Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Message Board

In Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 you play as Dracula, who over the course of many tortuous cutscenes is established as one of the most powerful beings in this game’s universe. Phenomenally mighty! Even god’s afraid of this guy!

Then a few hours in you’re told not to step on leaves in case they rustle, and attract some goatman who’ll instakill you via cutscene. It’s the worst stealth section I’ve ever played in anything, ever, and topped off by the fact that immediately afterwards you rip goatman’s face off with no trouble whatsoever. A small part of a huge game this may be, but it amply demonstrates why LOS2 totally sucks. … [visit site to read more]

Courtesy of Alzu Gaming, take a look at the opening of the newest Castlevania game, which is out today for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. There's a whole lot of God of War style jumping on a gigantic mechanical monster, and lots of blood too.Read more...

Welcome to day two of games with across the board review scores. Yesterday, it was Thief. Today it's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Once again, we skewed higher in the spectrum in our review, noting the game has the "same presentation quirks as the original," with awkward (potentially infuriating) stealth sections.

• Game Trailers (83/100): "The combat system is sufficiently deep and gives you enough mobility to manage varied groups of enemies. The timing for blocks and dodges doesn't always feel intuitive, but the more time you spend with the system, the more it grows on you."
• Gamespot (70/100): "Lords of Shadow 2 should have been a much shorter game."
• Game Informer (60/100): "This shambling monstrosity is composed of chunks from other, better games. Rather than blend them together into something new like its predecessor attempted, this one just feels like a patchwork mess."
• Eurogamer (50/100): "Sharpening the disappointment is the fact that the team at MercurySteam has already made a good game, and perhaps had an opportunity here to make a great one."
• Edge (40/100): "Lords Of Shadow 2 is clunky, ugly and deeply misguided. ... MercurySteam says this will be the final game in the Lords Of Shadow saga, and on the evidence of this cluttered, bloated and forgettable mess, it's just as well."

[Image: Konami]

Zobek and some angry vampire team up to stop the return of Satan and the ensuing end of humanity.

Garrett slides an arrow against the string of his bow, candlelight nipping at his foot — just out of reach. The guard paces the hallways in silence, unaware of the glinting metal trained at his temple. One whistle later and the guard’s body is splayed on the ground, and Garrett steps over it without a word. Just another moment in the shadowy campaign of Thief, which launches on PS3 and PS4 this week.

This reimagining of the classic stealth series arrives on PlayStation with a dark and violent story steeped in intrigue. The alleyways of the City are plagued by disease, and Garrett has awoken from a strange slumber to face immense odds stacked against him. Move through the world in silence, or leave a trail of bodies; all can be yours, if you wish it.

Alongside Garrett’s return comes another chapter in the Castlevania series. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 arrives on PS3 this week, challenging players with intricate puzzles and frenzied combat. Feast on the blood of the living, and dispatch the forces sent against our red-cloaked hero.

For a complete list of games coming to PlayStation this week, read on. And enjoy the Drop!

