Castlevania Miscellanies

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Drum
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Drum »

circuitface wrote:
Drum wrote: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.
I went off like that because you said that it holds up well 'for such an old game', which was a bit much for my heart to take. But I get you now.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Ed Oscuro »

Estebang wrote: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.
I recall there's one gap that Morris must whip-swing across. It's a given that it's not a major gameplay component, of course.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

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Image
Image
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by drauch »

It's funny too, because they Neca Simon figure looks nothing like it. Someone actually came over the other night and made fun of mine because "it looks like it has down syndrome". That entire Castlevania line was kind of a joke. Especially the Succubus who was originally made with her tittays showing, only to be covered up last seconds by a piece of glued on plastic. I hate NECA.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by BrianC »

Stormwatch wrote:Image
You forgot the goofy Captain N Simon. I don't know which is worse, that or Deathnote Simon.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Obscura »

Am I the only person who thinks Rondo is really overrated?

1 ,3, and X68000/PSOne Chronicles Original are some of my absolute favorite games of all time (the only sidescroller I like as much is Metal Slug), and Bloodlines and SNES Dracula X are also quite good, but Rondo... meh. There's a lot of monster corridor syndrome leaking in, its difficulty is schizophrenic as hell, and the only good boss fight is Shaft's Ghost.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Leader Bee »

I think you're the only one that thinks Rhondo is overrated. Snes dracula X is a decent stand alone game should you not consider what it was supposed to be but compared side by side it is vastly inferior to Rhondo in most respects; I say most, as I do prefer it's music and i'm sure i'll be in the minority with that comment too.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Ghegs »

While we're on the topic of Rondo, is the version of Wii's Virtual Console decent? I actually have the original game, but I don't usually keep my Duo-R hooked up. Would be handy to have another method of playing it.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Leader Bee »

I also have the original disk but my only way of playing it is through Magic Engine. The version on Dracula X Chronicles is far too blurry to even enjoy and I can't comment on the Wii version, i felt shelling out nearly £200 on the original didn't justify a second purchase (plus wii controllers don't seem to hold their charge very long and gave up using it ages ago).
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by njiska »

Ghegs wrote:While we're on the topic of Rondo, is the version of Wii's Virtual Console decent? I actually have the original game, but I don't usually keep my Duo-R hooked up. Would be handy to have another method of playing it.
It's a direct port of the original and it's incredibly faithful just like all VC releases. The only difference is that the US release has the English audio from Dracula X Chronicles and the werewolf is censored. At least that's all I remember being changed.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Leader Bee »

njiska wrote: It's a direct port of the original and it's incredibly faithful just like all VC releases. The only difference is that the US release has the English audio from Dracula X Chronicles and the werewolf is censored. At least that's all I remember being changed.
So they can do this but won't change a thing about the regular "Never released outside Japan" games, including the text!?

"warning, the original software is in Japanese" (and we were too lazy to update it for western audiences)
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Estebang »

The version of Rondo on the US Dracula X Chronicles is uncensored and has the option for Japanese voices with subtitles. It has to be unlocked by playing the remake, which is a great CV in its own right, and even offers some mechanical improvements (you can now backflip from a forward jump). Most importantly, there's a punishingly difficult new third form of Dracula. The collection also has a retranslated SotN with some sound effects changed, new English voices, and a Japanese voice option. It really is an amazing package.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by BrianC »

njiska wrote: It's a direct port of the original and it's incredibly faithful just like all VC releases. The only difference is that the US release has the English audio from Dracula X Chronicles and the werewolf is censored. At least that's all I remember being changed.
I have to check, but I remembered the audio being in Japanese. The German intro voice was changed for the JP audio, for the Wii and PSP version.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by njiska »

BrianC wrote:
njiska wrote: It's a direct port of the original and it's incredibly faithful just like all VC releases. The only difference is that the US release has the English audio from Dracula X Chronicles and the werewolf is censored. At least that's all I remember being changed.
I have to check, but I remembered the audio being in Japanese. The German intro voice was changed for the JP audio, for the Wii and PSP version.
I'm just going from memory. It may be english text and JP audio. Either way it's localized and the wolf has pants.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by NTSC-J »

Estebang wrote:The collection also has a retranslated SotN with...new English voices...
Now why would you want to do that? One of the few instances where I prefer the localization to the original.

