BreakmanX.com

Game informer just rated it in this month's issue. They gave it an 8 with an alternate opinion of an 8.5. What do you guys think?

,
Daysha

0.0 I'll have to read their review to see what I think of it. I'm still skeptical of the whole thing; I'm going to wait until I play it to pass judgment on it. I'll still weak kryptonite-style from Castlevania 64 to get too excited about this one.

i'm sure that with most of the Symphony of the Night crew on board(right on down to the hella-good composer), the gameplay in Lament will be(in the words of Splinter Cell's Lambert) as smooth as butter.

However, I would hope that this is a one time thing, and that in future ventures, they decide to go back to 2D, certain games should remain in 2D.

like megaman x7

i totally agree with you there my man.

Mega Man should always be in 2d. they should have done what they did with Viewtiful Joe to Mega Man......innovate. putting a game in 3d does not equal innovation. If that were the case, i'd be playing Dark Angel and Tomb Raider angel of darkness

Good morning everyone!

Just though I 'd start everyone's day off by letting you all know that IGN just posted their review of Lament of Innocent and they gave it a 9.0. Reader review is 9.7.

Haven't had time to read the entire review, but will do so tonight. Check it out if you have access to IGN.

Taken directly from the title:
"Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
The Vampire Killer Returns! KCET provides PlayStation 2 owners with one of the best action/adventure titles for its platform thus far."

9.5 Presentation
The most stylish Castlevania ever (and that's saying a lot), Lament of Innocence practically bleeds high-production values. The atmosphere is awesome and the load-times almost non-existent.

8.5 Graphics
There are some camera issues that appear while platforming, but the rest of the camera work is fine. Lighting effects, monster designs, and framerates are all top notch with huge environments to boot.

9.0 Sound
Michiru Yamane proves that Symphony of the Night was no fluke. Her soundtrack is absolutely brilliant and the Dolby Pro Logic II support Only helps. Good move with the Japanese language track.

8.5 Gameplay
Try to imagine 2D gaming in a 3D world and you've got it. The combo system is great, the difficulty is just right, and the upgrade system is near perfect. Only the occasional camera issues hurt it.

8.5 Lasting Appeal
It's over the first time in about 10 hours, but there are plenty of other things to do in the interim. Unlockable characters, items, and a new difficulty setting are but a few of them. Fun stuff.



,
Daysha

Awesome, thanks for the info Daysha, I'm looking forward to this one.

About the games staying 2d. I completely agree with you, so does Konami and Capcom. Sony was the one that forced the companies to do the games in 3d. Sony doesn't want people to make 2d games for their system, and force people to do 3d stuff. Its unfortunate, but true.

Thanks for the heads up Daysha. I know, 2D could be so awesome these days. Who says gamers aren't ready for some 2D platforming action. You know, with some of todays generation of younger gamers, i bet 2D would be too hard for them. You gotta have skills to manipulate only two dimensions when the heat is on.

I'll be sure to give Castlevania a rental. The budget is tight, only have enough for topspin tennis at the end of the month.

yeah Break that's true.

funny part is, you ask most PS1 owners what the best game was, and they'd say Symphony of the Night....shows them bastards! Sony needs to get this into their head: 3D game does not equal good game(look at Bubsy 3D....or better yet.....let's not.)

Heh, very true man, very true.

Got it, and I must say that I LOVE IT!

i picked up the game and loved the entire 15 minutes i got to play it! The time management programs of college students i tell ya.

I rented it, and played it. I didn't get very far before I got a game over, but from what I played it's pretty good. It's better than the N64 Castlevanias, but I don't think it's better than Sympohony Of The Night. I kind of see this situation similar to what happened to Nintendo's Metroid series. Metroid and Castlevania games are very similar to each other in terms of how the games are played, level design, and etc. Nintendo's transition of the Metroid series from a 2D game into a 3D game was incredible. It was a totally new experience, but still left like a Metroid game. After playing Metroid Prime, I felt that Nintendo made a good decision to go 3D with it. I was a bit sceptical at first, but later, I felt that the series had headed in the right direction. But I don't feel the same way for Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence. Don't get me wrong though, Lament Of Innocence is good. The problem is, after playing it, I'm thinking that maybe if it have been 2D, it could've been alot better. I think the game has some camera problems to work out. But who knows, I still have the game for 4 more days. As I play more, maybe I'll find something that makes the game incredible. The good news is, that it feels like a Castlevania game...sort of. Well, I've been playing alot of Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance on the GBA recently, and I think that one is a better Castlevania game than Lament Of Innocence is. I guess my hopes for Lament Of Innocence were too high.

with the mapping system, backtracking, non linear format, and fixed camera, it feels more like a rail based 3d game, which is fine by me. I am glad they used a fixed camera, you get used to managing your controls quickly.

as much as i liked Rygar, i hated their camera because at times it put you FAR away from the action. Lament keeps you in the midst of it, and that's a key to immersive gameplay. This game is one hell of a fun ride right now.

R.I.P. Fred Berry, a true icon of tv from a time when sitcoms weren't so trivial.

I played some more of Lament Of Innocence and it pretty good, but not anything extrodinary. I got as far as beating 3 bosses before I finally died. After that, I just wasn't that compelled to play it much more. Well, actually, I couldn't because I don't have a memory card to save on. I'll probably pick this one up when it becomes a greatest hits title. Other than that, I'd rather play Harmony Of Dissonance and once I beat that, I'll probably go onto Aria Of Sorrow. Bottom line, I think the game is alright but not incredible.

and yes, Rerun, RIP.