Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Back when I got my first Xbox360 console (yes, little late to the game), this was one of the first titles I played on it. Let me just say that I went through a dozen or so games afterward before I found something that I enjoyed as much as this game. Having played God of War back in the day, I instantly recognized the similarities between the two games but it never felt plagiarized, instead it felt like the perfect gift to those of us who are more inclined to the darker genres. Not having played the other Castlevania games, I can't compare them at all, but playing this made me a bit sorry for missing them. As other reviewers have stated, you don't have control of the camera at all, which is a little jarring at first, but you get used to it and it's not such a terrible thing as everyone makes it out to be, because the camera is usually pointed right towards that gigantic Gothic castle or that eerie decrepit tower in the distance (for example), and it does a great job of showing you what you need to see, and there is much to be seen. The combat is pretty much GoW-fare, with Gabriel wielding a combat cross to battle all sorts of enemy types. The titan/undead dragon traversal were moments where my palms got sweaty as I clung on for dear life to giant animated stone giants that constantly tried throwing me off. The quick time events are a bit distracting but that's not so bad. The bosses are fun and the puzzles are challenging but not too difficult. Some may argue that this game is derivative and unoriginal. They might be right, but I have never had so much fun playing something so "unoriginal" and "derivative". And I liked the twist at the end after the credits... Nice little setup for the sequel, although not explained exactly how or why. One of the most gorgeous games that I have played, without a doubt.