Amazon says: Three stars is "not bad"

With "Lords of Shadow 2" I have, as it was with "Lords of Shadow" also a problem. Well, according to "Lords of Shadow" and "Mirror of Fate" I have anyway NOT Castlevania expected as just making the Japanese so. So neither a RPGlastiges "Metroidvania" still one of the actionlastigeren representatives as "Super Castlevania IV". So completely homemade this problem is in "Lords of Shadow 2" But not.

What is Mercury team simply has to recognize times: You listen to Fanfeedback. Perhaps rightly called whining "We want a Castlevania as Symphony of the Night" was attempted with "Mirror of Fate" and "Lords of Shadow 2" one has turned to the desired free camera. Only at what price do you do that? In the case of "Mirror of Fate" can it almost as pretty Unnutz and only means to an end - which seems to be there more sales - call, because what's the point of a RPGgameplays if I tie the level up in the mid-20s and in any case no more defense or strength get by level? Precisely at something seems This is the second part - actually the third - to fail. The free camera can very quickly namely the already somewhat annoying fights, where you to even the simplest opponents can kloppen like hours once again make incredibly cruel. Namely, when the camera opponents no longer recorded and this therefore unseen attack while I edit an enemy in my field of vision.
Another problem on the camera, but also to the much more open game world that no longer consists of individual disguised as chapter level selections, is the magnificent Tristesse the level, or the occasional hiccup - that is stuttering. Where I can make in a fixed camera yet exactly scenarios and not infinite pretend foresight with simple means it is easy in a full 3D world, which is more or less completely visible, though also due to the technology that it prints in textures and many might be liquid animation or camera movement, but in direct comparison with its predecessor, it just falls on too strong that you no longer comes close to the small details of the first album. Well, the new setting of the modern world may also help, but you would have determined can plant even one or two lush garden in a modern setting, even with some "gothic kitsch" elements, such as the greenhouse in "Batman - Arkhman Assylum ". In the passages that can lead us in "Lords of Shadow 2" in the past, but also apply opulent, so why then fire in the "here and now" world, which is based on Dracula's castle, rather only Ikea-level, So the easiest, but by no means all the worst Design what's up? Unfortunately, it is with the enemy design also, because what is shown here is just mass production which is okay, but nothing more.

Where the way up Fanfeedback mentioned: On request can be turned off in this title QTEs and all the staging indulge some fighting to be disturbed by silly little buttons games without. NICE!

The biggest annoyance in the game are - you guessed it - the often mentioned Schleich deposits, where they are rather bad, because you have the actual kick such tasks completely removed. This involves to do it, the player must observe and can choose their own tactics themselves. You die, then it is the fault of their own, which is also immediately apparent in the ideal case. Here, however, one is forced to use only prescribed actions and there is only one solution. The road to success here is trial and error. In between, there is no "yes, it is also" which simply scary little fun is mediated by the actually nice feature.

It is now but not to say that the game is absolutely for a ton. Let's be fair: It has its great moments and there's really very pretty scenes. Now one can argue about whether the story is really the final par excellence, but what you certainly can not deny is that again fantastic accompaniment of sound and music. There is time - correct me - no classic Castlevania-tone on the musical level. Mostly you could write out replaceable Hollywood sound, what would describe it most appropriately. However, the mix of classical music and elektornischen elements, however, knows how to please and underlines the mix of old and new world miraculously.
About the speakers you have to say something hardly still. Robert Carlyle and Patrick Stewart are here again beyond doubt and breathe the characters from part 1 again a life. Too bad that Patrick Stewart will no longer by any chapter, but that gripe is at very high levels. However, the lack of German Synchro is unlikely to fall much in's weight by the really great cast and power of the original speaker really.

A really personal problem - or two - there is then but still. Well, now will be back for posts like "then play but children Games" or "what should Dracula do? Sell flowers?" come. I'll say it anyway: Even if it is explained in the game anyway, so I think the benefits of blood used here a bit too far-fetched that some scenes not only seem almost comically, but to say one is tempted almost to give this was installed, so you will all the "kiddies" made palatable. Bloody explosions and some violent scenes has always existed in Castlevania's yes, here it seems to me but to be fired just over the goal. OK, that was Schlss always described as living beings, hence the many versions. Since the blood aspect in some places already not uncool, but just because you do not have everything in plays Dracula blood drown.
Also I do not like the break to "Dracula's true form". Jaja, tired of people and so ... is clear. In my opinion, is the conflict of good and evil, which man behind Dracula yes so abhors, but was still not well drafted. He's just often characterized as an evil, which goes out to even more evil powers. Too bad, because Dracula times to draw quite different would have been a not uninteresting chance - unfortunately I premise this.

Away from this previous Roman of course there's the combat system, but this is standardized so that now I do not really like it, go big. Veterans of the "Lords of Shadow" series will feel right at home and even those who call the hack'n'slay genre as their turf. Disturbing like the gameplay rather notice the really strong given Hüpfpassagen (Uncharted Greetings, wherein there was more often fall into an abyss) and the permanent loud and "krisselige" Bat Swarm, the important things displays and sometimes unpleasant memories of a certain fairy Zelda series evokes.

"Lords of Shadow 2 'must certainly not hide, compared to the previous" Castlevania "series and also with recent offshoots of the" Lords of Shadow "series, it is a thoroughly black sheep. Unsightly decisions of developers, unfortunately ailing technology that really stand out for a number of innovations to interchangeable opponents and "modern Level" perhaps too high expectations are not quite fair. Still, it may have its moments (unfortunately bock stupid how the universe scene) and I do not want to miss all the game also. After all, is still considered by many titles: Man opts for color palette and settings. Now that I have then probably found my Hack'n'Slay because neither recent nor a GoW DMCs could me considered in the long term as entertained as the Spanish version of this Vampirhatz.

I still hope that this series has hereby come to an end and IGA devotes the next part series again. Castlevania from the West works, but this certain charm lacking, the simple but still stands out from the western fantasy pabulum with its almost standardized mass slaughter and other known means, no matter how many times one has seen him.