New PlayStation Releases This Week Basement Crawl PS4 — Digital Inspired by the classic Bomberman series, Basement Crawl features fiendish arenas with both online and offline modes. Four characters with dozens of traps and skills. Laced with a dark horror theme. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 PS3 — Digital, Retail The origin story of the Belmont family continues with Lords of Shadow 2. Wield immense weaponry and fluid combo chains against your enemies. Drain the blood of those that stand against you, and unlock the secrets of the night. Herc’s Adventures PSone Classic — Digital Seems like Greece has really fallen on some hard times ever since Hades kidnapped Persephone. Using your strength and cunning, help rescue the legendary lady and return Greece to its former glory! Magus PS3 — Digital, Retail Since the creation of the world, the gods have ruled over mankind and governed its path. But over time, people began to forget the gods and so their power waned. In the wake of this abandonment, the devoted Kinna infiltrates a prison in the Waterfall Realm to search for someone. She finds Magus, and their lives are about to change forever. Mahjong World Contest PS Vita — Digital Plunge into a host of golden tiles and compete for glory. Challenge more than 100 unique levels across a variety of difficulty modes, and earn experience to advance up the hierarchy. Pac-Man Museum PS3 — Digital Experience the roots of this iconic gaming series with a collection of Pac-Man hits from decades past. Includes nostalgia-inducing oldies and modern classics like Pac-Man Championship Edition. Port Royal 3 Gold Edition PS3 — Retail Immeasurable wealth and power await you. Set out across a massive environment across multiple campaigns, and master a complex trading system. Experience more than a dozen ship types and partake in thrilling naval battles. Tales of Symphonia Chronicles PS3 — Digital, Retail Revel in the fan-favorite JRPG as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. Embark on an epic quest with refined visuals, enhanced audio, a complete Japanese voice track, and the original theme songs. See why JRPG enthusiasts around the world sing praises of the Tales series. Thief PS3, PS4 — Digital, Retail Slink through the shadows of the City and uncover the mystery surrounding Garrett’s strange disappearance. Steal trinkets and gold as you go, and approach every situation with a personal touch. The classic stealth series is back. Demos and Betas Pac-Man Museum — PS3 Demo

The information above is subject to change without notice.

Angel-armored knights, demon scientists, and monsters from Greek myths: here's a look at what you'll face in Lords of Shadow 2.

In the upcoming Castlevania title Lords of Shadow 2, you play as Dracula. Here's one of his most useful weapons.

Our antihero has learned a lot of new moves since the first game. Come find out what you'll be using to dispense unholy justice.

The headline contains the seed of the plot for the second Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow game. It sounds like a particularly lurid SyFy movie in the vein of Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, or a ‘History’ Channel miniseries about the true meaning of Stonehenge. Either way, it sounds like a load of cobblers but that’s not to say the notion of thwacking Satan with a blood whip isn’t at least vaguely appealing. Promising exploration, open world shenanigans and ‘a movable camera’, Lords Of Shadow 2 certainly sounds like it has all the mod-cons. I’ll probably have forgotten that it’s actually coming out on PC by the time I finish writing this post but definitive proof has arrived in the shape of a demo, which you can download now.

… [visit site to read more]

Want a taste of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2? Originally available only to owners of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate HD and the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collection, the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 demo will be available for everyone today on PlayStation Store. Download it today, and draw first blood against Dracula’s many enemies in this demo, which highlights Gabriel at the height of his power.

Lash out with the Shadow Whip, a cruel remainder of Gabriel’s once holy Combat Cross, or steal your enemies’ very souls with the Void Sword. Employ my personal favorite, the Chaos Claws, to break down your foes’ defenses and smash them into a very satisfying paste. Dodge, jump and combo your way from Dracula’s own throne room to an enormous assault against Dracula’s castle, showing off differences in scale from the original Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and the many additions to the Mercury Engine that make this title bigger, better, and just like Gabriel’s turn… Darker.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is available on PS3 in North America starting February 25th. Stay tuned for a special deal for the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 digital pre-order on PlayStation Store!

Use the powerful Void Sword to shatter your demonic foes.

The sequel to Lords of Shadow is rife with interesting and unique enemies. Meet the Toy Maker, just one such devious foe.

Cam and Lucy chat about the blood-spewing Lords of Shadow sequel.

Meet the voice cast bringing the characters of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 to life.

We’re back! Our very first 2014 interview focuses on the dark world of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 with Producer Dave Cox. Then we discuss CES highlights, including my hands-on experiences with newly announced game streaming service PS Now, favorite gadgets from the show (4K TVs!), next week’s new PlayStation Store releases, and new letters. Do listen in!

