The most anticipated event of the year... According to me.

So, as you may know, I am a HUGE video game nut. However, the fact of the matter is, is that I just don't play them much anymore. When I was a little younger, I'd play anything that was supposed to be cool. I got burned a lot of the time, until I finally "refined" my tastes into the coolest of the cool.

I have very few games and game series that I'll play and, before you even ask, Final Fantasy is NOT one of them; I can only save the planet from total destruction with a party of twenty people so many times before I get sick of it.

Legacy of Kain, Devil May Cry, Legend of Zelda, and Castlevania are four of my top picks. Just about anything that rolls out with those names attached will instantly grab my attention.

Which brings me to this post...


I've been burned by those titles before; Legacy of Kain rolled out with Blood Omen 2, which was shittier than the Devil's asshole, if you ask me. It was TERRIBLE. Devil May Cry rolled out with Devil May Cry 2, which was more of the same junk. Legend of Zelda rolled out with a few cel-shaded titles that left me very much wanting.

But nothing has burned me more than some Castlevania titles. I was a HUGE fan, especially during the Symphony of the Night era. Afterwards, Konami came out with stuff like Kid Dracula, Castlevania (for the Nintendo 64, released in 1993), CV: Legacy of Darkness, CV: Judgement.

All of these titles were crap, and all of them, except for Kid Dracula, was in 3D. The CRAPPIEST  title out of all of these was Castlevania: Judgement. All it was was Maria's quest through the castle and all the story consisted of was her jealousy over everybody else's large breasts. This, friends, is NOT an exaggeration (See this for proof). So, needless to say, I've been burned by Konami trying to milk their biggest title for all it's worth.

Lords of Shadow, however, seems like one of the few Castlevania 3D titles that WON'T burn me. It's set to release this Fall on XBox and PS3, and while I'm super excited, I'll probably be more inclined to try the demo when it's released.

UPS FOR THIS TITLE
-It looks VERY clean as far as animation, cutscenes, and gameplay transition.
-It's got famous actors as voice actors; Patrick Stewart and Jason Isaacs to name two.
-It's for a next generation system that I actually own.
-Kojima (of Metal Gear fame) has a hand in this.

POSSIBLE DOWNS FOR THIS TITLE
-It looks like it'll have fixed camera angles, which can restrain exploration of areas.
-It doesn't look like the "Classic" Castlevania monsters will be featured, though the preview could have just been showcasing some of the more epic boss battles.
-I'm still not sure if the main character, Gabriel, is a Belmont. If he's not, I'll be disappointed.
-The battle scenes look very similar to Devil May Cry and God of War, which could be disappointing.


In all, I'm actually very excited for this. Let's hope that I don't get burned by this new 3D Castlevania title, and even if the gameplay blows, it at least looks like it's got a good story. That might save it.