Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Review

[leavedaemonalone]

This review is perfectly warranted i think Daemon has gave the game justice, there are issues in the game that have been picked up, so castlevania fanboys please get fucked

 

[jeff62780]

What's up, I just wanna write a review cause I've played this game and this review almost discouraged me from picking it up. Don't let it do that to you. Yea, I agree with most of this review, although i do think that the game deserves At Least a little better than a score of 7.5..... 8 or 8.5 would be more accurate. To me, IGN is usually on point with review scores, and on their scale, if a game gets a 7.5 then it is usually pretty mediocre, and this game is definitely not mediocre. I mean, yea, it's undeniably like God of War, but seriously, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (also got a 9.3), was released over 2 years BEFORE the 1st God of War was, so why not compare it to that??? It would be very easy to say that GOW borrowed some of it's own structure from that game... Aaaah! Whatever, I only bring that up cause he referenced GOW at least three different times in this review... anyway, this game is very epic, and despite what the review said (and i quote, "pretty much anything you would expect to find in a Castlevania game is not to be found here"), I thought it was very much a Castlevania game. Vampires, werewolves, great levels, lots of power-ups, lots of plat forming. And also, the ending is one of the most satisfying I've ever seen in ANY game( P.S. you gotta watch the extra cut scene that rolls after the credits) It's definitely not "Symphony of the Night" (which this reviewer also seemed to constantly compare it to), Why would it be?? It's a next gen reboot, SOTN is over a decade old.
The new combat system is great. It completely keeps it from being a button masher, you actually have to learn how to play it, something that a good bit of games in this genre seem to lack lately. I personally loved this game. I couldn't put it down till i finished it. Like I said, I do agree with some of the review, he really does hit all the good and bad points of the game, its just the score, Come, on, you guys gave GOW 3 a 9.3, which if I may add, I'm currently playing, and yea its absolutely impressive, buuuttt.... Castlevania LOS is at the very, very least, equal to it, and it gets a 7.5?? Wow!! I just wanna let anyone out there that almost doesn't get this game because of IGN's review, that, yea this is a pretty solid review, but in comparison to other next gen action games, the score is kinda off, so give it shot. If you're into this genre then it is well worth your time

 

[werbet]

Post 1/2

I have created this IGN account specifically to open your eyes.
Do not take into account this reviewer position when deciding whether or not to buy this game.

It seems to me that the reviewer is not entirely familiar with the Castlevania series and legacy. To say this game is not a Castlevania is a very misinformed statement, since the game has been clearly influenced by Lament of Innocence (the PS2 Castlevania game) and several other Castlevania games.

Many areas resemble (a 3D reimagining, if you prefer) previous Castlevania games; the Dead Bog, for instance, is one of the Castlevania I stages; the one with the jumping "monkeys".

Im sorry, but this game is not a God of War clone. In fact, the combat system is quite similar to the one implemented in Lament of Innocence, in this matter one could even argument that God of War has been influenced by Lament of Innocence. Moreover, many movements and combat actions are Castlevania-like, specially the main weapon (which is the same weapon wielded in LoI); similarly, the secondary weapons are the same presented in previous incarnations of the series. In my humble opinion, the combat system of this game is more dynamic and diverse than the one in GoW, and the actions feel smooth and Castlevania-ish to me; I really enjoyed the many combos and movements you can perform while attacking. The combat is very smooth and fast.

The fixed camera is not as annoying as the reviewer claims it to be. In fact, it feels pretty much like the one in Metal Gear Solid 4; and I suspect the game engines are the same, since camera angles and movement are very similar to other Kojima games, as is the graphics and textures and the animations; the character modeling is very detailed, and the scenery is very, very well done, the game is beautiful and inspiring, the mood of the areas are quite Castlevania-like.

Have I told you that the music and sound effects are awesome (it even made me forget that they havent included the familiar Castlevania musics I love)? I loved the music in this game (the main theme is one my favorite game tunes now), it really shines combined with the mood of some areas, specially in combat situations. GoW 3 sound effects are cool, but it seems to me that when you hit an enemy (with a huge iron chain) you should get an epic sound effect, like a very strong smash; well, I hated the "hit effect" in GoW3, but the one in Castlevania just sounds right, its quite hard to describe the feel of it, but it is better. When you hit an enemy it feels epic, the graphic effect and sound just blend together and deliver this nice "Im destroying some bad guys with a deadly weapon" feel. (continues on next post)

 

[werbet]

Post 2/2

The game is very cinematographic, most of the time you are presented with small pieces of the narrative, and the story-telling is dynamic and satisfying, like when you are wandering in the swamp and "feels" like something evil is sneaking on you. The voice-acting is superb, but it is too melodramatic sometimes. The script could be a little bit more natural, but I understand what the producers wanted to achieve.

The game is huge and fun, I'm into 10 hours+ and I still want more and more of it. It plays and feels like a Castlevania game, at least to me. I would have scored this game a 9.

I hope I have helped you guys in this matter. Sorry for my poor English, I'm still learning.

P.s. I hope this game gets a sequel!

Werbet.

 

[GoldFulgore]

The game is in one word: a masterpiece.
This review does not do justice for the game. The combat system, the soundtrack, the visuals, everything is done to perfection.
I enjoyed this game even more than God of War 3.
Just look at the other comments below and you will see that I am not the only one with a different opinion.
I would gladly give it a 9/10

 

[phreaky13]

just killed the vampire dark lord... moving onto chapter 10 now.. after the music box level... god daym this game is amazing. my eyes hurt a little from abit too much constant playing.. but i just have to say, i played gow3 stoned the whole way through, epic experience... been playing this sober however... and its even more epic. much more challenging than gow3 i must say, combat requires more focus, it's just right. much more satisfying to own. this game feels alot more varied in general and i don't believe i've ever enjoyed finding little scrolls of information about the lore and whats happening in the world, ever before in a videogame. couldn't believe ign gave this a 7.5 - should have been on par with gow3 at least. slowing down now... don't want it to end

 

[AlucardJNight]

Ign needs to put its pride aside and give this game the review it deserves!

 

[unifiedone]

leavedaemonalone I am not a Castlevania fanboy....... This is only the second ever Castlevania i have played. Honestly i like it way better than the other one I played. So go get raped bitch lol. This game seems to be taking a step in the right direction. Doubt i would give it a 9 though. I would give it a 8.4. Main reason being the camera is not controllable and there are some glitches here and there. Its funny cause my rating of this game falls in line with metacritic.com's overall average review score. I must know what I'm talking about! Anyway.......................

 

[crajonv]

I just ate a burger, I really enjoyed it, but it's not as good as other amazing burgers. I give it a 7.5, but I really enjoyed it.

 

[Htenel]

As a Castlevania fan, this game doesn't do it for me at all.

It's a good action game, but since this game is a reboot to the series (when it never needed one in the first place) and doesn't feel at all like Castlevania, I am quite insulted.

The IGA castlevanias were always interesting (and always will) but if this ...."Lords Of Shadow" is the future of Castlevania, this is sad

 

[unifiedone]

Htenel on October 14, 2010 17:55 PDT
Report Abuse
I just ate a burger, I really enjoyed it, but it's not as good as other amazing burgers. I give it a 7.5, but I really enjoyed it.
Posted by: crajonv on October 14, 2010 17:02 PDT
GO GET RAPED LOL..................

 

[unifiedone]

All you so called Castlevania fans seem yo all have conflicting interest lol. I'm just saying..............

 

[AlucardJNight]

Htenel.... If you played the game you would know just how much of a Castlevania game it is. Vampires, werewolfs, zombies, epic boss battles, awesome story, powerful upgrades, 20 plus hrs of gameplay, and a Belmont with a whip......just like a Castlevania game!! Guess you didnt play the same game I and everyone else did. Now go buy or rent the game then come back and post...........nuff said..

