[ZGoten]

So, I'm one hour into the game and so far I'm quite impressed. A couple of things worth mentioning: As opposed to the first Lords of Shadow, which had a pretty slow start, this game kicks of with some good action and a set piece moment from the beginning. I've heard that the factory level, which I just entered, slows the game down a lot afterwards, but I'll have to see about that. What I also like is the free roaming camera. Battles and platforming sections benefit a lot from that. Speaking of platforming, I also love the fact that the animations for climbing and jumping are a lot quicker now, making the whole progress feel more dynamic and less tedious. The little indicators that show where to go diminish the effects of some unclear paths on top of that. In addition to that, I absolutely love that despite the little wheel thingy, I haven't come across any quick-time-events in cutscenes. And if you happen to miss those, loading times are practically non-existant. The game quickly throws you back into the action. I also enjoy the long cutscenes so far.

All that being said, I've seen the reviews and scores, but something just doesn't feel right with them. I've seen a couple of reviews now, critizising the game for not being anything special and then giving it a 60, when the tone of the article or video clearly hinted toward a 75 to 80. I'll have to see and make up my own mind. So far, the game has gotten rid of some of the flaws of the first one, and I'm really enjoying it. And this game seems to continue the tradition of getting better as time goes on if the reviews are correct about that. One thing though: I really hope there aren't too many stealth sections in the game.