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Konami disappoints again.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: December 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Konami's PS2 run in my opinion has been a huge disappointment with the exception of Metal Gear perhaps. Even that game forced you to play as a character other than Snake and what about the narrow minded and stripped down Suikoden IV?

"But its 3D!!!"

Who cares? Castlevania and the RPG mentioned above are admirable but are basically let-downs. When you really sit down and think about the game you are playing and what it is your doing you will realize that you are not enjoying yourself. You might think you are but your not:

Granted, if you look at it like a simple old-school button masher with 3d graphics you might enjoy it. But I for one could not have been more disappointed.

Basically, you run from room to room or corridor to room to corridor to room and whip monsters constantly by jumping around and pressing the fire button.

You do this constantly.

I repeat constantly.

With no environmental interaction. Very little character growth (ie. experience, weapons). Very little of anything!

You can't even look around the rooms to enjoy the great graphics! (Not as great as Devil May Cry. The wall clipping is a bit goofy too).

The only "puzzles" you have are bacically navigating a few rooms and finding buttons or sculptures to push to unlock doors. Some rooms use the very bad camera angle to "challenge" you. (If you know what I mean).

Eventually you come to a boss and defeat him and return to the castle entrance to pick another "world" and beat another boss. When you beat all 5 or 6 bosses (can't remember how many) you advance to towards the end half of the game.

I felt tired of mashing ONE button for hours, travelling through similar and I mean SIMILAR rooms and corridors. Fighting a boss or two then repeating.

Is this really what Castlevania has become. There is no way in that the same programmers from Symphony were paid to design this game.

Utter, utter disappointment so far. I'd rather just play the 1st Devil May Cry instead.

A real heart-breaker....

but its in 3D!!!!

Japanese Voices

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: January 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I noticed that many people complain about the american voice acting, and don't realize that you can turn on the Japanese voices in this game. In the main menu, go to "Options."

Castlevania:Lament of Innocence.....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Castlevania:Lament of Innocence is Konami's second serious attempt at bringing the series into 3-D(Legacy of Darkness not withstanding as it was a directors' cut of sorts).While it shares alot with its' N64 counterparts, its' biggest difference is graphically and the fact that it focuses more on action than on platforming elements. Since the storyline takes place before any of the other Castlevania games, the creators took the liberty of giving the game a more back-to-the-basics approach. For the most part, it works and is further proof that Castlevania can survive the transition to 3-D. Surely, you'll hear of the similarites to Devil May Cry but, overall, its' style is pure Castlevania. The only downfalls with the game are that the game is over too quickly and it lacks the polish and deep RPG element that Symphony of the Night had. There's still work to be done to reach that status, which I'm sure we'll see in future interations in the series. That being said, The game is a blast to play through and is definitely a feast for the eyes.

Castle May Cry

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: November 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Its ironic that this game is called Lament of Innocence, or Crying over Innocence, when it resembles another game that involves Crying in the title so closely. I suppose that it could be used as a way of telling Castlevania fans "This still isn't the game you've been waiting for, in fact it's a rip off of Devil May Cry." And sadly that's exactly what it feels like.
I've come to the conclusion that every so often Castlevania must undergo a tremendous change in order to survive. It keeps the series alive, and keeps it from getting stagnant, which is very easy for this series to do, often times because sequels take as many steps backward as they do forward. The exceptions would be Symphony of the Night, and Aria of Sorrow. The vast majority of the series is still stellar, with very few installments being bad games, or flat out unenjoyable (All three original GameBoy titles come to mind, as well as the 2 N64 titles. The rest of the games all range from being great to superb). This game is great, and very enjoyable, however it is not what I was hoping for. The camera is an annoyance, and tracks Leon Belmont like Devil May Cry, the controls are set up like Devil May Cry, everything about this game screams Devil May Cry, which is sad because I have always wanted Castlevania in 3D, (only not so clumsily as it was on the N64) and now I have a much better version of the game in 3D but its lost so much in the translation, this time, where as the last one lost its game play, we loose a lot of variety of levels... long corridor leads to a room, which leads to another long corridor, ala Devil May Cry... except DMC had more variety to its scenery. Where are the forests? The Catacombs? And while I haven't beaten the game yet there's no sign of the classic clock tower either! Where are the deep plat-forming elements? As terrible as Legacy of Darkness was I loved the clock tower in that game, although I felt it was too short... And I have to confess that I have cheated a bit and I have glimpsed through the guidebook, there really doesn't seem to be a clock tower stage. Maybe it would have been to hard to do with the camera system... maybe Konami should have done something else with the camera? Maybe Konami should have put a little more thought into this game. While it is very polished, it does not FEEL like a Castlevania game to me, aside from the art style of Ayami Kojima, which thankfully saves this game's style from falling flat on its face.
If Konami wants to make me happy by copying another game's engine that engine should be a Zelda game. Give us the RPG elements, give us a castle that will take 48 hours of real time to explore, give us a forest, a swamp, a clock tower to explore not just six levels of endless corridors. More variety please!
And don't get me started on the music. For a game that has advertised itself as having fully orchestrated music I must say I am disappointed as I have only found a couple of tunes that have been noteworthy, nothing on the level of Symphony of the Night, or the Recent Soul Calibur 2, both of which featured phenomenal and epic soundtracks. Lament of Innocence simply lacks any music that really screams "Castlevania" at this point in the game (Level 4) which means the game doesn't have much longer to amend this flaw. Simply put this game is lacking in length, in variety, in depth, in originality, and most disappointing of all (since music is generally a huge part of Castlevania) it lacks in a truly noteworthy score. I hate having to rip apart the latest entry in my all time favorite game series, but sadly that's how let down I feel by this game, when I was expecting much more than just another Devil May Cry Clone.

