SuperAndroid17
Member
who cares, the game was hard as shit for anyone who grew up during the NES era. The end boss is similar to the Joker in batman NES, for a kid that shit was hard.
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Angry Video Game Nerd
- Thread starter demi
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For those of you who fail at watching video on the internet, HE SAYS III IS THE BEST NES CASTLEVANIA. He's just pissed at the difficulty.
And let's be fair, making you go through an entire level and a boss with three forms with no checkpoints is some bullllshit.
And let's be fair, making you go through an entire level and a boss with three forms with no checkpoints is some bullllshit.
SlipperySlope
Banned
SuperAndroid17 said:
Yeah, pretty much. To many, obscene difficulty to the point of memorization is a deterrent.
Some games are just too hard for their own good, and it's right to knock them for that.
SlipperySlope said:
with the exception of the where you restart on the final boss, castlevania iii isn't obscenely difficult. like the collapsing tower, he was using trevor, part is cake when using grant. (logic is flawed there too, how many games, considerably easier ones at that, have forced scrolling) the collapsing floor shit is really easy too, i understand he's picking the game apart, that's his shtick, but he was trying awfully hard. :lol
A Link to the Past
Banned
I think they could really do for a modernization of the CV trilogy. Kinda make it a little more fluid. The one thing I agreed most with was the stairs; I never liked them one bit.
Davey Cakes
Member
I figured it out without the internet.SlipperySlope said:
The game designers weren't retarded. They didn't give Dracula an attack that can't be dodged. It's really not hard to notice that, if you stand still, you're fucked, and if you move around, you're less fucked. After a bit of testing certain techniques, you eventually realize how to manipulate the game to do pretty much exactly what you want.
Again, I agree that Konami should've given players a little more room for this sort of testing by not sending players to the beginning of the level after dying. That was a serious design flaw, and it would've been better to do things in the same way as the original Castlevania, where Dracula's steps are treated like a separate level.
Lumpy Onion
Member
He is right about the final stage in CV3 though. That shit was merciless. A year ago I tried to beat it and after around 20+ tries I did what he did and quit. By the time I get to the third form I totally panicked every time. It probably wasn't even that bad, I just see those blocks flying around and practically throw myself in a pit.
Red Scarlet
Member
CV3 is funnnn, but kinda easy. Still fun though.
The first form of drac gives me the most trouble..if I make it to form 2 I'm pretty much home free. Axes work fantastic on forms 2 and 3.
Even simpler than that, just stand in front of him. Hit him once, then change characters. Hit him with your other character as he changes into the other character, then change. Repeat. No damage.
I've beaten the doppelganger a couple times with just the main guy or just with Grant, and it's a little harder..moreso with the whip guy.
The first form of drac gives me the most trouble..if I make it to form 2 I'm pretty much home free. Axes work fantastic on forms 2 and 3.
ruby_onix said:
Even simpler than that, just stand in front of him. Hit him once, then change characters. Hit him with your other character as he changes into the other character, then change. Repeat. No damage.
I've beaten the doppelganger a couple times with just the main guy or just with Grant, and it's a little harder..moreso with the whip guy.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Rash said:
Oh yeah, Iga wasn't part of the team back then... or was he?
_Alkaline_
Member
I never thought the final stage of CVIII was that hard. I died A LOT on Dracula (particularly his 3rd form, which isn't overly difficult but requires a lot of patience and concentration, which often went out the window since i was always too tense) but having to start all the way back at the start of the level wasn't a huge deal. The final stage is pretty simple. I especially love the platforming in the final room before the stairs, though it did piss me off whenever i would jump into a bat and die right before the door. :lol
Dracula himself is pretty easy too. He can be frustrating, especially his 3rd form as I mentioned above, but to me the hardest parts of the game are most of the mid levels. I forget their names, but one of them required you to ascend multiple stairs whilst avoiding those flying enemies. Pissed me off big time. Also hated it whenever those stone enemies which shoot multiple fireballs in succession were placed right before a platform. Get hit by one and you're dead, basically. Fuck those guys.
Dracula himself is pretty easy too. He can be frustrating, especially his 3rd form as I mentioned above, but to me the hardest parts of the game are most of the mid levels. I forget their names, but one of them required you to ascend multiple stairs whilst avoiding those flying enemies. Pissed me off big time. Also hated it whenever those stone enemies which shoot multiple fireballs in succession were placed right before a platform. Get hit by one and you're dead, basically. Fuck those guys.
No, he mentions branching pathways and multiple characters, and say "With these innovations, I think it's the best Castlevania game, on the NES... ... ...but it's also the hardest."Htown said:
(Remembering that just minutes ago he rather simply described one of those other two games it beat out as the unholy fuckness.)
And then he proceeds to overblow the number of frustrations experienced in the game and displays an exaggerated (?) lack of ability to learn from his mistakes, and concludes the scene with...
"And that the way this whole game is, it's just an ongoing trainwreck."
*cue a montage of every time he died in the entire game*
"This fucker's got no mercy. This is the reason why Game Genie was invented."
Fast forward to him bitching about level-end bosses actually being at the ends of levels instead of... after save points or whatever.
"If there's any game that puts you in a bad mood, it's Castlevania 3. Y'know? Like if you want a game that will piss you off, putting this game in your Nintendo is like running open-armed out into a rainstorm of piss. You wanna go balls-to-the-wall? Well there's one way to put your balls to the wall, and that's to stick your dick in an electric outlet. You wanna play shit tennis with an orangutan with your head up a hyena's asshole? Well, good luck."
And then in his closing blooper he more clearly and offensively says it "This game is like playing shit tennis... blah blah blah."
Also, I noticed on the rewatch that when he first approaches Dracula, he's moving so he has plenty of space. Then he goes and moves to the exact center of the two pillars, and when the warning ember of the third pillar appears, he doesn't budge, and then complains that it was un-dodgeable. He pretty much had to go out of his way to even get hit there.
I really need to try that.Red Scarlet said:
;_;
Joseph Merrick
Member
yeah.. that video was weird. never thought castlevania3 was any hard at all, castlevania2 was always way harder. cv3 is just super cool. I remember the enemy spawns and jumps into the unknown getting him killed really pissed him off in ninja gaiden aswell. don't actually think this is a legitimate issue in either of these games, you just have to play it smarter than that.
cartman414
Member
revolverjgw said:
I disagree. The game often didn't make good use of the SNES' instrument set, and was often too subdued in its approach.
Castlevania II was stupid easy outside of the obtuse hints and objectives.
NameGenerated
Who paid you to grab Dr. Pavel?
It's just like Zero Punctuation.
wondermega
Member
I love CV3, I will agree whoever it was that said it ranks up there with the best in the entire NES library. Ashamed I never made my way thru it, I should pick it up again. Wish Konami would do a "rebirth" of this (at least make it look like Rondo of Blood - yeah, I know it won't happen). Now I am encouraged to pick it up and have some good times!
maharg said:
agreed. Nerd's stance that it was impossible without a magazine were bullshit. I had this game as a kid, and the rumor spread pretty fast from other kids that you could duck and select the orb at that place. All these secrets were awesome imo.
I dont agree with him on Castlevania II at all.
Justin Timberlake
Member
Just watched it. Very surprised he was that hard on CV III, which, in my opinion, is the best NES Castlevania (I know he said this too, but I don't understand how he can hate it so much after saying that..). Odd that he found it so hard too...probably because he just came off finishing Simon's Quest, which is rather easy.
Red Scarlet
Member
Bisnic said:
? I thought it was funny. The rapid fire deaths bit was hilarious. Some of his complaints were kind of curious, but that's kind of the point..he freaks out over random stuff lots of times.
Wow, didn't know CV2 was his first video, 5 yrs ago. I thought I saw some other ones (TMNT, BttF) first.
Yeah, I think he just decided to egg some people on with some of the CV3 stuff since he thought just doing a straight review wouldn't be as entertaining. I never beat CV3 either, although I never really wrote down the passwords when I played through it.
Will be interesting to see what he says about Super Castlevania IV.
Will be interesting to see what he says about Super Castlevania IV.
voodoopanda
Member
Is Castlevania 3 up on Virtual Console or anything? The only NES Castlevania I ever played was the first one and this video made me wanna play the third.
