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2010.1: Micro-chaotic dynamics due to digital sampling in hybrid systems of Filippov type
2010.1: P Glendinning and P Kowalczyk (2010) Micro-chaotic dynamics due to digital sampling in hybrid systems of Filippov type. Physica D, 239 (1-2). pp. 58-71. ISSN 0167- 2789
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DOI: 10.1016/j.physd.2009.10.002
This paper describes a novel mechanism leading to the sudden onset of chaos that may occur in Filippov type systems when the switching decision is made at discrete times. Such systems can be thought of as models of switched digital control systems. Our findings are explained in detail using a representative planar example. Results are then extended to more general planar switched systems with digital sampling. It is conjectured that this mechanism is also typical of n-dimensional switched systems with digital sampling, and numerical investigations of a third order relay feedback system are presented to support this; the onset of chaos is triggered in the way which is equivalent to that revealed for the planar case.
|Item Type:
|Uncontrolled Keywords:
|Chaotic attractor; Switched systems; Digital sampling, CICADA
|MSC 2000 > 37 Dynamical systems and ergodic theory
|MIMS number:
|Deposited By:
|Dr Piotr Kowalczyk
|Deposited On:
|08 January 2010
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text:
Well this takes some chutzpah:
"Pick any day between now and the election and go back to what candidate Obama was saying at that time. We will use that to run against President Obama," [Romney media strategist Stuart] Stevens said. "When he was gloating that the McCain campaign didn't want to talk about the economy he knew it wasn't true. So now let's see if they think they can talk about the economy and win. It's a challenge."


text:
Back in 2007 I traveled to Whistler (British Columbia) with a bunch of friends for a spot of snowboarding. We had an amazing trip and some of the best conditions snow we'd ever experienced. I shot a whole load of video footage and made a promise to edit the footage together as soon as we returned. Over 2 years later and I'm only just fulfilling it!
I've been really struggling to put something together so I decided to break the footage down by rider and create individual movies, that way each of my traveling companions would stop hassling me one at a time. So here's the first of the films:
Rider: Stu 'The Councillor' Cox
Although we were in a group of 10 I've probably only got enough footage for 3 or 4 films so I won't be inflicting too many on the World. The footage isn't great and I'm a rubbish editor but I always find the experience enjoyable.
Vaguely related links
If you're a glutten for punishment you can watch some of my other snowboarding films thanks to YouTube:
- Showcase Showdown (4mins 27secs)
- Andorra (3mins 44secs)
- La Plagne (7mins 30secs)


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Ask a Lawyer and Get Answers to Your Legal Questions
Hi - my name is XXXXX XXXXX I'm a litigation attorney. Thanks for your question. I'll be glad to assist.
You would likely need to file your counterclaim for damages against the plaintiff before filing a motion to dismiss.
Once your counterclaim is filed, you can file a motion to dismiss the plaintiff's case, and if it is dismissed, then you can still proceed with your claims.
As for the injunction, it is not likely that a judge would grant it based on the fact that you plan to file a motion to recuse him/her. Instead, you'd likely need to file the motion to recuse the judge and then file a motion for an injunction to stop the proceedings until the court decides your motion to recuse.
I see that you've gone offline, so I'm going to step away to help other customers. However, when you come back, just make a quick reply and I'll be notified you're back online. Thanks.
I plan on filing the appropriate pleadings and complaints, to deal with the fact the uncertified "Affidavit of Lost Note Agreement" it states it indemnifies any successor owner from any and all damages, liability, expenses, losses, claims or suits of any nature whatsoever (including reasonable attorney's fees) incurred or suffered directly, or indirectly by reason of the loss of said note.
What would be the appropriate pleading, to deal with the fact the uncertified (not properly filled out) "Affidavit of Lost Note Agreement" indemnifies any successor owner from any and all damages, liability, expenses, losses, claims or suits of any nature whatsoever (including reasonable attorney's fees) incurred or suffered directly, or indirectly by reason of the loss of said note?
Hi - this appears to be an agreement by the secured party to indemnify any successor secured party for damages that are assessed specifically because the note is lost.
I don't know that this would provide the borrower/debtor with any grounds to sue. Instead, it would appear that this would just be a way for the successor to be reimbursed for any damages that are awarded against it for the note being lost.
