Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

First impression of this game: "God of War ripoff." But boy was I super wrong.

Visuals: First of all let me say that everything you lay your eyes on is phenomenal. There's no awful texture loading, or bland areas, none of that. The environments are teeming with life whether it be the living, or the nonliving. There is a theme to every chapter. From the graphics themselves, to the FANTASTIC scenery and level design, to the awesome looking back drops, visually this game is awesome.

Gameplay: There is a lot of game in this game. The combat is deep and expansive. Every button does something and it really never gets overwhelming. Kojima did an awesome job mixing up this game with the pace. One moment you'll be fighting hordes of the hundreds of enemies in this game and the next you'll be spending 30 minutes on some of these puzzles they ever so delightfully threw in there. These puzzles are not made for 12 year olds people. The boss battles in this game are of epic proportions from vampire lords to titans. Each and every one is intimidating and has their own way to defeat them.

Audio: Nothing phenomenal like the frostbite engine, but definitely nothing atrocious like Brink or Homefront. There's no latency in the cutscenes. The voice acting is a little, "eh" but when Gabriel slams his weapon into enemies or walls or whatever, it is always brutal.

Overall: This is a solid game. I mean there were some glitches but not bad ones. Like one of them, towards the end, some of the enemies didn't spawn (fine by me). And at times the camera does get thrown off but nothing horrible. There are two discs to this game, there are a lot of collectables to upgrade your character, and you can even go back to previous levels and do the trials and get some more collectables you couldn't get earlier. Yes the weapon for the main character is a flaming chain weapon, yes there are cinematic kills, yes there are puzzles. Definitely God of War inspired, but I will call this game "origi

I took sometime to play Castlevania LOS and keep in mind that i did not finish it because i wanted to get to some of the other games i had in my Q.

Pros - expansive environment stages with a lot to see. Puzzles in game not too hard to figure out.

Cons - very long game to be considered as a rental. Gameplay controls feels much like a hack and slash button masher

Recommendations - i would recommend to rent and see if you like it but strongly encourage that if you do, be prepared to commit some time to this one for it has a lot to do.

Castlevania has been a great element to my childhood and overall gaming experience. At first, I was not impressed with this game because, as many have said, it was very much so like a lot of other games. What this game does have, is a great foundation of a story because of Castlevania, and from there, by interweaving recognizable pieces of history, lore, and religion, we end up with a grasping story that makes the normality of the game play worth it.

Pros:

+Very long. This game will take some dedication to beat, especially on the harder difficulties.

+Action/Counter attacks. I know this may seem like a weird pro, but is so many games like this, you can't counter a boss. If you get good, you feel it, even against the big dogs.

+Graphics. While they may not put Crysis in it's place, the graphics and action segments are definitely good.

+Gripping Story. As already mentioned, the story acts as a glue to so many pieces of history and literature. You feel involved throughout intense interactions that don't let you down.

+Sweet Moves. Toward the end of the game, you end up with quite a bit of pretty intense moves. I was not bored, but don't be stingy with your orbs. Buy stuff early!

Cons:

-Repetitive. This game will have you do a lot of the same thing. Not just moves, but certain bosses will give you tourettes.

-Character Growth. So your main character kinda seems pretty dang lame. Also, another character you meet will make contradictory actions. Annoying, but I'll live.

-Complicated Story. Not trying to offend anyone, but if you don't recognized characters or pieces of history, or don't know anything about Castlevania, the story will go over your head a bit. It happens.

So overall, this game is so worth gameflying and if you can play it without worry about the original idea of it being $60, and just grade the game on what you play, 8/10. It takes a lot to make me praise a story. I'm just saying.

If you like God of War then this game will be right up your alley. The story is solid and there are a good amount of upgrades and enemies that keep the game fresh. Graphics are very polished and at times you'll find yourself just admiring the view. I usually play button smashers once so if your looking for replay I'd say this is a good rental. If and when you beat the game make sure you stick around after the credits theres a pretty cool twist!

I thought that this game was pretty good. Quite long, but I like it like that. Graphics were to my liking too. If you are a adventure / RPG player & like the medieval era, I would recommend that you get try this game.

I rented this game with no intentions or expectations. I have played most of the Castlevania games, and what I grew tired of was the Japanesey Gothic anime style of the PS2 era. I saw that this was available, and figured I'd give it a shot. I mean, I at least LIKE all of the other CV titles.

From the very beginning I noticed the polish that was put on this game. Clearly a lot of work went into making this title. But it wasn't until I heard the voice of Patrick Stewart narrating the game, when I got really excited. The first levels show a high level of platforming almost mirroring God of War, and the puzzle solving of Shadow of the Colossus. The music is great and the level design is gorgeous.

What ties the whole game together is a fantasy epic with riddles that test your mind, and button mashing sequences that will leave you with sore thumbs. The story is excellent and full of twists. It is based heavily around christian based mythos, of course this is to the extreme. The nice thing is that it is clearly a fantasy tale and has no obvious religious propaganda. Dark and demonic, but void of a heavy gothic influence.

I hope they make a sequel, which they may have eluded to in the ending...

I have played many Castlevainia games in the past including the one on the original NES. Castlevania Lords of Shadow give the feel of those original titles, though no game can match SOTN but this game does with the story at least. The game-play is god of war esch but solid.
The story is typical love lost and you are trying to free her from the evil clutches, this storyline drew me in and I felt like I cared about the fictional characters and wanted to help the hero. In short this game
is awesome and should at least be played at least once.

I recently completed Castlevania Lords of Shadows for the Xbox 360. It took me around 15 hours to complete. I took on Warewolves, Necromancers and of course Vampires.

You play as Gabriel Belmont of the famed Belmont family from the Castlevania legacy and he's equiped with a whip at his side. The whip isn't a clone from Kratoses Chain Blades from God of War. Actually Gabriel could show Kratos a thing or two about using a chain weapon. Besides the whip Gabriel is equiped with light and dark magic, some daggers, holy water, a dark crystal and some stupid fairies. All prove to be useful throughout the campagn.

The enemys you encounter are varied from harmless Chupracabras who are more interested in stealing your loot than fighting, too 10 story tall giants inspired by Shadows of the Collusus. Combat itself is enteraining and difficult. Requiring alot more focus than I ever had to use playing any God of War game. Not Ninja Gaidan focus mind you but you'll be dodging around alot. Even on the Normal difficulty.

The only problem I had with the game was the story. I get the feeling that they wanted to do alot more with the story but ran out of time. Hideos not used to working under time restrictions apparently, but if you finish the game and stick around after the credits. You'll get treated to something that will make the story worth while.

The polish and overall quality of this game is fantastic. Some of the fights can get repetitive but that does not diminish the game.

Definitely worth trying.

As the title states. Graphics are amazing! Gameplay is fun but I felt the combo moves could have been better. They were hard to remember and involved holding buttons which I hate.

It's a fun game and I had to slow down and take in the scenery. The visuals are breathtaking. Gameplay is good too, but not quite as good as the graphics. I still recommend this game.

This isn't a game you'd beat in a day. this game's fun Graphics are great. storyline is even better and the fight scenes are amazing. If you've played dante's inferno. Prince of Persia. or Devil May Cry and enjoyed them I think you might really want to try this one out. I gave this game a 10 out of 10

AWESOME AS ALL GET OUT! I want MORE!

This is by far the best Castlevania Game that I have ever played. It was a thrill all the way to the end. Great Adventure coupled with GFX that keep you in awe. I decided not to buy because after the first time through I could see myself getting very bored the second time around. The CGI in the game is top notch. And even the wife after watching the final CGI after the credits asked... Is there going to be another? Great all around Game. Worth renting... but to me... I'm glad I didn't spend $50.00+ on it.

I love the Castlevania series, and I have to say this is one of the best ever made. Despite Castevania's bad 3d record like sonic... this game is the black sheep, it's simply amazing. You can tell that the creators put a lot of thought into this game. I'll admit, the combat is repedative, that's why i gave it a 9. But the puzzles and boss battles are awesome. Also each level is nicely made so no level feels the same. The terrain graphics and the enemy models are good, but the character models are a bit lackluster. But all in all this is a great game that allows multiple play through, I have beaten knight and now I am on paladin difficulty, also new game plus :)

I played the game on easy mode and it took me nine obssesive days to beat it. I highly reccommend this game to be played by anyone who is a story lover. The game is beautiful to behold, with amazing vistas. The action can be very intense and rarely frustrating. The bosses are crazy and a hoot to fight. I recommend that one plays through the first few chapters and not let any problem discourage them early on.
Thepuzzles, while very difficult at times, were rather fun. You can not help but to be pulled into the story, empathizing with Gabriel and yearning for his success. The pre-level narratives are a good setup for each level and add an aura of humanity to the game.
The mythos is the best part and each encountered creature has a story page for the viewer to read into the creature's origin. I admit that beating it on easy mode has most likely skewed my opinion, but nevertheless the game is a fantastice reboot of the franchise; here is to many more.

A very excellently made video game. To everyone who says this is a copy of GoW are partly true. Yes, it does copy from GoW along with Shadow of the Colossus and Prince of Persia. That is what makes it such a great game. It copies the good from those games and makes them even better. My only complaint is the camera. At times it is TERRIBLE, making it impossible to see certain cliffs you need or sometimes even creatures you are fighting.