GitarooMan
Member
Coming from a big CVIII fan, I actually don't think he was very hard at all on the game. I just got the impression that he was having fun with the funny, sometimes frustrating ways you die (knocked off the stairs, forced scrolling death, etc.) I've always taken it as fun nostalgia (remember when you cursed a blue streak when that jumping midget fucked you over by knocking you off the top of a staircase?, etc.). Great combination of nostalgia and humor, not sure why people take it as a serious deconstruction of the game.
Warren Ellis
Banned
castlevania I for me it is way harder than castlevania III.
Red Scarlet
Member
If anything, I kind of wish the playtimes were reversed; he already did a full episode of CV2, and not one of CV3, and 3's part of the review was only about 5 minutes or so? He input the password wrong afaik, I always had a space 'HELP ME' instead of 'HELPME'. Does 'HELPME' work?
I'm not butthurt, myself. I just felt that he went easy on CV2, and hard on CV3. Nothing really wrong with that. He didn't need to rip into CV2 because he's already done that, and ripping into games is his thing, so he ripped into CV3. And I note with some fanboyish satisfaction that he had to put effort into finding fault with CV3.GDJustin said:
Some said they were surprised he referred to the game a trainwreck, and others said he complimented the game. I (in my sometimes long-winded way) tried to point out that he did both, but that on the whole, his statements were largely negative.
I thought his CV1 review was better than this one because it felt like it had more love. He could've trimmed the unnecessary criticisms from the CV2 portion and left it an unexpected mini love-fest, and then had more time for CV3. And then if that extra CV3 time was all love-slanted content, that would've been a better balance.Red Scarlet said:
Hopefully his CV4 review has more unexpected-for-his-personae love and less unexpected-for-the-game anger.
He probably didn't even try the code because he didn't need it.Red Scarlet said:
evilromero
Member
I love seeing all the Dracula's Curse fans get their panties in a twist. Remember just because a game is balls hard doesn't mean it's the best by any stretch. Let me put it this way- those who like to play games for entertainment would not enjoy CIII. Those who like to play games as forms of torture would like III. The game is a train wreck in terms of difficulty and fortunately we got IV, which improved the series in every way.
evilromero
Member
And then Konami finally reached a balance with IV. You know, that state between easy and hard?darkwings said:
Steven_Jitters
Member
I'm getting Castlevania IV in the mail in a few days just in time to play it before he puts his review up. It'll be funny for me to play it for the first time and then seeing how he feels if he does that one next.
I really wish he would do Castlevania 64 sometime, I've always wanted to see him rip into that one.
I really wish he would do Castlevania 64 sometime, I've always wanted to see him rip into that one.
Davey Cakes
Member
Dracula's Curse isn't balls hard, though. I agree there are a few unbalanced parts that can be frustrating, but overall I think the game has a satisfying level of difficulty leaves it feeling very rewarding, where in parts of SCVIV I almost laughed to myself because of how easily I had finished off a boss or a part of a level that was seemingly designed to be harder than it actually was.evilromero said:
I love Super Castlevania IV. In the Castlevania Adventure Rebirth thread I defended it as the second-best of the classic Castlevania games, even ahead of Rondo of Blood. I also defended 8-way whipping. However, you're overly-praising the game. It was more linear, easier (especially with bosses, which were a joke, where I thought CV3 struck the balance in terms of boss difficulty), shorter overall, and had less replay value than CV3.
Of course, I will admittedly note that Stage 8 (the dungeon) in SCVIV is a bitch.
Believe me, I loved the gameplay, the graphical style, the music, and the controls of IV. But, features like multiple characters and branching paths did wonders for CV3, and those things were absent if IV. There's no problem with a game differentiating itself, and IV didn't need to copy CV3, but I feel like the things that CV3 brought to the table were hard to outdo in general. Rondo of Blood also had branching pathways, but it just wasn't as good as CV3 even though it was still a high-quality Castlevania game.
Even if I were to agree that SCVIV struck the balance where CVI, II, and III failed, I still wouldn't be able to say it was the best game for it. I prefer the near-genius overall design and innovations for the series that CV3 brought to the table.
The difficulty of CV3 is overblown here far more than the easiness of SCVIV. The game had its frustrating parts, but again, it was no Contra.
