The Castlevania GBA and DS Games - Should I ?

[prfsnl_gmr]

Are none of the GBA/DS CV games in the NES style?

Ummmm...only NES Classics: Castlevania is in that style to my knowlege...

[o.pwuaioc]

Are none of the GBA/DS CV games in the NES style?

Ummmm...only NES Classics: Castlevania is in that style to my knowlege...

[bryan_65]

The Castlevania GBA games are going to be what makes me buy the system and a GB Player. The other games I will get will be a bonus. I tried them though emulation and they will be right up my alley. I am on a big Castlevania kick as of lately. I do wish they would make some more like the classics though.

[alienjesus]

Are none of the GBA/DS CV games in the NES style?

No, but if you're after a modern 'classic' castlevania, Castlevania Rebirth on WiiWare is meant to be pretty good.

[Gunstar Green]

As was said at the beginning of the thread, Harmony of Dissonance is a skipable one. It's really just kind of bland compared to the others. I didn't really like Circle of the Moon much either but a lot of people absolutely love it and it certainly does have a much different feel so try it out.

Aria of Sorrow is one of my favorite Castlevania games and in my opinion it's when things really started to click. I love all three of the DS installments.

[codegamer]

Are none of the GBA/DS CV games in the NES style?

Circle of the Moon would be the closest, as you use the whip without getting any other weapon replacements. You get cards for spells, but can choose to ignore. Equipment is in here, but feels lesser used than other titles.

(PS, I played all gba and only DoS for the DS Castlevania's)

[chupon]

All are actually worth playing. I've taken down 4 of them.

I think Order of Ecclesia is the best of them all. Then I'd say Portrait of Ruin. That game is just fun although a little easy.

The GBA games really harken back to SOTN. They are also great.

Just my two cents.

[MrPopo]

Are none of the GBA/DS CV games in the NES style?

No, but if you're after a modern 'classic' castlevania, Castlevania Rebirth on WiiWare is meant to be pretty good.

OoE is closer to the NES style than the other GBA/DS games, as you have a series of independent stages, and many of them are pretty linear. There is the big castle part at the end, though.

[Ziggy]

So back when I made this thread, I put all three DS games on my want list. Shortly after, some one sold me a copy of Portrait of Ruin.

It's not a bad game, but I didn't really enjoy it too much. In fact, I didn't even finish it. At the start of the game, it felt nice. Once I learned who the ghost was and found out more about the game's connection to Bloodlines, I was really liking it. I'm not sure at which point, but after a while I was getting pretty bored with it. Exploring the castle and the paintings was nothing new. I couldn't help but thinking, "I'd rather just replay SotN." I got up to the point where you have to fight the whip's memory (or whatever it's called) and stopped there. I didn't consciously decide to stop, I just did that thing where all of a sudden a week or two went by and you realized you haven't touched the game. I haven't touched it since then.

After playing this game, I'm kinda feeling like my thoughts might be true. The game didn't live up to SotN's epicness and felt more like a rehash. Now I'm wondering if I should even bother with Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia.

I know you guys will probably yell at me and tell me how awesome these games are, but I just wasn't feeling it with Portrait of Ruin. Should I bother giving Order of Ecclesia a try?

[Xeogred]

That's like asking if CVIII or IV are worth playing after II.

Okay, maybe not that extreme...

But yeah PoR is a joke compared to OoE. Difficulty wise, art wise, design wise, everything wise. PoR was my least favorite of the DS era ones. OoE is probably the toughest Metroidvania one all around, but I'd say it along with Circle of the Moon and SoTN are my three top favorites for that style. PoR was very forgettable to me. Harmony on the GBA was the worst one by far though, the physics were so messed up, I couldn't even really play that one and never finished it.

Dawn of Sorrow was great, although I personally liked Arrow more. Both tie in directly and borrow the most from SoTN though. Go with OoE if you want something a bit different and more challenging. You and any big CV fan absolutely should not miss out on OoE, that one was fantastic I thought.