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| Castlevania Judgment | 
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| From: Konami
Category: Video Games
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $45.36
You Save: $4.63 (9%)
Buy New/Used
Avg. Customer Rating:  (7 reviews)
Sales Rank: 944
Platform: Nintendo Wii
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 40077
Model: 40077
UPC: 083717400776
EAN: 0083717400776
ASIN: B001CU4EMW
Release Date: November 18, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | select from many of your all time favorite characters designed by Takeshi Obata | | • | gorgeous characters and 3D environments rendered beautifully on the wii | | • | battle across several stages with environmental elements you can use to your advantage in battle | | • | engage in head to head battle via wi-fi connectivity | | • | connect with Castlevania Order of Ecclesia NDS to unlock special items |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The battle between good and evil continues with Castlevania Judgment, the first Castlevania title for the Wii. Castlevania Judgment brings together the many generations of heroic vampire hunters, including the fearsome Belmont clan, as well as Dracula's most formidable allies, and pits them against one another in the first Castlevania fighting game ever created. Choose sides from a collection of 14 battle-tested warriors in a clash of epic proportions that will span the depths of time. Using the motion-sensing controls of the Nunchuk and Wii Remote, you can slash, stab and whip your way across a variety of stages and environmental elements with various surrounding objects as weapons. Select characters can also set traps and make use of monsters on the field to achieve victory in a clash of epic proportions. As an added bonus, you are also able to compete head-to-head using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and connect with Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on the Nintendo DS to unlock bonus gameplay content.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Kudos to Konami, a bold new fighter is born! December 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's hard to find fault here, everything it does, it does admirably.
Cool sexy characters, easy to learn - difficult to master gameplay, fun minigames, unlockables, online multiplayer, fan service with a smile...
Check. Check. Checkity-check-check!
It's pretty, silky smooth, and deliciously dark.
Konami should be commended, I never would have thought a fighter based on Castlevania would be such a great fit. I want more.
One thing, though. As others have mentioned, use the classic controller, or better yet, the Gamecube controller. This is one you don't want to use the Wiimote on. Trust me.
Ignore the haters who don't even own Wiis. They're disturbed with the success of the system, for some strange reason. If you own a Wii, and even remotely like fighters, or Castlevania, or just dark subject matter in your games, here is your next purchase.
Not a bad effort for third-party Wii exclusive December 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sometimes, albeit not often, the Wii has decent, if not stellar, third party contributions.
and...
Sometimes reviews can be wrong.
Case in point: Castlevania Judgment. A combination slasher/fighter/action title that is unfortunately destined to be headed to a premature death in the bargain bin due to both the tsunami of software releases over the next few weeks and to its less than stellar review scores. A game that really doesn't know what it's supposed to be, but yet got beaten up in the mainstream press far more than it deserved. A game that, surprisingly, manages to look fairly good graphically for a non-Nintendo title - especially to those that dig its anime-inspired over-the-top art style. A game that controls just fine, provided you toss the waggle-stick aside and put your classic controller or GCN Controller/Wavebird to good use.
Perhaps we'll never know why Iga decided to make this game rather than a true-blue 2D Castlevania title for Wii, and those who were expecting something like that are of course going to be extremely disappointed with Judgment. That being said, though, there's a lot to like here. Far more than the reviews would have you believe. So I suppose the best way to handle a review of this game into the genres which it represents, and then dealing with the typical criteria of graphics, sound, and control.
As a fighter, Castlevania Judgment is: 2.5/5
Unbalanced and toned down for the Wii audience. There are some technical moves to pull off here, but it's a very mash-friendly fighting game with a few exceptionally overpowered characters. The subweapons aren't all that useful, and "super attacks" (that are activated with a push of the X button on the GCN controller when the super meter is full) can drain an opponent of 75%+ of a life bar. There aren't that many characters to choose from, and the hazards in the environments feel like an afterthought (remember Mace: The Dark Age on N64? Yeah, kinda like that). I can't help but feel that this game wasn't meant to be a balanced fighter. All that said, it's still leaps and bounds ahead of Namco's sophomore Wii effort Soulcalibur Legends... then again, just about ANYTHING would have been better than Soulcalibur Legends.
As a third-person action game, Castlevania Judgment is: 3.5/5
More or less, if you liked the 3D titles in the Castlevania series... Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness, this game plays like a jacked-up version of the boss fights from those games. The controls are a bit different, and due to the emphasis on 1 on 1 fighting, obviously there are differences in how the game "feels", but its action roots are certainly apparent. I can't help but wonder if the game began life as a new 3D Castlevania on the Wii. Thanks, but no thanks. I actually prefer Judgment's current gameplay when compared to to running through empty corridor after empty corridor with little scenery, stopping to fight some guys, and then do the whole thing over again. Though all of these issues could have been avoided if they would have just released a real 2D Castlevania on the Wii... Judgment isn't bad, it just isn't that great either.
As a Wii game, Castlevania Judgment is: 4/5
I'll be the first to admit - I popped this game into my Wii expecting it to suck hard. Really hard.
After reading the reviews I wanted to remove it from my Gamefly queue to avoid wasting both my time and theirs. I was completely expecting a Castlevania-flavored Soulcalibur Legends style turd to be squeezed out by Konami to capitalize on the waggle craze. Thus I can't help but give it points for being BETTER than completely horrible. And that's a sad thing, but a true one. As a fighting fan, and a Castlevania fan, I'm having a good time with this game. I know it's shallow, and I know I'll probably be returning it in a few days, but for the moment, it's a lot of fun. The online is smooth and doesn't require friend codes, and the graphics are beautiful (especially with the anti-jaggie filter turned on) for a Wii game. Lots of particle effects, very little slowdown. The development team had love for this game. I don't think they had as much time as they would have liked to work on this title, but what's there is solid. And that alone is worth a rating boost, because this is one of the few third-party efforts not in the "Bratz Babiez Partyz Fashionz Dolphinz Happy Fun Ninjabreadz Manz" line of titles that sadly continue to sell to the idiot masses.
