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Two things here:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ragnarok the Red
A) I agree wholeheartedly with your first paragraph. I was disappointed after E3, but now things look peachy.
B) When IS the new PS2 revision coming out? I know that the first sets that included the BBA contained the original model.. I thought surely the 'new' PS2 would be available already, but no luck. :o
US Soul Calibur 2 + 3 characters not found in the Japanese release :DQuote:
Originally Posted by kingoffighters
Has Japan even gotten GTA3 yet?
Yes. The first shipment almost completely sold out on the first day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Keres
I'm excited about this game; I've been waiting for this ever since I played Devil May Cry and knew that a good 3D Castlevania was entirely possible.
Welcome back, Yossy. :p
No, it's not Mathias according to the article. It's someone I've never heard of - maybe a vampire that predates Dracula. Apparently this vampire lord is the guy we've been seeing with the long red hair and black and red armor.Quote:
Originally Posted by NoFace
Ahh... well that's cool then. That guy with the red hair who I thought was supposed to be Dracula (before they later released artwork of Drac, looking much different) looked pretty gimpy. Sounds like the story is going to be a lot better than I first expected... really can't wait for this (thanks for the cool news Darkweaver).
P.S. I still maintain that Mathias will turn evil and you will turn him un-evil over the course of the game. And he'll be playable character #2 ;)
I recieved the demo today. If any of you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer them.
Speaking of LOI, have you guys seen the TGS video? I was willing to give Konami the benefit of the doubt but in the video the guy is using secondary area attacks/shields over 90% of the time. He uses the whip maybe 3 times in four minutes. It looks to me like the essential problem from Castlevania 64 - that a whip doesn't work in 3D - hasn't been solved in the least. That's part of the reason that LOD on the N64 was so much better than the first - they got rid of the Belmost and put in Cornell who attacked with his hands/paws which actually works in a 3D game. Either way, so far I'm of the impression that Konami really missed the boat on this one; they should have stuck to the Contra SS 2.5D
UndeadKing, give us your general impressions.Quote:
Originally Posted by UndeadKing
Okay, some of mine are: is there platforming? Vertical rooms (i.e. rooms where you have to keep going up and up or descending further down) and how good is the combat in 3D?
Ok, general impressions. First off, the demo is short, with two different routes to the boss, a stone golem. It lasts at most between 5 and 10 minutes. To best describe the game would be to call it "Castlevania May Cry" because frankly, that is what it is. I've not seen any of the videos on the net so I can't really compare, sorry.
There was ZERO platforming in the demo. The camera is fixed ala DMC which could lead to some annoying falls I imagine. But the demo is pretty much grounded. No pits, no nothing. The only time you leave the ground floor is at the start of them demo where you can jump to a balcony to collect some hearts. That was the extent of the platforming. So, as far as the demo goes, no verticak rooms. That doesn't rule them out for the main game though. As I said, the demo is very short, and I imagine a very small sampling of the main game.
One aspect of the game I really liked is a sort of quick menu system. Using the right analog stick you can bring up the item menu while you are still playing the game. So, rather than pause the game to down a potion, all to have to do is move the analog stick left, choose a potion and hit the A button. You can also switch equipment among other things via this method. It really keeps the action going and avoids frequent pauses.
The whip works as best it can in 3D. You have a weak attack (Square) and strong attack(Triangle). You can mix them up for a few different combo attacks similar to Rygar in some ways. In fact I'd say the whip is reminescent of a stiffer diskarmor.
I'm not too fond of the sub weapons. In the demo I found the dagger, the cross and a crystal. You can use standard versions of the subweapons or modify them with orbs. In the demo you get two orbs, red and blue. I am unaware of any lock on button so aiming the dagger can be tedious, especially due to the fixed camera angles. For some reason, the cross is no longer a boomerang, it is now a shield, similar to Wood Man's weapon from Mega Man 2. Three crosses cricle around your body causing damage to anything that touches you. I would've rather them kept the boomerang style cross, though I imagine that would be hard to aim as well. The crystal leaves a crystal where you were standing that blows up after a few seconds. If you have an orb equipped the sub weapon will be modified. For example, with the blue orb equipped, using the Cross will perform the classic magic attack.
Overall, I'd say the game is ok, based on the demo version. This is a demo after all and the full game is bound to be better. While I still would've prefered a 2D version, what we are getting doesn't suck. If the main game features a lot more platforming and stages are longer than what is present here, I'll be quite happy. The combat could be btter, but it could be worse too. Take Devil May Cry, mix in a little Rygar and add some Castlevania touches like breakable lamps and you've got LOI. One thing is for sure, it's a hell of a lot better than Castlevania 64. Oh yeah, the music is nice too. Not sure if I'd say it's on par with SOTN, but it kicks ass nonetheless.