Regarding the overrating of Rondo of Blood: the thing that puts it among my all-time favorites is the style. I love that era of anime, I love all of the creative scenes and minor details, from the prologue with Death to the Shaft battle, and the soundtrack is pound-for-pound best in the series. It may be a bit easy, but for me it encapsulates all the things I love about this hobby.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by BrianC »

njiska wrote: I'm just going from memory. It may be english text and JP audio. Either way it's localized and the wolf has pants.
A lot of the Japanese text is still there. The menus are English, but it might have already been like that. Also, I'm pretty sure the majority game is in raw Japanese. That's what I remember during the cutscenes and the videos I have seen on youtube show the same thing. As far as I know, the pants is the only localization. I think the different German voice for the intro for the PSP/Wii versions was in the JP versions too (no other reason I can think of for JP subtitles).

Edit: Just checked videos of the PSP version. Both the updated and original version of Chi no Rondo have pants on the werewolf, just like the Wii version.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by drauch »

NTSC-J wrote:Regarding the overrating of Rondo of Blood: the thing that puts it among my all-time favorites is the style. I love that era of anime, I love all of the creative scenes and minor details, from the prologue with Death to the Shaft battle, and the soundtrack is pound-for-pound best in the series. It may be a bit easy, but for me it encapsulates all the things I love about this hobby.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Friendly »

NTSC-J wrote: Regarding the overrating of Rondo of Blood: the thing that puts it among my all-time favorites is the style. I love that era of anime, I love all of the creative scenes and minor details, from the prologue with Death to the Shaft battle, and the soundtrack is pound-for-pound best in the series. It may be a bit easy, but for me it encapsulates all the things I love about this hobby.
Yeah, Rondo is not overrated. It is rated highly and totally deserves it. One of the best games on PC Engine, and that's saying a lot.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Ed Oscuro »

NTSC-J wrote:Regarding the overrating of Rondo of Blood: the thing that puts it among my all-time favorites is the style. I love that era of anime, I love all of the creative scenes and minor details, from the prologue with Death to the Shaft battle, and the soundtrack is pound-for-pound best in the series. It may be a bit easy, but for me it encapsulates all the things I love about this hobby.
That was beautiful. I just shed a manly tear. Well done sir!
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by NTSC-J »

I'm glad my words rang true for you guys as well.

I just beat CV4 on a credit, and now after learning the game inside out, I'm glad to say I like it a lot more than when I had played it briefly years ago, but it's still far from my favorite. Some stages are really nice with great music (the walk up to Dracula is my favorite part), but the design is also kind of ugly and plain at times, the enemies especially. The whip I also didn't care for. It allows for a bit too much freedom, I think. Really weak bosses in this game, too. Most can be punched through with the triple cross and aren't very fun or creative. Still a fun game and more enjoyable than 3.

Edit: Here's a first, I beat a Castlevania game on a credit on my first try: Kid Dracula for Gameboy. 10 games down, just a few left. Up next, Castlevania Chronicles.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by BIL »

CV4's enemy sprites are definitely its weakest graphical aspect. Having played the whole CV1-Bloodlines lineup over the last couple weeks, CV3 actually has better-detailed monsters. Rondo's and Bloodlines' completely outclass it. The soundtrack is easily its strongest aesthetic point, and luckily it's phenomenal enough to pick up most of the visual slack.