The Nerd was going for entertainment value, I admit, but that doesn't mean he's right when he says the game's a trainwreck in terms of difficulty. Because, it really isn't. You just have to really suck and not have a grasp of the game at all in order to think that way.
And again, I'm saying that as someone who also loves SCVIV.
Justin Timberlake
Member
Bisnic said:
I get that. I understand that most of what he says is hyperbole.
Its just that whenever he does a review of a game which is actually good, he usually clarifies his criticisms a little. I don't think he did that much for CV III. AVGN is not only meant to be funny but also informative; I usually learn a lot about obscure games from the series. AVGN knows this and usually tries to temper his entertainment with a basis on reality; he doesn't overly criticize good games. The trouble with this review is that it would make uninformed gamers believe that CV III is very bad, when most consider it a classic.
Davey Cakes
Member
Awesome point.The Crimson Blur said:
I actually love it when he criticizes good games, because usually those criticisms are done as a way to be fair to the game. Even good games have flaws, and shouldn't be over-praised. That said, in reviews of good games, there's still a better understanding between him and the viewer that while the game in question has flaws, it's still something worth playing.
The Nerd didn't really do that with CV3. He mentioned quickly that it was the best of the NES Castlevanias due to branching paths and multiple characters, only to then call the game a trainwreck and then focus on how relentless it is in terms of difficulty. It wouldn't be that bad, either, if most of his complaints weren't overblown.
And, it's interesting, because his approach in the Castlevania video was actually much better. It was better understood in that video that, while Castlevania could be considered a masterpiece, it had aspects that made it hard almost to frustrating levels, like the ridiculous knockback. But the game is still treated with respect, where with CV3 The Nerd seemed to mostly tear into it. I do think such and approach would wrongfully influence the uninformed viewers.
Am I the only one who thinks that CVII and III should've had completely separate videos? It was nice that The Nerd elaborated more on Simon's Quest, but I don't think that game deserved the be given the majority of the screen time in a video where Dracula's Curse was also involved. I think doing separate videos of maybe 7-8 minutes would've been preferred over doing one video where each game only gets 5-6 minutes of coverage.
evilromero
Member
True, CV3 does so many wonderful things like the branching paths and the multiple characters (even though I just like to play as Trevor because he's a badass) but the necessity for trial and error can be too much for me at times. In a lot of ways it is harder than Contra due to the controls. And yes, the stairs are a big middle finger to the player. I understand they had to make the game hard, since that was so often associated with value, but I swear I would enjoy CV3 ten times more if the difficulty were tweaked just a little.Rash said:
But I concede it has all the aesthetic trappings of the ideal Castlevania game, which I love. It's just an incredible hurdle to overcome.
Arpharmd B
Banned
I'm sorry man but I lost a few respect points for the nerd.
Castlevania 3 is fucking easy. Sorry. I could beat that shit at 12 years old. Now granted when the game came out and I was 7 years old I couldn't ever pass the pirate ship. Or maybe that's the angle the nerd was getting at.
Castlevania 1 is notably harder.
Castlevania 3 is fucking easy. Sorry. I could beat that shit at 12 years old. Now granted when the game came out and I was 7 years old I couldn't ever pass the pirate ship. Or maybe that's the angle the nerd was getting at.
Castlevania 1 is notably harder.
voodoopanda
Member
Well, his video made me want to play Castlevania 3. Gunna get it on Virtual Console since I never played it before.
Making it appear a little harder than it actually is to make a more entertaining episode doesn't seem that bad. That's kind of what he does, overreact to video games.
Making it appear a little harder than it actually is to make a more entertaining episode doesn't seem that bad. That's kind of what he does, overreact to video games.
Arpharmd B
Banned
SuperAndroid17 said:
No. The stages leading up to and including the final stage are challenging. Dracula himself is a cakewalk once you figure him out.
At twelve years old I could not get hit or maybe take 1 hit on him. Now, I ain't no super genius. There are plenty of games out there eat me for breakfast and shit me out for lunch. I ain't The Wizard, alright. Game is. Not. That. Hard.
Especially not by NES standards. Games were insane back then, and there plenty that put CV3 tooooo shaaaame. I mean go fucking play Ninja Gaiden for fucks sake then come tell me CV3 is hard with a straight face.