On 10-23-13 I received the plaintiff's motion for leave, and motion to amend their original complaint. They want to amend their original complaint filed May 2007, to now include FNMA as assignor and **** as assignee dated August 13, 2013 and recorded.
Indiana statues 15A state the party may amend their complaint anytime before the responsive pleading is filed. My attorney at the time filed a response to the complaint and counterclaim, September 2007 their complaint was filed May 2007.
I discovered documentation that the property was sold to FNMA as a mortgage back securities November 1, 1994 and according to a memo from original lender, dated 3-30-95, they retained, without forwarding the original documents (appears to be standard operational procedure) to the mortgage pool, valued $54 Million containing the note and mortgage that matured 12-1-2002 with a "0" balance.
FNMA sold the note and mortgage on October 2, 2002 to Freddie Mac, and there is evidence the property has changed hands over and over again. I discovered this information only a few weeks ago. Since that time I've received threats and reprisals and now this motion to amend as of yesterday.
What we have here is clearly a huge ponzi-scheme with worldwide implications. The Court had over 100 pending cases with the plaintiff prevailing in almost all of the cases, even cases that contained forged, invalid, and fraudulent documents with only the mortgage servicer listed as plaintiff, without substituting or amending their complaint.. This case has been reported to the US Justice Department with supporting exhibits.
The plaintiff (currently in the news with pending settlement) are doing all of this without changing the real party in interest in the caption portion of their complaint. Indiana TR15C states a party has 120 days to change party. My former counsels and I stated since 2007, that there was evidence that FNMA bought the property November 1, 1994 but the plaintiff failed to acknowledge it. FNMA was not mentioned in their original complaint and the plaintiff listed in the complaint is a different party that filed the original complaint. Multiple pleadings and a subpoena was served on plaintiff and FNMA and they denied they owned the original note and mortgage. In the original complaint the plaintiff claimed they held the original note and mortgage.
Question: Their case that disposed 5-15-12 is falling apart, but how do I respond
Hi Michael -
The plaintiff can amend WITHOUT LEAVE OF COURT (without permission) anytime before a responsive pleading/answer is filed.
Once an answer is filed, the only way a pleading can be amended is by filing a motion for leave to amend, which is what it appears the plaintiff has done. As you've probably read, leave to amend should be freely given unless it prejudices the other party.
In a case like this that has been going on for 5 plus years, amending it now could cause the litigation to string out further, causing you more money and longer delays.
Thus, your argument would have to be that allowing the plaintiff to amend this late in the game would be detrimental to you and would result in you having to expend much more time and money into this case.
I'm preparing the pleadings as discussed in the earlier question.
The plaintiff filed their complaint to foreclose May 2007. The plaintiff filed a new registered assignment for FNMA September 2013. They failed to state that FNMA held the note and mortgage in their complaint filed May 2007, interrogatories, pleadings, court order to compel deadline of May 2010, April 6,XXXXXgave them an enlargement of time during the 11-29-12 hearing, until January 7, 2013 to submit deficient discovery which would include a certified copy of the "Affidavit of Lost Note". The plaintiff's discovery submission was deficient and did not include a certified copy of the "Affidavit of Lost Note"or FNMA as a party or the note being assigned to FNMA. I subpoenaed FNMA 1-2011 and they stated they didn't own or held the note and refused to divulge that they had purchased the property because they claim the information was confidential. I discovered online that the property was purchased. one week after the closing November 1, 1994. I discovered that the note was securitized to FNMA mortgage backed securities without them forwarding the original documents to the mortgage pool within the 90 period. The note and mortgage matured 12-1-2001 with a "0" balance. On 9-11 I was informed by the legal department at FNMA that they purchased the property 11-1-94 and sold the property 10-2-02 to unknown investor, thought to be Freddie Mac. The law firm ( 4 attorneys) representing the plaintiff was cited in 2010 for withholding evidence and sanctioned 1.4 million by the US District Court. They have again withheld evidence for 5 plus years.
Question: Should the pleading include withholding of evidence?
Hi -
You can include that as a count for fraud, and then outline the fraudulent actions of the party.
