Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 271 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 198 out of 271
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 271
  3. Negative: 39 out of 271
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  1. Bigbossbalrog
    Feb 25, 2014
    10
    Reviewers are stupid. This game is an epic conclusion to the LOS saga. It's storyline and characters are as awesome as before, as is the gameplay, music, and graphics.
  2. isturbo1984
    Mar 10, 2014
    8
    This game is great. The biggest selling point of the game has probably got to be the graphics and environments. Mercurysteam outdid themselves with the level of detail on the beautiful environments. The modern-day mirror world of Dracula's castle-turned-into-city isn't quite as breathtaking. But the medieval setting is jaw-dropping. It is apparent in the forced low-res. Stays horriblyThis game is great. The biggest selling point of the game has probably got to be the graphics and environments. Mercurysteam outdid themselves with the level of detail on the beautiful environments. The modern-day mirror world of Dracula's castle-turned-into-city isn't quite as breathtaking. But the medieval setting is jaw-dropping. It is apparent in the forced low-res. Stays horribly grainy at all times, but when you see castle, resolution isn't everything.

    The game is story and character driven like the first Lords of shadow game, but not nearly as strong. The endgame plot to overthrow Satan is pretty shallow, but the characters retain the presence they once did in LoS1. Particularly Gabriel and Zobek. And the "flashback" story is cheap.

    Actual gameplay is actually more classic Castlevania for a change. The combat is a refined God of War -esque, while actual traveling place to place, backtracking and exploration is old school "Metroidvania." Although it was a breath of fresh air from most games, and something to be excited about as a 2D Castlevania fan... the execution doesn't do the subgenre as much justice to a hardcore "Metroidvania" fan as I would have liked. The backtracking and exploration was all optional. and the game pushed you forward through funnel, only necessary to backtrack if you wanted to track down the collectables.

    The game suffers mostly from bias and disappointed gamers. But for what it is, its a great game, a breath of fresh air, beautiful graphics and scenery, open-ended exploration, a refined GoW action combat, and an exciting cast of characters you care about. But it isn't perfect.

    spoiler disclaimer:
    no spoilers for any intelligent human being that properly played through Lords of shadow 1. new to the series? don't start here, lol.    … Expand
  3. Xvox
    Feb 27, 2014
    9
    i am really enjoying my play through this game,and i really liked the relationship between Trevor and Gabriel, but i agree about the stealth sections of the game, that should be an option instead of being the only way to progress
  4. twilight
    Mar 1, 2014
    9
    I think it´s a great game with some bad things, but never is a 40´s game. This game has a huge value with combat, atmosphere, music and history. I love when you used the fog skill in combat to dodge attacks.
  5. TSHyperion
    Mar 10, 2014
    9
    I was a big fan of the first Lords of Shadow and having just finished the sequel, I have to say I'm very happy with it as well.

    Starting with the obvious, the game is really good looking. The castle and modern city are all really detailed and well designed. Character/enemy/monster design are also pretty good. In terms of the first Lords of Shadow, this game improves on some aspects    I was a big fan of the first Lords of Shadow and having just finished the sequel, I have to say I'm very happy with it as well.

    Starting with the obvious, the game is really good looking. The castle and modern city are all really detailed and well designed. Character/enemy/monster design are also pretty good.

    In terms of the first Lords of Shadow, this game improves on some aspects but loses quality in others. The combat feels better and more challenging than the first, with a lot of variation in the moves and the return of favourites from the first. A few more combo's wouldn't have gone amiss but it's fine how it is.

    I think the plot has a weaker ending than the first which is a shame. Without mentioning spoilers, the ending is quite flat and despite a lot of dramatic build up, feels almost anti-climactic. Ending aside, I thought the plot was quite good though. It introduces a lot of interesting new characters, as well as seeing the return of others from previous games and the dialogue can be cheesy but I think that suits the style of a game wherein you play Dracula himself fighting the hordes of Satan.

    One of the least enjoyable changes from the first game (and what I imagine cost this game recieving higher scores from professional reviews) would be the removal of puzzle sections in exchange for stealth sections. The stealth works well sometimes and I thought the change of pace and logic behind it was acceptable. The major issue however comes from one significant stealth section in the game which is a combination of being very difficult and poorly designed and anyone who has played the game will immediately know what part I refer to. A few other stealth sections also left me scratching my head sometimes.

    They also decided to lose the mission/level based style of the first game and made LoS2 a more open-world experience. On one hand, the level based platform of the original allowed for great variety in set pieces (forests, castles, colossus battles, etc), the world they have created in this game is so well done that it makes you wish the first game had been like it too. The map is huge and explorable in all directions and if you aim for 100% completion, it can take a while to find everything. My only criticism of the open world is that you can never open a detailed map of it and it's difficult to get your bearings sometimes. It also wouldn't have killed to have more quick-transport locations.

    There is a lot of variety in the enemies you face and I'd say every hour or so, the game will introduce you to a new enemy type which keeps the combat fresh as you have to approach each fight with different technique.

    There is a lot of detail written in the historic lore in Dracula's castle through the diary entries of the failed Brotherhood of Light soldiers which make for good reading as well as modern day inscriptions that detail how aspects of Dracula's old castle have been adapted for modern society which are sometimes interesting, ironic or humourous.

    All in all, I think this is a fantastic game that deserves a lot of praise for doing so many things so well. It is unfortunately let down by a couple of questionable game design choices though. I'd go so far to say that if they removed one moment in the game, a lot of other reviews would easily add an extra one on to their score. Potentially more if they removed stealth entirely but I'm of the opinion that these aspects aren't as bad as some critics will have you believe.    … Expand
  6. guedesbravos
    Mar 1, 2014
    8
    Game muito bom.Trilha sonora estraordinaria,dracula muito foda e a saga fecha com grande estilo.Só a critica que não quer ver isso mas o game é muito bom e viciante.
  7. Whoami
    Mar 11, 2014
    6
    Game was ok, not as good as the first one... Frankly I'm sick of this over the top melodramatic twighlight story....I guess maybe because there was no real good twist in this game, like the first one... This game lacks..... good graphics though, but wayyy too over the top with this dramatic crap that feels like a womans game.. And I feel like I have a vagina while playing it..Wish I didGame was ok, not as good as the first one... Frankly I'm sick of this over the top melodramatic twighlight story....I guess maybe because there was no real good twist in this game, like the first one... This game lacks..... good graphics though, but wayyy too over the top with this dramatic crap that feels like a womans game.. And I feel like I have a vagina while playing it..Wish I did have a vagina, id play with that instead...… Expand
  8. im_possibleman
    Mar 2, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is just flawless beauty. As a Castlevania fan, it has done well. All the stealthy parts are positioned exactly correct. Anyone who reviews this game as bad simply do not understand what makes a game great. While Dracula is being stealthy and doesn't make sense why he would be doing it, he simply doesn't want confrontation. He grows humanity in the game and if you haven't noticed that, you shouldn't have played it. The game also shows that Dracula isn't all that evil; he gets his humanity back with seeing his son. The game is psychological. It's not linear; even when it may feel so, you can still venture around.… Expand
  9. SmellyMattress
    Feb 26, 2014
    10
    Great game it has definitely improved upon LOS1 beside the fact that it does have some slow stealth parts, it has rewarding skill trees and very high quality boss battles,also lets not forget the gorgeous graphics
  10. CMape
    Feb 25, 2014
    9
    Reviews are just opinions and if you liked the first one go out and get the second. Been playing it for 4 hours and have definitely been enjoying myself. The stealth aspect does slow the game down but no enough to render it unplayable as all these publications pretty much suggest.
  11. Ariabx
    Feb 27, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dunno whats going on with the reviewers right now. What they need from hack and slah game ? Great bosses ? Great combos ? Great puzzles? Great graphic ? Great story ? Great enviroment ? This game has them all. Yes it got a stealth missions which arent the best but we have to respect the developers to do risks with this big franchise at some moments. Honestly dont know what reviewers needed from this game to score high.......... This game is surely 8+ no matter what reviewers think.… Expand
  12. Jonathanhudon
    Mar 2, 2014
    8
    I certainly do not understand the reviewers. Sure this game is flawed but it certainly doesn't deserve that much hate.

    And for the last time everyone, stop it with that 'god of war, devil may cry' thing. Symphony of the night was a mash-up of super metroid with some japanese rpg element and today, it is considered as a masterpiece. Are everyone that much blased about videogame nowaday?
  13. Idiotbox_uk
    Feb 25, 2014
    8
    See the full review @ http://idiotbox.co.uk/castlevania-lord-of-shadows-2-review/

    OK, full disclosure right now from the get go. I am new to the Castlevania series. I went into this without much prior knowledge of the lore and the history of the series and let me reassure you, if you are in the same boat as me then you will not be left in the dark. I am almost entirely sure that if you    See the full review @ http://idiotbox.co.uk/castlevania-lord-of-shadows-2-review/

    OK, full disclosure right now from the get go. I am new to the Castlevania series. I went into this without much prior knowledge of the lore and the history of the series and let me reassure you, if you are in the same boat as me then you will not be left in the dark. I am almost entirely sure that if you are a follower of the series then you will be able to relate to the characters more, it is not entirely necessary as the game does a mighty fine job of filling in the blanks for you right at the start (after the obligatory fight with a giant medieval iron giant and the army of Christ as well as a nuclear explosion, standard really!)

