How do the Castlevania GBA games match up to the Metroid GBA games?

I

Idiot Member

Banned
I've just started playing Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission, and they've quickly become two of my favorite games. I've never played such good action platformers on a handheld system, they are almost as good Castlevania Symphony of the Night.

I was wondering if Konami has been doing as good a job with the Castlevania series on GBA as Nintendo is with Metroid. These Metroid games have already sold me on buying a DS or GBA SP, but I wanted to know about CV too.
 
The Metroids are far superior in my mind. I enjoyed and completed the first Castlevania but the others just couldn't hold me. Both Metroids however I couldn't put down.
 
Well the both have the same basic gameplay now... just one rates how well you find items, while the other rates how well you completed a map...
 
It depends on how much you value RPG elemts (stats, experience) and what they do for gameplay


some people are extremely sensitive when it comes to RPG elements in an action/platformer while some people find them fun and engaging
 
As much as I think the nick "Hello Gaf. . ." is funny, it's messing with the spacing on the main page, can we get a shorter one mods?
 
The Metroid games are just better designed all around, though I thought CotM was an amazing launch title (surprisingly challenging too for a level grind CV) and AoS is a decent variation on SotN. Avoid HoD though, it's crap.
 
Gattsu25 said:
It depends on how much you value RPG elemts (stats, experience) and what they do for gameplay


some people are extremely sensitive when it comes to RPG elements in an action/platformer while some people find them fun and engaging
Click to expand...

i like them, but I don't NEED them. The metroid games really remind me of zelda a link to the past. Gaining new abilities to continue the game, and increasing your characters abilities. I really liked SoTN because of this. I like RPG elements, how ever basic they are. I think they should be implemented even more than they were in SoTN.

I like the idea about the DS Castlevania and drawing the seals. Reminds me of Hellsing, SOTN, and Full Metal Alchemist.
 
The GBA CV, except for CoTM, games use a similar format to the Metroid games. You basically have a huge overworld to explore, in stead of it being cut into levels. I loved both GBA Metroid games, but didn't enjoy the CV games as much, even though I did like them nonetheless.
 
I thought Zero Mission was too short and too easy.

Fusion was excellent though, despite the linearity.

I'd rank them like this

Aria of Sorrow
Fusion
Cotm
Zero Mission
HoD
 
Ironclad_Ninja said:
The GBA CV, except for CoTM, games use a similar format to the Metroid games. You basically have a huge overworld to explore, in stead of it being cut into levels. I loved both GBA Metroid games, but didn't enjoy the CV games as much, even though I did like them nonetheless.
Click to expand...

How deep is the gameplay for the GBA CVs? I didn't really enjoy the SNES CVs for example. I think they sucked.

It was basically attack with whip, jump, attack with sub weapon, super attack with sub weapon.. the end.
 
AoS is comparable in depth/lenth to SotN.

CotM is somewhat less so, but with the magic system, provides far more depth than the SNES games.
 
Circle of the Moon rocks. It's great if you missed the difficulty in Symphony of the Night. Some of the bosses are tough as nails, and just fighting normal enemies can at times be deadly.

Aria of Sorrow would be better than Symphony of the Night if it had better music and graphics. It's a tougher game than Symphony, but not as tough as Circle. Kinda right in the middle. Soma has more abilities than even Alucard, and the gameplay is just as tight as Symphony.

The GBA CV, except for CoTM, games use a similar format to the Metroid games. You basically have a huge overworld to explore, in stead of it being cut into levels.
Click to expand...

Circle is exploration based, just like Symphony and the other 2 GBA Castlevanias.
 
The End said:
I thought Zero Mission was too short and too easy.

Fusion was excellent though, despite the linearity.

I'd rank them like this

Aria of Sorrow
Fusion
Cotm
Zero Mission
HoD
Click to expand...
Even though I would rank Fusion higher than Aria of Sorrow, I agree with you completely. Zero Mission was short, and I don't remember Ridley or Kraid being so easy when I played them as a kid. :lol But, the extra portion they added after Mlther Brain blew me away. It was nice to be able to play as Samus without her Power Suit. AoS was the best GBA CV game.
 
Honestly, i'm 70% through Aria of Sorrow and it's as good as it can get. You liked Symphony of the Night? - buy Aria.
I like Aria even more than Symphony come to think of it. The gameplay and level design is more solid and the graphics are all nice (except the resolution that is gameboyish of course)
 
I too hate stealth-based gameplay, but i put up with metal geat because of the murakami-esque plot and fantastic boss fights.
 
