Once more: Where's the (Roast) Beef?

2010 Got the mother of all vampire Games - Castlevania - by Spanish developer Mercury Team reboot, which was a veritable feast of the production here. It was fantastic set in scene, had epic orchestral sounds and knotless spokesman aboard. Unfortunately, it took me as Castlevania itself but not so confident, because there was too much emphasis placed on fire all possible combos to a single enemy and somehow it was the typical Hollywood fantasy kitsch, the one for Lord of the Rings at the cinema every time another fantasy spectacle gets gefetzt around the ears. More than one "is a great game" was as not end up with me over.

With "Castlevania Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate" will be initially exclusive to the 3DS the bridge from its predecessor (Lord of Shadow on the PS3 and 360) for new home consoles offshoot "Lords of Shadow 2" (also being only PS3 and 360 ) tension. Admittedly a bit iffy because Nintendo-only players do not know the history and probably never know the subsequent history are. And the only other players will probably never be the bridge between the two "main parts" cross ... But the time is there perhaps regulate what. Anyway, with the 3DS offshoot will be as alleged in Lords of Shadow also been, back to the classic Castlevania - but fails in precisely this endeavor AGAIN!

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Great production, but where's the charm?
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Please do not misunderstand, the game is good and Mercury team shows once again what they can pick up everything from one device. Kudos for that, but if you expect a Castlevania, then be disappointed, literally. It may not always be the classics from the NES, it may not always be a SOTN, you must wheel so well reinvent what has been already done for example with the N64 offshoots somehow. But: Even the N64 offshoot my opinion really had much more blood than the Castlevania Lords of Shadow series.

Why? Because they had this certain charm. Lovely details, like opponents who mourn their Mitgegner, nice, but their own interpretations of classic horror characters (Frankenstein Monster, Nosferatu, ...). All this is missing once more. Although one can see several things that you like so well know from movies, but they're just the same old and therefore very interchangeable. That's a shame because we really shows in the individual levels much artistic and creative skills.

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Clever solved and some inconsequential
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Especially in the jump in this cartoon-like appearance, which was well-taken also because of the system, I see a lot of positive, for the simple reason, because it is something unique and at the same time as a nice tribute to the old games with their colorful, "Tattoo little decals "look can be interpreted. It stands out clearly from the first fruits from which has been shown by the optics, just what you might see in any fantasy game and especially fantasy film these days. Would not Castlevania on the cover and would have no Belmont, then it could be anything else in the mother of all vampire games never really was the case. You could see at first glance "that's Castlevania", therefore, the art direction, even if it is perhaps due to the 3DS, probably one of the highlights of this game. Only why not? Why then this ragtag opponents and especially these few opponents classes?

Speaking of graphics: Class 3D effect. Unfortunately, he is somewhat disturbed by ghosting in dark areas, but that does not fall to negative's weight. Also I can say that the game one NICT 3D liquid runs, such as "Code of Princess". Apart from some lag in much bustle can here so many titles take a leaf!

With the music that's another thing. There are new songs and familiar themes from the great predecessors - even transferred knotless on the 3DS. Hats off! Classic pieces have but may well come into play a bit. Again, it is bleating at a high level, because there are a lot of games in the series have brought new music. But here I must say: The music always had a certain flair and was not "just beautiful." Seriously: Who of the Castlevania players can presums of the new songs from Lords of Shadow a tune? Apart from the title theme is there probably come not so much because once again denounces a "replaceable" on the music. One can super music halls in churches almost sung arias from the speakers that can thunder threatening instruments in dark caves ... But never hang between both ears remains.

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Kloppen, Kloppen, Explore, Kloppen
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Main element is of course the gameplay and here it is once more fighting. Again bleating on a very high level, because you have transferred the big brother fantastic on the 3DS. Since you can now truly say anything. But ... the decision once more at even downright query the smallest opponents the whole range of possible combos, I think here too wrong. Opponent after opponent shows up and even the smallest opponents have so much energy that you have again and again simply leave the range of combos. It is already literally coerced. It does not have to be such that a simple opponent falls to only one hit, but this almost forced, long struggles is me here again an eyesore.
Added to this also the now mandatory QTEs, which can be found not only in Endbossen but also just so while strolling through the beautiful places. Suddenly pops a zombie out of the ground and you have to quickly press a button several times, so that you can tear yourself away. MEH!

