Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition (PC)

I want to say this is a good game I REALLY do. I am a long standing Castlevania Fan from Castlevania on the NES, But this Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, falls short of everything that makes Castlevania so great. Castlevania has one hell of a cult following, but I'm sad to say this game feels like team Troll (Very much like those that did DMC-dmc) have taken over this game and have set this game up PURELY to Troll its fan base and new players alike. That's not to say it's an awful game because it's not, there is a good game hidden under that mess somewhere, but this "reboot" for the "dumbed down new generation" of gamers dose NOT feel like a true Castlevania game, it is however once you get past the lack in info or explanation an interesting game that if you can get it working is still worth a play. So outside of the "reboot" ethics that seems to be plaguing our gaming industry lately, and by reboot I mean the "new" "Western" DEVs going "we don't think the new generation can understand this." (implying gamers are dumb by generation), gut the game of everything that makes up the lore of what makes the game, remove the story that makes the game, make a WHOLE new game, with a New Lore and NEW story and then stamp the name of another game on it and call it a reboot. (it makes NO SENSE).

That all said this is likely the Game killer to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Now I am told it is also an issue on the console as well. ( I personally have not played the console version so I don't know first hand on that). The gaming killing issue I'm speaking of is the AWFUL Control system! Before I get to the worst of this on the control system there is firstly the action based system to take a look at. It has an action based system very much akin to DMC or tomb raider, only unlike tomb raider or DMC Castlevania LoS uses it for almost EVERYTHING, but that's not the problem with it, every so often it will prompt you to press a button be it your mouse and keyboard or your controller (I used an Xbox controller) it prompts you to press A,B,X,Y or some mystery circle button. this mystery button on most games would be your thumb stick, But the problem with this game is, it could literally be ANY button, sometimes yes it is your thumb stick, sometimes it will even have a colour (But that wont match your buttons on controller) mostly it is a white circle sometimes this is prompting you to just make an action with any button with in a time limit, this is indicated by the prompt having a flashing getting smaller ring, you have to press it at just the correct moment too, as to soon or to late and the action fails. The main problem to this prompt system is there is NO tutorial to help you learn what means what out side of the labelled prompts. The game just throws you into a boss fight from the get go and you are just expected to know what's what. OH but it gets WORSE! even if you manage to some how work out what's what, you still have to contend with LAG! I'm not talking internet lag here I'm talking GAME lag between you inputting the commands and Gabriel DOING what he's supposed to do. Mostly this is fine when moving around doing non action required things, BUT when you get to that point where you are fighting a troll, stealing a grenade from a goblin or taking on a Titan (Who ever made this game had a REALLY BIG thing for shadow of the colossus.) it starts to have lag from anywhere between 1.5s to 4s of lag and those seconds mean the difference between you doing the action successfully or failing and dying horribly. And when this is boss fights it can be HORRIBLY unresponsive at times again costing you the fight and making you just not want to never play the game. I did finally find the work around for the lag issue between input to action That being to turn the GAMES graphics settings down to medium or low regardless on if your PC is a high spec system that could run this games specs x2 or more times over as the game seems incapable of running at its high specs meaning you have to play with horrid graphics just so you can live past one of the MANY action based points in the game.

Again My Castlevania fan loyalty is put to a limited test here, I want to tell you its a good game, but the game just drains it out of you! I can only say its a mediocre game not worthy of the name Castlevania, its just some kind of mediocre game they called a reboot with the name Castlevania stamped on it to make fans like me want to buy it and that I have got to say is VERY POOR FORM Konami!