Castlevania: Judgment (Wii)
Lame game lacks depth, variety and fun
12/2/2008 7:15 PM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2
What's Hot: Multiple game modes, including online Wi-Fi play; Many weapons, items, locations and accessories; Three ways to control the game
What's Not: Clunky controls; Fighting lacks depth; Rounds over too quickly; Game is too easy; Couldn't find opponents online; So-so graphics
Marc Saltzman
Status: This status message, and everything it says, is a lie!
Winning a round boils down to getting a KO, throwing the opponent out of the ring or in some cases, time running out with your stamina meter higher than your opponent's (but because rounds are quick, don't expect to see the latter). Environments vary, but lack innovation: there is a cathedral with breakable stained-glass windows, a cave with crystal stalagmites you can use against enemies, an elaborately adorned throne room, the inside of a clock tower, and a trap-laden torture chamber. One locale we did like, however, was a ghost ship that rocks back and forth; tentacles from a sea monster slap onto the deck and you need to stay balanced while fighting or you'll end up overboard. The 3-D fighters and environments look OK, but are a bit muddy and low-definition compared to other recent fighting games, such as
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, but this is more likely due to the hardware limitations of the Nintendo Wii than the game itself.
The harder they come...
Castlevania: Judgment at least gives you many game modes to play. Along with the main Story mode, the game also offers: Training, Tutorial, Arcade (one player against the computer), Castle (fight from room to room to get to Dracula), Survival (one player; see how many opponents you can take on in a row), Versus (two players on the same television) and Wi-Fi. But before you get excited about the ability to fight a friend in another city, know that we couldn't log into the online lobby despite numerous attempts. We saw the "Searching for an opponent" message and a "Ranking Server" list with top scores and player names, but couldn't find or challenge another player.
It's unclear how much fighting game fans or even Castlevania lovers will get out of this Wii exclusive. The gameplay -- marred by simple controls and little character depth -- barely hovers above mediocrity. Perhaps those who believe the Castlevania series can do no wrong should rent this disc for the weekend, but they will likely have it back in the jewel case within an hour or two.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