 

[xEdDantesx]

@Daemon Hatfield

This review is a biased disgrace, and penalizes the game with no objectively negative facts, just rhetorical opinion. Do you get paid for producing this trash, or do it pro bono? Assuming it's the former, I suppose I chose the wrong career (considering it requires diligent effort and non-sophomoric work product).

Last time I even consider relying on a game review from this site, as I almost didn't buy this game.

 

[wolfrank13]

Daemon you should be ashamed of writing such a sloppy and misleading review. It shows that either you didn't finish the game or you are not such a great Castlevania fan as you tried to make us believe you were.

 

[jonalara3]

im a castlevania fan-boy
yeah i played it since 1991
and i picked this game i finished it and its great
i think this review is not objective.
and i have a word to his final speech about sticking to 2d castlevania games
EVOLUTION
and im saying that me being and old school 8 bit fan boy too
and this game borrows game play from another titles,as every platforming game copies everything from mario bros and that kind of stuff
just making an example
I highly recomend to buy this game

 

[freneticburn]

All you so called Castlevania fans seem yo all have conflicting interest lol. I'm just saying..............

There are 2 types of fans for the series. The IGA fans who like castle cartography and grinding and then there is the oldschool fans who like skill and reflex based action platforming Castlevania. I myself am the latter and love the direction that Lords of Shadow is headed. I think it's obvious the IGN dude who reviewed this game is a SotN fanboy who can't stand that the series changed on him. Kinda ironic considering SotN changed what the series was about as well.

 

[EvoViolatorEX]

this review is so underated that hurts, this game is great, it has castlevaina elements, it has the whip, the items are there, and you find refills like you find the hearts on castlevania games, there is a lot of platforming like in castlevaina games, in the castlevaina 1,3,4 and x there are no rpg elements, and no exploration, they are liner hack and slash games, with few items and upgrades, it could be said that they are action/platform game, like this one, is simple that, the wolf are there, the vimpire are there, the belmonts are there, and the plot is great, so is the blend of god of war, shadow of the collossus and for sure castlevinia mythology, this games deserves at least a 8.5 to a 9, and it feels like castlevaina, the best one on 3d, symphony of the night is still #1.

 

[LunarHorizon]

Absolutely epic game and wow...what an ending. The inevitable sequel can't come fast enough. Would like to see a second opinion article on IGN.

My hope is that they continue the LoS take on the CV universe while still releasing more SotN-style games...and possibly an NES CV revival pack on the 3DS? One can dare to hope.

 

[alucardlives76]

Well I am not totally sure where I stand on IGN doing the whole Second Opinion piece because it's basically them covering each others asses and in the end they don't give the game an overall score. What I will say is this. I grew up in the 80's hating Mario, Zelda and video games in general as a kid. That all changed when my mom was babysitting my cousin who brought over his NES and was playing Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest in the front room. I was in my bedroom and heard the music and was drawn to go see what he was playing.

I watched him for a few moments and asked what the premise of the game was. I asked to play for a minute and was hooked, just so happens he had part 1 also and still to this day my only games I played on NES and enjoyed are the Castlevania, Contra, Ninja Gaiden and Metroid series. Since that time I have played every since game that's been on a home console, yes I even bought a PC Engine just to play the Japanese only Dracula X: Rondo of Blood and it was awesome. Now many of you seem to be blinded by the IGA masterpiece known as Symphony of the Night.

Let's take a look at how jaded us gamers can be shall we? First you only play as a Belmont opening level to defeat Dracula and then for the entire game until you beat it you're stuck playing as Alucard his son who's first appearance was in Castlevania 3 on NES. What's this a Castlevania game where the main protagonist isn't a Belmont?? Next, look at what every IGA game is called since then, Metroidvania. While I love both series this game was truly an awesome experience hence my nickname but at the end of the day it didn't feel entirely like Castlevania and didn't have any familiar music that made the series so notorious. I don't seem to recall anyone bitching about that back then. No classic music, no whip for main character, no Belmont until you clear the game and a map system ripped straight out of Metroid.

