Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Sony Playstation 3, 2010)

I bought the game since I was a Castlevania fan since its NES days and nothing would have stopped me from getting this game. Even after hearing the reviews done before it's release and the comparisons drawn from it's gameplay, I would rate this as a very good game.

9.5 Presentation: The story is very good, a bit deviating from the typical Castlevania series (which usually the main villain is Dracula) but the premise and the way the story is told make up for any (lack?) of Dracula (I haven't finished the game but who knows if he turns out to be the main villain), in here Kojima (of MetalGear fame) has rather not so subtle hands in the story and its execution.

9.5 Graphics: The graphics are top notch! You may notice differences in some of the cutscenes compared to actual gameplay (some games have cutscenes that are so seemless so you wouldnt be able to tell which is a cutscene and which is playable [ie FFXIII]) but overall the graphics on this game is stunning, its like watching Lord of the Rings in some scenes, from the trees to the buildings and enemies, all rendered in beautiful detail (make sure to play it in 1080p for the full effect).

9 Sound: The musical score so far has been matched perfectly with the are you are exploring and hearing familiar voices (Patrick Stewart in particular) makes it quite worthwhile. You may notice the way the narration is said, it doesnt always have the right feel, but is otherwise alright. On a side note, when you see Zobek and you hear his voice, you can almost imagine it could/should have been Sean Connery who should be there, the appearance is almost uncanny, reminds me of Highlander.

9.5 Gameplay: In here it becomes serious as this is basically why most reviews think its very similar to God of War, but if you think about it, the way the combat cross is used here, it seems only natural for it to behave that way and it responds admirably through the combos you can perform. Also, its more than just a slashfest since there are puzzles that range from easy to downright hard (a certain chess like game might get you frustrated if you aren't prepared or lucky). The game is not so linear as it may appear as in previous Castlevania games, you can backtrack accross levels to access otherwise inacessible areas with your newfound powers/items. The world in itself is pretty big and once you reach a certain castle, you will marvel at the scale of things. Speaking of scales, the much talked about titans (and compared to Shadow of the Colossus) bosses are really challenging, even when you know the pattern to these guys.

9 Lasting Appeal: So far I havent finished it but completing the game for the missed items you could have gotten can make you at least backtrack, there might be some modes when you might be able to use replay but thats not yet known to me. So far even if I beat the game, I will most likely make another run through it (if only to unlock the harder difficulty levels) and i wont be tired in doing so since the game is really good.

Overall, the game was presented in a way that made it appear that its a clone/mishmash of several games and that the word Castlevania was only attached for the franchise but you have to remember, its not the destination thats important but the journey. And this game packs a good story into getting to the destination, which incidentally is a castle anyway, where who knows what awaits us, somebody familiar? somebody new? I'll let you discover that for yourself.

This video game has all the potential to be GREAT! Incredible graphics, cool boss fights, the combat cross is an awesome weapon, you gain experience points and obtain power ups and relics sounds awesome right? Well it is but what doesn't work about this game is the camera views and angles and it is truly heartbreaking. Such an incredible game ruined by such a nusiance of the view, the camera makes the action and even the controls seem clumsy and unresponsive. Not to mention it gets you stuck almost everywhere to find the exit or entrance to a new area very often. When you jump from ledge to ledge it feels like you're taking a leap of faith jumping blindly! All in all fans of the franchise will like the game and I reluctantly have to recommend this game because it does have some high points and excitment especially the incredible boss fights and crisp beautiful graphics. There could've been Game of the Year potential here, too bad the camera keeps Castlevania from ascension.

First person game that is a story-type game. Excellent graphics, well written, and grabs the players interest. Violence, blood and swordplay, vampires and werewolves throughout so not recommended for young players. Purchased for my grandson (14) who is enjoying immensely. I enjoy watching him play it!

A 3d Castlevania game that is actually good, sure even though it copies a bit from other popular titles(god of war). But what doesn't nowadays? The combat can get repetitive, but the moments of puzzle solving and platforming in between are a lot of fun. This is a great game with lots of replay value.

I'm always interested to see where Konami takes the Castlevania series, but this one is a little bland. The environments and characters, though nicely detailed, feel like they could have come from a dozen other games. The combat is the standard heavy/light setup you'd expect from a modern action game, but it never develops much depth, so you'll end up just randomly mashing buttons and doing just fine. It's also a relatively long game, which you'd think is a good thing, but the shallow gameplay can't really support such a long playtime, meaning you'll spend a lot of time fighting the exact same enemies and solving the same simple puzzles. The boss fights are a highlight, but some of them are obviously lifted from other games that did it better. It's not nearly bad enough to be considered a failure, but there's nothing to elevate it being truly great, either. Even worse, it doesn't really feel like a Castlevania game.