Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

[Vic Viper]

Though screenshots and information have already appeared in print magazines, Konami's new Castlevania game was officially announced today at the company's E3 Press Conference. Officially titled Lament of Innocence, Castlevania takes place ten centuries in the past (that would be the 11th century) and gives gamers control of the forefather of the Belmont clan, Leon. A nobleman arranged to marry his love Sara, Leon is shocked when he learns that his woman is kidnapped and taken to the mysterious Dracula's Castle. Pissed off and ready to slay some vampires, Leon embarks on a journey to get her back armed only with a dagger.

"Building on a 17 year legacy, Castlevania is reinvented on the PlayStation 2 with stunning graphics, classic gameplay and an epic story," says Jason Enos, product manager at Konami of America, Inc. "Discovering the true origins of Castlevania, Dracula and the Belmont Clan are stories that fans have anticipated since the beginning, and now Koji Igarashi and his talented Castlevania team are going to reveal them for the first time."

Once the game starts, players are faced with five doors -- each leading to a different area of the castle (the cathedral, theatre, garden, alchemist laboratory, and the dungeon). Once you've gone underway, over 35 different enemies will invade Leon's private space in addition to several sub bosses and of course, Dracula himself. Classic Castlevania weapons like the whip, holy water, dagger, cross, axe, and crystal have made the return as well, and seven orbs of power can be combined with 10 action relics to create powerful special attacks.

Due out in November and produced by the Master designer Koji Igarashi himself, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is definitely one of the hottest tickets of the show. Check back with IGN for more on this super-huge title later this week, and be on the lookout for new videos, impressions, and more.

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/402/402144p1.html


http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000A09EM.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[Infernal Mass]

yep, MGS3,SH3, Now CastlVania LoI..Konami be some good peeps.

[Azuma_Ninja]

Time to start buying shares of Konami's stock:laugh: I think they're going to have a good year

[synicalgohan91]

i think that the graphics in the game look good, altough i still wish that it would stay 3d but what can u do. Looks like another version of devil may cry.

[MakgSnake]

This game may depend on its gameplay, because the screenshots I saw are pretty crappy. Well didn't impress me atleast......I was expecting some really great. They were more like first generation 3D game.

[Redpyramidhead]

First of all, don't even compare this game to Devil May Cry. Capcom tried to beat Konami to the punch by making a Castlevania clone gone 3d with classic 2d gameplay on purpose and that part is obvious...but nothing stands up to the legend of the real Castlevania. The fact that Konami has waited until now and shown no concern while riding happily along with their ingenious Gameboy Advance titles shows me that they must have a monster up their sleeve.

Btw, seems like a small amount of items to collect in tthe game compared to SYmphony of the Night. If you ever looked at a FAQ for that game and saw the ridiculous number of special abilities and ways all those items could effect your attributes and different special abilities you could perform with each one...well it was insane! And I loved it! Hope you can collect more items in the final version and also I hope you can equip/de-equip them effecting yout int/luck/strength/etc.... and be able to level up and all that rpg style stuff that made SOTN so great!

Man, I am almost more excited about this game than SH3!

_RED_ stuff

[Redpyramidhead]

Speaking of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which is probably the game of the series everybody has been holding castlevania games up to since, I pose this question:

What do you think this new Castlevania title needs to stand up to SOTN and perhaps even surpass it? WHat elements are necassary?

_RED_ stuff

[Azuma_Ninja]

originally posted by Redpyramidhead

What do you think this new Castlevania title needs to stand up to SOTN and perhaps even surpass it? WHat elements are necassary?

That's a good question. Well for one I wish it was still 2D even though it isn't, because really how can we hold it up to SOTN if it's not 2D. Besides that I think they def need to keep with the RPG feel of SOTN, and as was mentioned earlier in this thread all the numerous weapons and armor that can raise/lower your stats. That would be the best place to start to try and compete with SOTN IMO. A hidden character or maybe a second playable character I think would be pretty cool too(especially if the story was different for each character).

[goodman]

I know there are a lot of MGS fans here, but a ps2 Castlevania would rock compared to another MGS clone. This bears looking forward to!!

[Azuma_Ninja]

originally posted by goodman

I know there are a lot of MGS fans here, but a ps2 Castlevania would rock compared to another MGS clone. This bears looking forward to!!

I agree with you man, but I think a lot of people won't I mean there's a whole forum dedicated to MGS and not Castlevania. But who knows maybe after it's released it will get it's own. Only time will tell.......or the moderators:laugh:

[Redpyramidhead]

I was looking at the box for Aria of Sorrow, the latest GBA Castlevania title and it sounds the most like SOTN out of the games since so far. I'm gonna try to find a used copy next time I'm out. Even if they don't quite have that same feel of sotn in the PS2 version, atleast hopefually they can only improve on that idea on the GBA (provided they keep making castlevania titles for it) without being distracted by the lure of wanting to go 3d.

I have not completely lost faith in Lament of Innocence simply becuz it's gone some kind of 3d route, yet. Rygar, for example worked out fine that way. It's the RPG elements, like I said, that I want to demand from Konami to make sure they are in there. We should sign a petition and send it to them and if it pushes game development back a little, it might even be worth the wait, IMO!
BUt who knows, maybe they're already in there. THat's not a very detailed preview up there.

Hey remember the sword/ sheild combinations with Alucard? those were awesome! I liked the nude women that would appear as you cast the spells ;)

Actually, as much as MGS is a great series, I have always liked Castlevania much much more.

_RED_ stuff

[Vic Viper]

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/castlevaniatentativetitle/screenindex.html :pimp: :happy:

[Frozen]

Hey Viper, I... I... I love you.

I was expecting the next Castlevania to be side scrolling though... but I will definitely buy it with no hesitations whatsoever.

[omni vengeance]

Gotta get..new...Castlevania...

[Frozen]

And talking about this game standing up to SOTN... given the fact it's not 2D, there would be no fair comparisson in between. As far as I've heard this game will not have the level-up feature SOTN does, however, I do not think a game is better or worse just because it has leveling up or not, it really depends on the game itself, and there are many games which are good enough as not to need that feature.

The only game, I think, that could be done in order to be compared, and then surpass SOTN, would be a game with high-resolution/definition sprites, blended with 3D backgrounds. Pretty much what SOTN was, but with a definition much better than SOTN, using PS2's power, plus, maybe, some zoom-ins in certain secuences, or something like that, and maybe even having some CG's anime-style when about to confront a boss. Then of course, keep all otehr elements of SOTN's gameplay.

And hell, being able to play with Alucard again :D

Now that I think about it, would it not be cool to play as Dracula himself, against some other kind of evil, in the after-life? Trying to redeem himself for his atrocities?

Just letting a little bit of my imagination go out :B