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CASTLEVANIA: LAMENT OF INNOCENCE

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 6
Date: October 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

***Rating system***

1 Star = disaster of a game, Nintendo GameCube
2 Stars = average game
3 Stars = good game, above average
4 Stars = awesome game
5 Stars = best game ever, changes the way we look at the
gaming idustry, very few of, Grand Theft Auto 3

(Castlevania: Lament of Innocence)

Lament is an extremely plain and strait forward action game, it has really no plotline or character development. In today's market of games this kind of strait forward action no longer gets it done. Devil May Cry did much more in the way of graphics, interactive bosses, and environments, but even DMC isn't much better than an average game. Lament of Innocence just seems outdated and plain, once you've swung that whip at creatures for the first 2 or 3 levels you've already done it all. There isn't even the need to try to advance to harder levels as you can take on any of the 5 levels in any order you want. Not to mention you can enter and exit levels as you please so you get to see the concept of all levels from the start of the game. I was interested in seeing how much more this classic franchise had to offer and I found out it doesn't have much. Konami might think about retiring this franchise and really focusing on Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill.

The final verdict here is that swinging that whip provides some fun, you should rent this game a couple of times and finish it but it's definitely not worth buying. If for some crazy reason you haven't played the original Devil May Cry yet, I'd suggest you buy that for about $9.99. That's of course if this kind of game interests you.

Castlevania just can't make it in a 3D world.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 24
Date: October 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Do you remember way back when Nintendo 64 announced they were changing Castlevania from 2D sprites to 3D polygons, how exciting it seemed? One of the greatest video game franchises was evolving with the times. Well it sucked. Then after that disaster, Castlevania went back to sprites with Symphony of the Night and came out with one of the greatest 2D games ever... EVER. Well, the geniuses behind that 2D masterpiece(and NOT the N64 disasters) thought they could fare better than their Nintendo predecessors... I really wish I could say they succeeded. Well, they did succeed at one thing: Lament of Innocence is no where near the sucktitude that Castlevania 64 achieved... but it does support the argument that Castlevania doesn't belong anywhere near polygons. If they hadn't tried so hard to be a Devil May Cry/Onimusha clone and tried to innovate as so many Castlevanias have in the past, they might have done something great. But that's all they could do... clone. And we all know the clone is never as good as the original. This game suffers from the thorn in almost all 3D games' sides... camera angles. When you walk into a room, you know there are enemies somewhere in front of you but the camera is looking straight at you and the baddies are standing behind the camera man. You can't rotate the camera either as alot of 3D games have used to alleviate the problem. Also the control is just not there like it is in it's Capcom templates. Please oh please Konami, leave the Belmonts out of the 3rd dimension! And you, Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Q Public, I would have to say: wait for a triumphant return to a kinder, gentler, and flatter world. Peace out!

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!!!!

Enter a room, Kill - next room, kill... Boring

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: November 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I got this game and have been playing for a few days. It has a great musical score, a niceley woven story, beautiful graphics and fun combos, etc... but it's an absolute bummer to play.

You are constantly walking toward the camera swinging blindly at enemies which you cannot see. You'll Want to look at a room you are in but have to do an irish jig to get the camera behind you. This game needs a camera control lesson from "Splinter Cell." Take advantage of that right analog stick for camera control.

Also, after a promising start with an outdoor area, a cool intro, and a weapons shop, the game soon dove into a room to room combat platform where the doors are constantly locking behind you until you destroy all the goulies in the room a-la zelda.

I LIKE 3D games, just not this one. Nice try, and I hate to have to aggrivate everyone with the same comment, but... Symphony of the Night was much much better. And, yes, because it was a "Castlevania" game written by the same development team, they can be compared. This one just doesn't stack up.

Is everyone insane?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: October 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Anyone who says that this game is better than symphony of the night is just a liar. This game looks pretty, it has great music, and it bears the name Castlevania. However, it is far too shallow, and lacks the depth that SOTN or any of the other game boy advance Castlevanias had.

Gone are the RPG elements that re-invented the series with SOTN. Also gone are the sheer number of items you can pick up, as well as the rich atmosphere that made SOTN so incredible.
All the rooms are big empty spaces with a group of enemies... kill them, and move onto the next. Oversimplified gameplay.