When the game's occasionally firing on all cylinders (like during the Stage B opening areas and boss rush - great monster designs and gorgeous settings) it's quite beautiful.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Mortificator »

I'm also appreciating SCV4 more than I once did. I like it about as much as Haunted Castle now, which is more of a complement than it sounds.
NTSC-J wrote:Here's a first, I beat a Castlevania game on a credit on my first try: Kid Dracula for Gameboy.
The NES Kid Dracula's a bit tougher than its Game Boy sequel, though perhaps not as fun.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Estebang »

This is probably common knowledge at this point, but the Japanese CV3 (Akumajou Densetsu) is a good deal better. The cartridge has a special chip for an added sound channel, some background graphics are more detailed, and Dracula's final form is actually possible to kill.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by BIL »

What was changed about CV3's final Dracula form? I cleared Akumajou Densetsu for the first time recently and didn't notice anything different in that fight, but it's been years since I played CV3.

edit: and man, Dracula's second form in that game is a frickin' awesome monster design.

edit 2: while we're on the subject of the ol' fucker, a SUPER DRACULA TRIVIA FACT: In Bloodlines, Dracula only has two forms. The flying enemy fought second is actually Drolta Tzuentes, the witch who resurrected Countess Bartley. I'm nerding out to Bloodlines/VK at the moment, having been reading the Megadrive manual.

I like how his first form rematerialises with zero warning in CV1. Actually requires reflexes to not get whacked, unlike every other game's interpretation where he telegraphs his location.
Last edited by BIL on Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Estebang »

I'm going on hearsay, to be honest. Someone told me his attacks are easier to avoid; you probably still need the axe to have any hope of survival. I've only played that far in the US version myself.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by NTSC-J »

Mortificator wrote:
NTSC-J wrote:Here's a first, I beat a Castlevania game on a credit on my first try: Kid Dracula for Gameboy.
The NES Kid Dracula's a bit tougher than its Game Boy sequel, though perhaps not as fun.
Yea I beat that one too. The Gameboy one is definitely easier, but both games would be a good deal more challenging if they didnt throw so many lives at you in the bonus stages. The hardest part in both games is the platform-jumping ascent into space, made difficult by the floaty controls.

Re: CV3, I beat the US one on a credit despite playing only the JPN versions for the rest of my marathon and didnt find the final form of Dracula very difficult. If I liked the game more I might go back and do the JPN one, but its too long to me and not as fun as some of the others.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Mortificator »

^ Woah, that's pretty pimp. Dracula's Curse gave me a hell of a time when I cleared it several years ago.

I just used a password to try the end of Akumajo Densetsu. There's a lightning magic pick-up for Sypha right outside Dracula's throne room, which made the whole fight piss-easy. For his third form, I could just stand in the corner, hop over the occasional beam, and burn him to cinders.

Looking over a the changes from Mr. P's site (ugh frames) and Wikipedia, I couldn't say either version of the game is definitively better. Graphics are a mixed bag. So is music. In some cases, like stage 1's theme, the additional channels just obscure the melody. I mostly don't mind that Akumajo Densetsu is easier - this game isn't structured as well as the original Castlevania anyway - but it's just lame that Grant always throws knives instead of stabbing.
BIL wrote:In Bloodlines, Dracula only has two forms. The flying enemy fought second is actually Drolta Tzuentes, the witch who resurrected Countess Bartley.
I've heard that idea before, and the cloaked figure does look similar to the concept art of Drolta. It doesn't jive with what happens on-screen, though. It's not like Dracula chills on the sidelines for a while as another individual steps in and fights. You see Dracula transform from a blue dude to a cloaked figure, and you see him transform again from a cloaked figure into a demon.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Estebang »

Mortificator wrote:I just used a password to try the end of Akumajo Densetsu. There's a lightning magic pick-up for Sypha right outside Dracula's throne room, which made the whole fight piss-easy. For his third form, I could just stand in the corner, hop over the occasional beam, and burn him to cinders.
Yeah, I should have specified that beating him with Trevor is the real ordeal. Sypha + Lightning is the easy way out for most enemies.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Mortificator »

I gave it another couple of tries as Mr. Belmondo and it was still really easy, even though the Japanese version gives you a cross boomerang instead of an axe. I died on the first attempt to Dracula's second form and cleared him the next go. The third form never even touched me. It's really my own carelessness that I died at all; since Simo... I mean Trev... I mean RALPH can survive eight hits instead of four, you can play like a dumbass and still win.
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Re: Castlevania Miscellanies

Post by Estebang »

Alright, I probably shouldn't be talking, since I haven't played it in years.
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