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Stuff We Talked About

• PlayStation Now
• CES 2014
• Don’t Starve
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
• The Pinball Arcade
• Delayed Flights and Spelunky
• A Whole Lotta Movie Talk
• Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD

Recent Episodes

• Episode 103: Yep, It’s a Clip Show
• Episode 102: Dark and Stormy
• Episode 101: The Next Generation

Send us questions and tips: blogcast@playstation.sony.com or leave a voice message! 650-288-6706 The Cast

• Sid Shuman – PlayStation Social Media Manager
• Nick Suttner – PlayStation Account Support Manager
• Justin Massongill – PlayStation Social Media Specialist
• Ryan Clements – PlayStation Social Media Specialist

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

• Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

Editor’s Note: this article contains plot spoilers for the original Lords of Shadow.

Since time immemorial, light and dark have waged war — each side bolstered by heroes and fiends of immense station. In the Castlevania series, the Belmont family has long fought the forces of evil and sought out the end of Dracula by any means necessary. But in the first Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Konami and the developers at MercurySteam redefined the history of the Belmonts in a surprising twist. Gabriel Belmont’s tragic story will come to a conclusion in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, which launches for PS3 on February 25th.

Producer Dave Cox described Lords of Shadow 2 as a “strategic hack ‘n’ slash.” It places players in command of Dracula and his otherworldly arsenal of whips, swords, and gauntlets. With potions and relics in abundance, players will traverse a modern-day city in an effort to end Dracula’s immortal suffering.

But Lords of Shadow 2 invites players to develop much more complex battle tactics than the quintessential “mash Square to win.” Dracula has a rotating set of three combat styles that can be used to flow from one battle to the next in a river of arcane assaults. By transitioning from one weapon to the next, Dracula can chew through the opposing forces.

The “default” weapon at a player’s disposal is the Shadow Whip, which licks the air in a sizzling display of ranged attacks. Using the Shadow Whip enables Dracula to build his Focus meter, which in turn allows him to wield more powerful abilities.

When weakened, players can switch to the Void Sword — a ghostly blade with a vampiric edge. This weapon drains enemies of their health, siphoning it into Dracula. It can also be used to freeze enemies and bosses alike, opening up a variety of combos.

Then Dracula has the Chaos Claws. These fiery gauntlets can shatter enemy defenses. Soldiers hiding behind a shield will find themselves quickly exposed after a ferocious pummeling. This weapon can also lob searing motes of flame at enemies to pepper them from afar.

Players can switch between these three weapons in real-time, and even in mid-combo. Learning this combat system, and the aggressive enemy AI facing Dracula, will lead to a healthy bit of challenge, pushing players to adapt to each battle and employ the proper weapons accordingly.

Potions and relics will also affect the flow of battle. The Stolas Clock, for example, slows enemies down and even stops them in the air. Dracula can unleash combos on them as they hang helplessly, which allows him to build Focus. It’s also quite fun to watch.

Combat aside, Lords of Shadow 2 is designed for exploration. The world is much larger and more open, riddled with secret paths and treasures that may require a return visit to find. Players, for example, may stumble upon an impassable gate, but later return to phase through it with a newly acquired mist power. There are also a number of mini-games and additional challenges throughout the campaign designed to vary its pace.

Cox noted that a focused run of the main story will take approximately 20 hours to complete. Tackling additional objectives could stretch that into the 30 hour mark, promising a great deal of content for dedicated gamers.

Lords of Shadow 2 is scheduled to launch on February 25th, and boasts new weapons, abilities, items, enemies, and secrets. It’s a fast-paced, complex action game, with rich strategic potential. Castlevania fans both new and old have a lot to look forward to.

I’ll admit that it feels odd to be posting about Castlevania games coming out on PC, but it’s happening and we just have to be okay with that. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is soon set to materalise from a cloud of bats on our keyboarded shores, and once again brings with it the tale of Dracula fighting through a large, open environment, filled with demons and stuff. But why? What’s his motivation? Well, old toothypegs has been warned about the return of Satan, for some reason, and has to gather his powers so that he can kick Satan’s ass. As you do when you’re warned about the return of Satan.