    Castlevania: LOS 2 employs something that has unfortunately been used quite a lot in the past. In the summary where it says that Dracula must reacquire his old powers, well the game starts off by giving you everything you could desire and letting you play around with it. Just as you’re getting used to the weapons and which one is good for what and what you are most comfortable with they are snatched away from you. That’s right, the weapons are the candy and you are the baby my friend and there’s not a damned thing you can do about it!! The story of the game then takes you on a journey to recollect all of your power and tools or murder while trying to uncover Satan’s plans for world destruction. Nobody ever said that being Dracula was going to be easy!

    The main story spends equal amounts of time flitting between a modern city and your old castle. This leads to some interesting and mighty contrasting settings, one moment you’ll be in a modern factory surrounded by storage crates & security doors and the next you are back at your castle surrounded by massive stone walls and doors that will only open if you offer up a blood sacrifice. Some of the different areas you end up visiting are (and I hate this word but it is the only adequate way to get the point across) breathtaking! This is especially true when you visit the castle and get to see the scope of what’s around you for the first time. Unfortunately the same cannot really be said for the modern settings; it’s good to have the contrast between the 2 worlds but I can’t help but feel that the whole “evil factory” thing has been done to death by now.

    The unlocking of Dracula’s weapons is spread really well throughout the game. Where they have focussed on giving you everything in one hit at the beginning and then spitefully snatching them away it actually works in your favour as you slowly unlock them again as you proceed. This leads to a nice trickle effect of kick-assery that gives you time to practise and get the feel for one before giving you the next. The weapons aren’t the only thing they have done a good job with either; most of the exploration and sneaking aspects of the game are given to you piece by piece as well. This definitely works in your favour as if you were given it all in one go there’d be no chance of remembering it all and it would almost certainly be information overload. Plus there’s something nice about constantly unlocking stuff!

    The combat system is a thing of beauty, as you only ever have a limited number of weapons to chose from it means that you are forced to learn them well! You will get the feel for how each weapon works and in what situation it excels and which it, well, sucks at! The only downside I had about the gameplay is that there were a couple of hide-and-seek type parts of the game and while I understand that these were designed to build the tension they really only succeeded in pissing me off! That may just be because I sucked at them but my point is it didn’t feel right going from ripping the throats out of things with my bare teeth to sneaking around so the bad man doesn’t find me. It lacked a certain degree of consistency.

    The game itself is a fairly linear affair, this doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun along the way though, oh no! There are a disturbing amount of collectables to find along the way, these range from upgrades to health and magic to artwork scattered everywhere (I do mean everywhere!) Even though you are always being guided towards where you need to be there is always room to explore, I personally found myself looking at the mini-map and deliberately making the waypoint the very last place I went to, I was determined to find every little one of those suckers that we’re trying to hide from me.

    Also, once you have finished in a particular area this does not mean that you are done for good. There are spots dotted around the game that let you travel between the real world and your castle almost immediately. As you are constantly getting new powers this means that you can revist somewhere you had previously been and discover a whole heap of new stuff that wasn’t previously accessible to you. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving!!    … Expand
  14. PolisKanin
    Feb 25, 2014
    8
    I'm surprised at how well this game turned out. At first I looked at it and thought it would be one of my 360 games I rarely ever played, however this game delivered. The combat feels good, good controls and the graphics are amazing. However what drags it down is 1. It doesn't feel anything like the original Castlevanias, yknow, the amazing classic ones and simons quest? 2. There are some glitches
  15. GameZoneXtreme
    Apr 29, 2014
    0
    Complete crap. The worst Castlevania game ever made. Such a shame that it had to end like this. Hope another company takes over the series and does much better. Playing as Dracula is the worst idea ever. The sneaking missions were a joke. Just terrible. Wouldn't pay $9.99 for this crap.
  16. RaphaelGuri
    Feb 28, 2014
    9
    Esse jogo esta certamente cheio de haters espalhados por ai!

    Muitos esperavam ver um Dracula mais pesado, robusto, experiente. Ao inves disso temos um personagem leve e agil, o que nao se enquadra no velhote vilao da serie...O que acontece é que muitos nao perceberam que nao somos 'Dracula', somos 'Dracul'. Parece besteira, mas faz toda diferença no enredo. Os pontos fracos estao por    Esse jogo esta certamente cheio de haters espalhados por ai!

    Muitos esperavam ver um Dracula mais pesado, robusto, experiente. Ao inves disso temos um personagem leve e agil, o que nao se enquadra no velhote vilao da serie...O que acontece é que muitos nao perceberam que nao somos 'Dracula', somos 'Dracul'. Parece besteira, mas faz toda diferença no enredo.

