Holy crap, Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness is Complete Garbage

shipwreck

shipwreck

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Okay, I've only been playing this game for about an hour, but I can't see this getting much better. I honestly am usually very open-minded about games and usually enjoy a lot of lower rated games. That's why I was completely surprised to pick up this game today and see that it is actually getting high 7's on most sites.

This game is absolutely horrible. The controls are stiff. Combat is incredibly dull and, at this point in the game, just consists of you pressing "x" three times to form a combo. It supposedly, gets a little more involved, but doesn't differ too much from this formula.

The graphics remind me of some of the early PS2 titles. Everybody is raving about the soundtrack, but I'm not a big fan of it. Even worse, the sound effects are almost impossible to hear. I literally turned down the music all the way and could still barely hear any sort of sound effect when I was hitting enemies, or jumping, or doing anything. It's silent...

The levels are incredibly bland. And I mean incredibly bland. The environment consists of small areas with a few enemies and a couple of objects to smash and then you are on to the next area. You'll know it's the next area because there are big arrows showing you where to exit. These are usually located by big open doors, go figure.

The enemies have terrible AI and some rarely try to attack you. After the hour I had played, I think I got hit twice. And even then, your health meter is so large that it would take 30 or 40 hits to die.

The controls are also incredibly stiff and somewhat unresponsive. The animations are not fluid, especially when jumping. But don't worry, there doesn't seem to be any platforming, so there won't be much of a reason to jump.

The positives about the game are that there seems to be a nice RPG like level-up system and a lot of items to find and collect. I just don't see how most people would want to suffer through the bad gameplay even if there is an interesting level-up system.

I honestly would not recommend anyone buy this game at $50. This crap is going back tomorrow.
 
I hope that the decision makers at Konami figure out that the only good Castlevania games are the 2d games, and they start making 2d Castlevania games for the consoles.
 
Thanks for the opinion, but I'll also take into account the dozen or so critics that gave it very decent scores. Yep, looks like I'm still getting this game.... I liked LoI enough to play through it twice and I never buy games based on other people's tastes anynow, especially over the internet, no offense.
 
fuck 3d castlevania. They all look so generic and bland. They're trying too hard to be goth and everything. Can you imagine how amazing a 2D console castlevania could be?
 
[quote name='Duo_Maxwell']Thanks for the opinion, but I'll also take into account the dozen or so critics that gave it very decent scores. Yep, looks like I'm still getting this game.... I liked LoI enough to play through it twice and I never buy games based on other people's tastes anynow, especially over the internet, no offense.[/QUOTE]
Do yourself a favor, print off the $5 digital coupon for best buy, go down and get the new Jampack disc for free and play the Castlevania demo. Then you'll have and idea about what it's like (and it ain't that good).
 
The GameSpot video review is really good -- prevented me from buying it. The game looks like a Sega Saturn game with better graphics.
 
played the PS2 version... WOW what a disappointment.

I picked up Castlevania: LOI for $15 a while back and thought it was pretty decent. The level design was pretty bland but the rest of the game was pretty fun overall, kind of a devil may cry/castlevania mix.

Now I play the PS2 version of Curse of Darkness and can't believe my eyes. The game looks worse than LOI. The level design(which I believe they claimed would be improved for this game) looks even more generic. The graphics and textures look incredibly rough and grainy, and the color pallete looks dark and bland(not in a good way). Your character looks OK but the enemies sport some pretty low poly counts, not to mention the character design is only decent. The camera sucks, animation is kinda weak and combat feels more simplistic(although maybe you earn more moves as you go like LOI). Lastly the music is also not as good as that of LOI, still good but not impressive.

On the positive side you always have a monster by your side helping you out, even combo-ing guys after you have lifted them into the air. Other than that I don't see any reason to buy this game till it drops to $10 or less.

Also, has anyone played both versions(xbox and PS2)? I was curious if the graphics in the xbox version look noticeably cleaner or not. That might make the game a bit more tolerable.
 
[quote name='Duo_Maxwell']Thanks for the opinion, but I'll also take into account the dozen or so critics that gave it very decent scores. Yep, looks like I'm still getting this game.... I liked LoI enough to play through it twice and I never buy games based on other people's tastes anynow, especially over the internet, no offense.[/QUOTE]

That's fine by me. I'm just trying to offer a different opinion because I honestly don't see how the game is scoring so high with critics. I think if you took the Castlevania name off of this, it would be lucky to score a 5 out of 10. And from the reviews I was reading, it seemed like all the reviewers were really trying to give this game the benefit of the doubt, but they didn't even bother to write about a lot of the obvious flaws of this game.

Brak describing this as a Saturn game with better graphics might have hit the nail on the head. It feels like you are playing a game from back then. That's all well and good, and I might have had different opinions about this game if it would have come out in 1996. But in 2005, I could probably list about 20 games in this same genre that are much better just off the top of my head.
 
WTF is wrong with you people?
Its like 3-D Castlevania bashing is trendy. I have enjoyed all of them plenty. Yeah the first hour of this one is slow and the controls take some getting used to but it certaintly does pick up when you get to the 3rd area.

The graphics are probably not that great as the PS2 game since its a port. Its still decent for me. Theres huge open areas now and theres alot more enemies on screen as well. And you dont just push X 3 times. There are combos with the final attack button, plus all the weapons you can create is a great feature.

Lets look back to the N64 games. They were great, especially legacy of darkness. They really fixed any problems in the original as far as difficult level design but since it didnt have perfect controls (which no 3d game will ever have compared to 2-D) and skeletons didnt wank you off, people said it was bad. I had no problems controlling the character and thought the LOD game was brilliant. And I am picky with my adventure games. The only other adventure game I liked on 64 was Ocarina of Time.


In all Honestly, so far I like LOI better but this is still a great game.
I feel the same way about the new DS game. Its great but the Original SoTN still beats it.
I would say my favorite CV game is still Castlevania 4 on SNES with Dracula X coming in a close second (hardest CV I ever played to get the good ending).
I have beaten rondo of blood on a cd-r and emulator but until it comes to a console I will hold my judgment on it as it had some gfx glitches and I could save as I pleased which made it easier.


UPDATE: I forgot to mention that I switched my final attack button to Y (XBOX controls) and my special summon command to B and the lock on button is the L trigger since I dont need the camera reset button. It really took away any quirks in the controls.
 
I guess Ill just trade in one of the games I got at TRU's sale for this. I really want it, but the reviews aren't what I was looking for. I wish someone would play through the entire thing and let us know how it is.
 
[quote name='tayaf69']I guess Ill just trade in one of the games I got at TRU's sale for this. I really want it, but the reviews aren't what I was looking for. I wish someone would play through the entire thing and let us know how it is.[/QUOTE]

Im almost done
 
I have NEVER heard anyone say anything good about the N64 Castlevanias. I thought LOI was pretty fun. I may try CoD when it gets to be cheap, but right now, I have way too many games to pay full price for a game that may suck horrendously or be almost decent.

[quote name='danny-o']WTF is wrong with you people?
Its like 3-D Castlevania bashing is trendy. I have enjoyed all of them plenty. Yeah the first hour of this one is slow and the controls take some getting used to but it certaintly does pick up when you get to the 3rd area.

The graphics are probably not that great as the PS2 game since its a port. Its still decent for me. Theres huge open areas now and theres alot more enemies on screen as well. And you dont just push X 3 times. There are combos with the final attack button, plus all the weapons you can create is a great feature.

Lets look back to the N64 games. They were great, especially legacy of darkness. They really fixed any problems in the original as far as difficult level design but since it didnt have perfect controls (which no 3d game will ever have compared to 2-D) and skeletons didnt wank you off, people said it was bad. I had no problems controlling the character and thought the LOD game was brilliant. And I am picky with my adventure games. The only other adventure game I liked on 64 was Ocarina of Time.


In all Honestly, so far I like LOI better but this is still a great game.
I feel the same way about the new DS game. Its great but the Original SoTN still beats it.
I would say my favorite CV game is still Castlevania 4 on SNES with Dracula X coming in a close second (hardest CV I ever played to get the good ending).
I have beaten rondo of blood on a cd-r and emulator but until it comes to a console I will hold my judgment on it as it had some gfx glitches and I could save as I pleased which made it easier.


UPDATE: I forgot to mention that I switched my final attack button to Y (XBOX controls) and my special summon command to B and the lock on button is the L trigger since I dont need the camera reset button. It really took away any quirks in the controls.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='Kayden']I have NEVER heard anyone say anything good about the N64 Castlevanias. I thought LOI was pretty fun. I may try CoD when it gets to be cheap, but right now, I have way too many games to pay full price for a game that may suck horrendously or be almost decent.[/QUOTE]

I actually didn't mind the N64 Castlevanias. For the time, I thought they were pretty good and it was only the camera that was really frustrating. I thought they were pretty good platform adventure games. I could certainly understand why a lot of people wouldn't like them, but I enjoyed playing them.

danny-o, how many hours have you played if you are almost done? I don't think I've heard anything about the length of this game yet.
 