Hello GAF! I like to be an idiot! said:
I take it you didn't like Metal Gear Solid?
Click to expand...
Overhead/3D stealth = good, sidescrolling stealth = crap

I actually like the MG/MGS/Boktai games quite a bit. Hated Splinter Cell though.
 
The End said:
I thought Zero Mission was too short and too easy.

Fusion was excellent though, despite the linearity.

I'd rank them like this

Aria of Sorrow
Fusion
Cotm
Zero Mission
HoD
Click to expand...
I've played all but Aria and ZM, and I agree with this list.
 
Hello GAF! I like to be an idiot! said:
I'm hoping for PSP remake of Metal Gear 1 and 2 ala Metal Gear Solid ala the Metal Gear Solid 2 engine.
Click to expand...
Sounds expensive... though they might be able to plug it into the MGA engine pretty cheaply. Or even more cost efficient, go for a 2D GBA or DS version.
 
Splinter Cell and Boktai are actually two other series I wanted to get into. I just got into Metroid, and am trying to get back into Castlevania (but I didn't like LoI and I don't like the older game, so there are few options)
 
jarrod said:
Overhead/3D stealth = good, sidescrolling stealth = crap

I actually like the MG/MGS/Boktai games quite a bit. Hated Splinter Cell though.
Click to expand...
I agree with you here. I like the stealth elements that were woven into Boktai, and I love MG 1 & 2, but the reason why I loved the portion after Mother Brain was because it was so unexpected. You're expecting the game to end, just like it did back on the NES, and then BAM!, you've got this new portion, and you're searching for a way to get your Power Suit back. The fight with
Meta Ridley
was great as well. I too despise sidescrolling stealth because it just doesn't work well.

Regarding the remakes of MG 1 & 2, I would like to see a compilation made that includes 1,2, and Ghost Babel all on one card for the DS. Then I would like Kojima to recreate 1 & 2 using MGS 3's engine.
 
Hello GAF! I like to be an idiot! said:
Splinter Cell and Boktai are actually two other series I wanted to get into. I just got into Metroid, and am trying to get back into Castlevania (but I didn't like LoI and I don't like the older game, so there are few options)
Click to expand...
Boktai is awesome if you live in a sunny area. I live in So Cal, and I had a great time with both Boktai's.(Heh, it's raining over here right now, so no chance to play it right now.) I wouldn't recommend Splinter Cell for the GBA because side-scrolling stealth just doesn't work well. Boktai comes highly recommended from me, and if you want another CV game to play,, check out Symphony of the Night for the playstation. You could probably find the greatest hits version pretty cheap. SoTN isn't as good as AoS, but it is still a good game.
 
Hello GAF! I like to be an idiot! said:
That's EXACTLY what I DON'T want!
Click to expand...
I'm not too sure PSP could really handle the MGS2 engine though, as it's so tailored to PS2's strengths. Xbox & GameCube could barely handle it when ported, I think PSP would just choke. The MGA engine would be fine for a MG1+2 remake though.
 
jarrod said:
I'm not too sure PSP could really handle the MGS2 engine though, as it's so tailered to PS2's strengths. Xbox & GameCube could barely handle it when ported, I think PSP would just choke. The MGA engine would be fine for a MG1+2 remake though.
Click to expand...

You think that Polyphony Digital can port Gran Turismo 4 to PSP, but KCEJ couldn't remake MG1&2 on PSP using a similar engine to MGS2?

I'm not getting Metal Gear Acid for a reason, and I certainly don't want that card crap in a MG1 or 2 remake.
 
We're doing lists?

01 Fusion
02 Zero Mission
03 Aria of Sorrow
04 Circle of the Moon
05 Herpes
06 Harmony of Dissonance
 
Hello GAF! I like to be an idiot! said:
You think that Polyphony Digital can port Gran Turismo 4 to PSP, but KCEJ couldn't remake MG1&2 on PSP using a similar engine to MGS2?
Click to expand...
Well, PD seems to regularly manage the impossible, though we technically still haven't seen GT4mobile (the "screens" were placeholder upsampled PS2 shots cut down to PSP resolution). I think KCEJ could probably manage something reasonably close, but not the same engine no. It'd kill PSP, it almost killed Xbox/GC when used. And if KCEJ's bothering with the expense of a new 3D engine, a MG1+2 remake might be better served for PS2 anyway.
 