    Os pontos fracos estao por conta de algumas texturas mais fracas, a pouca variedade de opcoes para se gastar os 'pontos de experiencia'. Fora isso, Kratos tem um concorrente a altura!
    ...Lembrando ainda, que por mais que reclamem dos graficos em comparacao ao seu antecessor, o mesmo era um jogo de duas midias, enquanto esse e´apenas uma!

    Um fato curioso, que pode ou nao ser contado como negativo é que os loadings sao 'in game', ou seja, o unica tela de loading que vemos e´quando adentramos (ou morremos) no jogo. Algumas passagens de mudancas de areas tem um loading ainda em jogo, o que pode fazer esperar um pouco para uma porta abrir, onde aparentemente seria desnecessario.

    So´sugiro uma coisa: Joguem o jogo inteiro antes de criticarem, colegas!

    Alem de uma excelente dose de acao e pancadaria, possui cutscenes bem feitas, dignas do seu antecessor.

    Castlevania Lord of Shadows 2 é sem duvidas o melhor jogo no estilo 'God Of War', hack'n slash, do Xbox360.

    Grafico: 8
    Som: 9
    Controle: 8
    Direção de Arte: 10
    Diversão: 10    … Expand
  17. Kurome
    Mar 2, 2014
    10
    I'll start saying that I wasn't a big fan of the Castlevania franchise, I used to play the first chapters as a child and I liked them, but not enough to make them my favourites. However Lords of Shadow changed it all, I loved it since the beginning, even after those somewhat frustrating platforming sessions or those fights where the main enemy seemed to be the control system itself. ThenI'll start saying that I wasn't a big fan of the Castlevania franchise, I used to play the first chapters as a child and I liked them, but not enough to make them my favourites. However Lords of Shadow changed it all, I loved it since the beginning, even after those somewhat frustrating platforming sessions or those fights where the main enemy seemed to be the control system itself. Then they announced the sequel and the expectations were as huge as the fear it wouldn't be as breathtaking as the first one. I admit that I was scared when I read the first reviews and when I started the game I was full of prejudices and bad feelings towards it. So here I am now, having slept just a few hours in the last days in order to finish the storyline and I still cannot stop. The combat system is astonishingly fluid, exciting and satisfying, the platforming is more enjoyable than ever thanks to the free camera control, the scenery and the musics are just perfect, the plot may be not the most original but is not flawed in any way by this fact and the dubbing is just fantastic. So I was particularly surprised as I tore through the main missions, it really didn't ( and still does not) seem such a bad game as the current reviews would convey. Even the so much hated stealth sessions aren't as much disturbing as they're described. They're obviously not as good as in MGS but they aren't so difficult to make them frustrating and not so ridiculously simple as in AC, besides they are a good way to give to our "hero" the deceiving abilities of Bram Stoker's Dracula, so, since quoting literature inside a videogame isn't a capital offence (until now at least), I can't understand so much hatred towards a single feature that, by the way, isn't nor horrible neither excellent. I admit that my score is not totally objective but since many reviewers judged Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 worse than a bad android game (and probably just on a whim) I don't feel bad about it. In conclusion I would like to say that it is a very good sequel, so I think that who appreciated Castlevania: LOS would like this one too, and it's also a good action game, since is fun, fluid and beautiful to see.… Expand
  18. GhostRJ
    Feb 25, 2014
    8
    Alright, it's an nostalgic trip, i love Castlevania since the Symphony Of Night, sincerely i didn't liked liked the first Lords Of Shadow game, this one sure is better of course this isn't the best game into Castlevania Series but, it's one of the best Hack'N Slash from this generation. The graphics are ok, the history is nice too.
    I didn't find any bug until now. Ok
    It was worth of my Money.
  19. Railgun01
    Mar 6, 2014
    9
    Injusticia, esa es la palabra que mas me ha venido a la mente durante las 23 horas que me ha durado este INCREIBLE Castlevania Lords of Shadows 2. Y es que lo que ha pasado con las notas de este videojuego es algo que escapa a toda lógica y te hace pensar hasta que punto los críticos están comprados o lo objetivos que pueden llegar a ser. Como bien dijo Enric Alvarez (director del juego)Injusticia, esa es la palabra que mas me ha venido a la mente durante las 23 horas que me ha durado este INCREIBLE Castlevania Lords of Shadows 2. Y es que lo que ha pasado con las notas de este videojuego es algo que escapa a toda lógica y te hace pensar hasta que punto los críticos están comprados o lo objetivos que pueden llegar a ser. Como bien dijo Enric Alvarez (director del juego) en la entrevista que le hicieron en Eurogamer..."El que ponga un 4 a este juego (como la revista Edge) o está ciego o es idiota".