In my personal opinion until this past few weeks my favorite game in the series is Super Castlevania IV then Symphony of the Night followed by Dracula X: Rondo of Blood. With this re-envisioning of the series they are opening up so many great ideas and they didn't want to blow their load on the first game in the series. Did we get Medusa, Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, Succubus' or Death? No we didn't but I honestly feel this is the best game in the series next to Super Castlevania IV and IGN has seriously lost all of my respect with this so-called review.

When Christopher Nolan rebooted Batman who cried caused the Danny Elfman theme wasn't in it? Or who cried because it didn't have the Joker, Penguin, The Riddler, Catwoman or Mr. Freeze? Nobody because it was brilliant. Because movie goers understand the premise it's about Bruce Wayne's origins and they realize eventually in the sequels they will get to see their favorite villains. Why can't us gamers view this game for what it is? Yeah, they might have a few annoyances with the camera angle and framerate hiccups but this game is a masterpiece that doesn't reflect that from the review or the score. I've played every action adventure game in the past 20 years and people bitch this is too much like this or that. Well, God of War had element from Clash of the Titans movie, a chained weapon similar to Castlevania and Rygar both way before it's time. But, people loved it even though it borrowed some ideas. Bayonetta I'm so sick of hearing how great that game is. The best thing about it for me was the combat system, the retarded storyline and repressed sexual themes were a letdown for me I never played all the way through it because I didn't like the story.

So, before you say this isn't Castlevania think this. Was Symphony of the Night true to the series roots? The only thing it had really was a huge expansive castle and a showdown with Dracula and a Belmont thrown in as a bonus for beating the game. This game is truer to the series roots than it and I loved every minute of this game, especially the jaw dropping ending. It's unclear whether Gabriel and Marie had children because it was never mentioned but what if they had a young child, Alucard who grew up hating the Lords of Shadow for the death of his mother to only find out it was his father he killed her. I don't know about you but this sequel could be Simon becoming Alucard after acquiring the Devil mask, or a quest all devoted to Simon tracking down Dracula or Alucard. Either way I cannot wait to see this sequel. My final verdict after 3 playthroughs is 9.8

 

[LunarHorizon]

Yeah I bought the PCE too just for Rondo of Blood, luckily now it's on the Wii VC too. Amazing game, but Simon's Quest has to be my favorite CV out of them all, due in no small part to the flawless soundtrack. It was so dark and moody, I don't think any of the later games recaptured that weightiness in the same way that LoS did for me. Granted, LoS did it not through the music but through the incredible environments. You really felt alone in a decaying world with its weight on your shoulders, but it was beautiful and haunting to the extent that you felt tied to it and not want to leave.
I thoroughly enjoy the SotN-style games, but LoS brought back that epic, brooding feeling I haven't felt in a Castlevania game in a long time.

 

[legacyAccount]

All you so called Castlevania fans seem yo all have conflicting interest lol. I'm just saying..............

There are 2 types of fans for the series. The IGA fans who like castle cartography and grinding and then there is the oldschool fans who like skill and reflex based action platforming Castlevania. I myself am the latter and love the direction that Lords of Shadow is headed. I think it's obvious the IGN dude who reviewed this game is a SotN fanboy who can't stand that the series changed on him. Kinda ironic considering SotN changed what the series was about as well.

rofl why do so many people think like this a lot of the fanbase is really retarded

just because the reviewer mentioned metroidvanias doesn't mean he's putting down lords for it it just means he would rather play a 2d game the review is completely right and you people are delusional fanboys

 

[eightbitvideo]

I like how everyone looks at the score and doesn't read the review. He said it's a good game that has some issues and on top of bieng a pretty long game has good replay value and if it's your thing you will love it... Meaning pretty much everyone who came here to check in on it will like it... 7.5 = 3 outta 4 stars thats not a bad deal and after those horrible ps2 games which I played through it is very welcome they might be getting back on track.

