Castlevania Miscellanies

[CIT]

What about Castlevania the Adventure: Rebirth on wiiware?

I got it recently but am waiting for the proper moment to tear it apart. From the outset it looks okay but just like the other Rebirth titles it doesn't feel like a 'real' entry. Contra Rebirth is damn fun though, especially the robo-llamas so I have my hopes.

I thought it was really enjoyable. I actually liked it better than Contra Rebirth, which I didn't impress me much graphically and had somewhat dull stage design, imo.

[mrsmiley381]

I owned every US-released console Castlevania up until the release of Order of Ecclesia, where I seem to have stopped caring. Sold almost all of them off since I cleared them all aside from 2 and Adventure and needed some cash. Castlevania IV is a personal favorite for the introduction of Dance of the Holy Man/Simon's Theme and using it on the final phase of the final boss. That's how damn near every video game should end.

I played the demo for Lords of Shadow and decided to put that game at the bottom of my backlog. I want to play it but it seems so different that it's not even Castlevania any more.

[JBC]

I played the demo for Lords of Shadow and decided to put that game at the bottom of my backlog. I want to play it but it seems so different that it's not even Castlevania any more.

It's really not. It really does have more of a Lord of the Rings vibe about it now than Castlevania. Gabriel even looks like Aragorn and the music is done in the epic fantasy style so common in movies these days. Lords of Shadow isn't a bad game but there's next to nothing about it that resembles Castlevania besides the chain whip and vampires, which are played out and not something the series has ever been overly reliant on anyway. The 'surprise' Kojima/Anne Rice ending is stupid as hell too but I won't 'ruin' it for anyone

Here's hoping that it's the only entry we'll ever see in that style. If I wanted GoW I would play GoW. Castlevania is a strong enough franchise that it can stand on it's on without having to resort to copying the modern heavy hitters.

[Leader Bee]

I played the demo for Lords of Shadow and decided to put that game at the bottom of my backlog. I want to play it but it seems so different that it's not even Castlevania any more.

I don't think death is even in it. I'd given up playing once I got as far as the puzzle rooms involving electric pylons.

[Ebbo]

I thought The Adventure Rebirth was great fun. It's shorter than most games in the series but there are actually some branching paths and optional minibosses. The final boss especially was a standout moment since it strays a bit from the usual cookiemonster formula. Also it has some great arranges by Manabu Namiki.

And from what I remember, didn't they originally reveal LoS without Castlevania title? Reboot or not, it seems pretty obvious all Castlevania connections were a last minute decision when Konami decided to publish the game.

OoE is also my favorite one of the all metroidvanias, although I haven't even played SotN I'm glad they started to include level cap modes as an extra challenge. Portrait of Ruin and Ecclesia are lots of fun to play through with level 1 cap.

[Hibachi]

So I dug this out and took a photo. Got it around the time Lament of Innocence came out but don't know anything else so thought I would add it to the thread.

[Estebang]

Adventure Rebirth never really rises above the level of an unusually well-produced doujin game, unfortunately. Its most redeeming feature is the Manabu Namiki remix soundtrack.

The Rebirth games were developed by M2, who only had any experience in ports and mobile games.

[BrianC]

Adventure Rebirth never really rises above the level of an unusually well-produced doujin game, unfortunately. Its most redeeming feature is the Manabu Namiki remix soundtrack.

The Rebirth games were developed by M2, who only had any experience in ports and mobile games.

Gauntlet IV had that tower mode, so they had some experience in remix style games. I like that mode quite a bit, as well as the new music for the game.

[drboom]

Not a huge fan of SC IV either, but I am a HUGE fan of the series. I own a Vs. Castlevania cab and bought a PC Engine Duo to pretty much just play Rondo on. Which is my favorite game in the series, with the 1st and 3rd Castlevanias close behind.

IV is not a classic Castlevania game to me - its like it was developed by people listening to others complain about the contorls of the first three games. It does have its moments, but the whip in every direction thing and the limp-whip-flail mechanic is pretty weird. I'm also not a huge fan of the art direction or the sound. Rondo seems to be the perfect combination of old Castlevania and the new as far as controls go.

[Drum]

Yeah, while I appreciate that SCIV still has bad controls, they're just not bad enough.

[Estebang]

The X68000 game lets you whip diagonally down, and Bloodlines' John Morris can whip diagonally upwards, as well as grapple and swing on any overhead surface. Only SCIV lets you whip in both those directions, but this isn't really for the best, and it's got numerous other problems (which have been already touched upon here).

