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| DarkZero 400th Post
 
Gold Customer
   
    
|  "First Lament of Innocence Review"
, posted Wed 22 Oct 05:29:
GameSpot just put up one of the first Castlevania: Lament of Innocence reviews. Some highlights:
- Apparently nonlinear gameplay (you can tackle all the levels at your leisure right from the start), but very little exploration, RPG elements, hidden items, special weapons, etc.
- Awesome soundtrack.
- Bad script with a mediocre English dub, but a Japanese subbed option.
- Gameplay very similar to Devil May Cry. Areas unhindered by objects (aka "sparse"), very fast melee action... but unfortunately very little variety in combat or much use of ranged weaponry.
- Unlockable difficulty setting and second character, but the normal difficulty doesn't sound like it's up to DMC's action game standard, let alone Shinobi's.
Sounds like this game is great, provided that you're renting it and you aren't me. I like extremely hard action games, I enjoyed the atmosphere and unique plot of CV64, and I think the combination of Castlevania's atmosphere with Super Metroid's gameplay is the best thing since sliced bread, so I don't think that this is my sort of game. Then again, it's only one review, so I'll see what EGM says about it in a couple of weeks.
Shave those sideburns, you damned ugly hippy!
EDIT: Another review from 1up.com
I don't get it. The game has repetitive action that takes place in featureless boxes... but it's "one of the best 3D action games on the system" and scores an 80%? If this game rocks so much, then why can't anyone seem to articulate why?
[this message was edited by DarkZero on Wed 22 Oct 05:44] |
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| Mosquiton 965th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member++
    
| "Re(1):First Lament of Innocence Review" , posted Wed 22 Oct 15:23
quote:
I don't get it. The game has repetitive action that takes place in featureless boxes... but it's "one of the best 3D action games on the system" and scores an 80%? If this game rocks so much, then why can't anyone seem to articulate why?
I doubt you'll like it, it's not what you'd call DMC hard.
The action is repetitive but very satisfying (plenty of combo branches useful in different situations, you look and feel like a badass).
The rooms aren't featureless, the amount of detail is obscene, but they most often amount to arena-style combat.
A lot of people would argue that DMC is repetitive (one could argue that repeatedly whipping an axe-knight in the knees from a lower platform ala SotN is repetitive too), so just ignore that part of the reviews. Sub weapons are really pretty optional, like in most Castlevania games.
For me the overall feel makes up for the shortcomings (lack of depth I guess would be the best blanket term). I had tonnes of fun with the preview version, and I plan to buy it anyway.
And the script isn't awful, especially as far as games go.
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| DarkZero 400th Post
Gold Customer
| "Re(4):First Lament of Innocence Review" , posted Wed 22 Oct 19:28
Has anyone noticed if you can select Hard Mode right from the start? If you can, I'll probably buy the game, because the ability to choose Hard Mode from the start is probably what has made Kingdom Hearts (which I'm currently playing) an enjoyable experience for me.
quote:
A lot of people would argue that DMC is repetitive (one could argue that repeatedly whipping an axe-knight in the knees from a lower platform ala SotN is repetitive too), so just ignore that part of the reviews. Sub weapons are really pretty optional, like in most Castlevania games.
See, this is kind of what I'm talking about. I didn't find the action in SotN repetitive because I never had to whip an Axe Knight in the knees from a lower platform. I opened with Hellfire, starting used the QCF+P teleport attack, and then used Soul Steal or Tetra Spirit if anything else attacked me while I was busy. One of my main concerns, aside from the difficulty, is that it sounds like Lament of Innocence lacks that wonderful variety that Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow had. Being able to fight in whatever style that I wanted through the use of stat management and an armory of weapons that were all radically different from each other was great in SotN and AoS and I've been enjoying the watered-down version of that system in Kingdom Hearts.
Thanks for the info, though. It doesn't sound like my sort of game, but at only ten hours (and I'm assuming about sixteen or eighteen when you stack on Hard Mode with the second character), it might make a fun rental.
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| OYashiroForever 571th Post
New Red Carpet Member
| "Re(6):First Lament of Innocence Review" , posted Wed 22 Oct 20:10
quote:
I say we should all move on, and stop living in the past.
Yeah, you're right... we should just stop enjoying, playing, or hoping for new versions of KoF, Street Fighter, Megaman, or any other seminal 2D series because that would be "living in the past". By that argument, I now decree that we should all "move on" and stop listening to classical music, watching black and white films, or engaging in any activity that has a technologically-superior alternative.
All kidding aside, I'm perfectly fine with advancing technology, new ways of presenting old ideas, and, most importantly, 3D versions of great, old games. What I don't like are people's insistence that two-dimensional, sprite-based games are like fucking 8-traks that people just need to trade-in so we can all move on to the new best thing. Art doesn't work that way. As long as there are people interested in listening to classical music, watching black-n-white films, or playing 2D games, there will always be artists/companies there to statisfy that need (SNKP, etc.). Case in point: if this 3D Castlevania doesn't sell well, diamonds to donuts says there will be a batch of new 2D Castlevanias (since Konami KNOWS they sell... at least in the US).
