E3 '10: Hands On: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Last year at E3, Konami stunned the audience at their press conference with the reveal of a trailer for a brand new Castlevania game. Well, this time around, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was playable, and I managed to get my hands on the 360 version of it. The demo walks you through the combat and controls, pitting you against some small were-creatures in what looked like a town square of some kind. There are a few villagers with torches, but they didn't seem to actually help with combat at all. But at the same time, since they were just window dressing, they didn't actually get in the way of combat and becoming friendly fire. The only bonus item given was the knives, which are thrown with a quick press of the B button. The whip slashes around beautifully, and enemies explode in a satisfying shower of gore.
As the game progresses, new skills are unlocked and made available for purchase, but being a demo, I didn't really explore that. I just wanted to get back to jumping around and whipping everything in sight. Eventually, a giant werewolf appears, and you're tasked with defeating it. Combat with the boss creature also included some QTE button mashing when the werewolf got you in its jaws and you quickly pressed the button indicated on screen to escape. Unfortunately, I wasn't up to the task, so I don't know what came next, but what I was able to play was smooth, fun, and graphically impressive. The werewolf in particular was really well-rendered. Yes, it pretty much plays like Devil May Cry, but that's really the only way a 3D Castlevania was going to work, so I can't really fault Konami for that. Lords of Shadow is looking like a really solid addition to Konami's lineup when it releases later this year.
Wootini
Posted to E3, Hot Stuff, Video Games on 17 June 2010
· Comments (1)
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Cant wait to hear more! Did it feel like a God of War clone or did it have more or less its own feel? Long time fan here...
CV3 fo' eva.