Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

[Galactus]

Konami on Wednesday showcased the latest entry in its Castlevania reboot, the MercuryStream-developed Lords of Shadow 2, to journalists willing to brave the long demo lines.

Lords of Shadow 2 (LoS2) builds up the original game's solid foundations by adding new attacks, bigger set pieces, and more action. The game picks up after the first game's events in which hero Gabriel Belmont transformed into Dracula, the prince of darkness. The 20-minute hands-on demo I played boasted familiar, but more tightly weaved gameplay than its predecessor. A tutorial level within Dracula's castle brought me up to speed on the controls—you can jump, evade, block/parry, and land light and heavy attacks. Combos are timing based, so patience and creativity nets hard-hitting results.
E3 2013

Gabriel swings his blood whip, but he also has flaming Chaos Claws (which break through defenses) and a Void Sword (which drain foes of life when you land a hit and helps recover Gabriel's own life force). Beyond the demo levels, Konami said that you can gain new moves and level-up pre-existing ones as you progress.

Our protagonist is a vampire, so he thirsts for blood. You can give it to him by tapping a "feed" button when you're near a stunned enemy. Doing so causes Dracula to go in for a life-bar restoring snack. The demo also showcased puzzles and light platforming which broke up the combat nicely.

The first LoS was criticized for being too heavily influenced by other blockbuster games like God of War. Those who play LoS2 will probably have those thoughts all over again, especially when a hulking, screen-filling boss steps up to battle. Still, it's a well-made game, despite the familar feel.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will be available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and for the PC on 2/25/2014.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 E3 2013 Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAAU7QKwCpk

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 - E3 2013 Stage Demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxgk6HRw1kA