 

[alucardlives76]

You know what I like is people like you who automatically think we are only complaining about the numeric score that this game got. If you would READ what most of our complaining about is all the damn contradictory comments that Daemon said in his review. Let me give you some shining examples of his ignorance to the series roots.

"Items to find are scarce -- much less than in a typical Castlevania." Really, are you serious he's referring to games released after they became clones of Symphony of the Night which wasn't a true Castlevania game at all. The first four games in the series had you starting out with a leather whip, you upgraded a few times till it became a long morningstar whip. Then, you got your daggers, boomerangs, axes and holy water. That was about the extent of it other than Simon's Quest where you could get pieces of Dracula's remains to resurrect him just to banish him from this world.

"All of the button mashing made my eyes glaze over after a while and I felt like I was just going through the motions." I'd like to point out that this is coming from the person who in God of War 3's second opinion said he grew bored of it never finished it and went on to play 3D Dot Heroes. He obviously didn't try to learn all of the moves that you acquire as you continually level up your character.

"This Castlevania's greatest assets are its dazzling vistas and scenic design. Each level has a distinct look and architectural style, ensuring your eyes will never be bored. Time after time I found myself stunned by the scope of Lords of Shadow's scenery." Seems to me that with this reaction to the games beauty it would received more than 8.5.

"I recommend Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, but not if your expectation is something similar to the classic Castlevania games." Let me help you say, this isn't the 3D re-imagining of Symphony of the Night I was hoping for. Seriously, people I don't give a damn if he game it a 9 or a 10 it's that he is blind that this is a complete reboot so you have to forget what you know and expect. Is it like the classic games? Hell yeah it is, Simon's Quest had you traversing across Transylvania in search of Dracula's remains and hidden weapons, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood wasn't just all about Castle crawling either so if you're going to make a statement about a franchise with a rich history make sure you get your facts straight first so you don't look like a moron. IGN doesn't need to waste their time with a lame ass second opinion because I could care less if they justify his ignorance and agree with him or praise the game.

It's sad that I used to be loyal IGN advocate and would only buy games based on their reviews. In that sense if I wasn't such a big Castlevania fan I might not have bought this game because seriously 7.5 doesn't warrant a $65 purchase in my eyes. That's wait until it's 39.99 or 29.99. People would be doing themselves an injustice to not get this game over some of the lame reviews on the internet crying cause the reviewer wanted Symphony of the Night rehashed for the tenth time. Seriously, the series has been digging it's own grave for a long time and it's finally resurrected thanks in no part to David Cox's devotion for the series.

All I can say is that this was the best experience I had this year playing a game period. God of War 3 was a major letdown. The graphics were killer, the ability to switch weapons on the fly was intuitive and should have been implemented sooner and the soundtrack was amazing as always. The story was really weak IMO and the final fight with Zeus should have been EPIC and was lame. Don't even get me started about how Sony Santa Monica blotched us with the worst ending in the series for what's supposed to be the final in the chapter against the Gods and Titans. I bought the Ultimate Edition nonetheless for 99.99 and wished I would have just got the 59.99 copy because I had more fun playing the God of War Collection.

Just view it like this, when Nolan rebooted Batman with Batman Begins critics were skeptical some loved it some hated it. Then, came The Dark Knight and blew everyone away. Well I have a feeling the sequel for this game is going to be exactly the same. The sad part is that I have to wait 2 years for a sequel more than likely but I hope we get some good DLC for this game, not like the God of War 3 bullshit where they promised tons of cool extra DLC content that never happened. I'd like to see skins for Simon, Trevor, Richter and even Leon Belmont. It would be also really nice as they show us how exactly Gabriel becomes Dracula. I'm aware the devil mask laying at his feet had a part to play in it but I'd like to see him evolve into it and where they are going from here.

