"When A "3D Versus Action" Game's Best Aspect is the Music, Something Is Wrong"

INTRO:

From the moment I heard the generic voice say "CASTLEVANIA... JUDGMENT" and saw the unfamiliar logo at the Disc Channel, I knew something was going to make me upset when I played this game. As if the bondage Raito-Simon on the cover wasn't enough to steer anyone away. Thank god I didn't buy it myself. The game maintains a few Castlevania elements that you can recognize, but overall, it's not an impressive or standout game, and is actually quite broken, honestly.

CONTROLS/GAMEPLAY:

I haven't played with any set-up aside from the Wii Remote & Nunchuk. And for a review, that is all I need. It is a Wii game. While I have options, the Wii Remote is the standard, and what the game should be rated by, not by alternatives that you must purchase separately.

The controls are simple, Wii Remote houses Attacks, Special Attacks, Items, and the special "Final Smash"-style moves while the Nunchuk takes care of Blocking, Jumping and movement. You can run around on the field and break things to get Items and Hearts (to use said Items). It's a little similar to the Clash of Ninja (Naruto) games on Wii, so those familiar with that scheme may have a little more fun than those not used to that.

While those controls are fine, it's a matter of execution and connection. I've countlessly hit opponents with moves only to have it not connect, even when they aren't blocking and I clearly hit them. I've also had times where I keep getting hit and I'm unable to either get up, block, or even remotely do anything about it and for some reason can't have the same luck.

A bigger problem is, and I am not sure how well this works with all characters, but you can practically win by just waving the Wii Remote back and forth and randomly holding the B trigger. You can accompany this with jumping constantly, and sometimes using an Item. Some items are less avoidable and work better for these broken tactics. Some characters are perfect for this spammable style, like Maria, definitely.

This breaks the gameplay terribly. Even though it is an easy to use method of fighting, it also can totally gimp your opponent, meaning the match can be one-sided and requires no skill whatsoever to win. This is a design flaw, and means the game requires more balancing of items, characters and attacks.

A final note is the special moves, which are similar to the specials in Naruto or the Final Smashes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They are relatively easy to understand and use, but can get blocked or dodged in strange ways, some are more powerful than others, and all of them halt gameplay to show you an entirely unnecessary cutscene that lasts for a long time (Maria's is one of the longest) and will even make you watch the whole thing sometimes after you've already died. This is ridiculous because it completely disconnects from the gameplay and destroys the pace. It also is just not fun to watch or experience after the first 5 times. It gets stale really fast.

Unlike Dragon Ball Z or Naruto, there's no onscreen interaction. And with Brawl, you get a split second close-up and then the attack happens and you still feel connected to the game and aren't pulled out (exception: Captain Falcon) and you can try avoiding them even after they start.

The controls are simple, but the gameplay itself is totally ridiculous.

As for online, I hate the gameplay too much to even want to bother with playing online. I played people in Vs and it didn't make it any more fun. Sorry that I cannot comment on this aspect.

Stages have hazards (gimmicks, as they are called), which can be turned off (a plus!), but there isn't much different between them except a few have ringouts and the Clocktower can be all messed up.

STORY/STORY MODE:

This actually sticks out as being kinda expected and Castlevania-like in some aspects of its corniness. It definitely feels like a bad Castlevania story, and the characters share some personality traits with their original versions. However, all of the stories start with the same thing, and they all result in Text Endings and the story is not really good enough to merit completing. It's the same thing all the way through and you don't really feel like you've accomplished anything aside from unlocking 4 (or 2 if you have Ecclesia) characters. The story mode consists of several normal fights, with about 3 cutscenes thrown in that vaguely tell what's going on, and a "BATTLE" stage with several generic enemies from the series and then a giant enemy you must fight. It doesn't really do anything for the mode though, and just feels like a cheap way to try to justify "3D versus action" by having it there.

ART/GRAPHICS:

The art style is one that you will either hate or love. Fans of anime will probably love it for no reason other than that, and those who didn't grow up with the series won't care. Those who are Castlevania fans, which this game was MADE for, since it's the main selling point that "classic Castlevania characters" are meeting together from across the series, will probably be in horror.

The art direction was taken over by the artist behind the famous "Death Note" series. That's cool for fans of that series, but almost none of the characters are recognizable to anyone who has grown up playing Castlevania. When the selling point is the fans of the series, you'd think they would be recognizable. Especially when most of the characters are from the original games, with the exception of Shanoa and Aeon, really (a few oddballs like Cornell). Grant with 3 unzipped flies to some magical pants? What is that? And the weird bondage clothing for Simon and Trevor... And I don't know what is up with Dracula and is octopus nipples, but that's not something I remember. It's true that art directions change over time, as Simon's definitely changed once before. The problem is when you completely change them and then use those characters as the selling point. It's like making Mario into an African American with no mustache and giving him a slingshot that shoots fireballs. What is that? So while the art isn't TERRIBLE, it's not going to sell it to the intended market.

The graphics are pretty bad for a game in this generation, even for Wii. The models are not up to par with other games of its genre or on the Wii in general. Even PS2 games have some better models and texturing than most of Judgment.

The opening cutscene, even with the art style that I dislike, is really cool though, and the graphics are nice. Too bad the game doesn't look more like that. And maybe less ridiculous costumes.

AUDIO:

The music is fine, one of the best aspects. Fans of the series will recognize most, if not all, of the tracks and be glad to hear some returning Castlevania III music like Clockwork. Stages don't have their own music though, music is tied to the characters (Player 2, to be exact) so if you want to hear certain music, you have to have someone play that character in Player 2, otherwise, enjoy hearing the same song over and over.

The voices, to an extent, are okay, but some are over dramatic, and some of the dialogue itself is just terrible on the writers' parts.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

It's not that I hate this game. It is playable for a few rounds, but it gets old fast and is really only enjoyable if you don't care much for gameplay as you do for it looking cool and like having a good work out of waving your arm. Which is fine if you do. Or if you like the art style. Then I can recommend the game to you.

But if you're a huge fighting game fan, that likes games that require skill, or if you are a Castlevania fan, I can't tell you to even touch this game. It will just piss you off and/or destroy your childhood.

PROS/CONS:

PROS
+ Can turn off stage hazards
+ The music is recognizable
+ Familiar items, personalities and names
+ Controls are relatively simple
+ Story feels like a bad spin-off Castlevania
+ Good work out for your right arm

Alternate Pros:
~ If you like anime, you will like the art style
~ If you like Kingdom Hearts, you will like Maria
~ If you play Pit in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you will like Maria

CONS
- Characters are unrecognizable to fans
- Music is tied to player 2, so if player 2 plays the same character, you will never hear different music.
- Controls are broken; Can win just by waggling and jumping the whole time.
- Characters are broken.
- Story feels like a bad spin-off Castlevania
- Dialogue is horrendous
- Graphics are below the Wii's capabilities
- Text endings and "battle stages" are tacked on and there is no sense of accomplishment in the game.
- Loading for character portraits.

Overall, I don't fully hate it, but it's a pretty bad game overall and I wouldn't recommend it unless you can play it for free, or if you don't care about whether or not you can win entirely by waving a remote around. <3

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/09

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