I decided to play all the good Castlevanias

[pierrot]

Super Castlevania IV - Clockwork Mansion (Sega Genesis Remix)

Hnnngg--

subdued, elevator BGM

Man, I just can't get behind that sentiment at all.

I'm not a fan of the SNES' audio, but I wouldn't say that I hate CV IV's soundtrack. It just feels really out of place in a Castlevania game, to me: almost completely forgettable within the context of the game, but certainly there are tracks that I can appreciate outside of the game.

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.

One of the best things about Rondo, for me, is that it essentially gives the player a choice. In contrast to IV, which forces the player to be an unholy beast-man who can only be stopped by roulette platforms, and Slogra's bat-shit insane hit box.

[MrPopo]

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.

I think Maria's power comes from her mobility; I don't believe in strict damage terms she's noticeably more powerful than Richter, but her mobility allows her to consistently land all her damage at a constant rate, while Richter needs to look for openings. Sypha, on the other hand, does noticeably more damage than the rest of the CV3 crew, but she also takes more damage and as you mentioned doesn't have any more mobility than Trevor.

[Anayo]

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.

The first Castlevania game I tried to sit down and play was Dracula X on the PSP, so imagine how weird I felt.

[Sarge]

I dunno, I ripped bosses to shreds using her default weapon. Get the right distance, and you can pour in the damage, and that's not even including some of her better magic attacks.

But yeah, the fact that you have a choice (just like Dracula's Curse) is a good thing. I really do like Rondo a lot. It's probably the pinnacle of the classic series from an evolutionary standpoint, if you're going strictly for purity compared to the original and CV3. Oh, and the X68000 version.

[Xeogred]

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.

Nice. Definitely can't deny that the N64 and PS2 games still had excellent music.
(Not sure on Curse of Darkness, but I'm assuming it's got good music, at least haha)

Then Lords of Shadow came along, Patrick Stewart put me in a coma, and the new composers apparently forgot what melody meant to this series.

[Sarge]

Curse of Darkness has amazing music.

[PartridgeSenpai]

That is one thing Legacy of Darkness really has going for it. Because there's not as much effort dodging all of the masses of medusa heads and skeletons like in the original N64 one, you really get some time to appreciate the great music while you're doin' all of the platforming.

[Anayo]

Ooh, you all just reminded me I have an unplayed copy of Castlevania 64 in my library. I think I'll take a crack at it,once I'm through with Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night.

[Sarge]

Just note that Legacy of Darkness is pretty much the best version of Castlevania 64. It does force you to play as Cornell before you get to the old characters, though. Nonetheless, if you can get access to it, go that route.

[Ziggy]

Ooh, you all just reminded me I have an unplayed copy of Castlevania 64 in my library. I think I'll take a crack at it,once I'm through with Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night.

It's been a long while since I've played CV64, so my opinion might change a lot if I play it now. But the only thing that really pissed me off when I played it was this: If you play on the easier difficultly setting, some where in the middle of the game, right in the middle of a level, the screen goes black and it tells you to play on a harder difficulty to play any further. You get into an elevator, the elevator goes up, and then the game stops. The thing is, you have to start from the beginning to switch the difficulty. So just be warned, don't play it on easy if you actually wanna beat the game!