REVIEW: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Reverie DLC

The title logo looks like a last minute add in. Foreshadowing?

After some initial hesitance, my romp through Castlevania: Lords of Shadow ended up being a relieving bit of fun. Sure the game had its flaws, but it was an enjoyable addition to the hallowed Castlevania series. When Konami announced two downloadable content packs for Lords of Shadow, I was happy to have reason to brandish the combat cross through some new content. The first of the DLC, Reverie, was released a week earlier than I expected, with no warning other than 'it's here!' That was all I needed to buy it, but was it a justified purchase?

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REVIEW: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Castlevania is one of the most prolific titles of our generation. Yet depending on who you ask, the series has staled of late. No matter who you ask, it's a universal truth that the Belmont clan's quest to slay Dracula and his minions has never successfully made the jump from pixels to polygons. Fans of the series were hoping that Konami could, with Hideo Kojima's stamp of approval, turn their floundering franchise into something grand, worthy of the Vampire Killer's history. Does Castlevania: Lords of Shadow live up to the legacy, or is it a miserable little pile of secrets?

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Eleven Minutes to Hold You Over Until All Shadows Day

It's no secret here that I love the Castlevania series, but I'm not without my doubts for the latest entry, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. While all the press release videos made me pound my computer desk with overjoyed rage, behind the scenes gameplay videos didn't really stir me the same way. They looked bland and without personality. 

The seven-plus minute trailer from Tokyo Game Show rested my concerns regarding the characters and the storyline. What at one point I thought may have been too influenced by western fantasy such as The Lord of The Rings, I was starting to see was truly Castlevania at its core, regardless of whether or not it was borrowing from Tolkien or Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Today, Konami brings us a new trailer, that is more epic in both scope and length than the nearly-short-film that premiered at TGS. Yes, eleven minutes of details, narrative, and most importantly gameplay. One month, two trailers, nearly twenty minutes of footage. That's a lot of Castlevania to tease as pre-release hype. Yet we have no reason to fear, as there is supposedly twenty hours of gameplay in Lords of Shadow, so a measly twenty minutes ain't no type of spoiler for us, nope. 

This eleven minute behemoth preps the potential player for what to expect on October 5th, or as I've come to call it All Shadows Day, because I will be sitting at home, shades drawn, candles lit, smoke in the room, playing Lords of Shadow all day. What was once considered skepticism and cautious optimism has grown into full fledged excitement. Watch the trailer, and if you don't feel the same way, then you ain't no friend of mine, friend.

All Shadows Day looms, stay tuned for the review.

TGS 2010: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Woos You for Seven Minutes

In a final push for your attention and preorders, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has released a new trailer from Tokyo Game Show. The trailer might as well be considered a short film, as it weighs in at a meaty seven minutes. Fans of Castlevania games will enjoy it though, since it's packed with awesome tidbits to look forward to. Outed primarily for the title's Japanese release in December, of course the western crowd can use it as a decision maker for the game's stateside due date, in a few short weeks.

Needless to say I'm excited for this game. I didn't need the lengthy trailer to make up my mind, it's a day one buy for sure. I still don't know whether or not I can consider it a true Castlevania game, but even out of context, it just looks epic and enjoyable.

Preorder from Amazon and get $20 credit. Holla!

Is Lords of Shadow Worthy of the Castlevania Legacy?

Hardcore Castlevania junkies like myself have some reason for excitement, as Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was recently given a finalized release date; October 5th. With the date cemented in place, Konami has whipped up a casket of new media to give would-be vampire hunters a wooden stake in their pants. Of course, Castlevania purists may already be jaded by Lords of Shadow, but until we're able to actually play through the game, we have nothing to run on but speculation. So let's speculate, have at you! 

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