Hello GAF! I like to be an idiot! said:
Is HoD really that bad? What's so bad about it?
Click to expand...
Tamed down boss battles, and sub-par music. It's much, much, much, much easier than CoTM. Of course, the gameplay is still classic CV gameplay.
 
Having played them all extensively

1. Harmony of Dissonance/White Night Concerto
2. Aria of Sorrow
3. Metroid Zero
4. Metroid Fusion
5. Circle of the Moon

All are excellent games but I have to go against the grain and show my love for HoD (the music, though 8-bit, was cool, too). Circle of the Moon dissapointed me to no end, but the thing that really impressed me was the music. Hearing an excellent re-mix of Genesis' Castlevania Atlantis music was awesome. If I had all games lined up in front of me, CotM would be the one I would be least likely to play.
 
Stick to the Metroids.

The Metroidvania formula is poor game design. They throw together contradictory elements where the game just gets easier as it goes along instead of harder. The RPG fusion was not for the better.
 
Hello GAF! I like to be an idiot! said:
Is HoD really that bad? What's so bad about it?
Click to expand...

If Symphony of the Night, Circle of the Moon, and Aria of Sorrow didn't exist, it would be awesome. AS it stands, the game is just redundant. The only good points not found in any other Castlevania (particularly SotN) are the fun ways you destroy the giant armors (smash with a giant hammer, grind in gears, roll boulder into, etc...) and Simon's appearance in the Time Attack.

The story has some throwbacks to Castlevania 2 and death actually plays a substantial role, but the story is still pretty weak. The gameplay is like SotN lite and restricts you to always using a whip. The magic system is excessively powerful and the reliance on current subweapon makes it to much of a hassle to use the spells you want.

The game is also so easy that there is almost never any sort of challenge at all. Much of the game also involves walking down empty hallways with no enemies, which would be scary if you ever thought a hard enemy might be lurking around the corner, but there are no hard enemies in the game.
 
1. Metroid Zero Mission - Even though its fairly easy, it has the best design any platform/action title on GBA. The real challenge of Metroid is finding all those wonderful toys, not killing stuff. In that regard, I still haven't fully mastered this game, it still challenging me to find it all and complete it faster. And the hard mode isn't kidding around, so there's challenge in the action for those who want to find it.

2. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow - Best CV title on GBA and easily on par with SoTN. Ditching the old subweapons for the soul system was a refreshing change and the bosses were a satisfying challenge. Progression was balanced, level design was superb and the soundtrack was excellent.

3. Metroid Fusion - A bit more challenging than ZM and probably the most story-driven, suspenseul Metroid title ever, but it came at the cost of some exploration and ruining the Varia Suit. The story was great and the bosses were kickass, but too many areas were self-contained and the sense of urgency to complete a mission objective distracts you from what a Metroid title should be about - exploration.

4. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance - Easy CV game, sure, but more pleasting to the eye than CotM in addition to a better power-up system. The parallel castle was nice throwback to SotN and the length of the game was good.

5. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon - Hey, lets make a Castlevania game where its not only impossible to see anything on the GBA's screen, but let's also make it so stupidly difficult that a levelling grind - as opposed to player skill - is a requirement to beat the game. Let's also inject a cool, card-based power-up system, only let's make the cards drop from monsters extremely rare, so people will just have to play it longer rather than enjoy it..
 
jarrod said:
We're doing lists?

01 Fusion
02 Zero Mission
03 Aria of Sorrow
04 Circle of the Moon
05 Herpes
06 Harmony of Dissonance
Click to expand...

This man speaks truth. HoD was utter utter crap. If it was any other game that didn't bear the name "Castlevania", though, it would not be judged so harshly by fans.

Aria of Sorrow is as close as Iga's team have gotten to SOTN II, other than it being very very short. But those few hours are blissful, if you're a fan of that style of Castlevania.

Myself I like both styles of Castlevania: the orignal tough-as-nails platformers and the more exploration oriented SOTN style games. It would be nice if they'd go back to the original platform game if only as a side project...

In terms of Metroid vs Metroidvania (as the SOTN-esque series have been christened), I don't tend to compare them directly. Zero Mission and Fusion are both quite good, but both are marred by things I'm not too fond of.

Fusion's biggest problem was how they completely destroyed the wall jump. Skilled players in Super Metroid and Zero Mission can climb up walls by using a one sided wall jump, and therefore get upgrades and powerups long before you were "supposed" to. Fusion's wall jump was altered so that you could not "exploit" it that way, which really really really pissed me off. In addition, this highly unusual linear Metroid just HAD to be released alongside that dreck on the GameCube and as such I wasn't very fond of it at first.

