zero

Yeah, yeah I know Im early but I just got word at work that it SHIPS EARLY!!!! So it will be arriving October 22.


Also I wanted to share with you something I found on a Castlevania site I frequently visit. The site creator got his hands on a CD sampler of the soundtrack. I dont know if Castlevania is going to ship with its soundtrack like Silent hill 3 did, but never the less here is a link...

http://www.classicgaming.com/castlev...castlepack.jpg

Youll find the links to download the tracks on "What's New" click and scroll down.

A friend of mine gave me these tracks today and I must say that my excitement for this game has intensified. So who else is looking forward to this aside from me?


-zero

Ralph Wiggum

Has anyone here been able to play the game much?

I'm a HUGE Castlevania fan, but some the initial impressions I've read and the videos I've seen left me lukewarm. This looks a lot like DMC...

I hope it's good.

Galanthas

I was worried when it was first announced it would be 3D. After the 2 on the N64 *shudders* I was hoping they wouldn't attempt it again. I prefer 2D but I know I'm in the minority. Even with IGA in charge of it I just couldn't envision a good Castlevania in 3D(Devil May Cry came real close but was still missing something). After I saw this Fileplanet Trailer Castlevania:LoI my thinking changed. Now it's my second most wanted game this year right behind Viewtiful Joe which I already have.

I have heard some of the soundtrack, it's not SotN but it's good. CV:SotN is only one of two game soundtracks I have actually imported, the other being Suikoden 1(great game btw best in the series, great soundtrack as well). The only concern I have with CV:LoI is it seems like the rooms might become repetitive, but it's not a big enough concern to stop me from buying it. If your looking forward to the game you really should see that trailer. It's good image quality, it is a 122 meg file though.

Sucks I'm trying to wait on that Toys R Us deal to kick in before I can pick it up.

Another trailer from the official site Castlevania:LoI. Shows off the dodging/flipping about 2:30 in.

starseed1981

I was really psyched about this game for awhile now. But then I got the new Game Informer in the mail and they gave it a fair review. Now, the score was okay but GI are nothing but fanboys....so if they say it's average it's probably bad. Also, on the EGM boards they were saying how the enviornments left alot to be desired. I'm definitley gonna play this, but I may have to rent first.

zero

EGM gave it a solid promising review, and that doesnt happen often with games I'm looking forward to, and that magazine. I personally feel that the game is classic Castlevania gameplay without trying to reinvent anything. The demo I got to play at E3 was amazing, and Im a little upset that this game isnt being given enough coverage. You'd think there would be a playable demo, but there isnt. Heres what I do know about the games weapon engine.

-Whip combos can be extended once earned.

-You can guard impact certain attacks to gain MP. Kinda like Kingdom Hearts when you gaurd against attacks to earn tech points.

-Sub-weapons can be attached to 'relics' making for different weapon crashes.

-You will have an inventory for heal, and MP items.

I dont really lean on many reviewers in any mag to make me buy a game. But I can understand not wanting to shell out your cash for something you wont like. But for me buying this game is a no brainer.

Josh H

I'm keeping an eye on this game, but I don't have high hopes.

1. Going to 3D was a strike against it, but not a fatal one.

2. The lack of the RPG elements from SOTN and the GBA games is a major strike against it as those are the only castlevania games I really liked. I never really got into the older ones as I'm not big on action games in general.

3. It's compared to DMC a ton, and I loathed that game.

zero

This game is NOTHING like Devil May Cry. The only reason it is compared to DMC is because the character is extremely stylish and can strike multiple combos while in the air and such. The comparison is not justified, I dont recall Dante being able to equip a weapon to a relic and have it take out an entire room of baddies.

DLogic

I'd have to agree with Zero on that one... It LOOKS like DMC but is certainly a more interesting game. I played thru the demo at E3 and blew thru that within 10min and kept me searching for more. It's ability to use the right thumb click for the items menu during a battle is so much easier than pausing, selecting an item to a hand, unpausing, using that hand, pausing, replacing the item that was in the hand already, and unpausing and continuing the game. Wow... nearly gave myself a headache on that one. But content wise, it's very promising. I've got my copy paid off already.

Ralph Wiggum

This guy, who has played the demo, says it's highly similar to DMC:

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/s...3&postcount=50

Quote:

The comparison is not justified, I dont recall Dante being able to equip a weapon to a relic and have it take out an entire room of baddies.