Granted, the first time you play him you're gunna need to figure him out. This is part of what makes these games so damn great. These were challenging and rewarding. They don't give you password screens because they expect you to just walk right through this game. You need to figure out boss patterns. Once you do, Dracula is actually too easy. Yeah.
You heard me. Dracula in CV3 is too easy.
It will maybe take you 3 plays to figure out his first form. Once you have that down, I have a huge, giant secret for you! Yes, I read this in Nintendo Power and I'm I'm passing it on to you: Ax. Kills. DRACULA! Yay. I know, I know, you would have never figured this out on your own. I mean, geez, man, how the fuck did you figure out that the Ax pretty much owns his last two forms for free? I dunno must that super genius inside me from 15 years ago when I was 10.
And the monkey on the wall here, the big fat purple elephant in the room is that Castlevania 1 is much harder than 3. It's about half the length but easily twice as hard. The later boards are just insane, and it doesn't have the crutch of Alucard or Grant who can cheat like crazy through tougher parts.
theMrCravens
Member
They kept trying until they finally got it.SlipperySlope said:
I rented/borrowed this game so many times back then that at some point I knew most levels and bosses by heart.
voodoopanda
Member
I was a lot better at video games when I was 12 than I am today.
I think I had more patience to just keep playing, and I only had like new 1 game for months at a time, so I had to re-try til I got it right.
I think I had more patience to just keep playing, and I only had like new 1 game for months at a time, so I had to re-try til I got it right.
evilromero said:
and i don't think CVIII is the best because of it's difficulty, it's the branching paths, multiple characters, creative level design and music that do it for me. it has better difficulty than SCVIV, but harder doesn't mean better. if that were the case, the original X68000 Akumajou Dracula would be my favorite. :lol
Davey Cakes
Member
I just beat the game again.
It took me MANY tries to figure out a good strategy for the doppleganger, but I found an effective one. Definitely the only boss in the game that I really had to think up a decent strategy, though it does involve the "switch" mechanic which some may find cheap.
The entire last level of the game is very reasonable. I mean, it's short. Playing it again I realize that the only semi-bullshit part is the room with the pendulums, where you need REALLY good timing to fight off the bats, otherwise they'll near-cheaply knock you off.
As echoed before, Drac himself is cake. If you have the axe and maybe 25-30 hearts when facing him (which you can get from the level's midpoint on), he's pretty pathetic. The first form is easy like I already said. It's all about manipulation of the pillars. The second form is a tad trickier, but it's mostly important just not to get caught in the corner. The final form is a joke with the axe, and you don't even have to use the platforms unless you run out of hearts. The attacks are really easy to dodge since it's really just about manipulating where you want Drac's beams to go.
Castlevania 3 is a lot of fun. It gets its part of its fun from being tough, but not overbearing and unfair. It's not "hard on purpose" like Contra and it doesn't have any dumb inclusions like the 3-continue system in Ninja Gaiden III. The difficulty is, as I already said, moderate.
It took me MANY tries to figure out a good strategy for the doppleganger, but I found an effective one. Definitely the only boss in the game that I really had to think up a decent strategy, though it does involve the "switch" mechanic which some may find cheap.
The entire last level of the game is very reasonable. I mean, it's short. Playing it again I realize that the only semi-bullshit part is the room with the pendulums, where you need REALLY good timing to fight off the bats, otherwise they'll near-cheaply knock you off.
As echoed before, Drac himself is cake. If you have the axe and maybe 25-30 hearts when facing him (which you can get from the level's midpoint on), he's pretty pathetic. The first form is easy like I already said. It's all about manipulation of the pillars. The second form is a tad trickier, but it's mostly important just not to get caught in the corner. The final form is a joke with the axe, and you don't even have to use the platforms unless you run out of hearts. The attacks are really easy to dodge since it's really just about manipulating where you want Drac's beams to go.
Castlevania 3 is a lot of fun. It gets its part of its fun from being tough, but not overbearing and unfair. It's not "hard on purpose" like Contra and it doesn't have any dumb inclusions like the 3-continue system in Ninja Gaiden III. The difficulty is, as I already said, moderate.
Zuhzuhzombie!!
Member
andymcc said:
From what I've noticed from the few videos I've watched, he's not exactly the greatest gamer in the world.