At first the game is REALLY FREAKING BORING at the very beginning wtb story from the beginning to the end not after you beat the first 1/3 of it. from then it picked up and it swept me off my feet i was like wow this is an amazing storyline. It is by far one of the best i have ever experienced.

9/10 Overall a good game but whoever created the camera system must have been pretty messed up.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a great addition to the Castlevania series. A great storyline, awesome graphics, and a great control scheme makes this one of my favorite titles. I also enjoyed replaying the game to try and complete each level at 110%. If new to the series this is a great start.

This game is pretty good. Played it almost to the end. It is very long.
I did not like that the puzzles are that hard to complete.After lavel 5 I had to go online to see how to beat something or complete a puzzle or find out where to go. But overall a good game woul d not get it again, Replay value is LOW.

This is, by far, one of my favorite games that I have had the pleasure to play (still playing at that) on my 360. Let me put one thing out there from the start...I am a very die hard God of War fan. I have beaten every single GOW game, so I know how the series plays, etc. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a welcome addition to this style of game in my book! Who the cares that it doesn't start in a castle!! Because the name is Castlevania, it must get docked some points because it doesn't start in a castle? Really?? Mmm, let's take a little known game by the name of Metroid real quick. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you get to see what a Metroid is until around the end of the game? I remember when I started playing the first game, I could not figure out why it was called Metroid until the end. I could go and on about games that have a name that doesn't fit the game, but the game was good.

Let's talk about the gameplay, a bit. This game plays very good, to me. I actually like this more than Dante's Inferno, which I kept from Gamefly. I love that I can get my GOW style game fix on my 360 because I have yet to own a PS3 (it will happen at some point). I was more worried about how the dodging system would work, but when I started playing from the first area...my doubt flew right out of the door. I'm going on the record by saying that the dodging works. I feel that it is all about how good you are at playing games like this. You have to have good reflexes and be able to read the enemies you are fighting. To mention a bit about the cost of the combo upgrades....where's the problem? Remember, you can go back to an area to gain more experience to purchase whatever combo you are trying to get. As with any other game where you can go back somewhere and level up, the key is finding an area where you can rack up on points quick and not run the risk of dieing all of the time.

So, get this game!

The whole time I played this game I kept thinking I was playing God of War, Devil May Cry, Darksiders, etc. It has a good enough story and fun gameplay to keep me interested, however. The Cinematic quality of the game is great, pulling you into it. I would have liked to see a bit more ingenuity in combat; they kind of just took what worked in other action/adventure games and ran with it. The controls are same old stuff you always see in this style game. Camera angles can get confusing sometimes, especially since you can't change it. All in all it's an excellent game. Very beautiful, great story, with some nice tidbits thrown in to keep it interesting

This is a game that should not be passed up. The graphics are amazing. Alot of detail and skill went into making the scenery for this game. amazing. The character models are very good. The combat is straight from God of War or Darksiders. Platforming like Tomb Raider. Bosses fights in the games are very memorible. Story is done very well. Voice acting too. To me its a must rent if you like these types of games. Lets just say I'm a big Halo fan and I'm not playing Halo again till this game has been beaten. Hope you all like it as much as I am.

There are a few drawbacks keeping it from being a classic.

First off, the platforming sections, while good, can be incredibly wonky at times. Sometimes you will miss a ledge that you are sure you should of been able to grab or you will tap forward and Gabriel will take a huge man like leap off the ledge sending you to your doom. One time, I climbed up a ledge and when I climbed back down to the handhold I was just on, my guy went into the falling animation.

Also, the music, while well composed, is nowhere near Castlevania's usual quality. And, there are a couple they play way too often. I love the main theme and all, but does that song really need to be played at nearly ever cutscene and boss battle in the first half of the game. A little more variety would of been nice.

The fixed camera can also sometimes let the enemies get in a few cheap shots during combat. Especially in certain boss battles. There was one boss fight where the boss kept summoning enemies that would dive bomb you and would do a lot of damage. Yet the camera was constantly locked on the boss flying circles around the arena.

And when mashing a button in QTE moments, there is no real "oomph" like you feel in Bayonetta, God Hand or God of War.

Everything else about the game is great though

Pros-

Amazingly varied level design. You go from forest, bogs, and ruins, to castles, monasteries, and the land of the dead. Every level is different and are all gorgeous to look at.

Combat is strategic and fun.
Epic Boss battles
Voice acting is top notch
Game is actually quite long(About 15-20 hours)
Enemy design is top notch
Good use of light/dark magic
Interesting puzzles
Gorgeous vistas

Cons-

Occasional off camera hits from enemies because of fixed camera
Platforming can be very wonky
Music could be more varied
Life does not regenerate at the end of each stage/level
CURSE YOU CHUPACABRA!

Overall, the game is great and FEELS like how Castlevania should play in 3D. Highly recommended.