If the plaintiff files a eight page "Notice to Court" making wild, unsubstantiated scandalous claims and arguments, is that a pleading that requires a response under Indiana TR6(C )?
If the plaintiff files a twenty-three page "Notice to Court" making wild, unsubstantiated scandalous claims and arguments, is that a appropriate pleading in which the defendant is required to respond to under Indiana TR6(C )?
The plaintiff made scandalous claims that are redundant, and are an inappropriate use of the "Notice to Court."
[1]Notice Defined: "Information concerning a fact, actually communicated to a person by an authorized person, or actually derived by him from a proper source." 215 F. 2d 415, 417.
[1] Barrons Law Dictionary; by Steven H. Gifis copyright, Barron's Education[1]Series,XXXXX Hauppauge, New York 11788
The drafter of this Notice sole intent of making these false claims is to harass defendant and influence the Court.
The Plaintiff made inappropriate use of the "Notice to Court." A judge in Florida ruled that this dissbarred attorny as a vexitious litigant. The Plaintiff made incriminating and false accusations which include charges of serious federal criminal offenses which are prejudicial, and are not pertinent to his case and not an appropriate use of a "Notice to Court." No charges were filed as stated in "Notice to Court." I have filed motion to strike the notice on 10-7-13 and but as requested by plaintiff in Notice to Court filed 9-16-13, on 10-12-13 I received a notice for bench trial for 2-14 without a written order and without written order removing my right for a jury trial in exchange for a bench trial before a bias judge that stuck my family in the jury box in January 2013, while he, unprovoked, used disparaging language towards me for a period of 15 mintues non-stop, with 4 plain clothe security sitting at the litigant tables. I took the "Notice to Court" to the county Deputy prosecutor and she stated the notice contained scandalist charges but nothing else.
The drafter of this Notice sole intent of making these false claims is to harass defendant and influence the Court. (Note: Judge had over 100 cases involving the Mortgage servicer which suggest he and other judges were covering -up this ponzi-scheme, securities, and tax fraud going back to 1994. I have never implied that this judge was involved.
Question: Can a suspended/disbarred attorney go forward with a trial set in 2-14 in a probate matter dismissed March 2007 for additional attorney fees (paid $4,400 and made pr do most of the work) while serving as attorney to assist unsupervised personal representative with his duties and the agreement read that the estate would be responsible for attorney fees in four places, and the caption still read ***** as personal representative of the Estate of **** after multiple judges informed the attorney he had to remove me from the caption as unsupervised personal representative. The attorney request for additional fees was paid $4,400 ( using the same Modus Operandi that got him suspended for eighteen months) were addressed 9-2007 by the probate court after I re-opened the estate in 9-2007 to address his request for addiitional attorney fees, in other words his case should had been subject to res judicata. The attorney refiled in another courtroom without the previous court's permission, and refused to amend the caption protion of his complaint filed 7-2007 after ordered by court. All of the assets of the estate were distributed to the sole heir 5-2006.The Court will not appoint an attorney to represent interest of decedent's Estate.
The court are saying he can go forward because he is pro se (It's actually the court's ballif (close friend) that scheduled the hearing, but the judge backs up everything they enter in the summary) the appeals court and the Supreme Court are equally****
If the Indiana Supreme Court justice stated in an appeal that I won, that this is an "estate case," shouldn't the estate be represented by counsel? He filed his claim on the estate past the statue of limitations. If the estate, has been closed since 3-07, and I'm no longer the unsupervised representative, and unable to pay for the legal fees whose responsible? The (Probate) statue say an estate must be represented by an attorney and the claimant is responsible for attorney fees. The attorney has claimed he's indigent for 20 years, he and his wife, spends their entire career suing clients in 8-10 year battle to shke them down for settlement. They sue friends, family member, and anyone that testifies for the other parties.
Also one of the conditions that the attorney signed with the Disciplinary Commission was he was not to litigate any case until he is re-instated. The Commission stated to me in a letter, they were not going to hear any further complaints (6) because he had to make restitution to the multiple cases he lost before being re-instated ($90,000). Also he was suppose to inform all of the parties he was litigating and the courts that he was suspended, it was supposed to be listed in the Chronological Summary, but after more than 18 months its still not listed.
