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This was not my most Castlevania-ish year but I definitely wielded the whip a couple of times: Finally beat Circle of the Moon (Probably my favorite Metroid-vania, even more so than Symphony) and Castlevania Adventure REbirth.

Here's hoping the series makes more of a showing in 2012!

since MetroidVania has been brought up, I've always been a much bigger fan of the Vania part of that rather than the Metroid part. Probably because I've always loved macabre stuff. I'm a huge horror fan, but never much of a sci-fi fan. So yeah. My preference has always leaned toward Castlevania games.

brunoafh wrote:Anyway, Harmony of Dissonance is generally seen as a pretty lackluster CV title. It's not a bad game per se, but certainly a weak one. If you want to dip into the series with a GBA title, I would suggest Aria of Sorrow or Circle of the Moon instead. Hell, you can even get the original Castlevania on GBA. Personally though, I like Circle of the Moon the most out of the GBA games, and it should cost you about as much as Harmony of Dissonance will.

Ditto, it's the one Metroidvania I haven't finished since I just don't want too. I guess I can say it's just like how I felt about Sonic 4, the "physics" of HoD just seemed completely off or something. The feel of the controls felt really off compared to every other single CV game I've played. It had some cool ideas, but oh well.

Symphony of the Night is probably my favorite because of the length, graphics, music, and whatnot, but it is one of the easiest games ever. Order of Ecclesia was one of the toughest and I liked it a lot for that. Probably my favorite handheld one followed by Aria of Sorrow and Circle of the Moon. I seem to be one of the only big fans of CoTM.

I'm biased for the Metroidvania entries, but I love some of the traditional ones. Sadly I can admit I've never beaten 1-3. But I've cleared Super CV4 and Bloodlines on the Genesis which is amazing. I definitely need to beat 1-3 someday along with Rondo of Blood.

noiseredux wrote:since MetroidVania has been brought up, I've always been a much bigger fan of the Vania part of that rather than the Metroid part. Probably because I've always loved macabre stuff. I'm a huge horror fan, but never much of a sci-fi fan. So yeah. My preference has always leaned toward Castlevania games.

Way bigger Metroid fan myself, even if we're talking NES Metroid and I can say I like Blaster Master over that one, but I don't think any of the Metroidvania's come close to the brilliance of Super Metroid. The level design and secrets are way more intricate and complex, whereas in all the CV's secret rooms just boil down to breaking down a wall or something and are usually super obvious. Bigger on sci-fi too myself, so that sums it up.

First Castlevania game I played was Castlevania II (NES). It was also the first one I've owned.

I think the only ones I haven't owned are the X68000 version, Haunted Castle, Castlevania Legends (the 3rd GB game), the Famicom cart version (too expensive, I have had the FDS version, though), and any last/current gen 'vania after Lament of Innocence. So, I've had most of them.

Xeogred wrote:Sadly I can admit I've never beaten 1-3.

Hah, don't feel too bad. CV 1 can be beaten in a good afternoon, I'm sure you'll have it under the belt someday. Not too hard of a game really, certainly has it's tricky moments though. CV 2 on the other hand is complete shit in my opinion. Yeah, it started the whole Metroidvania idea I guess, but the game is just designed horribly. When it comes down to it, it's just not a fun game at all. The only redeeming factor it has is the music. Very good music. But seriously, it's just a shit game imo. CV 3 is pure greatness but good luck beating that one the old fashioned way, classic NES brutality there.

noiseredux wrote:since MetroidVania has been brought up, I've always been a much bigger fan of the Vania part of that rather than the Metroid part. Probably because I've always loved macabre stuff. I'm a huge horror fan, but never much of a sci-fi fan. So yeah. My preference has always leaned toward Castlevania games.

Same, I like CV better as well, but that's just because I enjoy the old school side scrollers much more than the adventure ones. Don't get me wrong, I like the Metroidvania titles, but I just prefer the original games much more. Order of Ecclesia is my favorite Metroidvania title, although the more I think about it, I don't think I'd consider that game a Metroidvania.

OoE and PoR definitely kind of bend the line with the linear levels, then the huge castles at the end. It's a good mix I'd say that I don't have any problems with, though I do prefer just the huge castles, so full on Metroidvania action. I'm playing Cave Story now and it honestly seems like it's kind of like PoR/OoE in design? ... so far the levels have been extremely linear and I'm not feeling much of a Metroid vibe, but I hear that changes later on.

Yeah I bet I can conquer CV1/CV3, they've always looked easier than the Ninja Gaiden's to me and from the little I've played. Who knows though.

CV2 I still want to give a fair shot, since I think it gets comparisons to Zelda II ... which I am a rare big fan of. But maybe it's even kind of crappy in comparison to that as well.

Is Chronicles worth checking out as well? Looks like a cool remake of the original.

Xeogred wrote:Is Chronicles worth checking out as well? Looks like a cool remake of the original.

Definitely, it's awesome. It's not really a remake of CV 1 however, not sure if you meant that or not though. It's an enhanced port of the Sharp X68000 game, although the original game is included as well.

How badly do I need to play post-SotN games? My favorite so far is Super Castlevania IV, though III comes pretty close too. I like the Metroidvania style and all, and I absolutely love Super Metroid, but there's something about III and IV that I just really dig.

o.pwuaioc wrote:How badly do I need to play post-SotN games? My favorite so far is Super Castlevania IV, though III comes pretty close too. I like the Metroidvania style and all, and I absolutely love Super Metroid, but there's something about III and IV that I just really dig.

Go with Portrait of Ruin on the DS.. To me, it's the closest you'll get to that true Castlevania feel while having the Metroidvania style of gameplay.. Also, Harmony of Dissonance on the GBA is pretty solid as well, (just don't have very high expectations for the soundtrack..) Both games feature a whip-wielding Belmont, and if you enjoyed Bloodlines on Genesis, Portrait is almost like a sequel of sorts to that game with plenty of homages and followups.

I've also noticed in recent years that Simon's Quest has received a ton of flack on the internet.. I've always loved Castlevania II, and never thought it to be a bad game in the series, (although, at times, a bit too cryptic.) But lately whenever people talk about it, it gets the sort of criticism reserved for really awful games. I can understand if a lot of people consider it less of a favorite than others, but damn, it's not a broken or terrible game..

The Angry Video Game Nerd really gave that game the scarlet letter...

Speaking of how badly Konami has neglected Castlevania... We had some awesome 2D or 2.5D sidescrollers on the Wii this generation, there's no reason Konami couldn't have made an awesome 2D Castlevania for the Wii, true to its roots. Gameplay like CV1, 3, 4, and/or Rondo of Blood. Follow in the footsteps of New SMB, DKC Returns and Kirby's Return to Dreamland.


You guys know me, I love Castlevania. For those that didn't know, the original UPC that was my avatar for a while was the UPC for Castlevania (NES). I have Medusa tattood on my leg, and I eventually plan to get the rest of the bosses from the first game on there. Like a sleeve, but since it's on my leg would it be called pant? For any one that's interested, see the pic here:

Xeogred wrote:CV2 I still want to give a fair shot, since I think it gets comparisons to Zelda II ... which I am a rare big fan of. But maybe it's even kind of crappy in comparison to that as well.

Is Chronicles worth checking out as well? Looks like a cool remake of the original.

There's a few things that really bother me about CV2, but I kinda like the gameplay and the music. If it helps, there's a couple of hacks that might help.

SRAM hack: http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/735/

Replaces the password system with a save feature. Does not work on the PowerPak though. Kinda defeats the purpose since you'd have to play on an emulator, you can just use save states.

Improvement hack: http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/868/

Text speed is faster, and dialog has been switched around. Hints are more clear, and the false hints have been removes, and other such things. Makes playing the game less torturous. I haven't tried this hack out yet, just read about it, but it sounds lovely.


I've never been able to get into Chronicles. I've tried several times, I'm not sure what it is, I just can't get into it.