"Only two things are infinite the universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the former."
"Your denial is beneath you and thanks to the use of hallucinogenic drugs I see through you."
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| israfel
55th Post
Occasional Customer
| "Re(7):First Lament of Innocence Review" , posted Wed 22 Oct 21:11:
quote:
I say we should all move on, and stop living in the past.Yeah, you're right... we should just stop enjoying, playing, or hoping for new versions of KoF, Street Fighter, Megaman, or any other seminal 2D series because that would be "living in the past". By that argument, I now decree that we should all "move on" and stop listening to classical music, watching black and white films, or engaging in any activity that has a technologically-superior alternative.
I just think that Symphony of the Night, Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow are a little too alike for my tastes. Once you start to see the same enviroments, enemies, castle layouts, and weapons too much it starts to get a little stale (although I really liked Aria for the difficulty and the clock tower part)
quote:
All kidding aside, I'm perfectly fine with advancing technology, new ways of presenting old ideas, and, most importantly, 3D versions of great, old games. What I don't like are people's insistence that two-dimensional, sprite-based games are like fucking 8-traks that people just need to trade-in so we can all move on to the new best thing. Art doesn't work that way. As long as there are people interested in listening to classical music, watching black-n-white films, or playing 2D games, there will always be artists/companies there to statisfy that need (SNKP, etc.). Case in point: if this 3D Castlevania doesn't sell well, diamonds to donuts says there will be a batch of new 2D Castlevanias (since Konami KNOWS they sell... at least in the US).
Hey now, don't get me wrong, i love 2d games AND I love Castlevania. But when I beat Aria of Sorrow, I just got this kind of disappointed feeling, I felt that Aria of Sorrow, while a really great game with some cool innovations, was too much the same as SotN (I can enjoy all the KoFs even though they are so similar, but that has to do with the genre).
Thats why I don't think its such a great idea to just make ANOTHER sequel to SotN, because EVEN if it was high-res, if it didn't have real big changes to the way they do level design, combat, or progression through the game in some way, I would be a little disappointed. I just don't want to see Castlevania to go the way of Megaman, so I like the idea of a 3d one.
If they could make a sequel to SotN in high-res with really innovative new stuff though, I would love it more than any 3d one.
[this message was edited by israfel on Wed 22 Oct 21:15] |
| Mosquiton 968th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member++
| "minor correction + sword of dawn" , posted Thu 23 Oct 06:27:
quote:
I didn't find the action in SotN repetitive because I never had to whip an Axe Knight in the knees from a lower platform. I opened with Hellfire, starting used the QCF+P teleport attack, and then used Soul Steal or Tetra Spirit if anything else attacked me while I was busy. One of my main concerns, aside from the difficulty, is that it sounds like Lament of Innocence lacks that wonderful variety that Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow had. Being able to fight in whatever style that I wanted through the use of stat management and an armory of weapons that were all radically different from each other was great in SotN and AoS and I've been enjoying the watered-down version of that system in Kingdom Hearts.
Thanks for the info, though. It doesn't sound like my sort of game, but at only ten hours (and I'm assuming about sixteen or eighteen when you stack on Hard Mode with the second character), it might make a fun rental.
I was out of MP! All I had was the bamboo sword! It's definitely happened. :P
But, my mistake. SotN just wasn't the right example. Now if you think back to the classic Castlevanias, it's a better comparison. Heavy on whipping, light on the variety. But still quite fun. Glad I could help, I'd still suggest you give it a rent.
I was hoping for more SotN flavor too, with a full 3D map (the map is flat, for anyone who didn't know). Still a good bit of well-hidden secrets here, as with any title I'd suggest you try it before you knock it too hard.
You know, I REALLY want to see the Sword of Dawn in a 3D Castlevania... with a horizontal and vertical swing and pumped up special ability. Anybody know the weapon I'm talking about?
EDIT: Also, about that post directly above me... Israfel? I'm hurting for a new Mega Man Legends game... would look so nice on the GameCube...
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[this message was edited by Mosquiton on Thu 23 Oct 06:32] |
| israfel
55th Post
Occasional Customer
| "Re(1):minor correction + sword of dawn" , posted Thu 23 Oct 23:32
quote:
I didn't find the action in SotN repetitive because I never had to whip an Axe Knight in the knees from a lower platform. I opened with Hellfire, starting used the QCF+P teleport attack, and then used Soul Steal or Tetra Spirit if anything else attacked me while I was busy. One of my main concerns, aside from the difficulty, is that it sounds like Lament of Innocence lacks that wonderful variety that Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow had. Being able to fight in whatever style that I wanted through the use of stat management and an armory of weapons that were all radically different from each other was great in SotN and AoS and I've been enjoying the watered-down version of that system in Kingdom Hearts.
Thanks for the info, though. It doesn't sound like my sort of game, but at only ten hours (and I'm assuming about sixteen or eighteen when you stack on Hard Mode with the second character), it might make a fun rental.