    En primer lugar el juego deja de lado el desarrollo por niveles inconexos dando lugar a un Metroidvania en 3D como lo pueda ser Batman Arkham Asylum, Darksiders I y II, Shadowman, Soul Reaver, etc. Es decir, el mapeado ahora es libre, pero tendremos las oportunas "barreras" para no poder explorarlo todo desde un principio, si no que tendremos que ir consiguiendo nuevas habilidades y "gadgets" para ir pudiendo avanzar por el mapa. Curiosamente esto es algo que se ha criticado al juego, alegando que ya no tiene nada de Castlevania cuando es el Castlevania con mayor componente de Metroidvania desde el legendario Symphony of the Night.
    Además el mapeado es bastante grande teniendo en cuenta que hay "pasado" y "presente" y son 2 mapas totalmente diferentes (incluso son diferentes enemigos), los 2 MUY bien interconectados.

    Técnicamente uno de los mayores cambios es que la cámara ahora es totalmente libre (uno de los puntos criticados del 1º juego) y te deja apreciar los APABULLANTES escenarios creador con un mimo y detalle que quitan el hipo, donde, además de no tener tiempos de carga, TODAS las escenas cinemáticas están generadas en tiempo real, se acabaron los vídeos de mala calidad, se acabaron los 30 fps en las escenas, esto en mi opinión es un grandisimo punto a favor y que dice bastante del estudio, ya que podían haber optado por la vía rápida como el resto de estudios y hacerlos pre-renderizados.
    Los modelados poligonales, texturas (algunas mejores y otras peores) y animaciones han mejorado mucho respecto al 1º juego y desde luego que rayan a muy buen nivel (siempre hay que tener en cuenta que el juego ha salido en la obsoleta generación de consolas así que tampoco se le puede exigir remodelados en PC), los efectos de luces y sombras son bastante buenos aunque me habría gustado algo mas de resolución en las sombras.

    Jugablemente en los combates sigue el mismo esquema que en el 1, tendremos la espada del Vacío para curarnos y las Garras del Cáos para dañar, y de arma principal el látigo pero esta vez "de sangre", tenemos los mismos movimientos y cómbos que en el 1, esto en mi opinión si podría ser un punto algo negativo pues podrían haber creado mas cómbos, pero tampoco tenía queja del 1º, así que la única queja que podría tener es de "poco avance" en la mecánica.

    La banda sonora es INCREIBLE y una de las mejores bandas sonoras que ha dado el mundo del videojuego, y pensar que he llegado a leer que la banda sonora del juego es una mierda.... en fin... Óscar Araujo (repetidor en la saga) se ha salido por los 4 costados, con algunos temas ÉPICOS.
    El doblaje ingles también es brutísimo, la voz de Dracula (lógicamente repetidora) suena de verdad "atormentada" e "iracunda", nada que ver con el registro de "heroe" del anterior juego. En general la historia me ha encantado (con GRAN giro argumental incluido) y sobre todo la forma de contarla, pues en el juego esta basado en un pasado "onírico" y en el presente. Lógicamente de esto apenas hablaré por que no quiero destripar nada. Como puntos negativos en este aspecto le pondría dos. Uno sería el final que ha sido bastante simple y abierto. Y el otro que el juego debería de tener una especie de "resumen" de lo que paso en Castlevania Mirror of Fate pues tiene MUCHO que ver con este juego y lo tienes que seguir mas por contexto que por que te expliquen que ha pasado, lo explican pero muy rápido y sin demasiados detalles, y el problema es que el juego no ha salido en PC.... (aún).

