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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Topic Started: Feb 10 2011, 12:26 PM (201 Views)
TheGreg
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More God of War than Symphony of the Night, the latest Castlevania may disappoint fans of the series looking for that classic Metroid-vania exploration-based gameplay.

Even as an action game, Lords of Shadow lacks an identity to it's gameplay early on, feeling cloned from better games in the genre. The combat isn't satisfying, the level design is confusing, and the camera system is poor.

Then as the game nears the end of its second chapter, things start to come together. New combos and abilities allow for a satisfying combat flow, levels become more streamlined and the spectacular boss fights comes fast and furious.

Even the camera starts to frame the action a bit better, allowing the game to showcase it's superlative visuals. Lords of Shadows has some of the best texture work I have ever seen.

Those boss fights truly do highlight the package though, some of which are reminiscent of the beloved Shadow of the Colossus in scale and style.

When this game hits its high notes, it makes for an undeniably thrilling experience. Stick with the game and you will not regret it, despite it's slow start.

There are a couple constants throughout the game, however.

One is the glorious score by Oscar Araujo. My winner for best game score of the year, this is a spectacular orchestral and choral score that makes even the more standard moments seem that much more epic.

On the flipside, the writing is uniformly bad from beginning to end. Poor Patrick Stewart narrates this incomprehensible plot and you can practically hear him choking on the cavalcade of awkward phrases and run-on sentences.

Lords of Shadows is a inconsistent and occasionally frustrating experience, but it's still an easy recommendation for action fans. When it's at the top of its game, it's simply too good to miss.
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