Speaking Stroll! As with Metroidvania offshoots there is a map on the second screen (touchscreen). Unfortunately, the map is very confusing, because it is pieced together from many small parts. Once again, this seems to be attributed to the system, because you probably could not implement larger areas, but it makes the search for already visited places where you could not happen at an earlier stage, to an unattractive experience. Better it would have been to let the map despite the many individual sections as a whole, or more reasonable to piece.

Oh, and a little something for combat system yet: Like on Lords of Shadow Mirror of Fate in collecting experience points for defeating enemies with whom you new combos (hooray!) Can afford it. But more is not because magic and energy are not really affected in the same sense as the other was just so so, or. Makes you wonder why you have installed an indication of its current level. Because there are so much wanted the "SOTN" pendant? Then you could have installed clearly deliberate, as simply as number has somehow not correct statement.

So it looks the way I think also with Alucard and Co. Okay, it's a reboot and it really does not follow the existing timeline, as you may well look away over it. Nevertheless, I have to ask why you simply just rather indiscriminately mixed everything myself. One can find no logical links to the existing timeline and just want to do all kind of happy? I'm sorry, really is not on for me. I confess that like the Twist to Alucard is made really great at a certain end for my taste, but I myself am not a fan of the eternal wiggling of stories because it probably does not get further with existing things. But only at the margins.

At least one has but a little hammer out the curve to more exploration and puzzle just in the later stages, but just comes with the puzzle of the 3DS scary to its limits. Mostly it involves very large spaces in which then also moves a lot and here the framerate is really suffering quite noticeably. Annoying is the reduced frame rate, however, only in the scenes in which we also much climbing and jumping must, because the movements -. Via CirclePad - always run something out, or to Should simply say that is slowly getippelt shortly before the actual running and if you will let go of the pad briefly nachgedackelt something afterwards. With a slowdown that comes across very spongy and one would want more precise control.
Too bad it is that you have to obviously hidden hidden Objekete what the Explore perspective somewhat. You can always tell immediately where hiding a possible extension for magic and Co in principle. Compared with the first-that's a small step backwards, because there you have often have really decent looking.

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It must be acting only slightly
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We leave it at that for now. I could write a lot more yet, but I think it would sound worse again than it really is. In short, I can only repeat myself: It's not the Castlevania that goes back to basics and has repeatedly promised. I see at least not so, even if you have "the oh-so-great feature of swing from hooks with the whip from Super Castlevania IV" installed. For me Castlevania is not the gameplay in the sense, because then there are several approaches to the you should not stiffen. The roots of Castlevania for me in his details and therearound juggle wildly makes it just not to give the.
What I see, however, is a very good action adventure that has failed bit too combo-heavy and desperately tried to make all right somehow. And that's where the rub is, because of the Think maybe you should solve something. Just not with a genuflection a "but Look, I'm Castlevania" try and not attempt a new GoW to make, that seems to have the genre a little bit too strongly marked. For an ordinary 3DS library and for friends of action adventure but that part is good and all who cross-platform, the Lords of Shadow will be accompanied determined very hot to the finals on the big consoles, when he has finished the game here. Slightly longer, it would have but can be but because to have caught on a tight 10 hours, and without great look a bit more than 80% of the hidden stuff is a bit weak in the chest.

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Postscript
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A big sorry for it if the text seems written too general. However, I have to say clearly that I do not have blind to argue through the Fanbrille try. The comparison with the previous offshoots must be let go like, but say it is stupid because it is not exactly one of the previous three, or even four (!) Lines would be as wrong as it follows as "This is not a Castlevania" simply can not be note.