[quote name='jer7583']fuck 3d castlevania. They all look so generic and bland. They're trying too hard to be goth and everything. Can you imagine how amazing a 2D console castlevania could be?[/QUOTE]


....right... Because vampires are really bright and cuddly creatures that demand rich worlds of vibrant color. Perhaps you'd like the game to be bundled with a stuffed bunny. The 2D versions weren't goth at all. I mean, the main character wasn't really pale with a cold hearted attitude and filled with guilt and self loathing. Oh, wait...
 
[quote name='shipwreck']I actually didn't mind the N64 Castlevanias. For the time, I thought they were pretty good and it was only the camera that was really frustrating. I thought they were pretty good platform adventure games. I could certainly understand why a lot of people wouldn't like them, but I enjoyed playing them.

danny-o, how many hours have you played if you are almost done? I don't think I've heard anything about the length of this game yet.[/QUOTE]


Actually I thought i was near the end but it appears im not. im at 5-6 hours.
 
Konami should have at least reached the quality of Devil May Cry 1 by now. I have not been impressed by any of the 3D Castlevania games but I am a sucker completist and will probably buy this one at $10 because I have every U.S. Castlevania made.
 
[quote name='Purkeynator']Konami should have at least reached the quality of Devil May Cry 1 by now. I have not been impressed by any of the 3D Castlevania games but I am a sucker completist and will probably buy this one at $10 because I have every U.S. Castlevania made.[/QUOTE]


I never liked DMC. Too bland and it got boring over time. The dual handguns looked cool until they took 100000 shots to kill the weakest enemies.
 
To each his own, but I would bet the Devil May Cry series gets a lot more votes from gamers as being better than Castlevania in 3D series.
 
I was looking forward to this game myself until I played the demo on the OXM demo disc for the XBOX... I dont have a complaint with the graphics but its just I was born and raised on 2D castlevania, my favorites are still the Turbo Duos import Dracula X and the PS SOTN, I purchases the PS2 Castlevania LoI but could not stick with it, I really never got into the whole Devilman series( I only played the first one about half way through then quit) and thats all I could think when playing LoI, I was hoping for something different with CoD but to me, it was the exact same.... I will buy the game but only once it hits the $20 mark...
 
[quote name='battleroyal33']I was looking forward to this game myself until I played the demo on the OXM demo disc for the XBOX... I dont have a complaint with the graphics but its just I was born and raised on 2D castlevania, my favorites are still the Turbo Duos import Dracula X and the PS SOTN, I purchases the PS2 Castlevania LoI but could not stick with it, I really never got into the whole Devilman series( I only played the first one about half way through then quit) and thats all I could think when playing LoI, I was hoping for something different with CoD but to me, it was the exact same.... I will buy the game but only once it hits the $20 mark...[/QUOTE]

The OXM demo had me looking at it sideways as well. I trust shippy's judgment as well since they are always well reasoned (here and on gamefaqs). Looks like the finished version is not much better than the demo.
 
I'm a Castlevania FREAK. I love them. Castlevania 4 and SoTN are in my top 10 of all-time and I really enjoyed LoI. But, when I played the demo for this in the OXM, I was sad. I was going to pick this up at launch and now I won't touch it until it hits
 
I think that the 'problem' most people have with 3D Castlevania games is that we feel that Iga and company are wasting their talents making them when instead, they could be making what fans really want, a new 2D game for the consoles.

Sure the 2D games for the handhelds have been great, but I think that the #1 thing CV fans want most is a new 2D console game. You cant tell me that those pieces of crap for the N64, and the lackluster 3D games on the PS2 have sold better than the GBA and DS 2D incarnations.

I think all that Castlevania fans want is for Iga to realize where his bread is buttered and give the fans what they want! I catagorically refuse to buy any 3D Castlevania game until we get a new 2D console game!
 
I was psyched for this game. So psyched that I picked up LoI used from Gamestop, I took that POS back in two days because of how lame it turned out to be. I, too, grew up on the 2D Castlevania series and think that this is where it should stay. I've really enjoyed the GBA games and would love to see another SotN type game come to the home consoles.
 
[quote name='guardian_owl']Do yourself a favor, print off the $5 digital coupon for best buy, go down and get the new Jampack disc for free and play the Castlevania demo. Then you'll have and idea about what it's like (and it ain't that good).[/QUOTE]

Actually, I've played the OXM demo, still getting it. Just gotta wait a couple weeks for the next paycheck. I may just go to Fry's and get it for $38 today, but I already put alot of gas and such on my credit card and I hate having a big bill.
 
Konami needs to hire Retro to make a 3d Castlevania ala Metroid Prime. I can't believe they haven't thought of it yet since the best game in the series and all subsequent GBA/DS games are ripoffs of the Super Metroid formula.
 
