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Excellent gameplay, but severely lacking elsewhere

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

In terms of gameplay, this is a must-have. The combination of a wide variety of combat moves and enemies, excellent boss design, a killer musical score and (of course) the castlevania name make this well worthwhile. However, don't buy it for the story. The game is fun and addictive as long as you skip most of the cut-scenes. The dialogue is probably the poorest I have seen in a video game in recent years, not to mention the terrible voice acting. Also, as with the original Devil May Cry, I beat it in less than 6 hours.
There is some replay value, however, as you can replay the game with higher difficulty and with alternate characters.
If it hadn't been a castlevania game, I probably would have given it 2 stars.

Decent old school feel

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The title of my review basically said it all. No complex controls, no spectacular controls and or odd camera angles. This is your basic hack and slash run through game. Even though it's not all bad it's not all great. When this came out I really looked foward to it because I played most if not all the other Castlevania games for the older systems back during the day and I thought it would be cool to see this title in a more modern way. Don't get me wrong, this is a little more modern but no where near what I thought it would be. This is a game worth having/ and or renting if old school is your style.

A beautiful 3D Castlevania

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 21, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I am a newbie in Castlevania world (better late than never;).So I dont have a big experience to judge upon, my collection consists of 3 games so far : Symphony of the night, Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness.
Strangely, the last 3D Castlevania games are just so different in many ways!And my voice goes to LoI.Why? I will explain.
First of all, LoI athmosphere reminds me a lot of SotN (of course, nothing can compare to SotN we all know it:). There is no upgrade system, like in CoD- running around the same locations to get a new level and upgrade an Innocent devil, making weapons and armors. LoI is simply a walk-around-find-HP up potion and other nice things game.Your success in fighting bosses doesnt depend on your characters level (as in CoD).
Second thing, LoI has a simply beautiful athmosphere, I love the whole castle! A darkish gothic touch, level design is nicely made, lots of details (not like in CoD- boring endless levels). Music also reminds me of SotN somehow.
Third. There are a lot of hidden locations, and quests, which require specific skills from the main character, such as :double jumb, using whip, which we dont have in CoD game. But well, Leon is a Belmont, so duh, he can do a lot of cool things ;)
As for the storyline - I think it makes much more sense than CoD story (who the hell came up with that idea?). I know it may sound that I hate CoD, but I dont, I just like it a little bit less.
I cant really point out any minuses in this beautiful, dark romantic game. Except for one - its short, not cathosrophically short, but could be longer.
If you enjoyed SotN, I would suggest to try LoI, as a taste of it in 3D.

SHAME ON YOU KONAMI... your better than this!!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: December 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

CASTLEVANIA IN 3-D????? ahhhhh, 2-D is what castlevania was born to be... look how amazing the contra for ps2 was... WHY??? ... it was 2-D!!!!! just imagine if you would have made this game in 2-D !!!! ... using the same 2-D models as in contra, and the stlye gameplay as "symphony of the night" or "aria of sorrow" oh my this game would have been flawless!!! just imagine it, another classic!! not this junky mess... didn't you learn from the N-64 versions????? why fix what aint broken????? next time you guys are creating a "CASTLEVANIA" game, close your eyes and think 2-D, 2-D, 2-D !!! focus... and also keep the style of contra for ps2 in your mind ... PERFECT!!!! now thats the way it should be done! also put it on a NINTENDO console... it was born there and shall die there !!!

Decent ,but cannot compare to Symphony of the night

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: October 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have been really looking forward to this game for a long time.
Honestly I am a bit let down. Symphony of the night was without a doubt the BEST Castlevania game ever, this game was made by te same people that made SOTN, but yet it isn't even close.
While it is probably worth owning, it cant hold a candle next to SOTN. I am starting to think that Castlevania may not be possible to make into a 3d game that is as good as the 2d ones.
they should have made a sequel to SOTN and made it 2d.
THis is the kind of game where you HAVE to have a strategy guide or you get nowhere.COME ON!!! thats never any fun!
rent before you buy.

Castlevania in 3-D done right

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let me tell you first of all, this is Castlevania in 3-D done right. The graphics are very well done and the soundtrack gives it a grim feeling. This game takes place before all the Castlevania games, and was produced b the folks who made SOTN for the PS.One of the things I love about this game is that it has RPG elements. You can find items that lengthen your health and magic meter. Also, you learn combo attacks as you go along.There are tons of monsters to defeat,the same ones from the NES Castlevania games. This game makes upfor those N64 Castlevania games I never liked at all. The only problem I have with this game is the camera. It takes some getting used to, but after a while you get used to it. A must buy game for Hardcore Castlevania fans.

BIG step up from Nintendo version

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When I got this game, I got kinda confused on the controls and the moves, and where to go, and stuff like that. But once I went through the training and got to playin it... I'm now the master! (I was the first one in my family to figure how to whip the whip onto bars, but that's not important) I suggest this video game to people who love action and adventure. Have fun!

Lots of fun but lots of problems!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: September 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Castlevania finally makes its way from the GBA to the PS2. Unfortunately, Lament of Innocence is nowhere near as good as Aria of Sorrow or Symphony of the Night. While its really fun the game takes a few hits that really stand out.