Note to the Hardcore:
As I said above, and I can't emphasize this enough: DO NOT PLAY WITH WAGGLE TURNED ON. It's just as broken as Soulcalibur Legends or Bleach, probably moreso. There's nothing I hate more than a Wii fighting game that forces waggle for every attack - it's just stupid, and I know most of you agree.
Treat this as a fanservice game, a "popcorn game" that won't have much longevity but will be fun in short bursts or to pull out at parties. It's very simplistic.
As far as how it plays (with existing games for reference)... it's two parts Destrega and one part Power Stone, coated with a thin Castlevania shell sprinkled with bits of Mace: The Dark Age. I know Destrega and Mace are pretty obscure games nowadays, but they contained several elements that made their way into Judgment: simple controls, over-the-top moves, half-baked environmental hazards, and 1 on 1 versus gameplay. In fact, Mace and Destrega keep coming up in my mind as I play Judgment. Since I liked both of those games back in the day, I don't have a ton of complaints. It's a light snack of a game in-between rich, calorie-laden first-party Nintendo goodness. That being said, it's also one of the best non-Capcom third-party efforts on the system so far. That's intended as a compliment to Konami... I'm not saying rush out to the store and buy it, but definitely give it a shot. Chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised.
More rants at:
http://angstygaijin.blogspot.com
 Why can't they leave a good thing alone???? November 27, 2008
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
How disappointing! I can't believe what Nintendo has done to this classic title.
I expected an amazing kinesthetic 3-D spin off of the classic skeleton thrashing/puzzle solving Castlevania saga... Instead we get THIS. It's just another fighting game with Castelvania characters. I have that game already; it's called Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Nintendo 64's version is better than this; at least that title had an actual purpose. I was hoping for that concept again, just developed better. This game is better left rented.
 Great Wii Game November 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
First of I'm not a fan of Castlevania so I dont have that its a fighting game problem to my favorite type of games or fighters ok for starters the graphic on this game are in the top 10 of the best graphics on wii number 2 I never used the wii-mote to play it I use the gamecube so I cant rate each set of control styles so here are my Pros And Cons
Pros
Good Graphic
Solid online (you can add people to your friend list with out having there code)
It lets you pick your control style- wii remote,classic,orgamecube
easy to pick up add play
Cons
Need more combo/more attacks
camera movement isnt the best
some charcaters are unbalanced
thats all I could really think of I should be working anyway..........
 Doesn't Live Up to Its Potential November 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In the gaming world, Spin offs are always a risky thing. Especially when the spin off steps outside of its genre. This is the risk that Castlevania runs. The other stake in Castlevania's heart is that the 3D games have not been the most lovable. Castlevania Judgment is a 3D fighter that draws parallels to the Soul Calibur franchise. At first glance it's easy to dismiss the fighting style Castlevania. When you play it, however, there's potential for something more here. Castlevania Judgment doesn't get everything right, but it is better than people would think.
As you might expect, you get to play as some of Castlevania's most beloved characters. You can play as classic characters such as Simon and Trever Belmont or even newer characters such as Shanoa from the recently released Order of Ecclesia. You also have your chance to play as Dracula himself or even Death. There are 14 fighters in all, and while you get the feeling there could be more characters to play as, Castlevania Judgment does, at least, make each character unique. Every character plays differently from the others.
Judgment can be played in a a couple of ways. You can use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck combination which allows motion sensor controls, or you can plug in the classic or Gamecube controller. The controls themselves can take some time to get used to. They're not too complex but can they can be a bit clunky and unresponsive at times. In particular, the motion sensor controls of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck don't always respond the way you think they will. It's definitely easier to use one of the other two controller options.
As it traditionally goes for fighting games, each character has a story mode they can undergo. The story is forgettable for the most part. There's cheesy dialog and the voice acting isn't up to snub with the likes of other games. You'll also be disappointed to know that Castlevania Judgment is very easy. When you fight the computer you can usually conquer them without taking much damage at all. The AI isn't smart, usually attacking in a very predictable fashion. You'll find most battles can be won by using the same combos over and over again.
Aside from the story mod there is also a Castle mode which serves as a type of challenge mode where you're thrown into an arena and expected to meet certain conditions to win. As you might expect, going through the Castle mode can unlock many types of goodies. There's also a survival mode and the classic Arcade and Versus modes. You probably won't have too much fun fighting the computer, but you may enjoy going up against friends, especially when you hop online.
The Wii hasn't had a good reputation for taking games online. The friend codes are tedious and often times going online feels more limiting than otherwise. That changes with Castlevania Judgment. Going online is fun. You don't have to worry about friend codes, nor do you have to worry about so many limitations.
On the production side of things, Castlevania Judgment could certainly do better. While some of the game's visuals look alright, they don't bring out the full potential of the Wii. At times some characters lack detail and look blurry. Fans of the series will appreciate the music found here, but the voice acting is nothing special at all.
Castlevania Judgment is a game that has potential. The game feels like an experiment at times. The controls can be clunky, fighting the computer is a drag and you get the feeling there could be so much more thrown in to better expand the game. If you intend to play it as a single player experience you're not going to get as much from it. You'll get more by playing with friends. You'll get even more out of it if you're a Castlevania fan. It isn't a great game, but it does have potential to be better.
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