06-29-2013, 03:54 PM
^if we're doing that, here's mine for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate
Quote:I never bought or played the original Lords of Shadow. I knew what takes place in it though;
The game looks gorgeous. Easily the best graphics I've seen for the 3DS so far. It's a 2.5D games so you while you walk massive statues and towers loom, and stairways coil. Even when zoomed up, characters and enemies don't become blocky. Cutscenes are in done celshaded effects though (For a reason?) but without lip sync. Characters just open their mouths and go :o A lot of the game is dark and brooding (Real Is Brown after all.) but it does have some unique areas.
All Belmonts including Gabriel, and Alucard are equipped with the Combat Cross, which has a large radius, making enemies worth fighting a cinch. You get subweapons, but most of them aren't worth much, and it's easier to just keep the flow of combat going by just button mashing. The combat system is a bit clunky. They want you to defend from attacks and get them with counters, but pressing Y until it dies works better.
Levelling is not important because they only give you a new attack, for all of your increases in stats are found in upgrades.
Which brings me to the enemies. They're mostly the common staples to the Castlevania franchise, zombies, skeletons, Mermen, hunchbacks, etc.
There are some unique ones I haven't seen before, my personal favourite being the Gargoyles,I know they've appeared before but these differ. They're like flying furnaces, and the Vampire Knights, who seem like fallen angels. Unfortunately; It stops there. This batch of enemies is small. I loved about Castlevania that it had SO many different kinds, nearly every game had about a 100 of which many were unique to that game.
Storywise the game throws three protagonists at us, but the game doesn't unfold in chronological order. Simon and Alucard take place simultaneously, but Trevor's set before the game proper. Due to this Act III feels unneeded. Like the Scorpion King to the Mummy II. Perhaps it would have served the game better if the acts took place in different order, but that's nitpicking.
Overall the game is good; very good even in some regards; but it's not 100% what I wanted from a Castlevania. If I had to give it a grade I'd go with 7. Wouldn't for everybody, but if you're new to the series and especially the reboot it's not a bad game.