I decided to play all the good Castlevanias

[Ziggy]

After you're done, be sure to let us know how epic you thing the last portion of the game is (from the last level to the credits).

[Xeogred]

I actually think Super is the easiest one by a good bit. The boss rush is a complete joke compared to Rondo of Blood's.

[pierrot]

Yeah so far I'm reminded a little of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Objectively it's a phenomenal game, but for some reason my brain won't let me enjoy it. If I were dating Castlevania IV it'd be kind of a "it's not you, it's me" thing.

With that game, in particular, you're going to have a lot of thoughts coming from people who grew up playing it, which is liable to skew opinions to some degree. I was probably more disenchanted by CV IV than you are, after beating the original, Rondo of Blood, then Bloodlines, and going out of my way to find a copy of CV IV.

I find that its biggest issues are that it's terribly easy compared to the rest of the classic styled games, and has bland, uninspired art and level design with subdued, elevator BGM. It simply doesn't inspire the feeling of being walloped by a tour de force of audio/visual stimuli like an Akumajou Densetsu, or Rondo of Blood. I also hate gratuitous Mode 7 with a passion, which is something CV IV likes to showcase.

I can somewhat understand why people are so beholden to CV IV, but I just wanted you to know that you're not alone in feeling that it's a bit lackluster. (Also, its main source of difficulty comes in the form of god awful hit detection; You'll find out.)

[Sarge]

subdued, elevator BGM

Man, I just can't get behind that sentiment at all. For all of its faults, it's got a great soundtrack. It's not the game I'd put in the playlist over other Castlevania games when listening away from the game, but the selection is so eclectic and interesting that I can't really fault it.

Also, I think the hit detection in Bloodlines is a lot wonkier than IV, but that's just me.

It's also worth remembering that it was basically a launch game, and on top of that, I think it looks quite good even now. The color palette, though, is a bit more muted, which could inspire accusations of blandness, and it's certainly not as thoughtfully laid out as the original Castlevania, details of which I'd never even noticed until Jeremy Parish did his anatomy series on it.

[Xeogred]

It beats the hell out of Dracula X.

Sarge has a good point pointing out the release date though. Rondo of Blood came out two years later, which looks worse in some ways when it comes to level detail. There's a lot of dense sprite mastery going on in IV's backgrounds and levels, though I agree the mode 7 parts are kind of wonky. I'd say Rondo has better character sprites though.

EDIT: Wait, should also mention how Dracula X came out FOUR years after IV. Crappy rushed port or not, it's an insane downgrade compared to IV's graphics.

Anyways I love IV and no idea if anyone would agree with me here, and admittedly it's pure nostalgia talking... but I like Super Ghouls n' Ghosts a fair bit better. They're insanely different, but IV has that cool evil SNES atmosphere that always puts me in the mood for some awesome Super Ghouls.

I think it's kind of lame Bloodlines hasn't been ported around at all.

Something random you guys might enjoy:
Super Castlevania IV - Clockwork Mansion (Sega Genesis Remix)


Chills. Can't enough of this song and any version of it.

The Sinking Old Sanctuary is one of the best things to grace that Genesis soundchip though. OHHHHHHHHHH

[Anayo]

subdued, elevator BGM

Man, I just can't get behind that sentiment at all. For all of its faults, it's got a great soundtrack.

That's another reason I'm biased. Since I grew up with Sega Genesis rather than SNES, I like twangy FM synthesis more than sound samples. I am fond of some SNES sound tracks such as Axelay but usually Sega Genesis tunes excite me more.

[Sarge]

Ah, well, I can definitely understand having a preference. I mean, honestly, in many cases I prefer NES music to SNES or Genesis. I'm pretty sure we had this discussion before, but the SNES and Genesis chips had very different strengths, so depending on the type of music, I preferred one or the other.

(I still think the first two Streets of Rage games have some of the best music of all time. If it's an RPG, in general, give me the SNES.)

[Ziggy]

The Sinking Old Sanctuary is one of the best things to grace that Genesis soundchip though. OHHHHHHHHHH

YES!

I also really dig the slowed down version in Legacy of Darkness.



It works really well slowed down.

[MrPopo]

Honestly, the only post-NES Classicvania that I really love is Rondo. CV IV and Bloodlines both feel kind of oogy with the committed jumps on pretty graphics. The contrast between the old mechanics and the modern graphics is too much dissonance in my mind. Rondo gets a pass because you can quickly blitz to Maria who handles much closer to what you'd expect for a 16-bit platformer.

[Sarge]

Yeah, but I'd argue playing as Maria really makes it... not really Classicvania anymore. The style is so absurdly different (and overpowered) that it changes the entire nature of that game. Not that using Maria isn't tons of fun... but it just feels wrong.

And yes, one could probably make that argument with Dracula's Curse as well. Maybe a well-played Sypha has that sort of power, but she doesn't add the mobility component on top of the boss-crushing power like Maria does.