    En definitiva, para mi el MEJOR CASTLEVANIA que he jugado nunca, ya podían hacerme un remake de SOTN pero hecho así y con este sistema de lucha, NO DEJES ENGAÑARTE por las notas... por que este juego no es ni de 7, (mucho menos de 4)... yo le casco un 9 como una casa.    … Expand
  20. greenbite
    Mar 2, 2014
    9
    The game is very good. I can't understand why the reviewers think the opposite. Maybe they did not complete the game, or maybe they don't likes video games.
  21. paleknight1
    Mar 29, 2014
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Terrible game even the first one sucked along with Mirror of Fate which is even sadder that those two titles got a chronicle pack and the 3ds one Mirror of Fate got an HD release. I don't know what they where smoking to come up with this it I mean I do like new gamplay, but not like this. I may only have played the first one yet this one gets boring as fast as the other one in combat. So here is how it goes the main story has a Belmont named Gabriel who becomes Dracula and is the new lord of darkness who is the hero of the game. Apparently it starts off with the brotherhood breaking down his door at the start and he ends up having to fight them off with his vampire like powers which he uses a blood like whip lash, chaotic powers, and a void sword. So after that he fights a giant titan after figthing a gold like angel knight or something and destroys the titan by puking up blood on the crystal. So after he takes down the titan the golden knight angel guy tries to make a prayer after fighting Dracula (aka Gabriel if you forgotten) on a cross as he does Dracula grabs it and makes the same prayer. When Dracula does a huge explosion happens and all the brotherhood knights nearby are killed. Then out of nowhere Alucard shows up (aka Trevor Belmont who was killed by his father and then resurrected in Mirror of Fate) he apparently ties with the story ending there without what happens making oh a plot. So you wake up in an abandoned church in what I am assuming is Europe I don't know its hard to tell. So you do a boring short walk out of the church after a flash back from the first game which doesn't tie in with the story and is completely pointless. It also is never mentioned again in the game and serves no purpose. So after he leaves the church weak as crap apparently he sees an image of his son and follows him down an alley way. This would have been great if he got in a fight with thugs and used them to heal up his strength, but no he gets the **** beat out of him by a monster that appears and nearly kills him. When about to die he gets saved by some guy in armor with a familiar sword which gives an obvious hint to who the guy in the armor is. So he wakes up somewhere murders and drains the blood of three humans a father, mother, and a son. Then he meets Zobek who says he needs his help (You know the guy who was the third Lord of Shadows and betrayed Gabriel before in the first game now they are working together) to stop these guys called the acolytes which are planning to take over the world and Satan would make Dracula and Zobek his personal pets as he says. So Zobek claims to have found the Vampire Killer which said to end his life permanently (Which is not explained too well and also FYI Dracula usually comes back after 100 years, but in this game he came back in a century proving these idiots didn't research too well when developing the game). You know what I will make it short and simple to skip the boring details or somewhat like that quick and simple.

    1. Dracula goes and is followed by trails of blood which is his darker side of him who fights later, and he has to gather items and weapons to gain his powers back.

    2. Meets his servants who are possessed by the evil side of him.

    3. Have to save a city cause there is this acolyte who wants to turn people into monsters, and having these kinda of future englishmen soldiers fight them shooting them with machine guns.

    4. Sneaks in to a base to get a cure with the most crappiest sheath system and use it on the acolyte which doesn't cure, but instead makes him more stronger fighting her to the death.

    5. Meets and fights Victor Belmont and then watches him die which was the most moment killing scene ever in the series of the games.

    6. Fights Carmilla, Toy Maker, Frankenstein, and Pan (The guy he killed when Pan became the Silver Warrior angel think which was a difficult boss fight).

    7. Discovers that the armored guy is his son Alucard and knows the truth of what happened to him for real (Which is not surprising).

    8. Fights Zobek the guy who betrayed him and also lied about ending Dracula's life to put him to rest.

    9. Final and worst fight of the game you fight Satan again, but this time he looks like the lead singer of Dethklok, and has leggings which looked like the ones from the manga and anime Devilman. But wait he doesn't fight Satan, but his son who gets possessed by Satan and he uses Vampire Killer on Satan to finish him with even though the whip in the series says it can not be used by vampires or creatures of the night some how works and kills Satan again.

    10. Well his son is knocked out which Dracula uses his own blood to revive him and they both stare off into the sunset which is not very memorable.

    Bottom line game mechanics gets old, the story is broken and really sucks, shows they put no work hardly into it like Castlevania Judgement, and hopefully they never make more sequels to this game that would be like this. Save your money folks!    … Expand
  22. Cturcott
    Feb 25, 2014
    6
    God of war-vania. If that's what you want, great. Me, I'm a Castlevania fan so I'm rating accordingly. Additionally, the camera made me motion sick in a few parts, and the textures are very low res and "last gen" looking so it's only somewhat pretty with already dated visuals.
  23. persian0077
    Mar 1, 2014
    2
    I have to admit that I didn't like Lords of Shadow 1 either, but I thought this game could be better than that based on the trailers I saw. I've never been so wrong. This game is horrible! They removed the ONLY THING I loved in the first one: The epic landscapes, and environment... WHY? This gothic-future style just isn't working! The stealth is also a great disappointment. You are DraculaI have to admit that I didn't like Lords of Shadow 1 either, but I thought this game could be better than that based on the trailers I saw. I've never been so wrong. This game is horrible! They removed the ONLY THING I loved in the first one: The epic landscapes, and environment... WHY? This gothic-future style just isn't working! The stealth is also a great disappointment. You are Dracula the powerful vampire lord, and you cannot deal with a single soldier?? You brought down titans as a human, and you just can't kill an armored soldier.... I don't have anything else to say about this sh.tty game. Don't buy it, you will regret it.… Expand
  24. baldy
    Feb 25, 2014
    5
    The first lords of shadow is remembered as a commendable achievement from a relatively small team working to a comparatively tight budget. it's sequel, by contrast, cannot disguise the resources with which it was made. lords of shadow 2 is clunky, ugly and deeply misguided. it's a game that sees the lord of the damned as a vehicle for rat-powered linear stealth, and that takes a futureThe first lords of shadow is remembered as a commendable achievement from a relatively small team working to a comparatively tight budget. it's sequel, by contrast, cannot disguise the resources with which it was made. lords of shadow 2 is clunky, ugly and deeply misguided. it's a game that sees the lord of the damned as a vehicle for rat-powered linear stealth, and that takes a future gothic-london setting and then sets the action in tower blocks and sewers. mercury steam says this will be the final game in the lords of shadow saga, and on the evidence of the cluttered, bloated and forgettable mess repetitive dialogue when fighting, it's just as well."… Expand
  25. cazetta
    Mar 17, 2014
    9
    This game deserves better than 6. It has a gorgeous and one of the most immersive artstyle EVER. The gameplay is not ok at all, I know, but I think the game deserves a try, and the spanish developer had to be good credited!
  26. Xenugears
    Mar 6, 2014
    9
    As much as I would like to see a proper console follow-up to Symphony of the Night I have to applaud the direction that Lords of Shadow 2 takes the franchise in its closing chapter of this ambitious trilogy. This game attempts to innovate and implement new ideas while also preserving what made the first LoS work and for the most part it's successful.

