Castlevania Appreciation Thread

[Ziggy]

Zig, you'll be pleased to know I unlocked Rondo on PSP and am playing it now for the Summer Gaming thread.

It's just a shame that they finally gave us a translated version of the game but only on a handheld. I mean, they put a lot of work into it, why not release it on a console? PSN and Xbox Live. It's more enjoyable for me to play Rondo on the Wii Virtual Console, but it's the original (Japanese) version.

Either way, it's a great game. Not my favorite in the original series, but definitely one of the best ones.

Also since you mentioned CV3... man I love CV3.

The problem with CV3 is after playing the Famicom version you NEVER wanna go back to the NES version.

What can you tell me about the later later console games? I really have only dabbled in PS2 Vanias. Can't even remember which. And have not touched the PS3/360 one. (Is there more than one?)

I'm not a big fan of the later CV games. The ones on the N64 are mediocre. Fun to play but not any where near as good as the original games. The ones on PS2... meh. I've played through Lament of Innocence (the first one on PS2). I remember thinking that it was sort of like a 3D SotN. But the game is a lot slower paced than SotN, and just not as fun. It's not a bad game, but just not as good as the original games. I have Curse of Darkness (the second one on PS2, also on oXbox) but have only played about 10 minutes of it. I would like to try and play through it one day, but the review on the Castlevania Dungeon website scares me (I'd link it, but that website isn't loading for me right now).

Yeah, there's two on the PS3/360. Lords of Shadow and then Lords of Shadow 2. I've heard a lot of good things about the first one, and I'm sure it's a good game in its own right, but I've just got nothing for a 3D Castlevania. It's like comparing the Sonic Adventure games to the Sonic games on the Genesis.

There's also Lords of Shadow Mirror Fate on the 3DS, you can download a demo of it from the eShop.

What Konami really should do is make a new Castlevania game that's 100% true to its routes. We're getting games like New SMB and DKC Returns. