That really was the best reaction I've seen on TV in several years. That whole scene was perfect

Anyway

The first Lords of Shadow is kind of a 3-D interpretation of the original Castlevania formula, particularly drawing on influence from the first game and Super Castlevania. It's not a Metroidvania by any means, and though I think "God of Warvania" is a disengenuous label it's not entirely incorrect, either, since it's based primarily around combat and platforming, with exploration taking a serious back seat.

It completely abandons the existent Castlevania mythos and builds up its own story, which works to its benefit in a few ways. Namely, the story in Lords of Shadow is actually worth paying attention to if only for how intrinsically European it is; that understanding of the European fairy tales and folklore oozes out of every frame of the game, and the perspective behind the main conflicts of the game (both Gabriel's contrition and the big bad's doomplot) are extremely Catholic. These things aren't absolute goods, granted, but they're both well-handled and extremely refreshing in the context of a franchise which routinely mangles every piece of Western mythology it can get its hands on.

Remember how the first Castlevania was essentially one long homage to old Hammer horror movies? This game is the same way, only with video game culture. There's a whole section that's an homage to the first dungeon in Ocarina of Time, and there's a stunning number of obscure and obvious game references throughout.

The combat's solid, the acting is appropriate, the art direction and music are fantastic. Some of the bosses leave something to be desired, but others are great for a lot of reasons.

I liked it better than any God of War.

Oh, again this, it's 115% sure of coming this year... want to bet Contra 4 against this too?

(i'm hating this game so much I'm almost giving it away!)

NSAF? Refresh my memory, please.

NSAF? Refresh my memory, please.