Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

[simonbelmont7]

alrighty with all the new info and screenshots out from e3, what does everyone think? I know there was a big discussion on this awhile back. Im SOOOOO looking forward to this game, but im still a lil worried about it. From what ive read on several e3 reports, its less RPG like Symphony of the Night was, and more linear like the N64 games. But im looking forward to it nonetheless! :) :)

[WiseSalesman]

All you had to say was "like the N64 games" to turn me off of the concept. Until then, I was excited about it.

[simonbelmont7]

yep, thats whats got me a lil scared, but im still gonna hope for the best! :)

[Sylentwulf]

They pulled off a 3-D metroid pretty well, so I'm still hopeful, It's either gonna kick ass or suck REALLY BAD.

[Drexel923]

I have a video of this game running and it looks ok. It looks like Devil May Cry with the fast action and the combo hits. The items are kinda cool, they looks like they have good range and do a lot of damage. It has potential, but I'm still gonna wait and see.

P.S. if someone wants me to post the video, PM me and I'll give you the address.

[BenT]

It's totally DMC so far, which I found discouraging. I'm sure it'll be worth checking out when it gets released, though, if for nothing other than the soundtrack. (And probably more, really.)

[Ed Oscuro]

Hey there, props to my man BenT.

Over at the Castlevania Dungeon Forums (which I moderate...sorta) we've got a whole range of opinions, from "Straight DMC is cool!" to "This is totally lame!"

The big issue for me is that Konami has been presenting an image, to its fans, that the series is undergoing an identity crisis. In reality, it isn't; Iga has been working on the series since at least 1993 (Akumajo Drakura X: Chi no Rondo) and is COMPLETELY committed to keeping the series recognizable to the hardcore fans.

Yeah, did you hear that Hearts of Fire + OMG Don't Go Out At Night (!!!) remix in AoS? Yeah, so did I.

Now I'm still worried about what this does to the series in terms of brand recognition, but remember that the original games were more about pattern learning than strategy. There is only so much that you can do with what was originally a very simple, well constructed game mechanic ("Your garden is only complete when you can take no more away from it") on a modern console.

I myself would LIKE to see 3D used as a replacement for those 2D sprites, and to see modern systems playing that sort of game. There just doesn't appear to be too much of a market (at least to Konami, and they make the final decisions). I suppose people have been downloading ROMs instead of buying the games too often.

Now what he WILL be doing on it is pretty darn cool! Lots of old school fast action (more like Contra than CV, but is that bad?) with your happy broken terrain (not a dull floor plan in sight,) plenty of style (though N64 CVs had style to spare, and I'm not being entirely generous) a good, Heretic II--style camera (fixed behind the player it seems, though there might eventually be multiple camera angles) and the ability to actually use some pretty sweet moves throughout the game. Akumajo Dracula FDS had some neat bonuses hidden, but the hidden treasures and such pretty much fell out of use after Akumajo Dracula x68000 came around. Iga's bringing exploration back into the series, and that counts for a lot. The spirit of the original games is indeed returning, and the technology will help, not hinder, that a great deal.

Have fun, and remember: I never met a CV I didn't like (Besides Legends).

[maxlords]

Well, if it's too much like DMC, I'll hate it. I hated DMC cause it was all style and hard to control, and I'd hate to see the Castlevania series go for style over gameplay. I don't want fancy, I want a straightforward Castlevania game, maybe with 3D backgrounds and characters, but I'd like to see a PLATFORMER. Not DMC style platforming either...more like the Mario Sunshine/64 platformer with better cameras. An evolution of the tragic N64 Castlevanias if you will (which i didn't HATE, but needed work).

[Ed Oscuro]

Beating stuff for little reason, apparently, is going out of style.

Yes, I feel queasy about it myself.

[hezeuschrist]

Heh, I still don't see how people didn't like DMC... I loved it. I though it controlled great and after years of Resident Evil the camera was a joy. Ok well not really, but the whole game was refreshingly challenging and even though the cutscenes had that excellent b-movie cheesy quality, I loved them just the same. Anyways...

I don't want Castlevania to be DMC. I played DMC, I wanted DMC2 to be DMC, but it was just a heap of crap. I want Castlevania to be Castlevania but in 3d... Metroid worked perfect, and even though it's really hard to make the conversion and still hold true to the original, they hit the nail on the head. I hope Konami can do the same.

[Ed Oscuro]

Years of Biohazard will surely mess you up ;)

I hear Metroid worked NEARLY perfectly; some people disliked the rather...um...SLOW turning and aim. Besides that, certainly an instant classic.

[hezeuschrist]

Turning got to be a pain, but it's a console first person action game on a console. I like that term, first person action... and I expect to see much more of it soon =P

[maxlords]

Years of Biohazard will surely mess you up ;)

I hear Metroid worked NEARLY perfectly; some people disliked the rather...um...SLOW turning and aim. Besides that, certainly an instant classic.

I found the controls quite instinctive....picked the whole feel up in about an hour easily.

And yeah...Biohazard screws everyone. I hate those controls!

Either way, I have high hopes that they won't make the new Castlevania into a cookie cutter adventure game, but it's rewally tough to say at this point. From the info that's been released, it's definitely on the fence!

[Ed Oscuro]

Revelation time: I've played about an hour of RE2. Easy to control for me. But I haven't played anything else from the series. I have a tendency to do that with Capcom games; done the same thing with Megaman. Ah, I'll catch up someday.

[IntvGene]

What kills me about this is that it shows that Konami has no interest in keeping the game the style that it has been for the longest time. Will it sell copies? Hell yea? But, don't get me wrong, this is no Castlevania.

"The game is powered by a combo heavy combat system" - Wow... this sounds just like the Castlevania I know and love.. Combos attacks, a jumping flame kick and leveling up your weapons. It sounds like they've gotten real original here.

"You will be rewarded for taking the time to explore your surroundings and find hidden areas. This might prove to be a little difficult, considering that you can't manipulate the camera manually" - I can already envision jumping from chandeliers and not being able to see where I am going. I don't want to be exploring and backtracking to pick up some bloody thimble I didn't pick up in the first room. Castlevania should be about action.

There have been innovations in Castlevania over time, of course. Most of them have done something minor to improve on the gameplay, but the core game has remained the same (except for the N64 version). This takes it too far, it just simply isn't Castlevania anymore, and that sucks. They have no interest in appealing to classic gamers with this game, and have decided to slap the name on a DMC-type game. I haven't said that it won't appeal to someone, and if you're excited about this game, great. I am just disappointed about the direction that they've taken with it. Regardless of whether the game will be good or not, it isn't a 2-D game.

I am just surprised at their earlier comments about 2-D being too restrictive. What have they done in this game that couldn't have been done otherwise? It doesn't sound like there's very much original content here. So, why did this game HAVE TO be in 3-D?

[simonbelmont7]

****** BINGO ***** Couldnt have said it better myself.... :)

[zmeston]

During Konami's four-hour press conference, the question was asked of IGA, "Will the series ever return to 2D?", which I thought was a very polite way of asking "When will you give the fans what they want?" Christ, he even admitted during the Q&A session that DMC was a major influence. No, no, NO. I have no problem with the transition from 2D to 3D, but I have enormous issues with a developer as talented as IGA feeling the need to imitate instead of innovate.

-- Z.