I've been thinking about Castlevania 2, and I just wanted to chime in.
IGN's review of it basically said "it was good 20 years ago, but doesn't hold up to today's mechanics," meaning that they are saying the design of the game back then doesn't mesh with today, where gamers generally are told exactly what to do and how to do it.
Now, I've been playing the game recently, and I don't remember a whole lot about it other than it was awesome back then, so there's a definite nostalgia factor at play in my decision to purchase it.
But I gotta say - this game is not nearly as cryptic and unforgiving as people are making it out to be. I keep hearing about how the translation is so terrible that you can't figure out what to do without outside game help. Then I hear that an example of this is "how do you know what to do in order to get Dracula's Rib?"
Now I won't call myself completely old school, because there's a good amount I missed out on. But part of me really resonates to the older style of thinking that had to be used when it came to some of these games. Namely, in C2, if you utilize what is around you, it's not too hard to figure anything out.
So, when you are in the mansion to get the Rib, old school Castlevania instincts kick in, and you start trying to do things a little outside of the box. Namely, attacking blocks - as is the case with every Castlevania game ever made - usually yields hidden items. There are books in the mansions that give you clues, and one of them specifically says "use the stake to get the Rib."
And then - lo and behold - there's a guy on the next screen who is selling a stake.
Now, I think most people can piece that together. But that might be my biased opinion since I've played a lot of Castlevania, and I know it's worth my while to attack every 2-3 deep block wall I find with every weapon I have.
I also know that when it comes to games, it's generally best to 1) buy everything you can, and 2) try everything you can think of. In this case, I hear a lot of whining about how "wtf do teh crystals do, and how do I know to buy them?" Well, the fact that the game tries to sell them to you ought to be the first hint.
It makes me wonder. You know in the first Zelda, if you were playing it the first time ever, and you finally are trying to find the last dungeon where Ganon is, not only do you have to determine where to bomb on the overworld map to find it, but when you're IN the damn thing, you have to figure out how to find the treasures in there, find Ganon's lair, and finally learn how to kill him. And you have little to no help in learning all of this, outside of a few cryptic old men.
I guess what I'm saying is that the game is being unfairly maligned against "modern game structure" because it's design was of a completely different method-set back then. But a gamer ought to know enough basic rules to get through the game, and even IF they can't, there's always WussFAQs and whatnot available.
I'm not on a crusade to make everyone get C2, or even try it. I'm just saying that it's not this unassailable mountain of misery that some people are pretending and claiming it is.
that Angry Video Game Nerd bullshit.