Question: We've exhausted all of our money litigating these ridulous cases. What happens if I file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? Is that something that a pro se can do without issues?
Thank you, XXXXX XXXXX is suing me as unsupervised personal representative and me individually. He failed to amend his complaint as ordered by three judges who were trying to advise him in open court, to remove me as unsupervised personal representative from his complaint but he refused. The Notice of the bench trial read plaintiff's name vs. p.r. my name and my name individually. They redacted unsupervised personal representative my name. He was also the attorney that represented me with the same predatory lending dispute issues from 2003-2006 and now this huge ponzi-scheme cover-up and mortgage complaint case and withheld 20 hours of research on the predatory lending dispute I paid a paralegal now the county deputy prosecutor to do. He stated there was no research. He dictates to the judges (political) and the judges argue on his behalf (legal terrorism). I may be forced to file pro se- we called 5-6 attorneys to set an appointment to file Chapter 7 only for them to call back and cancel. The US Justice Dept with attached documents and local police has been notified. I'll will turn this over to the trustee and let them pursue a claim against the claimant, Court, and Court Administrator. We have no assets!


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Tweets from @TBHomeTeam/writers
MORE from our HomeTeam writers.
Tue. May 7, 2013 | Matt Baker | Email
Pasco WR Nate Craig landed an other major college offer this week.
The standout sophomore-to-be picked up an offer from Clemson on Tuesday, he announced on Facebook.
Craig also has offers from Ohio State, Mississippi State, Texas Tech and UMass.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Craig has drawn attention from recruiters and recruiting gurus across the country as one of the state's top prospects for the class of 2016. As a freshman, he scored nine touchdowns (seven receiving), averaged 17 yards per catch and snagged four interceptions during Pasco's run to the Class 5A region final.
His older brother, Josh Johnson, starred at Purdue and was picked up by the Chargers recently as an undrafted free agent.


text:
In case you missed it, here's the final message from Jon Stewart's Rally For Sanity.
My favorite quotes:
The country's 24 hour political pundit perpetual panic conflictinator did not cause our problems, but it's existence makes solving our problem that much harder.
The Press is our immune system: if we overreact to every little thing, we make ourselves sicker. If we amplify everything, we hear nothing!
[RSS & Email readers may need to click to site for video]
My take on this?
It's all about the depolarization of mainstream media and an indirect way of telling corporatized media to take a "truth in advertising" approach to reporting of the news.
In today's news world, whomever shouts the loudest or comes to the most outlandish conclusions gets the attention. This pisses off rival news outlets and they must either respond in kind, or crank up the (sensationalized) volume to squash the initial response or talk loudly enough to fulfill their ideological belief they're the superior media outlet.
So who wins? No one… but themselves!
Contemporary American media has cleverly found a niche to get themselves (well) paid by generating a product that never needs to be proven, and can exist within the realm of free speech and protected opinion. No one ever has to be held accountable, and as long as they have a willing audience who will listen to whatever dribble they produce, they can produce as much hot dog filler news as they want and somewhere outside society's purview, will make a killing selling advertising dollars and personal endorsements.
What's the endgame? There is no end game. That's the beauty of the polarized news business model. And since the profits on such a business are so huge, it's likely the cash cow will never end because they never have to be right… they just have to keep talking, taping and printing.
Until we decide to stop watching/listening/reading to news that serves no purpose but to piss us off, blame someone else for our problems, abuse our individual culture cognition, and further cements our confirmation bias to make us believe "we" are right and "they" are wrong, polarized news will never cease to exist.
Great analysis of his speech. I was really glad to see him take the time to have a more "serious" subject touched on. I believe this is something that Jon Stewart has been passionate about for quite some time now…thinking back to him crucifying Jim Cramer on his show some time ago for Cramer's basically just hyping stocks, often times for little-to-no reason. As odd as it may seem, I think this may be a foreshadowing of Stewart running for a political office in the future. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who has been bothered by the media training people to live in fear.
Totally agree on Stewart. I think he's a guy who's really quite sick of the division, and smart enough to make sense of the Psy Ops tactics used by both sides to sway public opinion. It's no longer about who's right or who's wrong, but who can give the better sales pitch.
