Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Reviews
Lords of Shadow 2 had limitless potential in front of it, and could have been the best Castlevania game of recent memory, but poor design choices, a questionable story and flawed mechanics will kill most players' interest before they even get half-way through.
Regretfully, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 came and went like a wet fart in a dark rainy night. It was the last new Castlevania game made, and its not hard to see why. It’s an expensive and bloated mess of ideas that don’t mesh well with trite gameplay.
If Lords of Shadow 2 were a film, I'd say it's well constructed in every way aside from editing. Unfortunately, editing is as crucial to a movie being watchable as its visibility. So for this game, it's all well and good that it's pieces are of quality, but they are arranged so carelessly and without regard to flow that struggle is more about staying awake than merely making progress. This subfranchise's muted tone — another non-flaw out of context — doesn't help that cause.
A miserable blend of flawed game mechanics that's a giant leap backwards from its predecessor.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 looks gorgeous and could have been wildly original, but it squanders its polish and potential on archaic contrivances, banal writing, and an overall shallow experience. It's fine if you want a factory standard combat game, but in the year 2014, it's just plain dreary.
n 2010, the rather enjoyable Castlevania: Lords of Shadow ended with a major plot twist revealing that Gabriel Belmont was alive during modern times and was now called Dracula, taking on the famous vampire’s persona and visage. This left fans to wonder how the sequel would continue the story, either as Dracula or fighting against the protagonist from the original game. Four years later, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 answered the question, but it’s a question that probably was more interesting to think about than how Konami approached it.
The game is as confused as its protagonist, and it's hard not to wish that the studio could have conquered its inner conflict and found its wings.
Lords of Shadow 2 squanders a great premise - playing as the King of Vampires in a modern day city - with mediocre execution.
Lords of Shadow 2 is a shocking misfire.