150°

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 dev discusses troubled development, blames director for mediocre game

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 has received a mixed reaction from the press, prompting a developer of Mercury Steam to come forward and discuss the sequel’s development, and to place the blame with studio director Enric Alvarez, a man he claims is both “mean,” and bearing, “serious problems.”

brich2333702d ago

This game is below mediocre. I would never reccomend this game to anyone. What I would recommend is Plants vs Zombies Garden warfare. That game is actually fun, although its online only.

Blastoise3702d ago

Yeah nothing scratches that hack n slash itch like plants vs zombies

NewMonday3702d ago

Ego is the worst thing in the work place..

bosses may not like to take opinions or don't trust the ability of the staff

employees may not like to be told what to do thinking they already know everything

no matter the talent in the work place if people take things personal then no good will come from that.

the ideal situation is for the boss to respect the talent and opinion of the staff and for employees to respect the authority of the boss.

vishmarx3702d ago

well we know where the mediocrity came from now.
because moments like the toy maker scenario were definitely not crafted by this guy

brich2333702d ago

You could use the Chomper and bite people if that counts as hack and slash lol

cleft53702d ago

I figured something was going on when that one guy started complaining about not liking the God of War comparisons and other things. Something definitely seemed off and now this confirms it. I feel bad for these guys really because it sounds like the actual development team wants to do something really amazing but they are treated like crap.

starchild3702d ago

Most gamers think it is a fantastic game going by user reviews on metacritic and amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Castl...
http://www.metacritic.com/g...

I find the game to be a superb improvement over the first game, which was already an amazing game in its own right.

Walker3702d ago

It seems like MercurySteam as a whole was in another state of mind making LoS 2, and things have obviously changed for the worse. The poor execution of LoS 2 reflects just that. The poor spirit that this article is describing oozes that things weren't as optimal as they could of been, and that's a shame, since the game could of and should of been better.

rogimusprime3702d ago (Edited 3702d ago )

There's no poor execution of any aspect of this game. Poor is a strong word and assumes the developers set out to do soemthing that just didn't work.

This is a better game for me than Arkham Origins, because on XBOX 360, I haven't seen one bug yet. Arkham deleted my save files, not corrupted. they are just GONE. IGN scored it higher than LOS2.... now WB montreal says they won't even address the bugs.

People are just being b*tchmade and entitled. I'll bet most of those folks didn't even play mirror of fate or the DLC from LOS 1 much less, LOS2. If the sales turn out good next month. Everyone will jump right back on Mercury Steams collective D*ck.

razrye3702d ago

Am actually kinda enjoying it. Yeah a bit slow at times but there are some good ideas thrown in such as mastering combos. I'm actually trying to learn them for a change.

cleft53702d ago (Edited 3702d ago )

I am sure it is enjoyable, but that is probably despite the poor leadership. It's obvious that the game could have been so much more, which is the true crime here.

morganfell3702d ago

I have to agree with razrye. The game has it's issues but I have enjoyed parts of it thus far. And they did eliminate many of the platforming bugs and movement hangs that plagued the previous game. Also the soundtrack so far has been a marked improvement. Some of the quieter moments of exploration carry very haunting music with it.

The story however certainly could have benefitted from some work. Very few titles have been successful in taking a powerful character and stripping them of their abilities so the player can begin to rebuild them. At least not in a manner that does not feel forced. The Witcher had the benefit of the last book and KOTOR has something that would only work in the series once. But it is a rare thing and the convolution involved to reach that point in LOS2 could have been better handled.

XXXL3702d ago (Edited 3702d ago )

Yeah this game sucks. I want an Igavania next. Preferably the Battle of 1999 with Julius.

MilkMan3702d ago

Please, this smells of spin-doctoring. This game is fine. If you bought it and played it you know there is no problems. So whats the issue?

zerocrossing3702d ago (Edited 3702d ago )

No problems? How about the cringe worthy shoehorned stealth sections, awkward combat mechanics and the lackluster plot? And don't even get me started with how boring they made it feel to play as Dracula the prince of darkness!.

LOS2 had so much potential, unfortunately it's just a sorry mess of what could have been a fantastic game.

Placing Dracula in modern times was ballsy move, but nothing interesting is ever done with such a premise. We never see Gabriel question the new world he awoke to or see him confused by modern day technology.

I really wanted to like this game as it's right up my alley in terms of plot and presentation but as a whole it's poorly made mess.

starchild3702d ago

The stealth sections are a minuscule part of the game and I don't understand how they could possibly hurt a person's general experience of the game in any significant way. I personally liked the stealth sections. They gave me a break from all the combat and exploration and added a little more variety to the game.

I find the plot really engrossing. I don't understand how people find it to be confusing or boring.

The combat mechanics are the best thing about the game. I literally have no clue how you could possibly come to the conclusion that they were awkward. This game is probably the best-controlling action/hack n slash game I have played. And the way you have to actually learn and use your combos in order to upgrade your weapons is a brilliant innovation for the genre. I LOVE the combat in CLoS2.

razrye3702d ago

I fully agree with star child. The stealth sections break up the hack and slash sections. Also getting a bit of a old school vibe from the game.

zerocrossing3702d ago

@starchild

I disagree, the stealth sections can't be overlooked because they are unavoidable, which would be fine if they weren't so poorly implemented. "Good" stealth gameplay is fun, the stealth in LoS2 however is boring, tedious and lacking in innovation IMO. Yeah, it might be fine for others but the stealth is way below par for me.

The plot was engrossing for the first couple of hours but then it just lingers in the same spot without anything of consequence happening. I really like the idea of playing as Dracula in the modern age, but I never really felt like I was playing as "Dracula" you could quite easily replace Gabriel with Kratos and it would not have mattered much.

The combat compared to say DMC was pretty weak, I liked the mastery system, that's a great feature but the actual combat itself is awkward due to the soft lock on mechanic. Fighting some enemies like the armoured ones or the more powerful demons is just tedious to the point I purposefully avoid them at times, that's pretty bad as the combat in an action game should be the most enjoyable part.

MilkMan3702d ago

What can I say folks. I think the game is very good. Stealth sections and all. I wouldn't call it a classic, but its not bad at all. Stealth is a little clumsy, but nothing in this game is game breaking.

I like to explore Dracula's "other" abilities. I like the pacing and I like the combat.

Sure, why cant Dracula just rampage through the scene might be the question, but that's another game isn't it?

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210°

Lords of Shadow 2 Is Castlevania's Most Underrated Title

From memorable boss fights to chilling lore revelations, here's why Lords of Shadow 2 may be the most underrated Castlevania game.

Gamerking821290d ago (Edited 1290d ago )

Well i enjoyed my time with it and thats all that matters too me, i could not care less what others thought. Please bring 3 out Konami or at least a 1 and 2 remasters.

morganfell1290d ago

Same here. I own it on PS3 and PC and love the title. The soundtrack is amazing and the tone they paint for the character of Dracula with Robert Carlyle's great voice work is perfect.

mrsolidsteel201290d ago

Same here, I’m a huge castlevania fan, have all of the games. Even the remake that was made on the Wii.

And I have the PS3 and PC versions of both games as well.

darthv721290d ago

They look really cleaned up on the xbo through bc. The LoS games are some of my favorites.

Bennibop1290d ago

Have been playing 1 and 2 on PS now and it's definitely better than i remember

FreeckyCake1290d ago

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is way more underrated than this one

bananacrust1290d ago

it was ok. but the hide and seek BS was some of the dumbest stuff in the world.

moriarty18891290d ago

great game. have it playable on my xbox one thru BC.

rgraf771290d ago

I remember the intro being fun an action packed. Then the game became "OK" with a lame hub system and sneaking around as a rat. The modern time frame levels weren't the great either. Lord of Shadows 1 was much better and I wish they had continued with that formula.

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gangsta_red1514d ago

I'm a huge Shantae fan, but this selection is weak. It's official, MS is definitely skimping on GWG in favor of GP.

I mean...I guess LoS 2 is cool.