[BIL]

You can whip straight downward in Bloodlines, as well. Its controls are easily the best-refined of the older games - you can improvise to a huge extent, but you're still held accountable for every move you make. Light attacks are extremely useful for picking off nuisance enemies / projectiles (and heavies for demolishing tough ones), and the beefier subweapons can massacre hordes of enemies with good placement. Once you get the hang of exploiting Morris' invincible swing while firing off subweapons you can outright overrun a lot of what the game throws at you. Killing everything in sight without taking a scratch in Stage 3 / Italy's opening area simply never gets old for me. Nonstop carnage!

Speaking of control... it's not SOTN's lack of raw challenge that bothers me so much as its lack of sophistication. The engine can support some pretty wicked dodging, like stripping Granfaloon / Legion to the core, then evading its homing lasers, but you'll never be required to do anything remotely that finessed.

Not that I keep SOTN around for its action any more than I do Resident Evil or Silent Hill games. I like to call it "Magical Vacation Dracula."

[Drum]

I like to call it "Magical Vacation Dracula."

This is the best thing.

[Estebang]

You can whip straight downward in Bloodlines

Yup, somehow I forgot this (probably because I almost always use Lecarde). Chronicles is the only one with diagonal downwards whipping outside of SCIV, though.

All the IGAvanias since Harmony of Dissonance have had unlockable hard modes, which are actually quite brutal, finally forcing you to master dodging boss attacks. Well, HoD's is still pretty forgiving, IIRC.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Remember the powered up kusarigama in Ninja Spirit? Just saying.
My guess about the original Castlevania's popularity over quite a few other NES actioners is that back in the day games were pretty expensive and we all were not so exposed to the information about them, thus buying Castlevania being a luckier strike than buying Urban Champion was enough to make kids happy. The whip thing felt good and the lot was pretty atmospheric. Quite violent for the year 1986 too. Green Beret has aged better if you ask me, though.

[JBC]

Green Beret has aged better if you ask me, though.

lol I disagree. The graphics aren't as colorful & detailed and the tunes aren't nearly as memorable. The majority of gameplay comes from knowing when to and when not to jump over a guy's head. You only go from left to right, as opposed to Castlevania taking you all over the place. The bosses are mostly just waves of regular enemies as opposed to memorable horror icons. It's very short... etc.

Replay them and you'll see. The original CV holds up damn well for such an old game. It's also filled with hidden secrets that were wonderful to find the first time through. I still miss the money bag at the castle entrance sometimes.

[BIL]

Remember the powered up kusarigama in Ninja Spirit?

Yes, what about it?

[Drum]

The original CV holds up damn well for such an old game. It's also filled with hidden secrets that were wonderful to find the first time through. I still miss the money bag at the castle entrance sometimes.

There were lots of great games released in '86 and before that shame Castlevania and many of its descendants. In '87, when most of the world played it, it was even more ordinary. The game was a functional, if unimaginative and stiff, action-platformer that was pitched perfectly to leave a good impression on a lot of young boys at the time - but not much more can be said about it. Let's not diminish a sizeable hunk of gaming history to boost its already ludicrously overinflated rep. I won't defend Green Beret - here or anywhere - but CV was never really anything special.

[JBC]

It's good to have an opinion of your own but you did play the game?

Let's not diminish a sizeable hunk of gaming history to boost its already ludicrously overinflated rep.

I've been with gaming since the 2600, and while that isn't everything it's certainly alot. I also play everything I can get my hands on, be it through emulation or acquisition of the actual systems. From the comprehensive knowledge of gaming history I've derived from both of those things I'd say it's fairly safe to assume that Castlevania kicks ass. There are few things before it that do what it does, and when they do it's never combined so effectively.

CV was never really anything special

You forgot some fundamental things here.

[Drum]

Yes I played the game. Please let's not get into a pissing match about gaming nerd history, because while you will face humiliating defeat, I don't think I could face humiliating victory. I am very slightly curious about your last sentence though - I have no idea what you mean.

[drauch]

Let's not. Please.

[Bloodreign]

The only Castlevania's I still give two shits about:
Vampire Killer MSX
Haunted Castle arcade (I own the Hamster Oretachi Geassan PS2 emulation on a disc), thankfully not that US version that destroys your soul. Not a great game by any means, but I grew to like it.
CV 1
CV 2 Simon's Quest
CV 3 Dracula's Curse
Super Castlevania IV
Castlevania Bloodlines
Rondo of Blood
Dracula X SNES, it's not great, and it's not terrible, but it is playable.
CV Adventure
CV Belmont's Revenge
X68 Akumajou Dracula and it's later remake/port to PS1
CV Adventure Rebirth
CV Circle of the Moon
no love for CV Legends on GB, I have it boxed, it gets played rarely.

