• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Castlevania Community Thread | What is a man?!

What's the overal impression on Castlevania Chronicles for the PSX? I know it's a remake of 1, and have been wanting to get it off US PSN for some time.
It's a really damn good remake of the original. It is a short game though if your good at classicvanias. It has both the original X68000 which start of on the classic diffculty, and the revamped version which has an changeable difficulty and remastered artwork and music. Personally I love the game and always find myself going.back to it.
 

Tizoc

Member
Cool, my Vita is in need of more Platformers and traditional 2d games, bet it'd look sweeeet on dat OLED too.
 
Replayed Rondo of Blood on emulator, and now wondering why this hasn't been ported to PSN/XBLA like SotN.

The game (full 2d sprite) would look incredible in HD.
It's also top tier in CV games.
 

Rei_Toei

Fclvat sbe Pnanqn, ru?
My older brother is the best and got me this:

10488790404_626ae32227_b.jpg
 

romulus91

Member
playing my first ever castlevania on vita (Sotn) and god damn im in love .......... i have pokemon and gta v staring at me but i keep getting drawn in .....


question : what game in the series should i play next????? :) (have 3ds, ps3, vita as preference machines but have ps1, ps2, psp, gamecube, dreamcast, etc etc oh and a pc with every console emulating )
 

Tizoc

Member
playing my first ever castlevania on vita (Sotn) and god damn im in love .......... i have pokemon and gta v staring at me but i keep getting drawn in .....


question : what game in the series should i play next????? :) (have 3ds, ps3, vita as preference machines but have ps1, ps2, psp, gamecube, dreamcast, etc etc oh and a pc with every console emulating )

Hmmm....
PS2 has Curse of Darkness, which I personally liked but plays differently to SotN's style IIRC.

Majority of Castlevania games that play like SotN were released on NDS and GBA, so if you liked SotN's style, get those though i worry you may get tired of the style from playing it so many times ^^;

On US PSN at least, there's Castlevania Chronicles which is a remake of the NES Castlevania game, being a traditional side scroller.
There's also the Vita compatible Dracula X chronicles that has the Rondo of Blood remake and original game, as well as SotN.
Lament of Innocence on US PSN but I've seen mixed opinions on it.

On the Wii(U) Virtual Console, there are traditional 2D side scrolling Castlevania games as well such as Casltevania Rebirth.
 
playing my first ever castlevania on vita (Sotn) and god damn im in love .......... i have pokemon and gta v staring at me but i keep getting drawn in .....


question : what game in the series should i play next????? :) (have 3ds, ps3, vita as preference machines but have ps1, ps2, psp, gamecube, dreamcast, etc etc oh and a pc with every console emulating )

I'd suggest going to the Sorrow games (Aria of Sorrow GBA/Dawn of Sorrow on DS) as they are easily the direct legacy of SOTN in quality and gameplay. My 2nd favorite Metroidvania title.
 

kunonabi

Member
I thought it was already on there? Or is the Wii / Wii U VC games separate?

Also, why no Bloodlines yet? That's the one I really want.

same here. all i want from the vc is bloodlines for the wii u(wii vc would be better but that isn't going to happen) and the remaining gameboy games.
 

Retro

Member
Anyone here has any impressions of the LoS 2 demo on xbla?

There's a thread for it here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=704533

same here. all i want from the vc is bloodlines for the wii u(wii vc would be better but that isn't going to happen) and the remaining gameboy games.

It's absurd that there isn't a "Castlevania Collection" at this point. Just throw Castlevania 1, 2, 3, IV, Rondo, Dracula X (for purists, I guess) Bloodlines, Adventure I & II and Legends. Castlevania X68000 too.
 
Bloodlines was pretty good from what I remember. It was nice that they made Bram Stokers Dracula canon with that game. Plus it was nice to have an different characters and alternate routes depending on who you had.
 

Chinbo37

Member
Who played that game for Xbox 360 (download only?) that kind of looks like SOTN??

What is that, I even watched some footage of hte game on youtube and I cant figure out what is going on. Does it play like SOTN? Does it suck? Why isnt it crazy popular?
 

Retro

Member
Bloodlines was pretty good from what I remember. It was nice that they made Bram Stokers Dracula canon with that game. Plus it was nice to have an different characters and alternate routes depending on who you had.

The connection was sort of odd, at best.

Quincy Morris is a bachelor in the novel (given that he's courting Lucy Westenra) but according to Bloodlines, he's had a son at some point in the past. In theory, he could have married young, had a son, and lost his wife. In fact, it kind of makes sense from a story perspective for a heartbroken, recently widowed Morris to leave his native Texas for a change of scenery in Europe.