Because of that, Stewart would probably make a very effective political candidate. He can decipher it and shred the competition… not to mention, his Comedy Central staff could dig up tons of incriminating video on his opponents.
But modern mainstream media is a big peeve of mine. I've never studied the fine art of propaganda, but the longer I work in finance, the more obvious it becomes how little most of the news agencies really cover the important, nation building/destroying stuff. Most MSM news tells you: what to be scared of, what to do about, and who is to blame for it, rather than tell you the root cause and how to prevent it. Prevention doesn't sell newspapers or get page views.
CNBC is a little different, and they're getting better with their new line up, but it's still a lot of confidence blowing and selective wording/headline deletion that doesn't mirror what the market movers are really doing.


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text: This next game is basically like a regular season game. Teams come hard each other with their starters for 2-3 quarters. The Bengals have one of the top 3 d-lines in the league. It'll be a true test and we'll get to see where our o-line truly stands. I'd rather get exposed in the dress rehearsal game than play a bad d-line and have problems go unnoticed. We get to see Frederick face an elite DT, Parnell start at RT, and Free try his hand at guard. Worst case scenario: we get blown up and Jerry does whatever it takes to get Waters or Moore.


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Gwen Stefani in a Bikini
We've got an asshole-load of bikini photos to get to this morning, so let's get Gwen Stefani out of the way considering these are technically only half of her in a bikini, and she's either talking on the phone or parenting which are probably the two least sexy things a woman can do in front of a man. At this point, these shots might as well be of her menstruating, or worse, shopping which sounded way less dark in my head. That was uncalled for.
Photos: Bauer-Griffin, INFdaily, Pacific Coast News, Splash News


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|You are in: World: South Asia
Monday, 1 July, 2002, 14:41 GMT 15:41 UK
Analysis: BJP swings to the right
The overriding aim of Mr Vajpayee's reshuffle is to rejuvenate his party's sinking fortunes by bringing new blood into it.
It is his hope that the younger leaders - all in their 40s and 50s - will be able to come up with fresh ideas that will prove popular with voters.
The BJP openly admits that it needs to revamp its image, particularly as part of preparations for the general election scheduled for 2004.
So ministers such as Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley are taking over from the older generation to strengthen the party.
Parallel with the younger generation moving to the forefront is another distinct shift.
Pressure from hardliners
Recent events clearly indicate that the BJP has decided to revert to its original Hindu revivalist ideology.
For months now, Hindu hardline groups allied to the BJP have openly disapproved the adoption of a moderate line - partly to satisfy its coalition partners in government.
The hardline groups - the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) believe that the BJP has lost the support of Indians who valued its distinct ideology.
The VHP and the RSS acknowledge that a partial weakening of political identity was inevitable for two reasons - first, the compulsions of managing a coalition government made up of over 20 parties.
And second, the commitment that the BJP had made to its allies that it would not pursue the more controversial aspects of its revivalist agenda, notably the building of a Hindu temple on the ruins of an ancient mosque at Ayodhya.
But the Hindu hardliners now believe it is time the party got back to basics.
Election setbacks
Their biggest anxiety is the erosion in electoral support.
The BJP rules in only three states; the opposition Congress controls 14.
All attempts to win voters over have failed and the party is frantically casting around for a winning strategy.
It has chosen the former leader of the sectarian Bajrang Dal group, Vinay Katiyar, to lead the party in Uttar Pradesh.
An outspoken supporter of the demolition of the Ayodhya mosque by Hindu zealots in 1992, Mr Katiyar was a deliberately controversial choice.
His appointment shows that the party intends to use the issue to rally Hindu support.
Recent declarations by the VHP are in the same mould.
At a public rally earlier this month, no attempt was made to conceal its anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Reneging on an earlier pledge that it would respect any court ruling over the temple issue, the VHP said it would disregard any decision it did not agree with because 'faith' was more important than the law.
Back to basics
Political commentators say the BJP is prepared to use divisive issues if that is the only way it can return to power.
They point to the party's refusal to sack Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, after the massacre of over 1,000 Muslims by Hindu mobs, as an example of the new hardline stand.
