Is the Castlevania series getting more "advanced"
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Castlevania unfortunately peaked at SotN in my opinion.
Then again, I'm a bit biased. I'm sick of handheld Castlevania games. Seems like there is a cut and paste toolkit that pumps them out now.
The Pokemon/Yugio crowd will probably tell the old man to shut up here, but being a fan of the series since the NES I just cannot get into the handheld versions. They just feel awkward.
Then again, I'm a bit biased. I'm sick of handheld Castlevania games. Seems like there is a cut and paste toolkit that pumps them out now.
The Pokemon/Yugio crowd will probably tell the old man to shut up here, but being a fan of the series since the NES I just cannot get into the handheld versions. They just feel awkward.
thelonepig
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I agree with "Howling Mad" Murdock above.
I don't know why, but they get tired and formulaic. SotN should have been more a Castlevania spin-off than the new direction the series took. I want a standard, linear 2D Castlevania again. Would love to see a remake of the first 3 with a built-in save feature.
I don't know why, but they get tired and formulaic. SotN should have been more a Castlevania spin-off than the new direction the series took. I want a standard, linear 2D Castlevania again. Would love to see a remake of the first 3 with a built-in save feature.
i think theyre fun and worth checking out on the cheap but yeah there is a predictabilty to it. this newest one did some new and interesting things to spice up gameplay( still havent finished it I'll finish it later at some point) but its one of the few series you know what to expect and that can be good and bad. im still hoping for a new castlevannia game set up in the way castlevannia 3 was. that to me s the best castlevannia game ever. great music too.
Survivor Charlie
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[quote name='XxSmityxX']In a bad way I feel, I just picked up a DS for the second time and purchased GBA Circle of the moon and im really enjoying it more than the newer DS versions....
Why is this?
Discuss[/QUOTE]
Like you, I consider Circle of the Moon the pinnacle of the series. I actually never liked Symphony of the Night. It was my launch game for the GBA, and the screen was so dark I had to scour my house looking for somewhere I could see it. It turned out sitting on my bathroom sink was the spot. I spent many hours sitting on that sink lol.
I haven't cared for any of the DS versions. The GBA Castlevanias all rank in my top 5 GBA games.
Why is this?
Discuss[/QUOTE]
Like you, I consider Circle of the Moon the pinnacle of the series. I actually never liked Symphony of the Night. It was my launch game for the GBA, and the screen was so dark I had to scour my house looking for somewhere I could see it. It turned out sitting on my bathroom sink was the spot. I spent many hours sitting on that sink lol.
I haven't cared for any of the DS versions. The GBA Castlevanias all rank in my top 5 GBA games.
I didn't like the old games, but really enjoy the metroidvanias.
I'd probably rank those games:
SOTN
Harmony of Dissonance
Dawn of Sorrow
Aria of Sorrow
Portrait of Ruin
Circle of the Moon
I'm a few hours into Order of Ecclesia, so I can't rank it yet. Haven't played it since thanksgiving week. I wasn't digging it too much--didn't feel as much like a metroidvania with the short levels. But I here the second half of the games is more typical so I need to get back to it. I just hate playing my DS at home--especially lately since I'm totally sucked into Oblivion on 360.
I'd probably rank those games:
SOTN
Harmony of Dissonance
Dawn of Sorrow
Aria of Sorrow
Portrait of Ruin
Circle of the Moon
I'm a few hours into Order of Ecclesia, so I can't rank it yet. Haven't played it since thanksgiving week. I wasn't digging it too much--didn't feel as much like a metroidvania with the short levels. But I here the second half of the games is more typical so I need to get back to it. I just hate playing my DS at home--especially lately since I'm totally sucked into Oblivion on 360.
I feel the series peaked with SOTN and all of the GBA/DS games have just been playing with the same formula...not in a bad way though.
I have invested some time with OoE and feel that it is a solid title in the series and enjoy the glyphs but not so much the villages/saving people deal. I don't think there has been a non-solid Castlevania in a while and this just continues that trend.
I have invested some time with OoE and feel that it is a solid title in the series and enjoy the glyphs but not so much the villages/saving people deal. I don't think there has been a non-solid Castlevania in a while and this just continues that trend.
johnnypark
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[quote name='thelonepig']I agree with "Howling Mad" Murdock above.
I don't know why, but they get tired and formulaic. SotN should have been more a Castlevania spin-off than the new direction the series took. I want a standard, linear 2D Castlevania again. Would love to see a remake of the first 3 with a built-in save feature.[/quote]
I love the current games, a lot, but I'd also love to see the 1st 3 get the Dracula X Chronicles treatment (ala the PSP port). It'd be a day-one for me.
I don't know why, but they get tired and formulaic. SotN should have been more a Castlevania spin-off than the new direction the series took. I want a standard, linear 2D Castlevania again. Would love to see a remake of the first 3 with a built-in save feature.[/quote]
I love the current games, a lot, but I'd also love to see the 1st 3 get the Dracula X Chronicles treatment (ala the PSP port). It'd be a day-one for me.