Obviously John never appears in the novel, though he supposedly keeps close to his dad, since he's supposedly there to witness his father's death at the end of the novel. Maybe it's just me, but it seems kind of odd to have your kid hanging about while you're pitching woo, but maybe circumstances were such that he couldn't leave the kid anywhere else (though according to the book, Quincey is wealthy; he bankrolls almost the entire mission). Also kind of irresponsible to bring a kid along to hunt down a Vampire, but okay.

There's also the Belmont -> Morris connection, but I seem to remember they retconned that somehow, with the Belmonts having to temporarily retire, passing on the Vampire Hunter to relatives. I think Portrait of Ruin touched on that one, but it's been a while since I played it.

/shrug. I never liked IGA's attempt to try and tie all Dracula mythology to Castlevania. It brought nothing of any value to the series.

Who played that game for Xbox 360 (download only?) that kind of looks like SOTN??

What is that, I even watched some footage of hte game on youtube and I cant figure out what is going on. Does it play like SOTN? Does it suck? Why isnt it crazy popular?

Mirror of Fate? It was released for the 3DS a while ago and was generally panned by critics. It's a sidescroller, but it's still very much a "Lords of Shadow"-vania, so everything takes 500 hits to kill and it's all about flashy combat instead of platforming. I seem to recall reading the framerate was terrible too. They gave it an HD update and ported it to PS3/X360... Personally, I'm waiting for the PC version.
 

Retro

Member
Just finished the Mirror of Fate demo on the 360. Not impressed. It's basically Lords of Shadow confined to the x and y axis. Very simple platforming, lots of boring "whip everything 500 times" combat... basically Lords of Shadow in 2.5D. I'm sure it's an okay game, but that's not Castlevania and never will be for me.

24 hour Castlevania marathon: Twitch.TV/romscout

Already on Simon's Quest, huh?

The game sound/music could be direct, instead it sounds like we're picking it up through the player's mic. I'm just glad he's not talking constantly in an annoying faux accent or trying to be silly. He's playing the game and talking about that, so he's got a leg up on most streamers.
 
Who played that game for Xbox 360 (download only?) that kind of looks like SOTN??

What is that, I even watched some footage of hte game on youtube and I cant figure out what is going on. Does it play like SOTN? Does it suck? Why isnt it crazy popular?

that'd be castlevania: harmony of despair

it's kinda a weird multiplayer mishmash of basically every 2d castlevania game from rondo of blood to order of ecclesia. it's pretty interesting conceptually, playing through levels based on the different metroidvanias in the series with any number of different characters, but it really didn't equate to anything more than that, which doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing

basically, you're in this big, pretty open environment, along with up to 7 other people, and you're trying to work your way to the boss of the level. that's about it. each character can level up and collect new equipment and stuff too, but it's pretty simple. you're basically just playing through the same 10 or so levels.

still, i had a decent amount of fun with it. i played with some friends a few years after the release and had a good time, if not just for all the fanservice. there's not really much meaningful interaction, the other players are sorta just... there, and the higher level ones will be doing all the work, defeating the boss when you're only halfway through the level. it doesn't really come together cohesively but i still thought it was enjoyable.

dunno if i'd recommend paying full price (+dlc costs) to anyone who isn't a big castlevania fan. i had a good time tearing through the levels as richter, but i even got it on sale and felt that, while it's not necessarily light on content, you'll have to do the same levels over and over a lot to see everything, so it's a bit of a tough sell, especially considering that maybe 1/3rd of the content is paid DLC.

but still, if you're just looking for some sort of crazy, fanservice-filled castlevania crossover a bit truer to source material that judgement, then you'll enjoy it.
 
Who played that game for Xbox 360 (download only?) that kind of looks like SOTN??

What is that, I even watched some footage of hte game on youtube and I cant figure out what is going on. Does it play like SOTN? Does it suck? Why isnt it crazy popular?

It was, it's just that it's been out for a while now for both systems. It does pick up when it goes on sale. It's a pretty fun game when you play with friends and certain random players.
Here's some footage I took of a run we did. It's coordinated, but ended miserably
http://youtu.be/E9kLwrQRYos
 

Marz

Member
Just finished the Mirror of Fate demo on the 360. Not impressed. It's basically Lords of Shadow confined to the x and y axis. Very simple platforming, lots of boring "whip everything 500 times" combat... basically Lords of Shadow in 2.5D. I'm sure it's an okay game, but that's not Castlevania and never will be for me.



Already on Simon's Quest, huh?

The game sound/music could be direct, instead it sounds like we're picking it up through the player's mic. I'm just glad he's not talking constantly in an annoying faux accent or trying to be silly. He's playing the game and talking about that, so he's got a leg up on most streamers.