Mr Vajpayee had appeared to be in favour of sacking Mr Modi but it was the younger leaders - the same leaders who have been charged with revitalising the party - who prevented him from doing so.
In fact, the party's new aggressive mood and shift in thinking first became apparent at a party conclave in Goa in April.
The constant refrain in Goa was that the party must return to its ideological moorings to check its sinking electoral fortunes.
There were also demands within the party for Home Minister LK Advani, a known hardliner, to be elevated to the post of deputy prime minister.
This has now happened.
The VHP and RSS believe that Mr Advani is a more reliable votary of Hindu nationalism than Mr Vajpayee.
Mr Advani is the ideological mascot of the VHP and RSS - he is seen as someone who may make tactical adjustments for the sake of running a coalition but would not compromise on fundamental beliefs.
See also:
28 Jun 02 | South Asia
03 Jun 02 | South Asia
28 Mar 02 | South Asia
15 Mar 02 | South Asia
25 Feb 02 | South Asia
25 Feb 02 | South Asia
07 Jan 02 | South Asia
Internet links:
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text:
Apple Is Now (Pretty Much) the Most Valuable Company in History...
Full story at the Associated Press:
Apple is the world's most valuable company, ever.
On Monday, its surging stock propelled the company's value to $623 billion, beating the record for market capitalization set by Microsoft Corp. in the heady days of the Internet boom.
The comparison to Microsoft does not take inflation into account. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the software giant was worth about $850 billion on Dec. 30, 1999. Microsoft is now worth $257 billion.
According to an April report from TechCrunch, the iTunes Store generated $1.9B in a single quarter of 2012:
… the iTunes store generated $1.9 billion in revenue in the second quarter of this year. Apple didn't break out how much of that was devoted to songs versus apps.
Apple's market cap is now $200 billion greater than that of Exxon Mobil, the company with whom it was dueling for the title of "world's most valuable company" a little over a year ago.


text:
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Action / Platforming
Players: 1
ESRB: Mature
Reviewer: Marcus Way
Overall: 6 = Fair
MercurySteam's tenure on Castlevania has been interesting. Instead of adding new characters and expanding the lore, the Spain-based studio has instead attempted to recast the franchise's history in a way that bridges the narrative gaps between the earlier releases. Through Lords of Shadow and Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, players followed the origins of Dracula and those who have sought to end his reign. The finale turns things on its head by having players take control of a reawakened Dracula, weak from his long slumber and possessing few of his powers. Reuniting with his old enemy Zobek, Gabriel is told of Satan's impending return and that he is the only one capable of saving mankind. In return for battling the Prince of Darkness one last time, Zobek will grant the one thing that Dracula desires: death.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 opens up strong. An exciting cinematic of Dracula battling an army of Brotherhood of Light soldiers culminates in a dramatic takedown of a massive mechanical goliath, which is followed by a brooding Dracula awaiting the impending flood of brotherhood soldiers as they smash their way into his throne room. In this playable section, Dracula is in his prime, armed with and fully skilled in the use of a Shadow Whip, life-syphoning Void Sword, and guard-breaking Chaos Claws. A new dash used for both evading and knocking down enemies has him outpace his attackers, while perfectly timed blocks send them stumbling back, open to a counterattack. For the coup de grace, and in the ultimate display of the vampire's monstrous powers, players are able to finish off weakened soldiers by gouging out their necks and bathing in their blood. The quicker pace, the varied combat, a controllable camera, the de-emphasis on quick-time events—feasting on an enemy takes a single button pressed during a generous window—and the combination of skills and powers makes for an impressive and exciting beginning.
Then things take a small dive. After a somewhat clunky fight to the top of the magic-infused mechanical giant from the opening cinematic, a flashy battle with a great-looking golden-armor-clad soldier sees Dracula being propelled into the future. A boring, ugly future.
The Dracula of today is a weak, feeble creature that is only capable of sustaining consciousness through a brutal sacrifice made by Zobek. In a grim first-person sequence, the player shambles towards a terrified family, huddled in a corner and trying to pound, beat, and beg their way out of a locked room. It's a surprisingly powerful moment, and it does a superb job in emphasizing the beast within Dracula. Their end marks the beginning of the resurgent dragon, who begins the slow process of reclaiming his lost powers and the fear once felt by those in his presence. Almost as important, it's also emblematic of the game's seesaw design, which sees thrilling and engaging moments conflicting with other sections marked by poor pacing, uneven implementation, and a grinding tedium.