[quote name='Kayden']....right... Because vampires are really bright and cuddly creatures that demand rich worlds of vibrant color. Perhaps you'd like the game to be bundled with a stuffed bunny. The 2D versions weren't goth at all. I mean, the main character wasn't really pale with a cold hearted attitude and filled with guilt and self loathing. Oh, wait...[/QUOTE]

hey most all the the 2d castlevanias and the 2d metroidvanias have managed to be quite visually arresting and have always had great variety in their visuals. Every 3d castlevania I see just looks like the same generic hallways and brick walls. I just can't stand how they look or how they play. 2D is castlevania. 3D is generic action title that happens to be raping the castlevania name.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']I think that the 'problem' most people have with 3D Castlevania games is that we feel that Iga and company are wasting their talents making them when instead, they could be making what fans really want, a new 2D game for the consoles.[/QUOTE]
That's not the issue with me, I have played 1 NES castlevania, 1 SNES castlevania, and Circle of the Moon for GBA, so I have never actually played the "greats" of the Castlevania series. What bothers me is, if you are going to attempt a 3D action game with a high profile name you should shoot to at least meet the competition you are attempting to emulate. DMC's combat system was a little stiff, but DMC3 system was fluid, had loads of variety, and room for customization in combat style. The magical pet was a nice touch, but combat by my own character just wasn't that interesting in the demo.

Perhaps more moves are unlocked later in the game which gives more options for combat, if that's the case, the demo should have been from a later level to better represent the game.

If the creaters want to keep this degree of combat deepness, then they should have put more effort into level design and focused more on puzzle aspects.
 
It's not cool to merely bash a 3d conversion of Castlevania... it's cool to bash shit games.

All Konami did was directly translate a 2d sidescroller to the realm of 3d -- note that I said directly.

If they made it a 3d game, as opposed to a 3d 2d game, then it could have been something worth playing.

The GameSpot review referring to the levels as "copy / past" is on the nose.
 
[quote name='jer7583']hey most all the the 2d castlevanias and the 2d metroidvanias have managed to be quite visually arresting and have always had great variety in their visuals. Every 3d castlevania I see just looks like the same generic hallways and brick walls. I just can't stand how they look or how they play. 2D is castlevania. 3D is generic action title that happens to be raping the castlevania name.[/QUOTE]

Now you're changing your story. First you were saying they were trying to be goth and now you're saying the textures just suck. The two aren't even simular. The best/most popular one to date features a pale half vampire walking through a dark castle filled with undead and monsters... Pretty goth to me. Its also visually compelling.
 
I played for another hour last night. The combat is getting a little more involved and I'm starting to create some more interesting weapons that have flashier finishing moves. The gameplay is still incredibly boring though. The enemies provide no resistance what-so-ever. If I had to compare the combat to another game, I would say it's like the Dynasty Warrior series, but without nearly as many enemies and without the strategic elements of worrying about your other troops. Fans of the Dynasty Warrior games might have fun with this game.
 
My main complaint is how clunky the overall gameplay feels. Also, its the only game I've played in the last 10 years that actually hurts my thumbs.
 
[quote name='Duo_Maxwell']Thanks for the opinion, but I'll also take into account the dozen or so critics that gave it very decent scores. I never buy games based on other people's tastes anynow, especially over the internet, no offense.[/QUOTE]

I don't care about castlevania, but did anyone else think these two statements contradict each other? Just wondering...
 
3D gameplay will always feel more clunky than 2-D gameplay. If you think about it, the number of things you do in the 2-D versions is pretty much more repititive. You don't see a whole lot of combos going on there either. But when you can see everything in the screen fully they can focus on movement more for gameplay. With this 3-D they have to cut a lot of slack so you can retaliate at different camera angles, and that makes things clunky.

Ultimately, they can't merely translate 2-D into 3-D. It makes for a pretty bland game. They need a grounds up revamping, a la Metroid Prime. They can keep the feel, but it's gotta play completely different.
 
[quote name='gaelan']I don't care about castlevania, but did anyone else think these two statements contradict each other? Just wondering...[/QUOTE]

They did, but my point was that there are people who've played it and felt the opposite or at least alot differently about. And I read reviews, but never actually buy a game solely based on what they or others, (unless maybe they're a friend with very similar tastes) say about the game. I rent, borrow, or play a demo if I can. Plus there's plenty of games that people praise to the heavens, but I know I wouldn't like because sometimes I just don't enjoy certain types of games. And there are some I know I'll like better than most people simply because it's a genre or certain type of game I usually enjoy. Just like movies, I listen to people's opinions and thoughts, but I typically buy a game because I think I'd enjoy it.
 
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