Now then, where did I leave my powers? They were around here somewhere…(more…)

This trailer focuses on Dracula, the new anti-hero of the franchise.

Colin shares his insight on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 & Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD.

Oh, videogames. You make it so hard to love you. My undying adoration for oft-derided popular AAA FPSs has been echoed in recent days, but really I’m just a fan of high-octane, huge budget, nicely animated action. From Darksiders to Call of Duty, Bulletstorm to DmC there’s nothing I enjoy more than having my young white male preferences thoroughly exploited. Yet there is a line that must be drawn when something looks so generic, and tries to sell such basic concepts as new and original, that even I stop to frown. Such is the way with the latest Castlevania: Lord of Shadows 2 trailer.

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Spanish studio MercurySteam will step away from Konami's Castlevania series after it wraps up Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, series producer David Cox told Destructoid at San Diego Comic Con.

"I've always thought that this was a torch being passed down," Cox said. "Nobody on the team ever felt like we owned Castlevania. We always felt it was our responsibility now but it wouldn't be ours forever. Let's do what we're going to do, tell our story, and move on."

Cox continued: "So we've told Japan headquarters that this is the last one for us... there's nothing worse than when somebody's got something to say, and when they've said it, they just keep talking. We've got a beginning and end, and it's a cool ending and a cool story. Once we've done that, it's time to say to somebody else, 'now it's your turn.' Maybe it will be a young producer in the company looking for his first break. I think you've got to bring in fresh blood."

Cox previously expressed interest in heading up a MercurySteam-developed entry in Konami's Contra series. While a new Contra game was teased at E3 in 2011, Konami has issued no details regarding the project.

E3 is in just a few days, but that doesn't mean this week is devoid of weird and screwy GIFs the Internet likes to have fun with. Quite the contrary. So before we prepare Photoshop for undoubtedly silly GIFs from the big E3 conferences, let's see what the Internet has been up to this week. Just as we did last week, time to sort out some of the funniest and best animated stuff the Internet gave us. The sadly fake Smash Bros. scene at the top continues with another famous Nintendo character entering the arena and showing his new abilities. The following takes places between Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Solid 6. Sorry guys, to be an efficient and successful Madden player, being fit is not enough. You have to gain Kitty Pryde's ability to pass through solid matter. Hey Sir! Wake up! Wake up! Messing around with ArmA III and blowing up hundreds of cars is still fun. Konami's Pre-E3 event and the new Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 trailer showed us a new level of drama and a potential challenger to the Call of Duty dog? StarCraft II pro SeleCT shows he can save his units with style. Oh, and let's not forget about this one... Found or made an animated GIF that tops these? Hit the comments and post them! To contact the author of this post, write to gergovas@kotaku.com

Here's the trailer for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. The game picks up from the epilogue in Lords of Shadow, only with a darker story in a modern day setting. The main character is Dracula, and despite the setting, you'll still be able to see his castle. The game will have a demo at E3.

Colin Moriarty and Mitch Dyer dissect the new trailer and geek out about Castlevania lore to talk Lords of Shadow 2.

The "big, flowy coat with no shirt on underneath" look: for vampires, pro-wrestlers, and vampire pro-wrestlers only.

Don't mess with Dracula. Lords of Shadows 2 stars an angry, under-attack evil Gabriel showing his enemies who's boss.

Sharpen your stakes and, eh, blanch your garlic? Castlevania’s vampire hunting is coming back to the PC. The rebooted action adventure series did well enough on the Xbox and PS3 last year to warrant a sequel, and for some reason Konami have decided to share Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2 on the PC. I’ll bet Dracula has them in his thrall. That Vlad! What will he get up to next?(more…)

Developers deepened the combat system and emphasized the non-linear aspect of the worlds in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate.