XBLA - Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night - 800pts

Possibly one of the most overrated games in the history of gaming. Why, in 2007, people get so excited over a port of a PSOne game, is beyond me. If you love it so much, keep playing the original version, if you don't mind actually OPENING it and ruining its value.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']Possibly one of the most overrated games in the history of gaming.[/quote]
Overrated in the sense that it's the best Castlevania ever, possibly. Overrated as an outstanding game, nope.

Why, in 2007, people get so excited over a port of a PSOne game, is beyond me.
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If you're that outraged, you must be REALLY pissed about people getting excited over some of the older NES games on Virtual Console. The great games are timeless. This is a great game. Why that's "beyond" you is something I guess you'll have to work on. It's not difficult for me to see why people are excited, especially after the lackluster lineup XBLA has provided so far.

If you love it so much, keep playing the original version, if you don't mind actually OPENING it and ruining its value.
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Or if you don't mind having an obsolete console taking up space. Hey, I'd love to have everything from the Atari 5200 to the 360 on my TV all at once, but it's not gonna happen. I have an (open) copy of SOTN but this is a hell of a lot more convienent.
 
I can't stand the fact that they refuse to give release dates for xbla games. Every one of those people he talked to in the video claimed the game was "coming soon". Give me a freaking break, how hard is it to set a date in stone for something like this?

Oh, also, Vanilla Gorilla, you're freaking nuts. This game is not overrated one bit, it is pure 2d gaming goodness, and if you can't appreciate that then that's your problem, not ours.
 
[quote name='SteveGo']I can't stand the fact that they refuse to give release dates for xbla games. Every one of those people he talked to in the video claimed the game was "coming soon". Give me a freaking break, how hard is it to set a date in stone for something like this?[/QUOTE]

Setting a release date in the software world is just setting yourself up for failure. They're better off just keeping it vague, than setting a date and missing the deadline.
 
[quote name='felixlighter']Setting a release date in the software world is just setting yourself up for failure. They're better off just keeping it vague, than setting a date and missing the deadline.[/QUOTE]

Seriously though, how hard would it be to meet a deadline for an arcade game, when major publishers can set release dates for huge releases and keep them? It's just frustrating to hear coming soon for every game. I mean are we ever going to see Castle Crashers or Space Giraffe (or whatever it's called now)? Or will they forever be coming soon like so many other xbla releases?
 
[quote name='Radioactive_Man']You better have a HDD to play it, Castlevania is bigger than the 50mb limit.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164077.html?tag=latestnews;title;2[/QUOTE]

Good. This has the potential to be better than the Playstation 1 version due to the enhanced graphics so they need to avoid fucking up the sound... I'm glad they're not forcing the devs to do that in order to meet a stupid size limit.

Anyway, I'll obviously be downloading this right away simply for comparison purposes. Hopefully it will actually surpass the PS1 original.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']Possibly one of the most overrated games in the history of gaming. Why, in 2007, people get so excited over a port of a PSOne game, is beyond me. If you love it so much, keep playing the original version, if you don't mind actually OPENING it and ruining its value.[/QUOTE]
You're the most negative user on the CAG forums.

Castlevania SotN is one the most well developed games to ever appear on gaming consoles. The music was top notch, the graphics were beautiful, and the gameplay was almost without fault. The fact that you could replay as Richter added 10+ hours to the game (in a classic way) and even then the game lasted 20-40 hours easy if you were trying to get the secret items (Ring of Varda x2 anyone?) I have never played a 2d game that came close to comparing to SotN and probably never will (yes, I believe this was better than super mario world). I own the PSOne version of this game, but it's rather scratched and it will be nice to support Konami on this.

I need to add that I love at the Bloodlines stage everything you do affects your starting HP, Heart Points, and MP. I remember replaying it over and over to get a perfect start to the game. Great fun...
 
Final Fantasy VII on Xbox 360 Live Arcade

I can see it now.

Can't wait for this SOTN....seeing some HD 2d action..now that's what I'm talking about.
 
[quote name='62t']It is too bad they couldnt add in the Saturn extra, otherwise it would be prefect.[/QUOTE]

If this was the case I'd get it soon as it released on XBLA. As it stands it's not worth it to me since I own the Saturn version and resent the fact Konami even omitted stuff from the US PS version.

edit: There fixed.
 
[quote name='tayaf69']You're the most negative user on the CAG forums.

Castlevania SotN is one the most well developed games to ever appear on gaming consoles. The music was top notch, the graphics were beautiful, and the gameplay was almost without fault. The fact that you could replay as Richter added 10+ hours to the game (in a classic way) and even then the game lasted 20-40 hours easy if you were trying to get the secret items (Ring of Varda x2 anyone?) I have never played a 2d game that came close to comparing to SotN and probably never will (yes, I believe this was better than super mario world). I own the PSOne version of this game, but it's rather scratched and it will be nice to support Konami on this.

I need to add that I love at the Bloodlines stage everything you do affects your starting HP, Heart Points, and MP. I remember replaying it over and over to get a perfect start to the game. Great fun...[/QUOTE]

Amen. It's like he and gizmo have been having a competition lately.

As far as 2D platformers go, this is definitely in my top three. It's a masterpiece from start to finish, and I'm very glad to see it coming to XBLA--hopefully Konami keeps them coming (Zombies Ate My Neighbors, please!).
 
[quote name='Sarang01']If this was the case I'd get it soon as it released on XBLA. As it stands it's not worth it to me since I qwn the Saturn version and resent the fact Konami even omitted stuff from the Japanese PS version.[/QUOTE]

What was omitted from the Playstation version?
 
[quote name='defiance_17']Amen. It's like he and gizmo have been having a competition lately.

As far as 2D platformers go, this is definitely in my top three. It's a masterpiece from start to finish, and I'm very glad to see it coming to XBLA--hopefully Konami keeps them coming (Zombies Ate My Neighbors, please!).[/QUOTE]

ZAMN is one of my all-time favs, but it's not going to happen :( Konami published the game, but Lucasarts developed it.m

I wish Konami would snag the simpsons and X-Men license, if onky to release the awesome arcade games based on them.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']What was omitted from the Playstation version?[/QUOTE]

Nothing. The Saturn version had a couple minor extras added at the expense of graphical quality.
 
[quote name='Chacrana']Nothing. The Saturn version had a couple minor extras added at the expense of graphical quality.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I thought the OP meant something was taken out of the port.
 
[quote name='-Never4ever-']ZAMN is one of my all-time favs, but it's not going to happen :( Konami published the game, but Lucasarts developed it.m

I wish Konami would snag the simpsons and X-Men license, if onky to release the awesome arcade games based on them.[/QUOTE]

I figured if I posted it long enough someone would shoot me down. Licensing issues are a bitch, man.
 
[quote name='defiance_17']I figured if I posted it long enough someone would shoot me down. Licensing issues are a bitch, man.[/quote]

Especially since they also just lost the TMNT license to Ubisoft as well.

Oh well, there goes the dreams for 4-Player Co-Op TMNT, The Simpsons, or X-Men arcade from Konami. Hell, Co-Op AD&D or Co-Op AvP from Capcom would have been equally sweet. There's nothing more to do than dream!
 
[quote name='Kapwanil']Especially since they also just lost the TMNT license to Ubisoft as well.

Oh well, there goes the dreams for 4-Player Co-Op TMNT, The Simpsons, or X-Men arcade from Konami. Hell, Co-Op AD&D or Co-Op AvP from Capcom would have been equally sweet. There's nothing more to do than dream![/QUOTE]

Dammit! That was my next question, but I was way too scared to ask it. I give up.
 
Thanks for that... I'm definitely selling off my original, if that's the case. It'll fund a new and improved version as well as having something left over ;)

I really like this new trend of having all sorts of games on one system.
 
[quote name='Chacrana']Nothing. The Saturn version had a couple minor extras added at the expense of graphical quality.[/QUOTE]

Technically you're right if you're referring to the Japanese PS release. The U.S. version had some familiars omitted from it though.
The only reason it was at the expense of quality was because the porting team didn't know what they were doing. The Saturn is a 2D powerhouse and NONE df the terrible slowdown should've been there if the porting team did the job right. In fact if that was done everyone would've dumped the version they had and bought the Saturn version and would be clamoring for it instead of this one on XBLA.
 
New character, areas, enemies, items would be a much better selling point than improve graphics and sound.
 
[quote name='62t']New character, areas, enemies, items would be a much better selling point than improve graphics and sound.[/QUOTE]
If done well, probably. Unfortunately, added content to re-releases of classic games almost always disappoint.
 
[quote name='defiance_17']Amen. It's like he and gizmo have been having a competition lately.[/QUOTE]


Uh-oh...Time to call the Wambulance for you.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']Technically you're right if you're referring to the Japanese PS release. The U.S. version had some familiars omitted from it though.
The only reason it was at the expense of quality was because the porting team didn't know what they were doing. The Saturn is a 2D powerhouse and NONE df the terrible slowdown should've been there if the porting team did the job right. [/quote]

Was the Saturn able to do the transparency the Playstation pulled off though? I was never 100% convinced the Saturn was completely better than the Playstation, though Symphony of the Night was one of the reasons for that I suppose.


In fact if that was done everyone would've dumped the version they had and bought the Saturn version and would be clamoring for it instead of this one on XBLA.
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Well that's a separate issue. People should skip this and find a copy of the Playstation version as it is, what with all the crap DRM restristions on Live Arcade games. I can't believe anyone actually "buys" games that way.
 
[quote name='Kapwanil']Especially since they also just lost the TMNT license to Ubisoft as well.

Oh well, there goes the dreams for 4-Player Co-Op TMNT, The Simpsons, or X-Men arcade from Konami. Hell, Co-Op AD&D or Co-Op AvP from Capcom would have been equally sweet. There's nothing more to do than dream![/QUOTE]

Not necessarily, stranger things than that have been worked out in the gaming industry before. However, because it would require a bit more effort than just handing Microsoft the game, it may not be done. They (meaning Konami/Ubi) would probably rather use their resources elsewhere.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']
Well that's a separate issue. People should skip this and find a copy of the Playstation version as it is, what with all the crap DRM restristions on Live Arcade games. I can't believe anyone actually "buys" games that way.[/QUOTE]

Yea, because paying $50 is such a better concept than buying it for whatever Microsoft wants to charge (be it $20 or under... I'd shit my pants if it came out for 1200 points, in a good way).

Gotta love the hang ups about DRM.

I'll tell you what, anyone who is so against DRM's and wants a physical copy, I'll sell you mine for about $50, just so you can be special and own the CD. Sure, it's $30 more than the enhanced 480p (superior) version on XBLA, but hey, it's a real copy!
 
so the graphics on the Saturn version were worse? Strange. I thought the Saturn was more powerful than the PS1. Didn't it have dual processors and some other junk?
 
[quote name='Apossum']so the graphics on the Saturn version were worse? Strange. I thought the Saturn was more powerful than the PS1. Didn't it have dual processors and some other junk?[/QUOTE]

It was just a shitty port job, I think. Dosen't matter how much better the system is if you make a sloppy port.

These are all the changes:

mport Saturn differences:

* The Japanese Saturn version of Symphony of the Night features Maria Renard as a playable character.
* A few new weapons/items/armor for Alucard's game.
* A new sprite for Richter is featured in addition to the old one, based on Ayami Kojima's depiction of the character. This is the sprite Richter uses when he fights Alucard in the Saturn version and can be used as a playable character as well.
* There are 2 areas of the castle (Cursed Prison and Underground Garden) which were not in the PS1 version. The Underground Garden area features a new boss, the Skeleton King.
* Also, when playing as Maria or Richter, certain areas of the castle play remixes of classic Castlevania music, such as Vampire Killer and Bloody Tears.
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[quote name='Roufuss']Yea, because paying $50 is such a better concept than buying it for whatever Microsoft wants to charge (be it $20 or under... I'd shit my pants if it came out for 1200 points, in a good way).

Gotta love the hang ups about DRM.

I'll tell you what, anyone who is so against DRM's and wants a physical copy, I'll sell you mine for about $50, just so you can be special and own the CD. Sure, it's $30 more than the enhanced 480p (superior) version on XBLA, but hey, it's a real copy![/QUOTE]

Your so called "enhanced" version has to be played on the 360's pad, which most certainly doesn't make it "enhanced". There were plenty of opportunities to buy Symphony of the Night for $20 or less...

And DRM means you're out of luck if your console dies and you don't have a broadband connection (or Microsoft dosen't keep the service running). There's no guarantee with any Live Arcade games you'll be able to play them 5, 10, or 15 years from now.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']Your so called "enhanced" version has to be played on the 360's pad, which most certainly doesn't make it "enhanced". There were plenty of opportunities to buy Symphony of the Night for $20 or less...

And DRM means you're out of luck if your console dies and you don't have a broadband connection (or Microsoft dosen't keep the service running). There's no guarantee with any Live Arcade games you'll be able to play them 5, 10, or 15 years from now.[/QUOTE]


There *were* opportunities to buy Symphony of the Night for $20 or less... just like there were opportunities to buy many highly priced games at $20 or less. Those opp's are now very few and far between, espically since the largest used video game chain (Gamestop) no longer takes PS1 games as trade-in.

For many people who have never played this game, whatever Microsoft charges sure as hell beats paying some schmo a jacked up price.

Who says it has to be played on the pad? I'm fairly certain they'll allow the stick to be used, and that's good enough for me.

I know what DRM means, but honestly, I really don't care about it. While SOTN, being a disc based game, will technically be around forever, in 5, 10 or 15 years time all of the old battery cart based games are going to die, and I bet alot of those batteries won't ever bother to be replaced. If downloading old games at a fraction of what they cost on Ebay is the future, then that future is awesome, espically if they fine tune the graphics to all run in 480p.

I'm hoping SOTN sells awesomely, and Konami goes ahead and throws us a bone by translating Rondo of Blood for us.

There is just such a hatred for downloadable games but it's not going away any time soon... in fact it's just going to get bigger and bigger. No sense bitching about it since it's never going to be going away, it's a hugely growing market that more companies are taking an interest in. I think I'll go celebrate this convo by buying some more VC games ;)
 
I hate buying the VC games. One day I will be strong and won't buy anything because I think the games currenlty out aren't good enough. The next day I have my wallet on me and get the urge to play Sonic, so what do I do??? I buy points online and blow it. Have I ever played sonic after that day? NO! I'm an idiot.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']Was the Saturn able to do the transparency the Playstation pulled off though? I was never 100% convinced the Saturn was completely better than the Playstation, though Symphony of the Night was one of the reasons for that I suppose.[/QUOTE]

I don't know about the transparency but for doing 2D in general the Saturn runs circles around the PS. Consider when one developer talked about porting "Radiant Silvergun" to the PS to Sony they laughed. Sony KNEW that shit wasn't NEAR possible.
 
[quote name='tayaf69']PLEASE tell me this game isn't really bordered like this....

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/846/846656/img_4292928.html[/QUOTE]That's strange... I thought I remembered reading something about how they changed the game to run in 16:9. Like, the implication was that they didn't just throw some borders on, but rather they actually reformatted things to make the game run in true widescreen. Well, the borders aren't a dealbreaker, but it's a little disappointing if they're being used in place of the "true widescreen" that was originally implied.

Perhaps they just give the option to run the game in its original aspect ratio, to satisfy the purists? I'm hoping that's it.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']There *were* opportunities to buy Symphony of the Night for $20 or less... just like there were opportunities to buy many highly priced games at $20 or less. [/QUOTE]

just two years ago this game was $6.99 sealed at Blockbusters every where.
 
[quote name='BustaUppa']That's strange... I thought I remembered reading something about how they changed the game to run in 16:9. Like, the implication was that they didn't just throw some borders on, but rather they actually reformatted things to make the game run in true widescreen. Well, the borders aren't a dealbreaker, but it's a little disappointing if they're being used in place of the "true widescreen" that was originally implied.

Perhaps they just give the option to run the game in its original aspect ratio, to satisfy the purists? I'm hoping that's it.[/QUOTE]


Well... there is two modes, classic and enchanced, maybe enhanced has the true widescreen and classic throws the borders down? I read the same interview you did where they were putting in true widescreen.

That border is really nice though, regardless.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']The obvious points...the 360 has a craptastic d-pad.
And like all three consoles, Live Arcade's DRM has too many issues.
And any gamer should already own this...

I'd rather see them just release it on disc, and better still do a new 2D Castlevania on a "big" system.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']Hopefully if a lot of people download it then Iga will get the message about fans wanting a 2D Castlevania on the consoles.[/QUOTE]

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/2DCastlevania

Probably not gonna do anything, but worth a shot
 
I think it was mentioned, a LONG time ago when Castlevania Chronicles was first release, IGA wanted it to be part of a series. I remember he wanted the series to be the way for many people in the US to experience the Castlevania games that were never released in the US, which makes sense given the first game we got on there.

He had mentioned if sales were good, the series would continue onward... for some reason, I remember he talked about doing a re-drawn Castlevania 3 as well down the line.

I guess sales for Castlevania Chronicles was bad because none of the rest of his ideas ever came to light.

I wonder if sales of SOTN are good, maybe it will re-spark the idea in IGA and Konami's mind, that if I port of a Castlevania game does good, maybe the fans would love to see a 2D one never released in America?

I doubt it, but one can dream. It's sad that Castlevania sales are supposedly better in the US than in Japan and we're missing one of the greatest games in the series, that laid the foundation for SOTN and every game after it.
 
I was reading EGM and they said they had huge news about something new regarding castlevania: sotn and that they would reveal it next month. Did anyone else read this. I think it's in the section with the xbox 360 version of sotn. Please tell me I wasn't reading things, but I took it to mean a possible sequel.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']I don't know about the transparency but for doing 2D in general the Saturn runs circles around the PS. Consider when one developer talked about porting "Radiant Silvergun" to the PS to Sony they laughed. Sony KNEW that shit wasn't NEAR possible.[/quote]

From what I recall, the Saturn is unable to do hardware transparencies. Burning Rangers for example used software transparencies, which while not the best were still damned good. SOTN used sprites that flickered to mimick transparencies.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']I think it was mentioned, a LONG time ago when Castlevania Chronicles was first release, IGA wanted it to be part of a series. I remember he wanted the series to be the way for many people in the US to experience the Castlevania games that were never released in the US, which makes sense given the first game we got on there.

He had mentioned if sales were good, the series would continue onward... for some reason, I remember he talked about doing a re-drawn Castlevania 3 as well down the line.

I guess sales for Castlevania Chronicles was bad because none of the rest of his ideas ever came to light.

I wonder if sales of SOTN are good, maybe it will re-spark the idea in IGA and Konami's mind, that if I port of a Castlevania game does good, maybe the fans would love to see a 2D one never released in America?

I doubt it, but one can dream. It's sad that Castlevania sales are supposedly better in the US than in Japan and we're missing one of the greatest games in the series, that laid the foundation for SOTN and every game after it.[/QUOTE]

I would guess that Chronicles was doomed from the start, since it clearly had a low, low print run. That shit came out, then almost immediately became hard to fine. Talk about your all-time self-fulfilling prophecies. :lol:
 
Yeah, wtf. Didn't it only have like 20K copies or something?

That's kind of self-fulfilling. Iga is a prick anyway so I doubt he had any true intention of doing shit for the Castlevania series anyway, outside of taking all the credit for SOTN.
 
[quote name='tayaf69']I was reading EGM and they said they had huge news about something new regarding castlevania: sotn and that they would reveal it next month. Did anyone else read this. I think it's in the section with the xbox 360 version of sotn. Please tell me I wasn't reading things, but I took it to mean a possible sequel.[/QUOTE]
Yes, that was in the magazine. Sounds like a sequel to SOTN.
 
[quote name='Strell']Yeah, wtf. Didn't it only have like 20K copies or something?

That's kind of self-fulfilling. Iga is a prick anyway so I doubt he had any true intention of doing shit for the Castlevania series anyway, outside of taking all the credit for SOTN.[/QUOTE]

It was my understanding that even though it had a small print run, nobody was buying it, espicially since everyone else was craving another Castlevania like SOTN.

It might have actually been on the interview on the game itself... it's been so long.

The man's favorite CV is Castlevania 3, after all, so getting an upgraded version of that isn't a huge stretch.

I find someone quoting the interview on a different forum after googling it:

There's an interview with Iga on the Chronicles disc in which he states that he was hoping to port a sentimental favorite of his that never made it to the states (gee, I wonder what that is..?), but only if Chronicles sold well. Obviously, it didn't meet his sales standards, as it took a good long time for the initial shipments to sell out... :(
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='Strell']Yeah, wtf. Didn't it only have like 20K copies or something?

That's kind of self-fulfilling. Iga is a prick anyway so I doubt he had any true intention of doing shit for the Castlevania series anyway, outside of taking all the credit for SOTN.[/QUOTE]

I don't know the number, but I read roughly 10-20K too. I have no idea how reliable that is, but I'm sure they weren't far off.

I don't know if Iga is a prick, as I've read very few interviews with him. The persistence with which he pushes 3D CV games is an astounding display of something (arrogance or stupidity, perhaps some from each category). I personally don't mind the 3D games (*even* the N64 titles), but such a revered series suffers when simply average titles come out. When you hear "Castlevania," like "Zelda," you expect top-notch gaming, and when it doesn't happen, even if it's an above-average game, it's shit on, because it ruins the otherwise stellar reputation of the series.
 
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