The game begins with Leon, who ventures into the woods after the love of his life is taken from him. He decides he needs to save her but he needs help. He runs into the woods and meets a man named Rinaldo who grants him a whip of alchemy. If you haven't guessed, Lament of Innocence takes place before all other Castlevania games.

The gameplay presented in LOI is fairly good. This is perhaps the strongest point of the game. You attack using the whip to string together combos. There's a strong attack and a weak attack. The subweapons are also back and as you progress Leon learns more abilities and bigger, better combos. Leon also can use relics, when he finds them. Relics activates special abilities that consume MP. What's most noticeable is the gameplay is very similar to Devil May Cry, only as opposed to using a sword you've got a whip. But Lament of Innocence is still a fine game.

The second strongest part besides the fun factor is the incredible soundtrack! Music in Castlevania has sounded this good since Symphony of the Night. The tunes are very memorable in this one. The sound effects are just as good and they even sound like the ones on the GBA and the earlier Symphony of the Night.

The story is told out in cinematics and while they look nice, the voices found in them are rather boring and mediocre. The opening cutscene is also rather long. The voices themselves fit the role of the character but the vocal variety is just poor.

Graphic wise, Lament of Innocence is beautiful. The game runs fast and smooth. The FMV's are really nice looking as well. I didn't find much slow down except in the FMV's.

Lament of Innocence does have quite a few flaws however. For one, the music and gameplay are the only things that stick out as being really good. But the game has lots of backdrops that really do make a difference.

To start off, the Camera angles are bad. The game doesn't allow you to shift the camera at all and therefore its isometric. It rotates based on your movement. This can be a real problem to deal with, especially since when the camera does shift on its own it changes the layout. You can open up a castle map by pressing select to help you find where you are but because of how the camera works you'll find yourself opening the map ALL THE TIME! Also, because you can control the camera you often times miss ledges because you can't see them.

The way MP works in this game is bad. I already explained you find relics but the truth is, the relics are useless. They're aren't a whole lot of 'em and you have to go long ways to get to them. They consume MP very quickly as well. This wouldn't be as bad of a problem if there were more convenient ways of restoring MP. Unlike past Casltevania titles MP is not restored by Save Points. Rather MP is restored when you guard a certain attack.

The other small quark is that the past few Castlevania games offered RPG elements. These RPG elements such as leveling up to build your stats and what not has been abolished.

The hallways and rooms are also rather repetative. It can be tedious to run through three halls that look the exact same (same doors and everything). Save rooms are also too predominant in this Castlevania game, making it much easier than it really has to be.

Even the gameplay has its backdrops. For example, you can only use items in "real time" battle mode. Meaning I could be killed WHILE I'm healing myself! This doesn't add any challenge to the game, only frustration.

However, the game does present a good challenge. While most of the normal enemies are easy to kill bosses are no cakewalk and you may lose once or twice trying to figure out their pattern. This brings me to the last two big cons. The first is, there isn't much armor or anything like that to collect in the game. The second is the game is rather short. You can easily finish the game in under ten hours.

Castlevania Lament of Innocence is for the hardcore Castlevania fan. It isn't a bad game but it has a lot of things that keep it from being a great game. Its fun to play but there are plenty of things that keep it from being enjoyed to its full potential.

Trevor is back!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 16
Date: October 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have played and mastered Castlevania when it first came on the game scene with Nintendo (actually i still have the game and my old N system). It's a great play for those who like adventure games with a twist and judging from what I've seen , it's going to hold up to all expectations. I'm looking forward to owning my own. One thing though, this game should have been released much earlier. What took you so long guys?

CastleVania for the PS2.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: April 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As any old-school gamer remebers, CastleVania was one of those classics on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The series spawned several sequels and whatnot. Now, after it debut on the PS1, Symphony of the Night, CastleVania finally comes to PS2. Some people might say it looks like a Devil May Cry clone. Now, I'm a huge fan of the Devil May Cry series and CastleVania. The graphics are pretty darn good, the soundtrack's great, and the controls are tight. In fact I find very little problems but these: one is that the voice acting is very much like Resident Evil, cheesy, but funny at the same time. The dialoge leaves much to be desired. Also, the real-time menu is not too bad(it's only annoying during boss fights and anytime you're low on health.) Several things make this better than DMC in several aspects. One is the blocking, something that DMC lacks. If you time it just right, not only will your enemies fall back, you regain lost magic and protects you from most damge. Second, the healing factor. On DMC, you had to either sacrifice your S rank for a Vital Star or kill enemies to gain Green Orbs. While on CastleVania, you can only get health from Potions, meats and saving points. Actually that's a little worse than DMC, but not by much. Last, this game has a ton of monsters and several bosses plus hidden ones to satisfy your slaying. one more annoyance: Leon. While there have been several other bad characters(Raiden from MGS2 fame springs to mind), why did the developers decide to make him look like a teenage girl?! All these game developers are churning out these stupid pretty-boy designs. This travesty has to be stopped or the pretty boys will enslave the earth. Uh... sorry for that rambling people. Anyway the differance between Devil may Cry and Castlevania is that Dante is a half-human (...)and Leon is... well... maybe this should explain. (Turns on cd player) DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY! DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY!

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