Despite being a child of the 80s and a massive nes nerd as a kid I never got into the Castlevania series.  Even more modern games never held my interest despite being quality games.  This is why I found it odd that I bought the new game instead of Enslaved which I had been anticipating.  I wasnt really sure what to expect.  I knew the combat was God of Warish which isnt a bad thing and I knew Kojima had his hand in this somehow.  While I knew a basic overview of the story from all the games I didnt know what I was in for here and honestly despite being a couple hours into Lord of Shadow I still dont know how it fits in with the series as a whole. 
 
Being that im am only a couple hours in I also dont know how much I like the game yet.  I have no complaints about the combat, although I was hoping for more depth and I might find it as I continue to level up and unlock new things.  My only real issue so far is how linear the game feels.  Now God of War is also very linear but the levels have that massive open feel to them.  Lord of Shadow seems to be full of incredibly narrow paths that feel cramped and while it does sometimes branch they always end up at the same place.  Despite the game being so linear I also get the feeling that im somehow lost.  I know that doesnt make any sense but the feeling is there and I can never seem to shake it. 
 
Based on what I've played some far I would recommend anyone who likes action games to go ahead and pick it up.  The game is fun, its pretty and it has some really good sound design.  I just dont know where the game is going or how its going to end up.  Thats not a bad thing I guess but in this day and age thats a rarity and I suppose the fact that im in this situation might be a good thing and it might change the way i buy games.  Aside from a few min playing the demo a couple weeks ago I havent watched or read anything about this game so everything feels mysterious and fresh. 
 
Im done rambling for now, my thoughts are a bit disjointed and unlcear and ill blame that on the fact that im horribly sick and need sleep.

Despite being a child of the 80s and a massive nes nerd as a kid I never got into the Castlevania series.  Even more modern games never held my interest despite being quality games.  This is why I found it odd that I bought the new game instead of Enslaved which I had been anticipating.  I wasnt really sure what to expect.  I knew the combat was God of Warish which isnt a bad thing and I knew Kojima had his hand in this somehow.  While I knew a basic overview of the story from all the games I didnt know what I was in for here and honestly despite being a couple hours into Lord of Shadow I still dont know how it fits in with the series as a whole. 
 
Being that im am only a couple hours in I also dont know how much I like the game yet.  I have no complaints about the combat, although I was hoping for more depth and I might find it as I continue to level up and unlock new things.  My only real issue so far is how linear the game feels.  Now God of War is also very linear but the levels have that massive open feel to them.  Lord of Shadow seems to be full of incredibly narrow paths that feel cramped and while it does sometimes branch they always end up at the same place.  Despite the game being so linear I also get the feeling that im somehow lost.  I know that doesnt make any sense but the feeling is there and I can never seem to shake it. 
 
Based on what I've played some far I would recommend anyone who likes action games to go ahead and pick it up.  The game is fun, its pretty and it has some really good sound design.  I just dont know where the game is going or how its going to end up.  Thats not a bad thing I guess but in this day and age thats a rarity and I suppose the fact that im in this situation might be a good thing and it might change the way i buy games.  Aside from a few min playing the demo a couple weeks ago I havent watched or read anything about this game so everything feels mysterious and fresh. 
 
Im done rambling for now, my thoughts are a bit disjointed and unlcear and ill blame that on the fact that im horribly sick and need sleep.