 

[micobyte]

I must say this game is visually impressive...the scenery is amazing! Epic soundtrack as well(listen to "Hunting Path").

 

[LivingInCMinor]

My Castlevania reveiw is up, toss it a look please, 9/10 score and I'd love to see if anyone else would like to read more of my reviews!
http://www.ign.com/blogs/LivingInCMinor/?p=4

 

[Down_The_Rabbit_Hole]

This game should be an 8 or better.

 

[trywizard]

this is dumb man this game is so beautiful u cant just give it 7.5 it need a 9 yes 9 will thats right that this game is taked a lil of god of war
and a lil of devil may cry and lil of shadow of clousis but i got to say it looks better than them i mean its better than dmc 4 and the backgrounds is better than god of war's back ground and boss fights i believe that its the same the camera is very good that right you dont control it but it just great (look at retrospective in GT and you will see that those game have been taking from it a long time ago)

 

[belmonta]

they shouldnt even name this game castlevania.

 

[elhuz0]

they shouldnt even name this game castlevania.

Yes they should. It has everything you expect from a Castlevania game. Unless ,ofcourse, your name is Daemon. He is the worst.

 

[FeartheFwoosh]

And once again I am given further reason not to trust IGN Reviews on anything but Big-Booth-E3 games. This game is great.

Why the hell are you telling Castlevania fans -not- to pick up this game? It's a great modern re-boot to the franchise. If you consider that a bad thing, do you -really- think it would have sold to the new gaming audience of today as a sequel? The franchise has so many games to it, the only way you would get the full satisfaction from playing the game would be to have played the originals on the Old School consoles. This would have shrunk Kojima's market by a huge margin.

What did you expect a Castlevania game to be? An FPS? Of -course- it's going to be a hack-and-slash God of War style game! I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't. IGN must be full of Geminis. Every review seems to change the way the company feels about everything. On one hand you support the big-name games, on the other hand you urge us not to. On another you say that recycling formulas isn't a bad thing, yet on the other you say it's making the market "stale".

I have no clue at all were you're getting that this game owes anything to Lord of the Rings, so I won't even comment.

If you're saying that Patrick Stewart is over-the-top or "melodramatic", you obviously aren't that used to his work. Although I agree with you, the man is a master. It just takes a bit of getting used to hearing his voice come out of my game console.

I can see you're playing the PS3 version of the game. Fortunately, I have a 360. The frame-rate has dropped for me only rarely, and never during gameplay. And not during Sync-Kills.

The upgrades per-say never gave me a big ego-boost, and not just because they're easy as hell to find. The things I -did- made me feel like a badass. And the Belmonts have always been and will be the original gaming badasses. Who else has the balls to fight werewolves, vampires, demons, and zombies with a -whip-?

The button-mashing you refer to I can only slightly relate to. But being an action/adventure nut, I've slowly gotten used to button-mashing. Since the combat is so well done as it is, I never really noticed. On a note about combos, the actual combos themselves (Unlike in God of War) I actually ended up -using-. I didn't have so few that I felt limited, but I had enough that I would actually get around to using and feel good about spending my experience to get them.

The camera control wasn't really that big of an issue. I understand where your coming from, but I found it always focused where I needed it.

Of -course- it's a marketing idea. If they want to get the franchise going again at all, of -course- they have to use the name and of -COURSE- it has to get a major kick in the pants gameplay-wise.

This game deserves -way- higher than a 7.0, at least an 8.5 or higher.

 

[123bdog]

This game is easily a 9. I can't believe this reviewer. Its like he doesn't even enjoy the genre. Maybe get someone who can actually appreciate this game to review it?

