267 replies to this topic

[Koh]

Simon (NES artwork) http://www.ionlitio....mon_belmont.jpg

 

Bloodlines http://static.giantb...3-75128_5_2.jpg

 

Rondo of Blood is easily anime, as well as its ingame cutscenes  https://s-media-cach...adc2c14fc42.jpg

 

Symphony of the Night style is a very stylized form of anime http://vignette2.wik...=20080227200141

[The Satellite]

You're kind of missing the point. Even if those examples are more Japanese in style, they are not out-and-out generic anime style like Dawn of Sorrow threw at us.

[Koh]

In what way are they not generic anime xP.  Save for the Symphony of the night style, they all look like Saturday Morning anime lineup styles to me.  Doesn't make me like them any less.

[The Satellite]

Regardless (and the only one I could even sort of make that comparison with is the Bloodlines image) the games still had plenty of non-anime style artwork. The complaints are that Dawn of Sorrow turned all artwork into that anime style. 

[Air Luigi]

I finished the first Castlevania again, it's still awesome. I fail to see what people find so hard about this game xd Intelligent use of subweapons and crushing bullets with your whip is all what you need. I can understand that people can struggle with Death and Dracula in a first blind play, but apart from that, the game is a breeze.

[Air Luigi]

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=uiGtZ0Gtons

 

I finished Castlevania Chronicles again, this time without losing a single life, it feels so gooood... I love so much the level design of this game.

 

And also I finished Bloodlines with my countryman Eric Lecarde, it was a breeze. It's a very fun game, I just don't like the sound effects and the lack of a cohesive world (It's strange to be in Greece and in the next stage you are in Italy). The bosses and enemies in this game are really odd for a Castlevania game, but at the same time these things are what made this game unique. There are very few subweapons and the stage design usually relied more in gimmicky stuff. The ost is totally glorious, as always.

 

Next step: Castlevania III with Alucard in the hardest path.

Edited by Air Luigi, 18 August 2015 - 07:55 PM.

[Haylee]

The original song is better:

 

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=yjdVflSHxN4

Had a listen, honestly like The Adventure Rebirth's version better.

[Air Luigi]

I forgot how hard Alucard's path could be xd But it was soooooo exciting. The stages in the lower path are the best. Transforming into a bat saved the day xd You are missing a lot of this awesome game, TS.

[The Satellite]

I had been under the impression that Alucard himself isn't that good a character in 3, though the bat transformation can be a lifesaver at times. Suddenly I wonder what a hack of 3 would be like with a sprite edit and giving him his sword from SotN and a handful of his magic attacks or bat transformation as subweapons...

[Air Luigi]

The best partner is Grant, by a big margin xd He was nerfed in the overseas edition and it's still the best. Alucard has great range but the fireballs are weak. I'm forcing myself to play the entire game with him to do the things more interesting. At least, he received less damage per hit than Sypha and Grant.

Speaking of hacks, the only one I truly enjoyed is Chorus of Mysteries. It has unique enemies, bosses and graphics and you visit Olrox Castle. The new music is weak compared to the great music of the series, but it fits the game very well. It has a unique atmosphere and great design.

Edited by Air Luigi, 19 August 2015 - 01:47 PM.

[The Satellite]

... what a travesty I just experienced.

 

Okay, so I was already disinterested by the Lords of Shadow series because they were 3D action games. Then I read the storyline for the games, and how it's an alternate continuity for the series. The story sucks, let's leave it at that, and it turned me off of the series even more strongly.

 

Then I discovered there was a Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate demo on 3DS. Apparently my friend played it, I think, and is her only Castlevania experience, which is a shame (not that I think she'd be into the series as a whole), so I thought I'd try it to see what she put herself through, and because it was supposed to be closer to a Metroidvania in style.

 

Immediately from the start I hated it, and that was just from pressing the attack button! The whip is instantaneous, there's no weight to it at all! There's all these stupid action game combo attacks and dodges and other maneuvers that don't belong in a side-scrolling Castlevania, and they only serve to bog down the gameplay and draw out every enemy encounter. Speaking of, most of the enemy encounters are all cinematic, instead of feeling like a natural addition to the areas. Which are all bland, straightforward, and lacking in platforming; what little platforming that's there is extremely guided thanks to glowing objects like ledges you can grab and whip grapple points. And where's my catchy music? What's this generic battle music garbage? Why is everything so dark and hard to see instead of vibrant and stylized?

 

THERE ARE CANDLES AND TORCHES EVERYWHERE AND I CAN'T WHIP THEM.

 

You remember how bosses left you to your own wit to discover their weaknesses and you used your abilities to take them down? Well this boss spelled out what you had to do to avoid it in cutscenes. There was no real strategy other than attack repeatedly to whittle down his health. And it ended with a quick-time event!

 

I'm glad I played this demo. I really am. It let me know I won't ever be wasting time or money on this travesty of a game that dare bear the name "Castlevania."

[Nicholas Steel]

Don't forget it uses 3D character models and the camera is zoomed right the heck out making you appear as a pixellated mess during most of the demo, especially noticeable immediately after starting gameplay.

Edited by Nicholas Steel, 21 August 2015 - 10:46 AM.

[Koh]

To be fair, all primary actions should be swift and responsive, so the game feels less sluggish and stiff.  Link's swords are made of iron, but imagine if every time he swung it, it took him the length of time it'd take to swing a 2-handed sword.   There only needs to be like 1 or 2 frames of a delay at the END of the swing to sort of "close" the forward momentum, and setup the small window for any possible chain attacks.  Anything more is superfluous, unless it's something that's supposed to be really heavy like a 2-handed weapon, in which case, 1 or 2 frames for the windup, and 1 or 2 frames for the closure of momentum.

Edited by Koh, 21 August 2015 - 04:12 PM.

[The Satellite]

Except even in most Zelda games there's weight behind Link's swing, it's not much, but it's there. In Castlevania, having that slight delay between pressing the button and the attack landing, where we see Simon/Trevor/Christopher/Richter/Nathan/Juste/Julius swing the whip puts real weight on the weapon and feels good. Even Alucard's sword, which is much quicker, has a bit of weight to it, Crissaegrim notwithstanding. In the Mirror of Fate demo, it was just press attack, the attack's immediately in front of you. It just felt wrong.

[Air Luigi]

I enjoy controls that require timing and a certain depth and strategy without "flashy moves" that destroy the balance. That's why New Super Mario Bros doesn't hold a candle to the Nes Super Mario Bros, for example. Double jumps, triple jump, wall jump, there isn't depth in inertia... BIG NO. That simplified the gameplay and ruined what made these games great and depth. So, normally modern games compensated this with more elaborated scenarios and gimmicky stuff (with very little challenge), in hopes that people don't notice the weaker general gameplay. Symphony of the Night is awesome for their great atmosphere, castle layout and equipment customization, but the general gameplay and balance pales compared to a classic game like Castlevania 3. Super IV is a step back in gameplay compared with 3 (just one character, subweapons aren't so important, no branching paths..), but their unique atmosphere and style is epic, and so on. In the end, it's the eternal fight between style and substance. The best games have both.

Edited by Air Luigi, 21 August 2015 - 05:15 PM.