This game is essentially a 3D beat 'em up with shallow elements of puzzle solving. The combat system is amusing, but generally ends up to be a button masher.

I stress, if you REALLY like Castlevania along the lines of Symphony of the Night, this game will absolutely dissapoint.
If you haven't played SOTN on the other hand, this game can stand on its own as a mediocre 3D hack and slash, its only
real claim to fame is its popular name.

A 3D Castlevania worth playing?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: July 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Well, when we look at this game, we are faced with the origin story of Leon, first and most vile (apparently) Belmont, and how he began his struggle against all monsters. He enters a castle in an attempt to rescue his beloved Sara.
This game sports killer graphics, nice animations and awesome renditions of some classic Castlevania enemies.
But it's not for Castlevania fans like me. Let me tell you why.
First, the sound. I have precious few problems here. The music wasn't up to the level of Symphony of the Night, but it was pretty good. The voices, in turn, were actually done quite well considering what they were asked to say (see story presentation.)
Secondly the graphics, from a technical standpoint, were really quite good, and the characters and monsters well-represented in appearance, but I had a few problems. First off, the cutscenes. When the cutscenes in the game were in effect, the characters would frequently sway back and forth or jerk around as if they were bored, and many of those body motions were quite uncalled-for. Secondly, the whip. In mid-game, you use a whip to "swing" from place to place and to attack monsters, but unlike a real whip, no skill is required to twirl it around or aim it at your enemies. You just thrust it forward like a sword. As for the whip-swinging, all you do is smack the whip against a pole and watch yourself get vaulted over it, like you're using an iron pole instead of a whip. Whip-swinging should look like web-swinging. The whip was handled better in "Circle of the Moon." Third, the environments. I'm sorry, folks, I really am, but the environments were ugly and confined. When one plays a game like Symphony of the Night, one finds oneself in vast, glorious halls dressed in a fancy style, and well-lit for the most part. This game just had a bunch of dark hallways no more than a dozen feel in any direction, and the few large rooms you do visit don't feel glorious at all.
My last problem with the graphics was that this game uses a static and rigid camera and although it's often a cooperative one, sometimes you'll get to an area and say "Gee, I wish I could see above me, or below me, or off to the side." That got truly annoying after a while.
Now, Story Concept. Well, it's a fairly interesting story about Leon Belmont, the first of the Belmont Clan to fight monsters. The story was, even in concept, destined to be a poor one, however, since the series' central draw (for me,) Count Vlad Tepes Dracula is missing from the game entirely.
Story Presentation, however, REALLY drags it down. The scriptwriting (or was it the translating?) was truly bad and just felt lame, cheesy and depressing. Leon uses a whip made from Alchemy, and no distinction is ever drawn between that alchemy and the one used by the vampires. Leon does not even strike me as being that good of a person, except in his description in the game intro before you meet him. In all the other games, a Belmont or someone else would enter the castle of Dracula (known as Castlevania) and slay him. In this one, Leon enters a Castle that is plainly NOT Castlevania, and slays several creatures that are plainly NOT Dracula, with weapons that are NOT plainly good. In past games, the Belmonts are always drawn up as good and holy men who always try to do what is best. Leon seems like more of a grief-crazed fanatic.
The gameplay itself doesn't even compensate. Gone is the experience engine of the past several games that made them more fun than most RPGs. Gone are the vast numbers of common and rare items that made SOTN and the GBA games such a hoot, and what has been added in their place is a bunch of switch-pushing puzzles, and maze-exploring.
I don't know why Konami thought this would be good. Instead of a righteous warrior, fighting evil beasts for the good of all, we are given a depressed, revenge-driven person who crawls through dark tunnels after the next big treasure like a mole or packrat, without the star-talent of the series' main villain as backup. I only rented this game, but I have already beaten it with all secrets (except the playthroughs in different modes.)
Is this 3D Castlevania game worth playing? Yes it is. But not more than once, and I wouldn't say it's worth buying. Frankly, I thought Circle of the Moon was better. I do think Konami could make a truly good 3D Castlevania, but this whole game felt like it shrunk in the wash. Considering how much this game lost in the 3D translation, I'd just as soon they stay 2D in the future, unless they can manage to do it right next time.

A Disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: February 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Many of the video game magazines are of the opinion that this is the first 3D Castlevania game to be worthy of the name. It is better than that joke on the Nintendo 64, but that's not saying much.

The action is tedious and repetitive, and the levels are way too simple for their size. You'll spend a lot of time just walking all over the place to hit switches. BOOORING! To make things worse, most of the rooms are nearly identical. While playing this game, I felt like a rat, running through a maze, looking for my piece of cheese. The music is weak too, and I was really expecting better in this department since the music for Super Castlevania 4, Bloodlines, Dracula X, and Symphony of the Night was first class!

If this kind of game interests you, I'd suggest 'Devil May Cry' or 'Metroid Prime.'
They're actually good!

Nah don't bother.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 6
Date: May 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I played this game and it made absolutely no sense - maybe if it was Yaoi or something it'd make it worth playing. But I recommended Devil May Cry 3 anyday.

Good game with some serious problems

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 15
Date: October 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm a big castlevania fan who's been playing them since the first one on the old Nintendo system. And perhaps it's that dedication to the series, that I hold these games up to some slightly higher expectations than I would other games.

First, off, let's start with the good things about this game.
1) It has the definate look and feel of a Castlevania game.
2) The graphics and music are excellent.
3) The use of orbs gained from boss battles to power up the sub weapons was a good idea.

4) The controls are very good once you get the hang of them, I especially liked the whip combos and side step dodges.

Now the bad things...
1) The cut scenes come off as cheesy- At first I thought it might have been the voice acting, but as I paid more attention it was just bad script writing. I think it boils down to a bad translation/localization from Japanese to English. The story was also a little hard to follow. You'll be left more than once wondering to yourself what the hell just happened.
2) No control of the camera angle- camera angles are always a problem with 3D games, but there's nothing more frustrating than getting hit by something you can't see. It also makes some of the jumping segments unnecessarily frustrating.
3) What's the deal with the right analog stick?- This is kind of related to the camera angle problem. As force of habit from most other games when I was having problems with the camera angle I would try and use the right analog stick to adjust the camera and would wind up bringing up the real-time item select window that normally wound up me wasting items or get thrown across the room by an enemy's attack.
4) Way too easy- I finished this one in just a little over 10 hours.

Although, I felt this game had some serious problems, it shows some extreme promise for the next game in the series. After all anyone remember Castlevania 2 and 3. It takes some experimentation to get the formula right, and they were pretty close with this one.

When all is said and done, it's not a bad game, and I'd definately recommend it as a rental if nothing else, but if you only buy a couple games a year, I'd recommend looking elsewhere... like Jak II.

Castlevania:Lament that has lost it's Legacy

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Graphics:4 stars
Storyline: 2 stars
Gameplay: 2 stars
Soundtrack: 5 stars
Replay value: 3 stars
Overall: 3 stars

It is hard to actually know where to start on this game. While my review won't be long, it will be direct and honest. This game started out bad, the storyline was a little of the same old, same old. I thought this storyline was rather super stupid. Just watch the first part of the game, and you will see what I mean. "The Church has no time to fight monsters", this is a actual line in the stupid game. Dracula has kidnapped your girl for kicks, and he doesn't suck her blood, he loves to play games with hunters, family members etc.... You are required to go save your girl, and Dracula has done this before, but all have failed before you. "Dracula will even help you out in the quest to kill him". I am not kidding. These are actual lines in the game.
After 6 hours into this piece of crap, I stopped the game and sold it on ebay. The gameplay drove me nuts. If you did not use your whip on just the right area of a ledge, you were dead. I don't mind a challenge, but 2 hours on one ledge sucks. You never see your girl during the game, so you almost forget what you are fighting for. Everytime you defeat your enemy, well he does not really die, because when you go back into the same darn room they are all there again. If you think you will beat this game without a guide book, guess again. There was crap in places you would have never thought to go. I don't mind having to backtrack in a game, but this game took it to another level. I did not enjoy this game, and you may like spending 20 hours on a 10 hour game, but I don't. God of War is a 10 out of 10. This one is a 6 out 10 at best.

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