 

[coolhandtoo]

How does this get a 7.5 and something as generic and flawed as Enslaved get an 8.0? This game is easily in the 8.5 to 9.0 range. This is one of those times when IGN's reviewer is just plain wrong.

 

[jtw62191]

"I'd rather play a more traditional 2D Castlevania game, but there is no denying that this is a beautiful and enjoyable change of pace."

Maybe you whiners should read a review for what it is instead of just looking at a number.

 

[DurzoB]

Easily a 9 from me, I gotta say I'm enjoying more it than I did GOW3, much more meat on the bone.

 

[coolhandtoo]

jtw62191: I do read the reviews, but many people do not. The fact is many people just see the numbers and use them to decide if they are willing to shell out $60 for a new game or wait a few months to get a used copy for less. Good sequels get produced only when the original is a financial success. For example...Valkyria Chronicles is (in my opinion) one of the best PS3 games made, but the sequel got stuck on the PSP because not enough people bought it.

 

[tiagoandraderp]

I've just finished the game and i got say: this game is AWESOME!
Poor IGN, giving this game a 7,5. Shame on you... Castlevania LOS is easely a 9 if compared to other games reviews that you have published.
Fortunely, the score IGN gave to Castlevania didn't make this game less incredible. Instead, just make IGN lose credibility.

 

[nickware55]

Just finished the game and honestly one of the coolest endings ever. has me jacked for a sequel

 

[NolanShadow]

this game was amazing. one of the more enjoyable gaming experiences i have had this year. I really had a great time with it. Check out my blog for my feelings on the game. It should have at least received an 8.5 in my eyes and from the looks of most of the comments, everyone else agrees. My blog goes into more detail on why I believe this review was a little off.

 

[TimmyNa]

EFFING Beautiful game. Fun, captivating. I am usually not so critical of IGN reviews. This deserves at least an 8.5

 

[lendellprime]

I've been playing the holy hell out of this game now for the last week, and it's friggin FANTASTIC. If you're a fan of Ninja Gaiden or GOW, this game is a MUST. The reviews have done it absolutely no justice. So what if it has a fixed camera that doesn't magically administer the perfect view point in every situation? That lends both to the suspense and to the challenge. The IGN reviewer stated a couple times that you have to "run" through every level, thereby not being able to enjoy the killer environments. WTF? Not only can you stroll through any level, but unlike GOW, you can backtrack and/or revisit any level as many times as you want as you progress through the game (so CLOS is technically not a linear game). As for the whole "but it's not a true Castlevania game" argument, I say GET OVER IT. If all you play are 2D side scrollers, then stick to Xbox LIVE Arcade or M.A.M.E. But if you want to take hold of a truly epic production that's fun, fast paced, and loaded with payoffs, then buy this game. And did any of the lame reviews happen to mention the fact this game spans TWO DISCS? Gears of War 2 and Resident Evil 5 can't even make that claim, and those were both huge action adventures. I threw down $80 for the limited edition of CLOS, and so far it's been worth every penny (the limited edition includes a third disc: a CD of the soundtrack). I like IGN's reviews for the most part, but this one was absurd and should at least get another take. And I'll definitely be questioning any further reviews by Mr. Hatfield.

 

[speedwell27]

yeah its a reboot and they did a amazing job. Not to mention reboot can be a sour word and castlvania showed what reboot should mean in every way. if ign wants a classic castlevania then play the originals, what would be the point in calling it a reboot if it was all the same....hmmmm. I beat they really excited about the new spiderman, guess what hes going to get bit by a spider and have a redundant teen love triangle wow now thats a reboot....

this game is at least a 8, if not higher

 

[speedwell27]

yeah its a reboot and they did a amazing job. Not to mention reboot can be a sour word and castlvania showed what reboot should mean in every way. if ign wants a classic castlevania then play the originals, what would be the point in calling it a reboot if it was all the same....hmmmm. I beat they really excited about the new spiderman, guess what hes going to get bit by a spider and have a redundant teen love triangle wow now thats a reboot....

