JBoc924Castlevania Lords of Shadow isn’t being labeled as being mediocre, like the previous 3d attempts in the Castlevania franchise were labeled as being, but this game deserves much more. Much more recognition, and hell, much more praise. I decided to write this article upon receiving a text from Gamestop, informing me that my reserved copy will be available tomorrow even though I already received the game early, and of course advertising their trade-in incentives. What really irked me though, was the lack of any sort of invite to a mid-night launch for the game. I mean, it’s Castlevania, one of gaming’s most respected and recognizable franchises and this is how this brand new next-gen entry is treated?
Us gamers live in a world where the bulk of attention goes to first-person shooters and big-name sports titles, to be as narrow as possible. All of a sudden, it’s not just us ‘hardcore gamers’ , now we’re forced to neighbor with the “mainstream-gamer”. A breed of gamers that thrive on the latest generic shooter, cough cough Halo Reach. Halo Reach received a huge number of midnight openings across multiple outlets, with the most notable one being in Times Square. Castlevania Lords of Shadow? No such widespread commotion. The game will just be available for you to pick up tomorrow…What a way to celebrate the latest entry in a series that’s being around since the early days of console gaming.
Oh but wait! Gamestop will in fact be holding a midnight-opening, but not for Lords of Shadow, instead, for NBA 2K11. That shows how long gamers have come, from the days of hardcore titles that required a lot of actual skill and determination to beat. Things are way different now, as evident by Gamestop’s decision to give mass-recognition to a sports title instead of a brand new Castlevania. Way to go.
Reviews have also been somewhat misleading, and what a surprise, it comes from the mainstream press. The lesser trafficked sites have all given a lot of credit to Lords of Shadow, what with awarding the game 9’s across the board. It’s different when you check out a more commercial site’s review of the game though. Not drastically different, but different nonetheless. These reviews state how the game doesn’t feel like Castlevania at all, instead feeling like an all-new game altogether. Someone didn’t get the memo, the one where it clearly states that this game is a reboot to the series’ canon.
Let’s face it, our favorite game series would get stale if they didn’t at least adapt themselves to some sort of change, whether miniature or mammoth in scope. Resident Evil 4 brought change to the franchise, and Lords of Shadow brings changes to it’s respective franchise. Not drastic changes, mind you, but it’s enough to apparently entice the media to label this as being “not Castlevania”.
Lords of Shadow is the perfect introduction to next-gen for the series. It brings a lot of the game-play elements from the classic titles and re-invents them in stunning 3d, while including a biblical narrative that is sure to be remembered. Seems like some reviewers don’t get that. They can go back to enjoying their skirmishes in Halo Reach, I, on the other hand, will go back to replaying one of my favorite games of all time.
Everyone should go out tomorrow and support Konami’s classic vampire-hunting franchise by purchasing Lords of Shadow.
