Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 stakes its predecessor's problematic camera, keeps the Gothic flair

Castlevania has always inspired a devoted following, and the long lines at Konami's E3 booth are testament to the franchises' enduring appeal.

Despite being very much a now-generation game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2's E3 demo is as rich and detailed as fans of the previous game would expect. There are evident improvements on the 2010 3D franchise-reboot, which closes out this chapter of lead character Gabriel Belmont's story.

The previously problematic camera positioning was not in evidence, giving the player much more control over viewpoint. Developer MercurySteam has stuck to Lords of Shadow's focus on combo-evasion combat sequences and powerful weapons, such as the blood-whip, with the added benefit of a fittingly dark storyline that places Gabriel in the role of Dracula, adding to his roster of unnatural powers to put against outlandishly oversized bosses, bursting with Gothic overkill.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is due out in late 2013 for Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Grid View