this game is at least a 8, if not higher

 

[hooliganinsurgent]

Man this game is sweet as hell. On the underworld mirror level an can't believe how good the graphics are I not a big fan of the music though I liked loi and cod music wish they had put some of the super castlevania 4 music on here too storys great I really liked the vampire episodes I want more hope they come out with some downloadable chapters for Christmas I'd pay 20 bucks for four more chapters and playable characters

 

[jackt22]

The problem is not the score, but the content of what he writes. He doesn't say one positive thing about it without throwing in something negative, everything is a back-handed compliment. The review is incredibly dismissive, and all of the few examples he gives comes from very early stages in the game or scenes that were shown in previews, which implies that he didn't play this for very long before writing his review. He's more concerned with regurgitating the "this doesn't feel like Castlevania" baloney that has been debated on message boards all year than actually writing a game review.

I think it also says a lot that he gives this the EXACT same score as he gave Harmony of Despair, a cheap, lazy cash-in that has been ripped to shreds by fans and critics all across the internet. It's as if he couldn't bring himself to score this higher than an Iga-produced installment, regardless of quality.

 

[wolfrank13]

I still can't believe IGN allowed this fraud to post this shitty review.

 

[GBelmontX]

This game is AWESOME!!! don't worry with Daemon HATERfield and his retarded review. This is a Masterpiece and every hardcore gamer should play this game to witness the pure Epicness HATERfield doesn't know shite about CV and it's sad how IGN allows such shitty reviews to be posted

 

[goodaids]

Y'know what? Screw the haters. I agree with the reviewer: this game is an alright game, but there are constant niggles that just drag. It's almost worst than one big flaw. A big flaw is something you can work around, but when, at every turn, there is just a little "oh, that's irritating" it just saps the fun right out of the game.

 

[SpySnake]

IGN Staff: I hope you are paying attention.

It looks like close to 90% of the people here disagree with this review. That's a large number of your readers that have a problem with it, especially considering this is such a major franchise release. This sure seems to be happening alot lately. Everybody is entitled to their opinion of course, but IGN's seems to be consistantly off lately.

Personally, I thought at first maybe this review was correct, but after playing the entire weekend and being almost at the end of the game, I can confidently say it's ovbious this person spent hardly any time really diving into the game. The further you get, the more it DOES in-fact feel like a Castlevania game. The graphics are the best I have ever seen in a game, hands-down. The detailed gothic textures, statues and artwork are without a doubt real works of art. People don't realize the level of creativity and design work it takes to make environments this rich and detailed, ie: Baba's town in the woods, and the raven tower, etc, not to mention that marble-floored clock tower.

This tipped the scale of doubt for me and I can no longer trust any review on this site. It's good to get a feel of the game, but they've consistantly been off the mark lately compared to the magazines and other gaming sites, who usually all feel the same, and having IGN stand out as the bad seed.

Did this guy even play the game through? Doesn't seem like he even got 1/4 of the way.

And why is everything so negative? I often wonder if some of these people are "If it isn't Halo, it sucks" gamers, since those reviews are very questionable as well.

What to do, what to do.

 

[RD_21]

You know what I find funny, most of the people bash IGN. Then Gamespot does a review of the game with a score very close, well Gamestop is bad too.

Today I was listening to the Giant Bombcast and from their conversation it won't score more then 3/5 or 3.5/5. They said it was good but not great, they said it wasn't Castlevania and all the other things you guys are bashing Daemon for.

So the question is, when does the problem stop being the reviewers to become the readers who have high expectation for a game?

Gamerankings has it at 83.57% right now and if you consider only credible site in that average you are way close to the 7.5 that you guys are hating on, just saying.

By the way I am enjoying the game so far I am finishing chapter 1 and so far it'S exactly that, exactly what the 7.5 mean on IGN now which is Good, not the 7.5 that is so horrible in your mind, times are changing the 9's club days are over.