    The God of War meets DMC gameplay is    As much as I would like to see a proper console follow-up to Symphony of the Night I have to applaud the direction that Lords of Shadow 2 takes the franchise in its closing chapter of this ambitious trilogy. This game attempts to innovate and implement new ideas while also preserving what made the first LoS work and for the most part it's successful.

    The God of War meets DMC gameplay is solid, the puzzles are much improved and more intuitive and the story is compelling. That's all I can ask for. There are still flaws (I agree that the open world aspect could have been more... open) but it's far from mediocre as the review aggregates seem to indicate.

    Playing as a version of Dracula who has awoken in a modern world and mad as hell is something I've been waiting for since the mindblowing ending of the first game. Konami delivers. This is a character that is understandably haunted by his past and attempting recover his full power so that he can finally find peace and while the get-your-powers back plot device may not be original, it's an effective mechanic that, for once, actually makes sense within this game universe. I even found myself enjoying reading about the history and mythos surrounding Dracula that took place after Lord of Shadows. This game offers the deepest protagonist/antagonist in Castlevania history. That's more than enough to bump this game into the green. 8.5/10 but I'll round up to 9.    … Expand
  27. Storm1672
    Mar 20, 2014
    8
    Lacking the technical superiority of the PC version, this is a great game. Inferior to its predecessor but as a sequel it does many things right. It's just hard to compete with LoS1. MercurySteam took the hard road and tried to differentiate this game from the first. Not always with success, but this is a different game and I appreciate the effort.

    Technically this is a much improved    Lacking the technical superiority of the PC version, this is a great game. Inferior to its predecessor but as a sequel it does many things right. It's just hard to compete with LoS1. MercurySteam took the hard road and tried to differentiate this game from the first. Not always with success, but this is a different game and I appreciate the effort.

    Technically this is a much improved title, nonetheless the lower horizontal res is obvious as is the res of the effects. It is pixelating all over the place. It takes time to getting used to it.

    The core gameplay is improved and the story is great and dark. Much darker than the first. It has some great atmosphere and lovely art.

