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Castlevania - Innocence Lamented, 3D Debated
Thanks to GameSpot for their review of Castlevania:Lament Of Innocence for PlayStation 2, released today in the U.S., as they pronounce this "new 3D installment" to be "a fun, though fairly short and simple, game that marks a promising new beginning for this beloved series." GameSpy also have an interview with the creator, Konami producer Koji Igarashi, but end up judging the title a "very playable but somewhat dull game", and 1UP try a different tack by nominating the Top 10 Belmonts, discussing the "Belmont family of vampire hunters", before ruling similarly to the other reviews, albeit with a more upbeat edge: "Taken on its own terms, Lament of Innocence is a resounding success, and one of the best 3D action games on PS2." Would you prefer the Castlevania series stuck to 2D, or is 3D the only way to truly evolve it?
Or at least it shouldn't be. Maybe everyone just wants to run around in a 3d environment doing combos judged on style. If that's the case and I'm in the minority, I'm fine with that. When I loaded up Super Mario Sunshine for the first time and got to the game choosing screen (with Mario on a 2d field and jumping up to hit a block with your game choice), I found that that's the game I wanted to play - the good looking 2d side scroller where I jump up and hit blocks. Maybe get an invincibility star or something once in a while.
The old formulas aren't all played out. Switching to 3d will not necessarily make things fresh and exciting and instantly subject the game to critical acclaim. That's why the GBA Castlevania games, even when releasing a new one every year, still get good reviews - they're good games in a 2d environment that are fun and allow some freedom and exploration. It's still all about gameplay and looking good, not the ability to move in 10 different directions.
Personally I'll always prefer the 2D games, and I'd love to see them carry on development for that style as well. However, eventually the series has to find it's way (back) to 3D, like it or not I suppose. Castlevanis has always meant a unique and fun experience to me. This series has a fantastic style and feeling to it that's all it's own.
I would love to see Konami keep that unique sensation when moving to 3D. Unfortunately I had bad feelings about this new game from the first few screenshots. The graphics aren't looking too hot, and I personally don't like the centralized level structure they used. I also don't want to do *combos* with my whip. I'm pretty sick of combos in games. If they had a convincingly elastic whip that you could use to wrap around enemies heads and throw them, or pop the skulls right off of the skeletons, that would be tons more fun as well as adding something unique back into the franchise. This outing seems to have lost a lot of the arcade goodness that has made the series so much fun.
This is a topic of which I am thouroughly interested. I think there is definitely something to be said about your classic side-scroller games like super mario brothers, contra, and castlevania. Taking these games into the realm of 3D, and all the benefits therein, does not mean you have to take away the all important side-scrolling aspect though. The latest smash brothers game is a good example of what I'm talking about. Granted the genre of that particular game does not allow it much extension into the free-roaming aspect of other games, but it serves at least as a visual guide for other games to follow suit.
That aside, there are also some very key places that I would much prefer a very detailed free-roaming 3D environment. If the game was focused on story moreso than gameplay and using camera angles and lighting to set moods and create drama, then there is a good reason to implement a free-roaming environment. I think that is where these new itereations of Castlevania and its look-alikes (Devil May Cry) are pushing towards.
This is not to say that gameplay is not an important factor, however, highly satisfying gameplay in a free-roaming environment requires some level of complexity that simply does not exist on your side-scroller games. Following this argument, if storyline and plot aren't incredibly key to your game's entertainment factor, you may want to consider making the game into a side-scroller, whether it be in 3D or 2D. I haven't actually played it, but I think Viewtiful Joe would be a prime example of this.
I couldn't agree more.
I'm worried that Lament won't live up to Symphony or Aria.
IMHO, massive portions of most people's entire game libraries fail to live up to Symphony where I'm concerned. That game still stands as the high-water mark for what a 2d adventure/platformer should be like.
If lament fails to live up to the franchise name, Konami should seriously re-visit Symphony and use it as a template for their next Castlevania title.