Castlevania ~ Curse of Darkness

[Bernhardt]

Just got Castlevania ~ Curse of Darkness last night ($20, BRAND NEW!) Can't say I'm surprised on how many effects and mechanics were carried on over from Lament of Innocence.

Seems like it's going to be a much longer game. Glad to see that levels are back, now I actually have a reason to kill all those monsters, now. I see I actually have to "find" my moves now, as opposed to learning them through combat like I did in Lament of Innocence.

The "Devil-Forging" system reminds me of Chaos Legion. (How I wish Capcom would make a sequel of that game...) Not too different from Chaos Legion, or the Familar systems employed in earlier games. Disappointed to see that there are no sub-weapons; your hearts are used for your "Innocent Devils." I do believe using hearts for anything other than sub-weapons is something never before employed in the series.

My perfect Castlevania formula? Gaining levels, learning new moves (and having lots of them), equippable weapons, armor, items and other potions, sub-weapons, magic, relics, and devices for combination with sub-weapons and/or Familars, to alter their attack patterns or formations.

So far? Curse of Darkness is a decent game, at least it gives you something marginally entertaining to do while listening to the awesome music; but I still liked Lament of Innocence better, despite shortness.

[GrimReality]

I've been thinking about this game lately. Didn't sound like it was worth the $50 when it came out, but I told myself I would buy it when it was discounted. Apparently, the time has come.
Is the music as good or better than Laments? I liked that game more than it deserved to be liked, and I think it was mostly due to the great music.

[Bernhardt]

I've been thinking about this game lately. Didn't sound like it was worth the $50 when it came out, but I told myself I would buy it when it was discounted. Apparently, the time has come.
Is the music as good or better than Laments? I liked that game more than it deserved to be liked, and I think it was mostly due to the great music.

The music for Curse of Darkness is more rock n' roll-based, but don't be discouraged; it also has its share of orchestral anthems. As a matter of fact, if you have RealOne Player, you should be able to access samples off of RPGFan's "Soundtracks" page, accessible from the bar on the left, under "Music." Ahh, here's a quick link: http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/cv-curse/index.html

It's more so classic Castlevania than Lament of Innocence was, indeed, it's very upbeat.

[Ryos]

Hmm, I'll have to go look for it when I pick up PSU.  I was hoping to get it when it went $20, but for whatever reason it wasn't on shelves at all the last time I was looking for it.

[Raze]

I can't argue the flaws that reviews point out in the game, but nonetheless I found it to be a fun game. Not there yet, but step in the right direction towards a handheld quality castlevania on a console.

[Bogatyr]

Is Lament of Innocence that one you had this whip throughout the whole game? Although I did beat it, I thought it was a pretty boring and uninspired game.
On second thought, I think most Castlevania's have whips, but the one I have in mind you are this blond guy with a red costume, and there is this guy who sells you stuff in his hut just outside the castle, which is in a forest. For PS2.

[Eusis]

That's LoI. CoD has you using a sword and maybe other weapons.

I have yet to play this, some of the complaints I had from LoI were reportedly still there, so I decided tow ait for a price drop after being utterly unimpressed with LoI. I'm surprised I ever got around to beating that.

[Ryos]

Is Lament of Innocence that one you had this whip throughout the whole game? Although I did beat it, I thought it was a pretty boring and uninspired game.

I really enjoyed LoI for some reason.  There were other Castlevania titles I liked more (like SotN), but it was a fun fling.  The only major issue I had with the game (other than it being too short) was no leveling, making it somewhat pointless to kill anything.  Even if the rest of it is more of the same (or worse), at least CoD addresses that issue.

[D-Rider]

As a total Castlevania whore, I enjoyed Curse of Darkness far more than last year's other Castlevania game, Dawn of Sorrow.  It actually felt like a fresh experience, whereas Dawn was merely Aria of Sorrow with a graphics upgrade.

As much fun as using a whip was in Lament of Innocence, Curse really benefits from having a variety of ways to kill shit.  I remember the fist weapons in particular being a blast to use.

The familiars were way too overpowered though.  You could get to the last boss, set your fighting type familiar to aggressive, go take a bath, then come back to see the credits rolling. :P

Yeah, I loved Curse.  I was the only staff member to include it in their top five RPGs of last year.  I can only assume the others either didn't play it or are just retarded. :P

[Bogatyr]

It's not like I am a big Castlevania fan though. I remember SoTN - that PSX game everyone loves right? - and my friends playing it, and although I did find it interesting, I never really played it for myself.
LoI was the only one I did play and beat.

[Bernhardt]

How long did it take you to finish Curse of Darkness?

Also, you get different kinds of orbs from enemies depending on how you defeat them, and you can use these orbs to upgrade your Innocent Devils. What effects does each type of orb have on your Innocent Devils?

[D-Rider]

The only effect the crystals have on things is the evolution path the devils go down.  They don't provide stat boosts or anything like that.