Simply fantastic!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Castlevania: Lament of Innoncence is the best of the 2D Castlevania games done in 3D. Anyone that thought that a 3D Castlevania coudn't be done right think again. This game is pure Castlevania. Fantastic ghraphics and sound, and the most important, awesome gameplay. Everything is in this game: whip, hearts, knives, axes, holy waters, and the classic enemies awesomely done in 3D, like flea man, skeleton, golden knight, peeping eye, etc. Like in Symphony of the Night, you can walk in the Castle as you wish, and have relics that enable magic powers. You also collect money to buy itens, and can sell them as well. It is very nice to see this fantastic game series that started on the MSX (and got popular on the NES) so well done today, that's why i cant await for Ninja Gadein on Xbox. Don't be a fool, buy Castlevania: Lament of Innocence right now.

Delivers a Reasonable Game of Thwarting Evil

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I marvel at Konami. They sought the bravery to live up to what PS1's Castlevania: Symphony of Night has left behind. They are just plain gutsy. If this kind of creation were to be in my hands, I would feel the ricochet of a hand grenades splinter everything within my stomach. Konami's reattempt of a 3D landmark not only has to confront the magnitude of SotN, but the latest and greatest GBA installments. If that weren't enough to degrade their morale, the bitter memory of N64's Castlevania still reeks the air. With the overwhelming odds hurling against them, I am not surprised that the label who brought you such established titles as Metal Gear Solid and Suikoden, fight back to liberate themselves from their once, horrible Castlevania past. Yet, do they forge a hit? In the words of your casual gamer, most definitely. However, as a fellow fan of SotN and wholly valuing the RPG ingredients, Lament of Innocence simply gets the job done. To say the most, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is upgraded to the third dimension, and contends to be a slick hack-and-slash. However, the lacking RPG elements which made SotN and Aria of Sorrow so grand, leaves me grief-stricken.

Lament of Innocence is the preface of all Castlevania games that have come and gone. Leon Belmont and his friend, Mathias, screen the lands of all that is evil. On such a night, Mathias finds out his wife unexpectedly dies. Plagued by grief, Mathias is unable to bring up his weapon. Next, an invasion of unknown ghouls raid the land. Leon, strictly ordered not to engage the demons, can only watch until he discovers his love is missing. Leon discovers that she is taken in a mysterious castle owned by legions of the undead and Dracula himself. Leon, furious, goes against directives not to dispute the matter, and launches into the Eternal Forest and sets foot in the castle alone. He must now crush the Count with his great big whip (no pun intended)! As the plot thickens, a number of things are explained, and it does a very good job. My minor protest leans toward the lackluster lines from the cut scenes, one reason why I can`t fully immerse myself into Japanese Anime. A deftly crafted environment of gothic horrors, Lament of Innocence delivers a reasonable story of thwarting evil.

The fundamentals which made Castlevania a franchise before SotN is back, bigger, and badder. If you already manifested an impression from N64's attempt, forget it. But if you, like myself, have fallen for SotN and the Aria of Sorrow, a different genre altogether, I can't blame you if you breathe fire. It lacks the depth I have grown accustomed to. Don't let it utterly dissuade you though, because Lament of Innocence is very gratuitous to barrel through. Instead of the multitude of weapons before, the trusty whip takes its rightful role, as you are given the opportunity to slay the endless tide of nasties. Whether you like it or not, Lament of Innocence is a hack-and-slash. You advance from room to room, defeat enemies in every corner, gain items to win passage, and fight gigantic bosses along your merry way. Interesting enough, there is a new control set up than previous games. Leon is given the line up of weak and strong attacks, jumps, the traditional sub-weapons (crosses, axes, daggers, etc.), blocking, and dodging. The difficulty climbs as you progress further into the game, enemies are unbeatable until you bring special combos into the battle. Leon is awarded with abilities as he explores the castle's many rooms. No leveling up, you are upgraded with more combos and scant magic, which is entirely of no use in the game. You can also equip a minute digit of armor, capes, relics, and weapons. Orbs are also thrown in to aid Leon. They imbue special powers to the secondary weapons. Somehow, despite the 3D that surrounds the game, Lament of Innocence closely plays as 2D trapped in a 3D world. The action is unrelenting, in your face with awesome enemies and menacing bosses. Blocking enemy strikes is fun as the intensity of the game arises. Frequent are your save points, and the bosses are not a letdown. As usual, they offer their challenging, creative methods of annihilating. Also there are a nice variety of monsters, who'll whoop your butt a couple of times. Your venture will take you over excellent level composition and some eye-brow arching puzzles. Gushing with countless rooms, the game is brilliant in its artistry and genuinely merits the ambiance of a Castlevania game.

The unpleasant side of the game is mainly contributed to the terrible camera. A nuisance, the camera is held in weird angles while in battle and jumping on some platforms. During heated battles, the monsters can obscure your view of Leon as you try to hack your way through the packs of whatever. Other times the camera is slow and bogs you from keeping up with Leon. I can't help but feel that Konami rushed the game so it can hit stores before Halloween. These camera glitches can setback the game. Other than the camera flaw and the realization that Lament of Innocence doesn't hold up to SotN's substance, it does conquer the realm of 3D rather finely. As far as dungeon crawlers, it is very satisfying.

Booming with quality and bleeding with gothic style, its rewarding to behold the surroundings. Enormously stuffed with nightmarish flair, the setting is detailed and artistically admirable. There is a plethora of different monster designs and objects furnishing room to room. The lighting effects are definitely worth gazing dumbly at, and the number of enemies and special effects on screen keep up with you as you hack, hack, and hack through them. The white spheres that explode on impact look extremely awesome. Slowdown doesn't arise from the occasion, if anywhere to be found. Leon himself looks impressive, and definitely stands out from the demons as the protagonist. Enemies thoroughly string up grotesque exquisiteness, not to mention the imposing bosses. Dark and gritty, Dracula's castle is gothic and worth taking a nice, long stare at.

One of the most striking traits of SotN was the clever soundtrack. The original composer returns and delivers the goods. Working with an assortment of instruments, composing industrial music, and a choir to back it up is absolutely moving. Lament of Innocence strives to be amongst the most memorable soundtracks ever, period. The situations are coupled together with the melodies, each track of music is properly thrown in. Sound effects are executed in precise perfection with the snapping whip and the assaults Leon and his enemies lob at each other. Despite the awful lines in the cut scenes, the voiceovers suitably fit the appearance of each character. Plus, like Symphony of the Night, you can play the disc on a stereo and listen to the impossibly beautiful soundtrack.

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence outlines itself to master 3D. It grants plenty of old-fashioned, kill everything in sight enjoyment. And who doesn't love that? Furthermore, just listen to the music! It's probably one of the best soundtracks ever conceived in a videogame. Concluding the game are hidden extras, new characters, and different difficulty settings. Pumping with eye-candy, a powerful musical score, and top-notch speedy action, this game amounts to a reputable Castlevania installment. I may have my own laments of the missing RPG construction, but this has to be the beginning of something superb. Future Dracula-hunting, may yet find its way into the magic that is Symphony of the Night.

