Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

1. Mohammad22

   Mar 6, 2012

   10

   Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is an AWESOME game!, one of the best games this generation.. Its really underrated, i dont know why it gets muchCastlevania: Lords of Shadow is an AWESOME game!, one of the best games this generation.. Its really underrated, i dont know why it gets much hate from castlevania fans! I know it not a side-scroller caslevania but that doesnt mean it a bad game! Its a GREAT game… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
2. Tenuous

   Oct 15, 2010

   10

   When i first started playing this game i had mixed feelings. The atmosphere and game play didn't feel appropriate for the title and i wasWhen i first started playing this game i had mixed feelings. The atmosphere and game play didn't feel appropriate for the title and i was bored at the lack of story progress throughout the first couple of chapters. I was tempted to sell the game to a pawn shop the next day but given there were over 10 total chapters to play through, i figured i'd give it the benefit of the doubt and continue on. I was not disappointed. Although the game was not at all what i expected, i still feel my expectations were far exceeded. What i got was a game rich in environments and details (and a superb score), boss fights that were complex but not convoluted, and puzzles that were challenging but not strenuous. The game play is similar to God of War, but there are numerous differences in control set up, some for better and some for worse. For instance, the ability to dodge AND block is bound to L2 where in GoW it was the right joystick and fleece blocking was on L1 to prevent accidental dodging or blocking when the opposite action was intended. So there would be times in LoS when i would find myself accidentally rolling out of the way of an enemy when what i had intended to do was block in order to raise my focus meter. The same thing would happen occasionally when i would attempt a somersault. LoS improved on the ability to sprint that i strongly disliked with the Hermes boots (which i rarely used) in GoW. Instead of needing to use a button combination to activate and use the joystick to maneuver, once you obtain the boot relics in LoS you need only to double tap the left joystick to activate your sprint. The icarus wings are present in LoS as well but sadly the ability to dodge mid air is not. I did not like the combo move book at all in this game. There were very few combinations i was able to utilize successfully as they were tedious to combine with dodge and blocking (which due to the poorly assigned binds was difficult on its own to separate). I found most often i utilized small bursts of hits followed by a rolling dodge or somersault. Most often when a combo is started the enemy will throw an attack at you which must either be dodged or blocked depending on the strength of the attack. This made long combinations almost useless unless the enemy was dazed since they would need to be broken midway through. There are a few abilities that at face value seem redundant and useless, but in several places in game become very useful. As previous reviewer EBgeer pointed out, the scorpion fight was annoying when attempting to activate the button when he went under the tesla coil. I too was using the landslide punch to try and activate the button and i was having my angle redirected when Gabriel was focusing on the scorpion midway through. A quick glance at my combo manual reminded me that i could use earthquake punch (hold L2 and press triangle) instead and save myself the headache. :P
   
   I appreciated that Castlevania relied less on the usage of multiple weapons, as i felt it redundant and cumbersome in GoW to weapon swap in the middle of important boss fights when focusing on enemy position and maneuvering were crucial. In LoS, you can spend less time needing to determine which weapon is the best for specific encounters and powering that weapon up and instead focus on becoming proficient with dodging and blocking enemy attacks (which is more important in this game than it was in GoW) and exploiting specific boss weaknesses. Ironically, the storyline, which almost turned me off from the game ended up being the most interesting aspect of the entire experience. There is a great twist at the end followed by a tantalizing epilogue that fans of the franchise won't want to miss.
   
   All in all, LoS ended up being a very worthwhile addition to my game collection and one that i am definitely going to spend time on, completing trials and unlocking achievements. I would definitely recommend this to any person out there, fan of the franchise or not.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
4. Destinite

   Oct 6, 2010

   10

   I'm not sure where people get off saying it's a crappy God of War clone, when God of War itself mimicked Rygar, Shadow Of The Colossus,I'm not sure where people get off saying it's a crappy God of War clone, when God of War itself mimicked Rygar, Shadow Of The Colossus, Shenmue and however many other games. God of War didn't have a single idea to call its own, either, it just brought a little of this and a little of that to the "casual" gamers...
   
   So it's no surprise that people are writing this off as a clone because it's obvious those casual gamers don't know "what a Castlevania is". They think it started at Symphony Of The Night. Well, being a Castlevania fan from the NES days, I can say that if anything, this is somewhat of a 3D Simon's Quest, and I say that mostly based on the locales you visit (and revisit when you have a new item, as SQ did). And just as in SQ, you don't reach a castle until well, WELL into the game. Other than that, I don't get where people say this isn't Castlevania - playing as a whip-toting Belmont against the forces of darkness kinda goes hand in hand with Castlevania, and this is no different. This is a fantastic game with a length that is generally unheard of for a game of its genre. Definitely an incredible game and a great purchase.… Expand

   • 33 of 52 users found this helpful
5. sjulti

   Dec 9, 2016

   9

   Castlevania Lords of Shadow is a very unique game it reminds me a lot of God of War and Devil May Cry, it has a lot of amazing boss battles itCastlevania Lords of Shadow is a very unique game it reminds me a lot of God of War and Devil May Cry, it has a lot of amazing boss battles it also has about 3 puzzles in each chapter its a hack and slash thats not afraid to test your mind, and also the character develepment in Gabriel is amazing how he goes from being the Hero to becoming the villain.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. Thothistox

   Feb 19, 2012

   8

   I rented the PS3 and this game for four days and got through 80% of it before having to return it. This game has the best graphics I've everI rented the PS3 and this game for four days and got through 80% of it before having to return it. This game has the best graphics I've ever seen in a video game, and it really sets the mood. The combat can be quite fun in parts, and it sends your character through all sorts of jaw dropping climbs and amazing fights. Unfortunately, it departs from the Castlevania mold and there will be parts where you will be asking why this is in a Castlevania game. Some parts are needlessly frustrating and the controls are somewhat lacking, with needless emphasis on QTE and button combinations. It makes me miss the simple and intuitive controls of Castlevania IV on the SNES. Still, overall a good effort.… Expand

   • 1 of 2 users found this helpful
7. Rottencore

   Jan 4, 2011

   8

   Without revealing to much I can safely say that it has been far more interesting than GOW and Dante's Inferno which I have both finished. LoSWithout revealing to much I can safely say that it has been far more interesting than GOW and Dante's Inferno which I have both finished. LoS is strange in the sense that it seems that the developers have made several different games all rolled into one. It was a buffet of action, rpg, adventure, puzzle and to a lesser extent horror. I'm a buffet person I like a bit of everything in my games. This appealed to me the same way Zelda: Twilight Princess did. I feel that despite the Castlevania theme it played like Twilight Princess with the GoW seal of approval.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. HankisLaw

   Apr 11, 2021

   0

   Really solid third person action adventure game. The story the lore and the combat are all polished to a shine. Environments are always freshReally solid third person action adventure game. The story the lore and the combat are all polished to a shine. Environments are always fresh and upgrades are doled out at a good pace. Cant say enough good things about it, it was one of my favs of that generation.… Expand

   • 0 of 2 users found this helpful

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