Zero Mission's two major faults lie in its length (short) and it's difficulty, even on hard mode (non-existent). The
stealth section
makes absolutely no sense and I wonder why on earth they did that. Waste of time.


In short: go with Aria of Sorrow and Circle of the Moon. If you have any taste in games, you'll avoid Harmony of Dissonance like the plague.
 
Foobar said:
3. Metroid Fusion - A bit more challenging than ZM and probably the most story-driven, suspenseul Metroid title ever, but it came at the cost of some exploration and ruining the Varia Suit. The story was great and the bosses were kickass, but too many areas were self-contained and the sense of urgency to complete a mission objective distracts you from what a Metroid title should be about - exploration.
Click to expand...

I really disagree here. I think Metroid Fusion is great and I think a lot of it really enhances the Metroid feeling. I love the whole
Dark Samus... whatever that thing is called... hunting you down aspect
because it really enhanced the feeling of isolation that is so important to Metroid. It's like you're alone on this station and that
thing is hunting you.
No way out.

I also think the Fusion suit was awesome and the story was better than most Metroid stories and that the bosses were incredible. The sole complaint I have is that the game should be a bit less linear, but besides that I can't complain.
 
Fusion:
Some of the best 2d storytelling EVER .... Red-Headed stepchild of the series, but great and dramatic in its own right...

Zero Mission:
A great revision to a classic ... great combination of story and non-liniarity (You can beat Kraid or Ridley in any order, provided you're skilled enough)...

The metroids are supirior exploration to the Castlevanias, but it's still fun to have those 'rpg' elements every now and then.
 
From a design/game play view, Aria Of Sorrow is on the same level as Castlevania Symphony of The Night. If anything, it's the best of this type of game since SOTN, and definitely much better than the other two Castlevania GBA games and both Metroid games.

I'd probably rank the titles like this:

1. Castlevania AoS (Best all around and the soul system is a great idea. Has a new storyline with a surprising twist. There's a reason this game is getting a direct sequel on the DS)

2. Metroid Zero Mission (Great design and gameplay, but a bit on the easy side)

3. Castlevania Harmony Of Dissonance (Easier than AoS and tends to have more repetitive use of enemies. Worst music of any of the five games)

4. Metroid Fusion (Great game, but feels very linear as the game is broken up into subsections and you are always told where to go by your CPU "boss.")

5. Castlevania Circle Of The Moon (Probably the most challenging of all five games, but bland level design and animation)

The Castlevania games will also take longer to complete than the Metroid games will, so if length is a big factor in deciding which to get, definitely go with one of the Castlevania games instead. Aria and Harmony also feature bonus challenge boss rush modes and an additional character to play as.

You really can't go wrong with any of them though. :) And I can't stress enough how awesome AoS is. :D
 
metroids are better. better level design, better puzzles, better pacing. the whole package is just very tight and integrated well. better bosses as well.
castlevanias get tedious after a while IMO.
 
The Metroids focus more an exploration, while the Castlevanias focus more on action. So, aside from being a fan of one particular series over the other, and being inclined in that fashion, it generally comes down to what type of game you're looking for. Both series do what they attempt to do very well.

I love the Metroid series. I love the Castlevania series. I love the Metroids more. They really make you feel like you're on a mission, whereas Castlevania is strictly about the action, though the environments are always nicely designed. And there's something pervasively interesting about the Metroid games in that finding a secret in a room could lead to something hidden, or a very cool shortcut, not to mention that progression itself is often inhibited by the environment in a creative way, versus just enemies in CV [or extremely simple Metroid-type obstacles].

That said,

Metroid Zero Mission > CV AoS = Metroid Fusion >> CV HoD = CV CotM (to be fair, haven't played much of this one, though I wasn't fond of it)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

SNES games on your GBA tight in the childhoods
2
55
3K
nkarafo replied
Limited Run Games using Used Chips for GBA releases apparently
2
51
1K
Spukc replied
Catching up with the RE Games for cheap
15
126
JohnSpartanLee replied
  • Poll
Overall, How do you feel about the State of Video games today?
2 3
117
1K
daninthemix replied
Modern Games Vs. Old Games, A.K.A how games have regressed
2 3
104
121
DreamcastSkies replied
Top Bottom