OF WAR”, I know it was a demo. it seemed allitled limited and didnt have the feel to play more. when the game gets less pricy I’ll buy it and play it. As for the star trek seens ……. YAWN!!! kind of like karioke but reading, a little animation would have been nice, but instead we have a sword at the bottom of the page getting bigger and bigger and bigger????
Patrick Stewart and the ever growning sword. O.o
As for the updates…. these games have bug and some of them need to be fixed because of ppl who use them to there advantage (Online) or messes up gameplay. I dont mined waiting a couple of minites to play, it gives me time to stack the snakes near the couch ^.^ and you dont have to update if you dont want to, if you are playing offline.
LBP is probable the most awesome game ever made, not for AVGN to many puzzles
, hence all the updates.
Note: for the ppl who dont like updates dont ever install “Devil May Cry 4″ on your system. ehehehe really dont.