Portrait of Ruin is the only one I've played mostly to completion (to the not really the end, ending), but that's just because it was the first one I played. I enjoyed it that far, though by then I was done with it. I later tried a variety of others, including several of the much vaunted GBA ones, but I've never gotten very far in any of them. They are all very nearly identical. Play one and you've played them all. I lost interest.
crunchb3rry
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[quote name='laaj']
that. I want a Ultimate Castlevania Collection with all the games from the series on it.[/quote]
The assholes were supposed to make it but punked out and cancelled the project. Instead they just re-released Castlevania Chronicles on the PSX and implied there would be further remakes of later games. They need an anthology, either traditional or remade versions of the 8 and 16 bit titles. Basically all prior to Symphony of the Night (which has already had a few too many ports just in the last few years).
that. I want a Ultimate Castlevania Collection with all the games from the series on it.[/quote]The assholes were supposed to make it but punked out and cancelled the project. Instead they just re-released Castlevania Chronicles on the PSX and implied there would be further remakes of later games. They need an anthology, either traditional or remade versions of the 8 and 16 bit titles. Basically all prior to Symphony of the Night (which has already had a few too many ports just in the last few years).
I've been playing since the start and frankly, I'm not sick of them. Not yet anyway. There has been a solid break since Portrait of Ruin for me to go back and play some Metroidvania style games. The last one was on the PSP and was a remake to boot.
Then again, I'm still waiting on my copy of OoE so I'll see soon enough if I am honestly getting tired of them or not.
Then again, I'm still waiting on my copy of OoE so I'll see soon enough if I am honestly getting tired of them or not.
RollingSkull
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I think DoS, PoR, and OoE are all about the same in quality. But, yeah, the series has become the Madden 0X of platformers. Endless rehashing.
Problem is that SotN wasn't even all that good, nostalgia aside.
Problem is that SotN wasn't even all that good, nostalgia aside.
bluesyncopate
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The series is now catering to hardcore gamers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing - but I would like to see the series return to its roots, or have them start a new series that does (I know I'm in the minority, but I loved the linear levels of the old Castlevania games). I'm sick of needing random dropped items or weapon combinations to experience the entire game - which to me is a purely hardcore mechanic that "core" gamers generally adore, but which alienates everyone else. The whole "open up the last 50% of the game" is getting pretty old. It was cool on SOTN, but they've been treading water on that design ever since.
I could probably put the Metroidvanias into categories of awesome and not so awesome.
- Super Awesome
Circle of the Moon
Aria of Sorrow
- Awesome
Order of Ecclesia
Dawn of Sorrow
Symphony of the Night
- Okay
Harmony of Dissonance
- SuXXorZ
Portrait of Ruin
- Super Awesome
Circle of the Moon
Aria of Sorrow
- Awesome
Order of Ecclesia
Dawn of Sorrow
Symphony of the Night
- Okay
Harmony of Dissonance
- SuXXorZ
Portrait of Ruin
Starkraving
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I generally enjoyed C:OoE. I had very few problems getting through to the end, despite a few tough bosses and the occasional glyph hunt. In fact, I found it no more difficult than any other games in the 'metroidvania' series. The glyph system is fantastic and provides a much more strategic approach to defeating tough enemies and bosses.
Unfortunately, my premature usage of a food item called 'tasty meat' prevented me from fulfilling the villagers' quests at 100%. Apparently 'tasty meat' shows up in a few choice areas and then never again, (believe me, I've wasted a few hours re-searching for the item, hoping for it's appearance in a green chest) so if you snag the item in the few places where it can be found and use it (which I did early on, unfortunately), then you're screwed. I didn't realize it would turn out to be such a pivotal item. Jeers to a design mechanic preventing full completion of the game based on a rare usable health item.
I agree with bluesyncopate, that despite my continued appreciation of the tried and true metroidvania style, I'd like to see an attempt at a more straightforward 2D approach to the series again, perhaps via Wiiware.. The first, third and fourth stateside entries remain my favorite. Maybe 'level packs' that chronicle the journeys of different characters from the Castlevania universe in different time periods, but again, played out like old school Castlevania. This could culminate in a final level pack tying together their stories (but no worries, it wouldn't be a fighting game).
Unfortunately, my premature usage of a food item called 'tasty meat' prevented me from fulfilling the villagers' quests at 100%. Apparently 'tasty meat' shows up in a few choice areas and then never again, (believe me, I've wasted a few hours re-searching for the item, hoping for it's appearance in a green chest) so if you snag the item in the few places where it can be found and use it (which I did early on, unfortunately), then you're screwed. I didn't realize it would turn out to be such a pivotal item. Jeers to a design mechanic preventing full completion of the game based on a rare usable health item.
I agree with bluesyncopate, that despite my continued appreciation of the tried and true metroidvania style, I'd like to see an attempt at a more straightforward 2D approach to the series again, perhaps via Wiiware.. The first, third and fourth stateside entries remain my favorite. Maybe 'level packs' that chronicle the journeys of different characters from the Castlevania universe in different time periods, but again, played out like old school Castlevania. This could culminate in a final level pack tying together their stories (but no worries, it wouldn't be a fighting game).
bread's done