Could have been a lot worse...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

... but by removing the exploration and RPG aspects of the previous 4 games in the series, they removed most of the compelling aspects since Symphony of the Night. The whip-action translates well into 3D, the graphics are great, and the music is adequate; but for a game set at the start of such an epic story, we could do with a bit more than a quick intro and a dull outro for story. It's good enough to finish, but not something you'd want to purchase more than a lot of other games. Rent it.

good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

to make this simple, i'll say that you have to enjoy other castlevania games to have any fun with this one. to be fair with konami, i'd say that this is exactly what castlevania is when put into a 3-d enviroment...it doesn't get much better. i have vey few complaints with the game. most of the bosses in this game are too easy. sure it may take me a few tries, but i figured out a strategy fast. another is the realtime menu. konami probably thought that this would be how they would make the game realistic, but they didn't think that it could cause frustration during gameplay from feeling like a pansy having to run away from a boss as you're trying to find your potions. the game stands well with graphics and sound. If you liked other castlevanias, then this one won't disappoint. but if you never liked them before or are just catching on, then you should probably think of another game to get. This game can be easily compared to devil may cry though.

Extraordinary!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing Castlevania games for over ten years and I can say this is a fantastic installment. I will admit I was a bit skeptical of Lament Of Innocence due to the 3D aspect (grant it, I do enjoy the Nintendo 64 games) as I thought it may take away from the beautiful game-play that is Castlevania. Fortunately, I was dead wrong. Excuse me ... DEAD WRONG. This game is absolutely amazing! From the second I put it into my Playstation 2 I knew great things were going to come from this game. Anyhow, I think it's obvious that I love the game so let me continue with my review.

You play the role of Leon Belmont ... a man lusting for vengeance. Why? The lead antagonist, Walter Bernhard, has kidnapped Leon's fiancee Sara Trantoul. Wandering to Walter's domain (Castlevania), Leon enters and so our adventure begins.

Graphically, this game is flawless. This is definitely the most beautiful and majestic incarnation of Castlevania yet. The soft glow of the candles, the immaculate designs etched throughout ... need I go on? The atmosphere is simply incredible. Screenshots of Lament Of Innocence really don't do it justice. Visually, this is the most enthralling game I've played yet ... perfection.

As for the game-play itself, I also think it's brilliant :-) Leon is easy to move around and the controlling is very responsive. Using the whip is a pleasure to say the least; especially when you begin to advance in the game and learn new combos ... wonderful fun!

Musically, well, you can expect greatness. No other video game soundtrack has excited me so much as Castlevania (in general). I especially enjoy the music to The House Of Sacred Remains, The Dark Palace Of Waterfalls, Pagoda Of The Misty Moon and the Ghostly Theater. There is something very powerful and special in the music of Castlevania. For one, it represents the atmosphere of the game perfectly while adding to it as well. Secondly, the melodies and overall composition of the music is fantastic. A video game has never sounded so good; well, other than Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night ;-)

Overall, if you're a Castlevania fan and decide not to play Lament Of Innocence you are really missing out. On the other hand, if you're new to Castlevania and are uncertain where to start ... this is a great place. I've said it once (well, maybe more :-) ) but I'll say it again ... BRILLIANCE!

Cool action, where's the Castlevania?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is definitely an enjoyable entry to the Castlevania series. It's got top notch graphics, awesome action platforming gameplay, and some really cool boss fights. The main problem: this doesn't FEEL like a Castlevania game. Sorry, but every place you go in this game looks the same. It feels like an extended dungeon crawl instead of an ascension to the spire of the Dark Lord's keep. The game totally lacks that atmosphere we've all come to expect from this series, and it really kept me sort of put-off through its entirety.
On the good side, the action is the best its ever been in a Castlevania game. It can feel a little too loose at times because of the lack of any kind of lock-on feature...but for the most part it works really well. The combo system is really nice and lends a more warriorish feel to the hero Leon (and he needs all the warrior he can get since he looks like a total dork). The specialty weapon system is simply brilliant. I'm glad to see Konami's guys take this approach to the classic secondary weapons, giving them more variety and better on-screen presentation.
As for the game's enemies....I would rather have seen more classic creatures than what is represented here, but they are still well done. The Medusa character was..."different"...but I'd still have prefered fighting a full bodied traditional version.
The story is pretty well done as well. It was nice to see an origin to the series done in a definitive way. And it was cool to finally see what the connection between the Dark Prince and his right-hand man Death was.
Overall, it's a tight action-based addition to the Castlevania legacy...and a very good endcap to the series' story line. I just didn't feel like it created the necessary atmosphere, and it's level design was WAY too repetitive. I also did not enjoy the anime-styled, feminine design of some of the major characters. Bottom line, it has the meat and bones of a Caslevania game.........but it just doesn't have the heart and soul of one.

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