Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Critic Reviews

Complete with giant bosses, exciting gameplay, days of exploration, and an involving narrative, this is the best Castlevania game in years. More importantly, it’s Castlevania in 3D but done right.

A change for the better - and much better than anyone could have imagined. It has the right feel, the right look, and the combat system has yet to be bettered in this genre.

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence will make gamers cry tears of joy. It's a lovable, enjoyable game that, while not quite perfect, is clearly a classic. It's almost as good as Aria of Sorrow.

The gameplay isn't terribly innovative, but C:Lol takes everything we love about Castlevania, and moves it into lush, gorgeous 3D. And that's a fantastic accomplishment!

Strangely enough, the key to the game's success may very well be the restricted camera. Yes, saying so is likely to get us branded as gaming heathens, but for Castlevania, it works and it works well.

While it can definitely be beaten the first time through in less than eight to 10 hours, its plethora of hidden goodies, unlockable playable characters, and incredible Halloween-like atmosphere should give fans more than enough reasons to go back. But more than anything else, it's just plain fun.

This game has something that very few games manage to capture; it is just pure fun. Balancing the challenge of the game with a good mix of enemies, bosses, and storyline, it simply works.

Indisputably Castlevania, and nothing else. The action is frenzied and fluid as always. The entrancing musical score is as haunting as we could’ve ever hoped for, and the controls are virtually flawless.

While the gameplay is incredibly engaging and the 3D environments are amazing to behold, Lament of Innocence does bare the curse of being incredibly short.

One of the few video game series that succeeded in keeping up with the flow of time without giving away too much of its original spirit.

The camera is a bit odd and the fact that almost all of the RPG elements have been removed may turn some people off, but the fact remains that Lament of Innocence is a fantastic classically inspired game that both hardcore fans of the series and action/platform gamers can enjoy.

The only downside is the fact that the game is easily beatable in eight hours or less, but I'm sure Castlevania fans will invest a lot more time than that.

Easy to pick up and get into, and the controls are sharp and responsive. While the main game will take most around 8 to 10 hours to beat, there are more than enough secrets to find to make it worth your effort to go back for more.

A bold success as an incendiary action game, brilliantly nuanced in its mechanics and full of atmospheric appeal. And it's also a fantastic version of Castlevania... My criticism comes, mostly, from imagining the triumphant possibilities a Castlevania adventure holds.

Proof that a Castlevania game can be done in 3D while retaining the essence of the series with great music and gameplay, and a stylized look. There's still room for improvement, but it's a great new beginning.

While it's not as cleverly structured as the pinnacle of the series, "Symphony of the Night," it resurrects that game's hallmarks of seductive exploration and satisfying topographical progress. It breathes new life back into one of viedogaming's oldest franchises.

The stroy is treated with respect and subtle class (that is, if you desregard the lackluster dialogue), with the conclusion providing the foundation for the many evenual battles between the Belmonts & Dracula.

Taken on its own terms, Lament of Innocence is a resounding success, and one of the best 3D action games on PS2.

Just don’t get this game with the expectation to play something 2d and reminiscent of "Symphony of the Night." It is short, and can be beaten in about 10 hours.

With a wide array of competent enemies and an appreciable moves list, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence offers a fine 3D action experience with an abundance of style. "Devil May Cry" fans may find this title similar on many levels, though Leon's sub-weapons don't integrate quite as intimately with the melee combat as Dante's dual-handguns do.