SotN and on, I just don't care for, CVA Rebirth and Circle of the Moon GBA are an exception, one has the old play style I like, the other feels a bit harder than SotN and didn't bore me after a number of playthroughs. Maybe I played too much SotN on PS1, then PSP with the Rondo remake, then emulated the Saturn version. I bought CV Drac X Chronicles PSP because at the time I had not owned a legit version of Rondo, then I got it on Wii VC later on. So now it sits till the day I get that itch and want to play it portable style.

[Ed Oscuro]

Castlevania > Bogey Manor > Green Beret

I actually didn't mind Aria of Sorrow, and the DS titles are probably fine too (haven't played them though). HoD, as mentioned before, really takes some getting used to, but I felt it paid off well enough. Grinding, though, no thanks.

[Leandro]

Just finished Akumajou Densetsu by recommendation of SunJammer. Indeed it sounds better than the Nes version... It was fun as hell playing with Grant

So I dug this out and took a photo. Got it around the time Lament of Innocence came out but don't know anything else so thought I would add it to the thread.

that is awesome. I hope I can find one of these

[JBC]

let's not get into a pissing match about gaming nerd history, because while you will face humiliating defeat, I don't think I could face humiliating victory.

Merely stating my infatuation with gaming and it's history, since you think my love of Castlevania diminishes it somehow.

CV was never really anything special

You forgot some fundamental things here.

I am very slightly curious about your last sentence

A quarter century longevity, legions of fans, and a legacy of nearly 30 sequels. Shameful

[D]

8-way whipping, why are there no other cv games that feature 8-way whipping? It´s the bomb.
Requesting a HD 2D 8-way whipping cv game! please.
CV4 is the best game, because of the freedom in gameplay alone, it´s not the prettiest or the most challenging, but whatever other cv game I´m playing, I´m missing 8 way whipping. I also like the fact that you can keep the action button pressed and Simon will just stand there with his arm forward and the whip becomes a shield, then you can rotate the whip with the directional buttons.
I like to kill enemies this way, it takes longer and is a bit hazardous, but it´s fun.
Also worth mentioning is that by holding the jump button you can´t move, so this way you can whip in all directions without moving.
Let´s not forget that this game was a release title for the Super Famicom, that makes it all the more impressive.
Why didn´t they just do a Super Castlevania 4B, just give us new levels and leave the gameplay intact.

[Estebang]

8-way whipping, why are there no other cv games that feature 8-way whipping? It´s the bomb.

A lot of reasons!

It's actively destructive to good CV level design, and it makes the game too easy.

X68000 and Bloodlines wisely only give you 3 directions each to whip, which allows some flexibility without breaking the game.

[D]

8-way whipping, why are there no other cv games that feature 8-way whipping? It´s the bomb.

A lot of reasons! It's actively destructive to good CV level design, and it makes the game too easy.
X68000 and Bloodlines wisely only give you 3 directions each to whip, which allows some flexibility without breaking the game.

Restricitng gameplay is a poor way of making a game challenging. agreed CV4 is too easy, but don´t blame that on 8-way whipping. Blame it on too easy level design. Just make the levels harder (to cope with good gameplay).
I want more tarzan swinging and whipping enemies flying out of a tarzan swing! please....
Some levels in CV4 have weird color palettes, like they were meant for or ported from a NES game.
Any CV4 romhacks out there?

[Estebang]

Whips travel through walls, and CV enemies are infrequent, slow-moving and heavily dependent on position. There's no possible way to balance 8-way whipping without dramatically overhauling the CV formula (essentially, making it play like Contra).

If you really want more Indiana Jones swinging (Tarzan doesn't carry a vine around with him), Rusty has it. Bloodlines also lets John Morris whip-swing from any ceiling, but it's never required.

[BIL]

Which is why 99% of SOTN's enemies that were c/p'd directly from Rondo may as well not be there (and a great deal of the original ones, too).

It's also why bringing up the whip mechanic from Ninja Spirit is misguided. Its one-hit deaths and endless screenloads of lethal popcorn balance out a 360' screen-wiping whip. And massive Contra-esque spreadshot. And screen-high jumps. And triple attack multiplier. It's the opposite of CV's minimalist sidescrolling action.

Restricitng gameplay is a poor way of making a game challenging.

If the restrictions are there to promote strategy, resourcefulness and deft execution, like in Rolling Thunder or Shinobi, it's a fine approach. If the restrictions are just a way of ensuring players can't realistically handle the simplest obstacles without memorisation, like in Haunted Castle, then yeah, it sucks. Oldschool Castlevania is generally on the better half of this divide, aberrations like HC and Dracula XX excepted.