Castlevania Judgment

"Judgment Never Felt So Good!"

So now that I've been playing Judgment for around 16 hours, and after beating the 'True' Story mode with every character, I felt it would be a good time to share my 2 cents. I am one of the many who looked askance as the facts and images for this intriguing fighter crisscrossed the internet before release. At first I was shocked by the outlandish and unexpected ( but not ugly ) new character designs, and was worried that Konami was going to rush out a poorly made, aggravating and ultimately forgetful new 3-D Castlevania game. Boy was I wrong.

Rarely in recent history have I been so glad A) that I was wrong but also B) that I put a hold on a game I was very on the fence about. But enough of my opinions, down to some concrete facts.

Story - 8 / 10
Admittedly there are some silly aspects to the overall story mode, and granted this mode could make more use of cinematics like the stunning one which precedes the title screen. However, as the whole point of story mode is to flesh out the characters and to give them an excuse to beat the crud out of the other characters, I felt Judgment did a surprisingly good job. Every character felt unique and, for me, fresh. Who ever knew about Maria's teenaged ' angst ' ? And who would have thought that Carmilla could have such a bittersweet story? Overall a fun and engaging mode, which is shy of a perfect score primarily because it doesn't take advantage of cinematics and also because it IS a little tedious beating it a 2nd time with every single character.

Graphics - 9 / 10
I don't care what anyone else says, I for one love the graphics in the game. Yes, Obata's designs may not represent the canon designs hardcore Castlevania fans have grown up to know and love, but let's be serious. How closely could he follow a 2-D design without being forced to take liberties to render it in 3-D? I hear a lot of complaints about Grant, for example, but in my mind he never had a particular look, only a particular means of attack. He was just the knife throwing guy. Now, for better or worse, I can't forget his unique style of attire. And in general, I've come to accept and appreciate every character's unique design. In terms of game play, the characters all move fluidly, with beautiful and devastating attacks. I'll be the first to say that I'm not a graphics snob. I don't count pixels. Nonetheless, as long as you're not a graphics snob either, you won't be disappointed. Finally, I'd be remiss not too mention the voice acting in this game. While this technically isn't a graphics issue, it is something that most players aren't hearing about. I love the voice acting in this game, finding that it defines and represents the unique character of the characters as well as the great graphics. Not to mention the lovely and haunting soundtracks. Gotta hand it to Konami, they always have great sounds.

Game play - 9 / 10
Here's where the game is made or broken. At first glance, this appears to be a very, very simplistic fighter similar in game play style to such games as Naruto. However, this game has one key difference : It's fun. Whereas the Naruto engine felt clumsy and easy to exploit, Judgment's game play is both easy to pick up and hard to master. While it's true that most attacks and combos are executed with simple waggles of the Wiimote in conjunction with various button presses, this always feels fresh because of the variety of different play styles. No character truly plays the same ( not even Simon and Trevor ). Some are combo kings, others masters of keep away, and there's even a tank or two in the mix. And even when taken in similar categories like this, no character plays the same. This is, unfortunately, a hard point to illustrate unless you actually play the game. Suffice it to say that timing is everything, and if you want to master the game you'll need to be familiar with every character's various animations, timings and speeds. And you'll need to know how to accurately use ' cancels ', sub-weapons and guard breakers to switch up your combinations and mess with your opponents. Much like Brawl, this game takes a simple formula and transforms it into a kaleidoscope of variety.

Replay Value 7 / 10
I honestly want to give the game a better score here, but am prevented by one key reasons. While technically there is a lot of replay value provided in Judgment, it is hindered repetition. What I mean by this is that unless you really love the game, as I do, you won't feel compelled to beat Story mode twice with every character on Normal, once on Hard and once on Brutal merely to unlock accessories, pictures and sound data. Which isn't to say that these features aren't fun, it's just to say that it would be nice if the game provided a larger incentive for players to play through the game again and again and again.

Overall, if you're on the fence deciding whether to rent or buy, buy it. While Judgment may offend certain fanatic hardcore Castlevania players ( which isn't to say that all hardcore Castlevania fans are fanatics ), I have found that this game appeals greatly to players new to the series who are looking for a solid and fun fighter to spend some time with. Give it a shot.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/08

Game Release: Castlevania Judgment (US, 11/18/08)