Forums > Submission Feedback > overdrive's Castlevania: Lament of Innocence review

I think your review brings up the problem I have with a lot of games. They're okay games, but when I play them and immediately find myself thinking of a better (similar) game that I've already played and wouldn't mind maybe playing again, that's a bad sign. It happens a lot when you've played a number of games in each major genre. Then people say "Why did you rate the game so high if you didn't like it?" and I say "Well, because it was a pretty good game but I've just played better." Other good--or better--games being available somewhere in the world don't change the general quality of an inferior title that's more readily available.

I liked Lament of Innocence, by the way, enough that I even wrote a guide for it just for fun. I wonder how I'd feel if I played it now.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

Yeah. Lament, to me, was inferior to a Devil May Cry or a God of War, but nailed the general formula good enough to not come close to being classed with lesser titles like the movie licenses of, say, Clash of the Titans or that Thor game you reviewed.

I do wish I'd remembered Devil May Cry a bit better. Some points would have been stronger if I'd been comparing Lament to the game that was two years older than the one that's about 1.5 years younger.

I think you gave it a 7, Marc gave it an 8 and now I've given it a 6. After my first day or so playing it, I was probably in the 7-8 zone, but the farther I got, the more annoyed I got at little things that just seemed, I guess, lazy. Enter the castle. Turn left to reach MANDATORY tutorial area. Turn right to reach single room containing five warps to other places, as well as a long staircase that eventually will lead to brutally tough optional boss. That's about the simplest, most stripped-down "hub" world you'll find. The capitalistic shop keeper is a staple in games (I know you're saving the world...but I gotta get my profit, dude!), but here, it just seemed hilarious. (I'm trapped in this forest and want to get revenge on that vampire more than anything else, but you're going to have to pay for this stuff, dude!).

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

But that's no more ridiculous than a fucking librarian hawking rapiers in SOTN, or a cloaked fool with rocket launchers on offer FOLLOWING you around in RE4 -- and those are two of the best games ever made.

I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!

But that's no more ridiculous than a fucking librarian hawking rapiers in SOTN, or a cloaked fool with rocket launchers on offer FOLLOWING you around in RE4 -- and those are two of the best games ever made.

Lol...touche. Might be another one of my personality quirks coming out in why this one got to me more than those. Especially when there are about an infinite number of weird "this doesn't make any logical sense" things in games. Like how I'm playing Red Faction Guerrilla -- where you can have 500 soldiers on your heels ready for blood...and they immediately lose you and all enemy alerts revert to calm the minute you enter a safehouse. Which apparently can't be found by enemy troops even though they tend to be short treks off major roads.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

Haha. Typical stealth game issue, I guess. How is that game? It's been so long since I played a game that really captured my imagination. I've been playing Dead Nation, since I got it free from Sony, and it started out pretty cool. But now, five areas in, I realize that I have another five areas of the same exact thing to look forward to. I feel like game designers make something pretty cool and then they stretch it out way too long ...and ironically, the game buying public then complains that games aren't long enough.

I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!

Anyway, bad manners--I haven't read your review yet.

Now I have. Nice, irreverent look at the game. I understand where you're coming from, reviewing this thing well after better games have come along in the same vein.

A small catch toward the end:

"I find myself more interesting in playing captivating and interesting titles, as opposed to somewhat inferior clones of those games."

Should be "more interested". That being said, you may want to use another word since you have interested again later in the same sentence.

Not that you asked. ^_^

I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!

I feel like game designers make something pretty cool and then they stretch it out way too long

Ha ha ha ha that's funny because I'm playing L.A. Noire oh god.

You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.

Ha, so our resident pro, Tom Chick had it right?

I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!

But...I find myself more interesting! Er...nice catch, I mean.

Overall, I'm looking at Guerrilla as a 9 or so. It has its flaws and all, but I just love to destroy things in its world. Buildings, bridges, propane tanks, etc. They all go *boom* and I feel a bit happier with each one!

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

I always find myself more interesting.

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Ha, so our resident pro, Tom Chick had it right?

On a more general message board, L.A. Noire became a hot topic of discussion. Over the last few weeks, talk has gone from "It looks so awesome! The trailer kicks ass!" to "Just got it and this is a blast!" to "I'm most of the way through it and it's fun and all but the cases are repetitive". So, in short, I'm guessing he did have it right.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

You nailed my exact issue with Lament of Innocence - I soon found myself running through rooms as quickly as possible to avoid fighting anything, then at some point I wondered why in an action game I would have to do so. Experience may give the opportunity to cheese out by grinding, but nobody forces you to do so. I'll take getting a tangible payoff for what I'm doing over Lament's approach any day.

I do think the trouble I had with so many of the bosses can be directly linked to the fact that I ran too often to properly learn my moves, though.

"Deep in the earth I faced a fight that I could never win. The blameless and the base destroyed, and all that might have been. -- GK"

I had that same issue. Particularly with the more mobile bosses like the elemental fighters. They'd be flying around and pummeling me and I'd find myself basically avoiding them and trying to counterattack when I could. Which would lead to me going through potions constantly which would lead to me wasting time harvesting money to buy more. I'm sure I could have handled fights like that a lot more easily if I'd done more with the battle system, but when there's usually no reason to do so other than unlocking doors the first time you enter a room, it's easy to wind up doing little besides the most basic stuff because you don't really take the time to learn the more combo-riffic moves.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle