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GAME REVIEWS
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
It's been 17 years since the arrival of the first Castlevania game, and now it has appeared once again on PlayStation 2. After trying out Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, I figured I should try out Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.
One major thing that separates this title from most other Castlevania games is the use of a 3D platform rather than the traditional 2D style of play. Two Castlevania games were released for Nintendo 64, however there were a few tweaks with the game.
Lament of Innocence takes place before the first game. You assume the role of Leon Belmont, one of the most powerful knights of the 11th century. Your soon to be bride, Sara, is taken by the vampire Dracula to his castle in a forest covered in an eerie darkness. As the story unfolds, you will learn the origins of the Belmont Clan, the power of the legendary whip and the beginnings of Dracula.
The gameplay of Lament of Innocence is similar to the previous Castlevania games. Even with this game in 3D, it still has most of the components
from the side-scrolling titles. You search your way through Dracula's castle slaying monsters, solving puzzles and collecting artifacts to help you on your journey. The 3D graphics for Lament of Innocence are decent, but need some extra work. For instance, the use of different cameras is necessary when trying to explore Dracula's castle thoroughly. However, because Lament of Innocence uses a fixed camera, exploration becomes nearly impossible. I found one level-up item simply by luck. The absence of a lock-on system is really not a necessity. Because your main weapon is a whip, your attacks can cover a wide area and hit multiple targets.
Using the map system in Lament of Innocence is truly necessary when playing. In past Castlevania games, it was fairly easy to get lost in the intense 2D maze of Dracula's castle. With the use of map markers, you can place special highlights on rooms you want to remember.
The game style of Lament of Innocence is found in many action/adventure games today. Instead of pure hack and slash, the game is more "fight when necessary while solving puzzles more often." Castlevania: Lament of Innocence could become a game that goes down in Castlevania game history.
Chris Moore
Grade: B
Chaos Legion
Once again Capcom has come up with yet another game where demons are the main course. Chaos Legion has a similar tone to that of the Devil May Cry series. The environment, the monsters and even the music resemble that of the game series.
You play the game as Sieg Warheit. You are sent on a mission to find an old friend who has become one of your enemies, Victor Delacroix. To assist you on your battles with the Underworld is a cool looking sword, as well as a slew of monsters known as Legions. As you progress through the game you will gather more and more Legions to fight alongside of you.
As you and your Legions fight more, they can become stronger and you will be able to summon more of them. However, you can only equip two types of Legions per stage. This aspect of the game makes it more difficult. For example, some Legions are strong against metallic monsters and some are weak against them. Because you have no idea which stage has which monsters, you're left to guess which Legions are appropriate to use. Each Legion has its own special talent for certain aspects of combat.
The experience system is fairly easy to understand. As you hit more and more enemies you gain experience for your character. The way your Legions get experience is determined by how much they contribute in combat. The more they fight, they more they get. You get the chance to power-up your Legion between each stage to make it more powerful and able to withstand stronger enemies. Also when they level up, you and your Legions will obtain more useful skills.
The graphics for Chaos Legion show off a great gothic-style environment. From the buildings, all the way down to the ruins of castles are displayed vividly.
The controls are similar to that of the Devil May Cry platform style of gaming. The key to survival is to slash and dodge
attacks. It does take a little more care when controlling your Legions, but it doesn't become too difficult to control. Your Legions have different modes of combat, but once you determine what each mode does, you'll be able to control them easily.
Chaos Legion is a game that becomes addictive quickly. The style and gameplay aren't groundbreaking, but it seems to work for fans of the genre.
—Chris Moore
Grade: A
F-Zero GX
Captain Falcon returns on the Nintendo Gamecube for another round of racing at high speeds and insane twist and turns.
F-Zero GX is lot similar to its predecessor, F-Zero X for Nintendo 64. You pick a car to race and try to snatch victory in the F-Zero Grand Prix. Yet in F-Zero GX, there is an actual story mode you can play. In story mode, you play as Captain Falcon and undertake numerous racing missions. One example is where you must dress up like a silly looking magician and win a race for an old man you met at a bar. The big downside of this feature is that in order to progress the story, you must purchase each chapter in
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jayplay
thursday. december 11, 2003