    Ok, the stealth segments and the design of the current time places isn't the best, but it is far from being a game of "5" as the reviews try to make it. This is a 7-8 game. I enjoyed its combat and the great conclusion of this story and would like to see more (though I'm not gonna...)    … Expand
  28. Pablocortesi
    Mar 11, 2014
    10
    Castlevania Lords of shadow 2 is amazing .... wooow, a game totally Surprise yourself and full of memorable moments.
    His story loved it, amazing moments, especially knowing that the story is almost the end of the game, with that gabriel reunion with his son trevor united to defeat satan.
    That artwork is worth more than a 10. Completely differ from criticism for this game, I note that we    Castlevania Lords of shadow 2 is amazing .... wooow, a game totally Surprise yourself and full of memorable moments.
    His story loved it, amazing moments, especially knowing that the story is almost the end of the game, with that gabriel reunion with his son trevor united to defeat satan.
    That artwork is worth more than a 10.
    Completely differ from criticism for this game, I note that we have to change the critics, because they do not recognize when there is a spectacular game in front.    … Expand
  29. Raiden94
    Jun 19, 2014
    0
    If I had a metacritic account by the time Lords Of Shadow 1 came out, I would have probably scored it a perfect 10/10. That game was perfect in every sense. It was so perfect, infact, that it shamed the God Of War series by doing everything better.
    The developers must have had the easiest job in the world for the sequel, then. Just take the first game, add a new story, improve the    If I had a metacritic account by the time Lords Of Shadow 1 came out, I would have probably scored it a perfect 10/10. That game was perfect in every sense. It was so perfect, infact, that it shamed the God Of War series by doing everything better.
    The developers must have had the easiest job in the world for the sequel, then. Just take the first game, add a new story, improve the graphics and voila: we would have another game of the year contender on our hands.
    But hell no. They decided to scratch EVERY single thing that made the first game great, and instead they churned out this piece of garbage called "Lords Of Shadow 2".
    You see, LoS 2 is no longer a beat 'em up heavy game. No, it's a f*cking stealth game. You heard that right. STEALTH. GAME. Forget about the amazing landscapes, set pieces, puzzles and environments of the first game. 90% of the time in LoS2 is spent in corridors of a SCIENCE LABORATORY. As for the other 10%, well, you spend them playing through weird flashbacks, fetching Mirror of Fate pieces and looking for keys to open doors. Lots and lots of doors.
    There are no puzzles. The only thing I consider puzzling is trying to find out where the game wants me to go. Why can't I jump over this small rock when my jump is clearly higher than enough? Why can't I grab onto this edge when I grabbed onto a similar one a couple hours ago? You'll find yourself constantly asking these questions. The level design is really, really bad. It makes you sincerely question were the developers were for the past 10 years. Thank God for wikis and walkthroughs, or else I would still be stuck in that volcanic level.
    Now, onto the most important part: Boss fights. Did you love fighting titans and bringing down buidling sized monsters in the first game? Well too f*cking bad. There's little to none of that in LoS2. Most of your so called "boss fights" pit you against opponents of your own size. If you're lucky, you'll get to fight someone a little taller than you, and an example of that would be Satan's daughter.
    When you're not fighting, you're doing a lot of stealth. This element makes absolutely no sense. It shouldn't be in the game. There is no reason for it to be in the game. It's just there so the developers could write "we developed a stealth game" in their portfolios.
    Why is Gabriel hiding from this guard? Why does he instantly die upon being discovered, in one single hit, when he brought down a boss 10 times stronger? It's just baffling how little to no thought was put into it. This is a man that defeated TITANS, and here he is, hiding from a single low tier guard. Amazing.
    For all the atrocious faults of the stealth system, I would gladly let it slide if the gameplay was a little bit decent. But, again, HELL NO. The least they could have done was a little research. We have all these amazing stealth games coming out year after year, from the Assassin's Creed series to the Splinter Cell games. Hell, LoS2's publisher has Metal Gear Solid under its name. Use it, you lazy bastards.
    Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2 is one of the worst games ever created, and it still doesn't make sense how they screwed it over so bad. Do yourself a favor and stay clear of this game. Such lazy, careless developers do not deserve your money or your attention.    … Expand
  30. luminaxster
    Mar 10, 2014
    10
    I am really shocked the way "critics" are so biased. This game delivers, from story and art to music and game-play. They all blend over and over again carrying you to Castlevania, goosebumps all the way... It is beautiful, from beginning to end. During the journey, epic battles will be on one side and then suddenly, strategy comes as a must. Rewarding sensations in your thumbs as youI am really shocked the way "critics" are so biased. This game delivers, from story and art to music and game-play. They all blend over and over again carrying you to Castlevania, goosebumps all the way... It is beautiful, from beginning to end. During the journey, epic battles will be on one side and then suddenly, strategy comes as a must. Rewarding sensations in your thumbs as you deliver every blow.
    As a note, it is disturbing how self-labeled critics present impressions as reviews. To quantify a review it is required a consistent, clear and "objective" method used by all participants.Without it, all reviews are heavily biased. As an example, one of the critics being pissed at the whole game by a stealth mode that last one or so hours at the most of the 20-25 hours total game-play it is way out of proportion. Also, expecting that every game have to be a variation of their perfect game is plain silly.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2014
8
#8 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2014
17
#17 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. MondoXbox
    Mar 10, 2014
    70
    A controversial title, not fully doing justice to the excellent work MercurySteam put in the first game. It sports a very good combat system but stumbles on boring stealth and platforming sessions, with too many cutscene interruptions. However fans of the series will love playing as Dracula and going deeper in the Belmont family story.
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  2. The Digital Fix
    Feb 28, 2014
    60
    If this Dracula seeks eternal rest then as much as we’d love to see him stay alive for one more adventure, perhaps it’s about time a stake was put through his heart.
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  3. Eurogamer Germany
    Feb 27, 2014
    70
    The problem is, the last game did everything much better. I don't think I have ever played a sequel that made me wonder more if the people behind it were fully sure why they did it. In a way, it's no small feat and a testimony to Mercury Steam's considerable talent that they still managed to make this an enjoyable experience.
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