264 replies to this topic

[Cukeman]

I was late getting into the Castlevania series, but I always knew the series had a rep for being good. Not only does it have excellent music, but one man walking into Dracula's monster-laden castle carrying nothing but a whip? That's what you call badass.

 

The first game I played was The Castlevania Adventure (GB), this was after the GBA was released. Sure it's a bit old and clunky by today's standards, but it's considerably solid and I enjoyed the precision gameplay and catchy chiptunes.

___Then I grabbed Castlevania (GBA - Classic NES Series) when I saw it at GameStop. It was everything I expected from a great NES game. Then I beat the thing on hard mode, one of the hardest things I've ever, ever played.

___Then I got Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA) which was a good game. Took forever to go back and collect all the card things though.

___ Next was Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (Wii VC) which would've really impressed me back in the day with its graphics and music. It was still good (if slightly stiff), and I played through it again with the girl character. This is one of those games that was impressive at the time for pushing the limits beyond standard 16-bit games.

___Then Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth (WiiWare) came out which I thought was really cool. It was touted as a remake of The Castlevania Adventure (GB), and I guess it shares a few minor elements in the first level, but there's not really anything recognizable from the original game, honestly. Doesn't matter though, it's really good. I tried to beat the thing on hard but was never able to get past the clock tower level (and I thought the original was tough).

___My brother got Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2) and I guess it was okay, the world and gameplay felt a little stale to me and I sort of lost interest after a while. I might try playing a bit more to see if it gets better. I didn't get to this part, but I don't think much of the story point where you kill the girl you set out to save, lots of stories have messed up stuff in them, but that's just not cool.

Edited by Cukeman, 22 December 2015 - 06:35 PM.

[The Satellite]

When it comes to this series, I can't give any higher recommendation than I can for Castlevania III, Super Castlevania IV, or Symphony of the Night.

 

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse was, until Lament of Innocence, essentially the origin of the series. It's like the first game, only better. And also harder. It has branching paths, multiple characters (though you can only bring along one partner at a time), and fantastic music, as to be expected of Castlevania. I actually played a translated patch of the Japanese version, as the American version upped the difficulty pretty unfairly in most ways, but I greatly enjoyed it. People also prefer the Famicom music, but I actually like the NES version more. If only I had a hack with the Japanese version's difficulty and the American music...

 

Super Castlevania IV introduces fluid control and the ability to whip in any direction. To me, this actually doesn't make the game easier, I still feel it's a fairly challenging venture. It's really good, heavily atmospheric, and a ton of fun to play. I admittedly am not high on its soundtrack, though. The first level's theme is absolutely incredible, one of my favorites. The Dracula battle theme is also solid. The rest... tend toward atmospheric rather than catchy and pumping, so they end up being pretty forgettable. But otherwise, great game.

 

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is one of my favorite games of all time. It began the Metroidvania style shift, and did so brilliantly. However, if you enjoy these games for their difficulty, be warned that this isn't for you; this game is seriously the easiest in the series, and not hard in general. The only challenge you'd get is from a forced minimalist mode or certain codes that change the gameplay. That aside, however, the game is just so, so well-made. The castle is beautifully-designed with a great flow and excellent atmosphere, the music is topnotch and manages to be atmospheric while still being catchy and pumping, and the graphics are great. Story's decent, and the cutscenes are wonderfully cheesy.

 

If you get a chance, try these ones out.

[Cukeman]

Thoughts on Castlevania 2 (NES)? I kinda get the feeling it's not a game you can just pick up and play, it seems like Zelda II, where you really have to know what you're doing to get anywhere. I get the sense you have to talk to the right people and buy/find the right items or something?

[The Satellite]

My thoughts on that are here.

[Air Luigi]

Play Castlevania Chronicles, TS, it's cool ='(

[Anthus]

I've played 1, 3, Circle of the Moon, Portrait of Ruin (probably my favorite), Aria of Sorrow, and Order of Ecclasia to completion. I've also played 2, Super 4, Lords of Shadow (PC), and CV64. In general, I don't enjoy to 3D ones at all, really, and haven't finished either of the two I've played, I do not like the jump mechanics in the early games. I get that it's "the style" and "it's Castlevania", but the series became a lot better once it adapted more open environments, and not-broken jump mechanics, and cheap deaths from bouncing from enemy hits. IMO, it's not hard, it's annoying. Three is still one of my favorites in spite of this. Something about it, I dunno, I just really dig it.

 

Kinda wish they'd make another side scrolling one. Order of Ecclasia was enjoyable, even if it got a bit intense at the end.

 

EDIT: When I was a tiny kid, my dad would play the original one, but I couldn't play it cause my mom said it was "too scary". She also said (as a semi-retired gamer) that when the first one came out in the late 80's it was one of the most beautiful, and detailed games at the time.

 

EDIT 2: One the subject of Castlevania 2 (NES) I will say it did a good job at trying something new. It was truly the first foray into what would eventually become the "metroidvania" formula, but it was poorly translated, and poorly realized. There's too much guesswork, and obscure stuff. NES games could say way more within the small character limit in Japanese than in English, so a lot of games where translated to the bare minimum to fit the meaning into the space. Even Zelda 1 is guilty of this.

[Air Luigi]

The real Castlevania 3D games are Demon's Souls and Dark Souls xd

[Koh]

The one 3D title I can recommend from experience is Curse of Darkness on PS2.  It's quite good.  It's sort of like Symphony of the Night in 3D, and there's a Familiar and Crafting system for even further customization.  The familiars are what use hearts in this game, and they can grow to be incredibly powerful.  Here's a sample, of the optional boss.

 

[Dark Ice Dragon]

totally agree whit Koh, is a great game, and you can steal the items from monsters for do great wepons

[Koh]

Here, I found a video showing off all the weapons in the game.  See how many different weapon types there are.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=r-wihDOezo4

 

I should also mention that there's a Trevor Mode here, where you can play as Trevor Belmont.  He uses a whip.

[Tree]

Asked for Super Castlevania IV for Christmas, and that's what I got. It is SOOOOOOOOOOO much easier than Castlevania III... Still great, though.

[Koh]

Since we're talking about Castlevania, there's already a split in the fanbase between the linear sidescrolling whipathon Classicvanias, and the exploration focused, powerup and equipment heavy Metroidvanias.  What are your preferences?

[The Satellite]

Since we're talking about Castlevania, there's already a split in the fanbase between the linear sidescrolling whipathon Classicvanias, and the exploration focused, powerup and equipment heavy Metroidvanias.  What are your preferences?

I took the liberty of moving your post here, since I wouldn't mind giving this thread more love, and it seemed more relevant to talk about it here anyway.

As for me, either are fine, if done right. While I would have totally loved a Classicvania now and again (good luck with that now), I also highly enjoyed the Metroidvanias in general, with Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow being my favorite games in the entire series. But Castlevania, Castlevania III, and Super Castlevania IV are all also fantastic.

[Koh]

Yeah same here, though I'm on the side of the coin that liked Super Castlevania 4's controls better for the classic style.  The game wasn't properly designed around the newfound maneuverability, I'd agree, but I'd rather them have learned from that and improved the game design around the more fluid control, rather than going back to the old stiff controls again for the later Classic releases.

 

While I would have totally loved a Classicvania now and again (good luck with that now)

Yeah, Konami's focused on their gambling machines now, lol.

[The Satellite]

The show comes out today. Or tomorrow, if you're behind my time zone. I'm stoked and I hope it's good. It'll be four parts, thirty minutes each, so two hours overall. There's a second season coming next year as well. Trailer for those who missed it, with a fun retro throwback at the beginning: