I decided to play all the good Castlevanias

[Exhuminator]

Oh what the hell, let's see what I actually beat. If it's crossed out, I've beat it.

Castlevania
Vampire Killer**
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Haunted Castle**
Castlevania: The Adventure
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse*
Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Super Castlevania IV
Kid Dracula*
Akumajō Dracula**
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Dracula X
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania Legends
Castlevania (Nintendo 64)**
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness**
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania Chronicles*
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness*
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Order of Shadows**
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles**
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania Judgment
Akumajō Dracula: The Medal**
Pachislot Akumajō Dracula**
Castlevania: The Arcade**
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth*
Pachislot Akumajō Dracula II**
Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night**
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair**
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow*
Pachislot Akumajō Dracula III*
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate**
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2*
CR Pachinko Akumajō Dracula**

So there's a few more 2D Castlevanias then I remembered.

*Plan to beat these eventually.

**Have no desire to play these.

[Sarge]

Oh, right, I forgot Dracula X Chronicles. Beat that too.

EDIT: Wow, that mobile game looks terrible.

[pierrot]

The best and most challenging Castlevania ever made.

Lol, wut? Is it just me, or was that one not challenging at all?

You're doing it right, Anayo, and Bloodlines is better than CV IV. A lot of stuff is, though. (I don't care for IV at all.) I agree with Ziggy: Play Akumajou Densetsu on the Famicom. Also, try out Rebirth. Two of the greatest ever VGM soundtracks.

[Sarge]

It may not be the most challenging retro-style one, but it's definitely the hardest of the Metroidvania variants. Once you've got it down it's not too hard (I died on that crab boss a bunch before figuring things out), and it's definitely a great one. Too bad those games pretty much died after that. I'm really looking forward to Bloodstained. Or at least hoping that it turns out well... I did Kickstart it, after all, and it's one of only two games I've ever pre-funded (the other being Indivisible on Indiegogo).

As far as Bloodlines vs. Super Castlevania IV, I think I prefer the latter. There's something that just doesn't quite sit right with me in Bloodlines, and I've never really been able to put my finger on it (it might be the general hit detection just feels weird; consistent, but weird). And no, it's not because it's on a Sega system. It's still a great game, but I love the multi-directional whip of the SNES one, and it's also got one of the most eclectic soundtracks of all time.

My absolute favorite of the series is... Symphony. Duh. But of the Classicvanias, it's... well, crap. It's actually kind of hard to choose a favorite. Probably either Castlevania III or Rondo, although sometimes I'd probably just roll with the first game, as it's short 'n' simple. Well, maybe not simple, because it's still a really tough game.

[MrPopo]

It's probably the hit detection. The hitboxes in Bloodlines are just crazy strange. Especially for Lecarde. A guy at SDA wrote a script for Gens that will display them; he posted a bunch of screenies in this thread:

https://forum.speeddemosarchive.com/pos ... es_21.html

My favorite is the four dots on the spinning blades as the damage points. As long as you avoid those you can just run through the blades, which Klaige uses in his WR runs.

[Erik_Twice]

Now that I think about it, the only Castlevanias I ever bothered to beat were these:

(Lists that includes Castlevania N64)

But...Why?

[Exhuminator]

Is it just me, or was that one not challenging at all?

From http://www.metacritic.com/game/ds/castl ... ic-reviews :

"the gameplay, while difficult, is still rewarding"
-GamingTrend

"A successful blend of the Metroidvania style of Symphony of the Night and straightforward, extremely difficult nature of older titles in the series"
-Cheat Code Central

"Another brilliant adventure from Konami but only the hardiest vampire hunters need apply."
-Games Master UK

"Providing you're up for the challenge, this is the high point of the DS Castlevania series."
-Official Nintendo Magazine UK

"An old-school, level-oriented presentation with unrelenting difficulty, making it one of the most refreshing experiences to be had on the DS this holiday season. "
-GameShark

"Because this game has a steep difficulty curve, you’ll consider it an insult if you don’t keep going back until you’ve nailed that section/boss. "
-N-Europe

"For hardcore Castlevania fans, though, this is the title that you've been looking for. It's long, it's challenging, and it doesn't fall over and die once you find the right weapon/subweapon combination. "
-Game Over Online

"the merciless boss fights provide a satisfying challenge for any seasoned vampire hunter. "
-Game Trailers

"A fun and especially challenging action game, although the formula invented over ten years ago in Symphony of the Night is getting a bit stale. "
-Pelit

"This is a difficult game"
-G4 TV

"The game is difficult and frustrating to begin with and anyone new to the series may well be put off. "
-Gamestyle

"Order of Ecclesia is still a decent outing for the most sadistically skillful fans."
-GameRevolution

And so on. Most critics made a point of noting Ecclesia's hardcore difficulty. Is it the hardest game ever? Not by a long shot. Is it the hardest Castlevania? When it comes to boss fights, yes. However you could relentlessly grind and level yourself up enough that those aren't too bad. But I'd rather skillfully win rather than win by attrition.

[Ack]

Now that I think about it, the only Castlevanias I ever bothered to beat were these:

(Lists that includes Castlevania N64)

But...Why?

I had it and suddenly felt the desire to feel pain. I don't intend to go back.

[Sarge]

I would actually argue that the followup / expansion to the N64 game was pretty good, if you could get past the control niggles. It's at least not nearly as bad as its reputation. Of course, it's not nearly as good as almost every other game in the series.

[Ziggy]

As far as Bloodlines vs. Super Castlevania IV, I think I prefer the latter. There's something that just doesn't quite sit right with me in Bloodlines, and I've never really been able to put my finger on it (it might be the general hit detection just feels weird; consistent, but weird). And no, it's not because it's on a Sega system. It's still a great game, but I love the multi-directional whip of the SNES one, and it's also got one of the most eclectic soundtracks of all time.

Bloodlines grew on me, and IV ungrew on me. Like I said, IV was the first CV game I ever played. It was my favorite for a long time, and it's still one of my favorites if only for nostalgic reasons. But I think I've come to like playing other games more.

IV's soundtrack is simply amazing, it's definitely the best part of the game for me. Bloodlines has a great soundtrack as well, but I think IV's is better. IV is also the larger game, so it's got that going for it as well. But I like how Bloodlines plays more like the NES games, which I kinda prefer these days. IV plays great, but it's unlike any other CV in how it feels.

So I don't know, I probably like both games about the same.

My absolute favorite of the series is... Symphony. Duh. But of the Classicvanias, it's... well, crap. It's actually kind of hard to choose a favorite. Probably either Castlevania III or Rondo, although sometimes I'd probably just roll with the first game, as it's short 'n' simple. Well, maybe not simple, because it's still a really tough game.

In my head, I really can't rank Symphony with the rest of the classic CV games. It's just too different. If I feel like playing classic CV, and I'm trying to decide which game, I don't even consider SotN. It's an experience all of its own for me.

I think Rondo is a great game, and I can see why so many people call it the very best of the original formula. I like it a lot, but it's not one of my favorites. It looks amazing, the soundtrack is awesome, it plays like a CV game should, and the length of the game is great (as well as being able to save progress). But my personal ranking, I would put CV1, 3, 4 and Bloodlines before it.

CV1 is my go to CV game. Even when I take my time with it, and I beat it in 30 minutes or less. So it's a great game for me when I'm not sure what I feel like playing, since I can beat it in one sitting. It's probably my favorite for sentimental reasons. But if I'm being really objective, III is probably my favorite.

I had it and suddenly felt the desire to feel pain. I don't intend to go back.

During the PS2 era, I found a new copy of Castlevania 64 in a K-Mart for about $5. It's not that bad of a game, but of course, I haven't played it since then. I don't know how I would feel about it now. I've been wanting to play Legacy of Darkness though.