Yea he focuses on the actual gameplay instead of most streamers that think they're funny or like to hear themselves talk so its refreshing.
 
So, when does Lords of Shadow get good? The OT made it seem like an overlooked gem, but I'm just into chapter three and it just seems like a pretty mashup of God of War, Uncharted and Shadow of the Colossus. The titan fights were awful and I'm getting sick of tracking down shards to move on to the next area. Does it ever turn into something half-way resembling a Castlevania game or am I just wasting my time?
 
So, when does Lords of Shadow get good? The OT made it seem like an overlooked gem, but I'm just into chapter three and it just seems like a pretty mashup of God of War, Uncharted and Shadow of the Colossus. The titan fights were awful and I'm getting sick of tracking down shards to move on to the next area. Does it ever turn into something half-way resembling a Castlevania game or am I just wasting my time?

That's basically it. The fights and that other stuff you mention do get better, but it's been so long since I played it that I forget at what point it start to pick up.
 

SkyOdin

Member
So, when does Lords of Shadow get good? The OT made it seem like an overlooked gem, but I'm just into chapter three and it just seems like a pretty mashup of God of War, Uncharted and Shadow of the Colossus. The titan fights were awful and I'm getting sick of tracking down shards to move on to the next area. Does it ever turn into something half-way resembling a Castlevania game or am I just wasting my time?
By the time you are in Chapter 3, you have been introduced to the core of the gameplay. You are also past the worst of it, since there will not be another Titan fight.
At least for a while, and the last one isn't nearly as bad as the first two.

I think the game has plenty of flaws, but I do think it is reasonably Castlevania-like. Once you get past Agartha, the environments start to become more classically Castlevania as well. However, if you are not enjoying it by Chapter 3, then it very well might not be for you. I do think the latter half is the better part of the game, though.
 

Creaking

He touched the black heart of a mod
By the time you are in Chapter 3, you have been introduced to the core of the gameplay. You are also past the worst of it, since there will not be another Titan fight.
At least for a while, and the last one isn't nearly as bad as the first two.

I think the game has plenty of flaws, but I do think it is reasonably Castlevania-like. Once you get past Agartha, the environments start to become more classically Castlevania as well. However, if you are not enjoying it by Chapter 3, then it very well might not be for you. I do think the latter half is the better part of the game, though.

I think it gets much better past Chapter 3. The first few chapters can feel like a slog.
 
Replayed Rondo of Blood on emulator, and now wondering why this hasn't been ported to PSN/XBLA like SotN.

The game (full 2d sprite) would look incredible in HD.
It's also top tier in CV games.

Rondo might be my favorite. I'd love Dracula X Chronicles getting an HD edition and they could make all 3 titles look great.
 

Retro

Member
I wish the IGAvanias would return. I'd be happy right now with just a Harmony of Despair 2 though.

Classicvania or bust. I'd even be okay with a hybrid, where you play through it linearly as a Belmont, then go back through it as a secondary character where side passages and item progression open up through the original levels (with new ones added, of course).
 

Ahasverus

Member
So, when does Lords of Shadow get good? The OT made it seem like an overlooked gem, but I'm just into chapter three and it just seems like a pretty mashup of God of War, Uncharted and Shadow of the Colossus. The titan fights were awful and I'm getting sick of tracking down shards to move on to the next area. Does it ever turn into something half-way resembling a Castlevania game or am I just wasting my time?

Just in the level before the first Lord battle.
The OP even had a poster joking on first apge "When does the "Remove Chapters 1-3" mod come out?" lol
 

Ahasverus

Member
So, when does Lords of Shadow get good? The OT made it seem like an overlooked gem, but I'm just into chapter three and it just seems like a pretty mashup of God of War, Uncharted and Shadow of the Colossus. The titan fights were awful and I'm getting sick of tracking down shards to move on to the next area. Does it ever turn into something half-way resembling a Castlevania game or am I just wasting my time?
As you can see from this

vampire%20castle.jpg


It does get darker. The game is just setting up a world.

Edit: DP - Sorry!
 
Classicvania or bust. I'd even be okay with a hybrid, where you play through it linearly as a Belmont, then go back through it as a secondary character where side passages and item progression open up through the original levels (with new ones added, of course).

Sounds like Rondo you're suggesting, and I'd be quite happy with another game like that. Worked great with Richter and Maria, so something similar would be great.
 
Oh snap, I still have one of these laying around from pre-ordering Portrait of Ruin at Gamestop lol. I have no idea where the music cd is though.

I got in a wreck shortly after I got this, and my music CD was destroyed. My vehicle was totaled (I landed upside down in a river) and I didn't die, yet all I could think about was how I lost that CD.
 
Top Bottom