The new adventure centers on Dracula having to draw out and defeat three acolytes, children of Satan who are preparing the world for his return. It is only after centuries of Dracula's absence that they begin to act, as Satan himself feared the dragon's retribution. In the course of tracking down the acolytes, Dracula will reacquire his lost arsenal, along with the skills associated with each weapon. The combat system is similar to previous releases with experience points earned by defeating enemies and destroying various items throughout the environment unlocking new moves and upgrades; experience is also earned per move the more each is used, and once mastered, that pool of experience can be transferred to the skill's associated weapon to level it up. Depending on how much time is devoted to exploring and eking out experience points, it's possible to make it through the game without unlocking all of the skills, though that isn't necessarily a problem, given the sheer number of attacks spread throughout the three weapons. It can take a few hours to build up a solid base of moves for each, but this will cause few problems thanks to an array of relics and items. Each weapon has a long-range attack—the whip throws knives, the sword a freezing ice shard, and the claws an explosive ball—but there are also swarms of distracting bats, a mist form for avoiding attacks, and a variety of relics. Depending on the relic, Dracula can have all abilities unlocked for a limited time, a short window of unlimited magic, or the guidance of a dodo bird that perches near secrets. Relics can also allow for a clock that slows enemy movement and releases experience with each landed hit, and cause him to transform into a dragon, which initiates a cinematic of a powerful area-of-attack spell. The wide range of attacks and abilities set the combat apart from the rest of the game, as it offers a cohesive experience that the remainder lacks.
However, despite the strong combat system, the balance has been altered from the original Lords of Shadow. Encounters seem less frequent and are spaced oddly. Additionally, the hordes can often limit the role of the weaponry with their respective requirements, often making the sword and claws useful only when necessary as opposed to standard go-to equipment. Enemies can also frustrate due to poor implementation; in particular, the steampunk-style flying guards and groan-inducing unimaginative gun-toting demons turned many encounters into a slog. Combat worked best with one to three melee-oriented enemies at a time, but frequently, one or two long-range enemies would be thrown in that would pepper the area with bullets from over half a screen away and cause Dracula to bounce around, as bullets are inexplicably capable of causing him to fall back before he even recovers from the first hit. Bouncing around three times before being able to recover feels cheap, and having that scenario play out several times over the course of one session is enough to require a break.
Combat is nevertheless a high point, but the same cannot be said of the game's stealth segments. Playing either as a rat or a possessed enemy, players will circumvent obstacles by sneaking through vents or walking past unsuspecting guards to access restricted areas. This makes more sense in the beginning, when Dracula is still recovering from his slumber, but increasingly less so as he becomes a force powerful enough to frighten Satan, which is something I don't think I can stress enough. The sequences are also too similar in both look and approach, and feel shoehorned into a game that wasn't designed for them. After making their way into a room patrolled by guards so strong that Dracula can never confront them, players must then sneak behind one of the world's many crates or barrels to distract one of the armed monsters with a swarm of bats in order to get close enough to possess the other. If the guards are ever made aware of Dracula's presence, or he gets too close to one that's being swarmed by bats, it takes but a few hits to bring down the man that terrifies Hell. The only bright spot of these portions is the shaky walking animation the possessed have as their body slowly breaks down, with their fellow guards and scientists looking on unaware as their coworker is suddenly seizing up every step and struggling to stay standing. The variety they are supposed to provide is much better served by the platforming, because, despite their short length, they do little more than bring any momentum to a sudden halt.
