This game is a lot better mixure of hack n' slash, adventure and platformer. First of, the combat is much better and much more deeper (GOW combat didnt chnage ever since GOW2), it has a lot more moves and combos, and it allows player to be more tactical (shadow of ligh/dark powers are very useful). Also, platforming is just more fun, probably because Gabriel climbs on to everything.
Secondly, level design in Castlevania absolutely blows GOW3 out of the way. You'll be fighting in forests, swamps, ancient ruins, abbandoned castles, freezing mountains, sewers, tunels, towns, villages etc etc while in GOW most of the time you spend in dark grey caves and dull temples of Olympus, very few enviormental variety. Also, the enemies themselfes are much cooler in Castlevania, in my opinnion. There are tons of different ones in every level and in every chapter, and their design is fantastic. GOW 3 doesnt really have ''new'' enemies except chimera, Centaur and stone statues, buth that's it, only 3 new enemy models in the whole game. Also, boss battles in Castlevania are almost just as epic if not more epic than in GOW 3. The first 2 titans in Castlevania you fight are amazing and actually more believable and realistic. It felt like I was playing Shadow of Colossus only with much better graphics. Not to mention the setting in C:LOS was just much darker and better IMO.
Also, the game is over 15-25 hours long. Where the hell do you find an action adventure game that long in this gen? The last time I remeber having a similar experience was Resident evil 4. Gow 3 is barely 9-10 hours long, when playing on normal difficulty. And thats the another thing I like about C:LOS more than GOW3, it adds just much bigger value to your 60 bucks (altho the game is 30 bucks now)
Now the only thing I would give GOW 3 advantige is graphics of course (but Castlevania looks extremly good as well, I was amazed by both technical and artistic achivments in the game) and story, but that has more to do with GOW being a trilogy, so its normal to have a more deeper and more develped story. As for the characters, I found Kratos to be better than C:LOS characters, but hes pretty much the only one I like and care about in GOW. And note that CD:LOS is my first Castlevania game ever, so the characters there might have deeper stories that I am un aware of.
So, what do you think about the game?
