Heading in the right direction.
The second rating is the Castlevania name it's self. For the fact that this game is named Castlevania all the things that relate to the series feels tacked on and for that this Castlevania title is a 7 out of 10. I am a huge fan of the Castlevania series and franchise, and the game just didn't seem to fit the feel, or the fun of a Castlevania title. I do give that the game is better than any other 3-D Castlevania game to date, but everything that had to do with the original series seemed tacked on. The game feels like it started as just Lords of Shadows, a whole different title to Castlevania. Then they stuck certain names to it and references to try and relate to Castlevania. If it wasn't for the main characters last name being Belmont, and that he had a whip called the Vampire Killer, or the ending after the credits, this game would not be a Castlevania title. I thought the main characters voice did not fit the Belmont name as well which hurt it for me. I know this is a re-imagining of the series but this just didn't feel like Castlevania, although I will be truthful it's a step in the right direction.
I have 2 side note complaints that I would like to throw out there and address. I bought the limited edition for $80.00 it came with an art book and a soundtrack which is all put together to make up the case. There is no plastic cover or anything just a plastic case that slips over the book/case. The cover is decent but not great, the art book is a joke, there is only a few pages of stuff and the game itself has so much more art in the extras than this "art book". The sound track was nothing really special what you hear in the game is what is on the disc. I was very disappointed with this version, it's very cheap, and feels like they threw it together at the last minute hoping for the best. The second thing is after you beat the game you get and "extra" outfit, that's right Solid Snakes outfit from Metal Gear to bad it's junk! You only get his eye patch and bandanna which just looks goofy on the Belmont. The bonus's you get for beating the game are very weak, and gives little to no replay to the game as other Castlevania titles do.
So all in all it's a decent game, it just feels like your playing 2 separate games, a God Of War/Dante's Inferno clone (which is NOT a bad thing at all I rather enjoyed those games.) Then the references and names make the game feel somewhat like Castlevania. Well worth a play threw, the limited edition isn't worth the extra money unless your a fanatic like myself in which case good or bad your going to own it. Nice step forward, I like where it's heading.