One stealth section in particular stood out for its poor implementation, as well as an example of the game's narrative inconsistencies. Agreus is enraged at the loss of his brother Pan and wishes to punish Dracula. Knowing that Dracula desires the Mirror of Fate, Agreus throws it high into the sky, right into the talons of a passing bird that takes it to a tree inside of a nearby cemetery. The player must now sneak through this area without rustling the numerous leaves that are strewn about, lest they alert Agreus, who, already on Dracula's trail because of his scent, will close the distance at a run, which initiates an insta-death cutscene. Some bells are noted as distractions, but I found him to actually ignore them much of the time. To avoid the leaves, players must jump over them, turn into mist, or hang off the sides of raised graves and leap between their edges. The controls, which are fine for the less-stressful platforming sections, aren't always responsive here, as I couldn't always get Dracula to drop from ledges in time. After making their way to a switch, players then open a gate that allows them to access the top of the tree, where Dracula faces off against Agreus. Aside from being incredibly tedious, so much of the encounter and its setup doesn't make sense. If Agreus wanted to fight Dracula and could kill him so easily, why not do it immediately? And if he can kill him so quickly, given that he does so with a single blow inside the cemetery, how can he be so easy to defeat on the top of the tree? It's all so unnecessary and contrived that even the cool character design can't save the sequence from being a complete write-off. Then again, I'm not sure "Dracula avoiding leaves" could possibly be the foundation for anything other than what we're given.
Lords of Shadow 2 is really at its best when it's reminding the player of its predecessor. The sections that take place in the drab, poorly constructed modern setting serve only to shine a light on the much better portions that take place in Dracula's castle. Here, players will be able to platform amidst some gorgeous architecture while exploring areas that actually have character. Shifting back to the modern city is a harsh buzzkill, with its odd and haphazard design. One particularly frustrating moment left me looking for a door for almost 15 minutes. After reaching the front of a building, a small cutscene played to show a trail leading towards my destination, which was also highlighted on the mini-map. Unfortunately, I couldn't find where to go. Giant enemies respawned constantly, which left me only a minute or so to explore between fights. During one bout, I knocked an enemy under an overhang, where instead of exploding as it should have, the creature jerked around, froze in mid-air, and then disappeared. I took pains to avoid that area, not wanting to freeze the game, which had already happened once before early on, only to find that my destination was actually just to the left of that very spot. The gated entrance was flush with a wall that ran into another building, and was so tucked out of sight that the map's waypoint was of little help. Situations like this hamper the semi-open-world design and make the new emphasis on backtracking a chore, instead of to harkening back to the series' roots of tantalizing with hints at progress, rewards (e.g., gems to increase overall health and magic), and the satisfying sense of discovery.
An especially strong element, and one that isn't always the case with the series, is the story. Actually, the story itself is fairly basic, but the delivery is exceptional. Patrick Stewart reprises his role as Zobek, and while he's always welcomed, some lines were a little flat. However, from beginning to end, Robert Carlyle is fantastic as Dracula. As the story winds through Gabriel's grief at the loss of his family, his rise as Dracula, and his inner struggle to overcome the dark forces within, it managed to hook me more than I've ever been to the character. A new Belmont also seems to have a lot of potential and made a great addition to the cast, and depending on how much this lore becomes canon, I'd like to see him make future appearances. Another interesting addition is wave-based Kleidos challenges that become unlocked once a set number of items are recovered. Having to meet the various requirements in order to fully complete each challenge makes for a great showcase for the combat system, and tackling them made for a nice break whenever the game began to drag.
This ebb and flow is the only constant in Lords of Shadow 2. It's strange that so many aspects of varying quality exist within the same game. The moody beginning, with its early gut-wrenching but wonderfully realized character-building sequence, fast-paced battles that feel as good if not better than the best in the genre, and some amazing architecture feel out of place next to the banged-together city blocks and unnecessary, out-of-left-field elements clumsily shoehorned in. The original was by no means a perfect game, but it did offer a great launching point, which somehow resulted in a sequel that managed to go nowhere while trying to go everywhere.
Overall: 6/10
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 built upon its predecessor in many meaningful ways, but it frequently stumbles whenever attempting something new. Comparing the segments set within Dracula's castle to those in the modern city shows a clear difference in approach. For example, at one point, a challenge within his castle tasks players with setting up a marionette show to lure out a boss, a scenario that features lovely set designs, a novel task, and a great narration. In contrast, the modern-day setting features a sequence where Dracula must ignite a giant propane tank to ride it from one building to another. The gulf in quality between the old and new is significant, and an abrupt and unsatisfying ending doesn't help. Series fans should consider a rental, but newcomers should check out the original instead.
(This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher.)