I don't see how that fundamentally separates the two.

edited to add:

I'm extremely curious about how this game differentiates it's gameplay from DMC. The basic philosophy of the combat, RPG approach to character development and flow of the game all appear to be analogous.

For instance, I thought Rygar was a great rental. It addressed some of the problems I had with DMC, especially the camera, but it was still essentially DMC with a different coat of paint, IMO.

I hope C:LoI is more than the DMC mechanics with a magic system thrown in and the Castlevania aesthetic.

Gizmo

Zero, we get Castlevania early...but can we sell it? This will be my 3rd, and last PS2 title (Kingdom Hearts and Activision Anthology being the 2).

sfsdfd

Uh... it's a Castlevania-themed beat-em-up. For crying out loud, you have combos. Can you think of anything more boring than that? Attack combos are right at the top of my "pointlessly geeky videogame feature" list.

The best Castlevania games have been the really keen platformers with crisp control. SotN is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable games of all time, in my book. 3D platform-style games simply can't compete with that level of control - at least, not with current input devices. I really think you need something ingeniously better than an analog joystick to match that.

I guess its only saving grace could be atmosphere. Though not as sharp as its predecessors, I enjoyed Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time because it had nice atmosphere.

- David Stein

Dan Average

Yes.

zero

I too played the demo and it didnt feel like DMC. I can see why it is compared to DMC, but this game has a style all its own. Just because you can double jump and you have combos doesnt make it like a DMC clone or DMC. If this were the case then just about every other action game in recent release is like DMC...

-Rygar
-Otogi
-Chaos Legion

or perhaps I just think comparing one game to another, and then dismissing that game because its like a game youve already played is ridiculous. Hell someone sometime back had the brass to compare Kingdom Hearts to DMC, that Im still waiting an explaination for rather than...

"..you attack enemies that appear out of thin air...just like DMC."

oh and yes Gizmo we can sell it early because it's release is now the 22nd of October.

zero

I can too

Jackskeleton

I want the collectable package.

Ralph Wiggum

What makes the gameplay distinct from DMC though? The handful of other viewpoints I've read regarding the demo have said it was very DMCesque and I'm curious why you felt different?

I'm not concerned with the visual style as I'm sure it'll be uniquely Castlevania, but I am not interested in DMC with a Castlevania coat of paint.

[Tangent]DMC is going to be this gen's Final Fight. There were a million side-scrolling beat-em-ups from the late 80s to the early 90s which had their own "style," but played almost identical.

I'm sure everyone else here remembers the similarities between these 4-player arcade games (to name a few):

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Captain America
- The Simpsons
- X-Men[/Tangent]

Josh H

I don't think it's ridiculous at all. It's a great way to find more games you like and to avoid wasting time trying ones you won't.

I mean if you love a game, and another one comes out that's similar, odds are you'll at least like it. If you hate a game, and one comes out that's similar, odds are you won't like it.

Common sense.

sfsdfd

...and Golden Axe, and Alien Storm, and Double Dragon, and King of Dragons... they all kinda blur together into isometric side-scroller beat-em-up. A few slightly more memorable ones stand out - but based on things other than gameplay, to be sure.

- David Stein

Outlaw

Has anyone who works in a retail store confirmed if this game ships with a soundtrack CD or not? I was in Chicago during the weekend and decided to check out EB, and I overheard them talking about it coming with a music CD to some other guys as well. If you guys have gotten it in yet, is it packed in the game like Silent Hill 3? I really want it.

zero

Last I heard EB was offering the 13 track CD sampler with a pre-order. Im not sure how many other places are doing this, and considering the game is about a week away Im not sure this is valid.

zero

Well for me (and this is minor) its the gaurd impacting. You couldnt block enemy attacks in DMC, and when you do it in Castlevania you gain MP. I also felt that in DMC your combos were extended only by buying them. From what footage Ive seen of LoI you learn them as you go on, and that is a big plus in my book. And heck in Leon Belmont wants to do some jump kicks it wont require him to not have his whip equipped. Minor, minor stuff but its enough (and maybe more because i've only played the E3 demo) to seperate it from DMC, at least in my eyes.

PixyJunket

zero

zero

THREE MORE DAYS, THREE MORE DAYS!!!! w000000000000000t!!!!

Vegas9203

from gamerankings:


Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Playstation Magazine 4/5
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Game Informer 8/10
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Play Magazine B+
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence PSM Magazine 9/10