I was out of MP! All I had was the bamboo sword! It's definitely happened. :P
But, my mistake. SotN just wasn't the right example. Now if you think back to the classic Castlevanias, it's a better comparison. Heavy on whipping, light on the variety. But still quite fun. Glad I could help, I'd still suggest you give it a rent.
I was hoping for more SotN flavor too, with a full 3D map (the map is flat, for anyone who didn't know). Still a good bit of well-hidden secrets here, as with any title I'd suggest you try it before you knock it too hard.
You know, I REALLY want to see the Sword of Dawn in a 3D Castlevania... with a horizontal and vertical swing and pumped up special ability. Anybody know the weapon I'm talking about?
EDIT: Also, about that post directly above me... Israfel? I'm hurting for a new Mega Man Legends game... would look so nice on the GameCube...
I feel your pain. I've been wanting a new Legends game for so long. They are pretty much my favorite ps1 games.
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| EddyT
208th Post
Frequent Customer
| "Re(2):minor correction + sword of dawn" , posted Fri 24 Oct 04:04:
Israfel: I can understand where you're coming from, too. Although I do like Aria of Sorrow (I really liked the fact that a Belmont wasn't the main character), it's not setting the world on fire with new gameplay or graphics... whatever. It wasn't something I grew tired of, but I can understand if having 3 Castlevania games for GBA in less than 2-3 years can make someone grow sick of a series quickly.
Still, I do like it when some series make it back to their roots in 2D. I love playing Mega Man Zero, even though the difficulty is through the roof. Game plays well and has been keeping me busy for a while now. Unfortunately, Mega Man is played out even more than Castlevania... so I'm sure quite a few gamers passed this series up w/o trying it.
Also, I'm dying to try out the Double Dragon GBA remake. It's been so long since a Double Dragon game came out, and the game looks like the arcade version on crack... I'm estatic that it's coming out in less than a month. Final Fight Zero was a little disappointing to me since it was a SNES rehashing and Streets of Rage (my all-time favorite side-scroll-beat-em-up being SOR2) will probably never see another sequel. Haven't gotten my mitts on TMNT GBA or next-gen console yet, but the E3 demos were really lacking with the amount of attacks the turtles could do.
As long as it's done well, like Aria of Sorrow or MMZero... I don't mind companies sticking to 2D with their popular licenses. It's definitely harder for a company to make a traditionally-2D series feel great in 3D.
[this message was edited by EddyT on Fri 24 Oct 04:12] |
| DarkZero 404th Post
Gold Customer
| "Re(3):minor correction + sword of dawn" , posted Fri 24 Oct 08:02
My only problem with having three Castlevania games in three years is that they're all so alike. The series would have a lot more energy and creativity if they didn't devote half of every game to rehashing the Entrance Hallway, the Arena, the Garden, the Underground Cavern, the Clocktower, the Library, Legion, Death, Dracula, and the obligatory "caged thing behind the wall" boss. I don't so much mind Death and Dracula, even though Death is getting pretty unoriginal lately and recently hasn't even had any dialogue, but everything else is getting really tired. No one's putting the sort of thought into these games that was put into SotN's firey underground cavern and haunted save point, nor Dracula X's infamous ride across Transylvania to get to the castle. Aria of Sorrow pumped the game almost all the way back up to SotN's wonderful variety of gameplay, but the level design is still really, really boring.
And even though I've never gotten the opportunity to use it, the Sword of Dawn really does kick ass and some version of it needs to appear in a future Castlevania game, hopefully alongside the return of familiars.
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| israfel
56th Post
Occasional Customer
| "Re(4):minor correction + sword of dawn" , posted Fri 24 Oct 13:26
quote:
My only problem with having three Castlevania games in three years is that they're all so alike. The series would have a lot more energy and creativity if they didn't devote half of every game to rehashing the Entrance Hallway, the Arena, the Garden, the Underground Cavern, the Clocktower, the Library, Legion, Death, Dracula, and the obligatory "caged thing behind the wall" boss. I don't so much mind Death and Dracula, even though Death is getting pretty unoriginal lately and recently hasn't even had any dialogue, but everything else is getting really tired. No one's putting the sort of thought into these games that was put into SotN's firey underground cavern and haunted save point, nor Dracula X's infamous ride across Transylvania to get to the castle. Aria of Sorrow pumped the game almost all the way back up to SotN's wonderful variety of gameplay, but the level design is still really, really boring.
And even though I've never gotten the opportunity to use it, the Sword of Dawn really does kick ass and some version of it needs to appear in a future Castlevania game, hopefully alongside the return of familiars.
Thats exactly what I was trying to say. I also agree that Aria was really good even with all the rehashing (I really recommend picking hard mode from the start, its good fun). I REALLY liked the clock tower part in Aria, it felt just like the clock tower in Castlevania 3.
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Lament of Innocence, arguably the first polygonal Castlevania that's deserving of the name 
D:D
