Quick Look: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

HAHAHA TIME FOR ZOBEK!!!!!

Who you gonna call?

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!

Dammit Vinny. I was about to go to sleep. :(

EMBARGO LIFTED

Tell me your most sordid of tales Zobek

I told you never to call Zobek!

I was sent here by Zobek.

Zobek up in this piece!

Business Zobek will now take your calls.

Nice! I kind of dug the first one.

Disable-able QTEs - this is the future :o

Awww dangit! I read satan as santa at first. See that would be a much more interesting game: "Stop the return of Santa and the ensuing end of humanity".

That cloak looks mighty starchy.. Makes me think of how great the cape in the Batman games is.

Looks like there's some frame rate issues, or maybe it's just the video.

THAT'S NOT COFFEE! *Demon Eyes*

<3 you Vinny

Oh Zobek, it's been too long =)

I don't get the QTE-phobia people have at all. I'd rather be doing something during an animation rather than just sitting there. It's like playing a little mini game for me. Jeff and Vinny talk about it like it's so terrible that the game is asking you to interact with it on a regular basis. I mean for spinning cogs and whatever sure, I getcha, I don't like hammering down on a button either - but during combat for finishers I don't see an issue there at all.

Wait, so the original Lords of Shadow was a good game? I was always on the fence about it during Steam sales.

@adequatelyprepared: I really enjoyed it. On sale, definitely grab it.

*Presses Y*

Wait, I see a suit. This game is false.

GHOULS!!!!

I don't mind QTEs during gameplay, but during something like cut-scenes, I'd rather put the controller down for a minute to stretch my fingers or drink some water.

I just finished Resident Evil 4 HD that I bought a couple of years ago but never got around to actually playing (now that I don't have much money these days), and I would die during certain cut-scenes because I would temporarily forget there were occasional prompts.

For "finishers" for a boss, the only problem I have is prompts taking focus away from the actual action. Games have gotten better with it -- Heavy Rain I remember did it really well -- but a lot of times in the past it would be, "Man, that would have been really cool to watch if I wasn't staring at the bottom half of screen."

HELP ME ZOBEK

GOTY 2014?

@humanity: I'd just rather there not be stupid long animations happening constantly. If it's quick and to the point(more of a button prompt than an actual QTE) I'm usually fine with it, but most are just an annoyance and make animations last even longer and take control of the game away from me longer and that I don't like. Also any QTEs that have be having to tap ridiculously fast and if I don't tap fast enough for the game I die or the door I'm trying to open closes or something can go die in a lake somewhere. That shit is just stupid and should never be in video games ever again.

YOU HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE POINTS TO BUY A NEW SKILL

@wjb: @jesushammer: As I said - mashy QTE's I'm also not a fan of, but hearing people constantly complain about having to do QTE's like it's the world worst evil is tiring. I guess I just don't mind it that much so it's hard for me to understand the people that seem to get really offended by them.

@humanity: They're super tedious and uninteresting. How can it be hard to comprehend why people wouldn't find timing puzzles which are barely interactive fun? They only serve to punish you for being surprised, you have no control over what happens and they pull focus. They have no redeeming features.

I am glad that the news reporter is covering the Satan returns news and simultainiously we can check if this is effecting the British pound against the Nasdeq

Satan is the king of darkness and Dracula is the prince of darkness. I think this makes more sense than Jeff's theory.

@jensonb: They keep me engaged in the game and clicking buttons, rather than leaning back and watching long cinematics until my TV dims.

EDIT: In fact you'll think me a monster, but what I'd enjoy even more than button prompts would be if when you pulled a lever a reticule flew past several prompts that you'd have to hit as it goes past. I actually like those sort of time based QTE's quite a bit.

Fuck the review scores, it had me at cigarette in the eye.

I would buy a Giant Bomb related "Call Zobek" t-shirt in a heartbeat. Also, this game looks solid! When I get done with the original Lords of Shadow I'll definitely be picking this up.

Castlevania without the estrogen. It am glad this being handled by a different team. The Igarashi era was getting weird.

"How do you get Humanity back?

"Eh you gotta farm rats or something"

Jeff didn't understand that bit of business

The idea of Dracula buying items from some little shit, instead of just leaping over the counter, pummeling him and taking what he wants is absurd.

The QTE thing is interesting. I wonder if more games will include an option to just outright skip them.

And I think Vinny explained it but why the fuck is Dracula in present day? When he entered that car garage or whatever I was like "huh"? Kind of weird.

Also what's with that weird camera stuttering?

that dramatic stare at the beginning made me laugh so hard I spit vegetable soup all over my keyboard -_-

I liked Castlevania 64 :(

@humanity: You SAVAGE :P

On another note entirely, the caption font in this game is so dissonant. It's bananas. You've got this appropriate gothic styling on the menu, and then all around are these modern sans serif button labels. Bizarre.

@jensonb: oh yah definitely. I kept thinking the same thing throughout the QuickLook - like wow they made this whole fake book and everything and it's like Calibri or something for all the on-screen stuff. I can't remember if it was like that in the first game but this is kinda jarring.

@zzombie13: 10/10

They actually seems to have made it worse than the first one, somehow.

Somehow Vindogg managed to make me interested in this over the last few weeks, but as soon as he said 'stealth missions' I was alllllll the way out.

How did they manage to make playing as Dracula in present day look so fucking tedious? Supposed Prince of Darkness jogs through corridor after slightly different one-way corridor, freezing water pipes and pulling levers, going on fetch quests and pressing circle to turn into a sodding rat?

VAMPIRES TURN INTO BATS

Does anybody know if you can play as Alucard at any point?

This would make certain games just movies. :P