SPEAKxTHExTRUTH1514d ago

Don’t you mean it’s “your opinion “ that MS is skimping on GWG? I happen to like LOS2 and will be glad to play through it again. And GP is a PAID service don’t you think that a PAID service should offer better quality games? Yes yes I know XBL is also a paid service but that’s a different conversation

gangsta_red1514d ago

No it's an actual fact. Every comment I leave is a fact.

"And GP is a PAID service don’t you think that a PAID service should offer better quality games?"

Yes, I actually do think that a PAID service should offer better games, but as you also made mention and casually dismissed XBL is a PAID service and don't you think a PAID service should offer a better selection of games?

djl34851514d ago

@gangsta_red

XBL is a paid service for ONLINE SERVICES aka online multiplayer. The free games given every month is just a bonus. Stop bitching.

1514d ago Replies(1)
micdagoat191514d ago

all 4 of these are pretty good games. Not sure what ur talking about

1513d ago
Christopher1514d ago

Finished Batman TEW a few months ago. It was the second worst TT game I've played. Really didn't enjoy it.

I hope those that do play it get more enjoyment out of it than I did.

darthv721514d ago

Sonic generations and LoS2.... hell yeah. My 360 has been itching to play these.

nevin11514d ago

As a non Xbox gamer, why are the free games availability scattered around.

I mean Batman is available the whole month

Castlevania is available March to the 15th

Shantae is available starting March 16th

Sonic is available the 16th-31st.

Has always been like this?

shabz6661514d ago

Yep it’s always been like this. It was weird then and it’s weird now

SpeedDemon1514d ago

Yeah its been like that. They do 2 games at the 1st of the month and then the other 2 on the 15th, some of the games are available for longer periods, it's depends on what they work out with the publisher .

Smellsforfree1513d ago

You just have to "claim" it from the store within those time frames so it doesn't matter that much to people who are interested, but I agree it is kinda weird.

autobotdan1514d ago (Edited 1514d ago )

Awsome!! Great games!

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230°

Terrifyingly Bad: A Look Back At the 3D Castlevania Games

If you decide to play a Castlevania game, make sure it's in 2D. Unfortunately, the series has never been able to make the jump from 2D to 3D successfully. Publisher Konami has tried. Six times in fact, but whether trying to build it in-house or with a third party developer, they never captured the essence of the series or make a good game for that matter. So just to be sure you know what to look out for, here are the six 3D Castlevania games that have been made.

isarai1648d ago

I loved the hell out of lords of shadow, lords if shadow 2 had its moments but just didnt leave as much of an impact on me as the first did, still loved it though. They are both great games IMO, maybe not the best "Castlevania" games but great games in their own right.

RememberThe3571647d ago

Yeah that first game was legit good. Really wish they hadn't taken a step back for the second, this series really looked great in 3D.

AK911646d ago (Edited 1646d ago )

According to one of the former devs of Mercury Steam the higher ups kept interfering with the sequel to the point where the game was nothing like what the dev team had envisioned for the sequel so we got the mess that was Lords of Shadows 2.

PhoenixUp1648d ago

I enjoyed Lament of Innocence and Lords of Shadow. They were entertaining titles and I wouldn’t mind trying Lords of Shadow 2 on PS Now.

Just because a game isn’t GOTY worthy does not mean it’s not worth playing. You could do a lot worse than those exceptional titles.

Abcdefeg1647d ago

Curse of darkness was ahead of its time

Hedstrom1647d ago

I really liked lament of innocence and Lords of shadow! Havent tried the other 3d games. But ive played most of the 2d games!

gangsta_red1647d ago (Edited 1647d ago )

I don't know why Castlevania: Lament of Innocence gets a bad rap. It was one of the best in the series at that time and really was a compliment to the Devil May Cry 3rd person style of action that was getting popular at that time.

I rented it on a fluke and was seriously surprised on how good it was. So much so I went out and bought a used copy of Curse of Darkness and instantly returned that trash.

The problem with Nintendo 64 games is they all tried to mimic the Mario/Zelda 64 style of gameplay and how could they not with that whacky ass N64 controller. Almost every game outside of Nintendo's own felt horrible and incomplete.

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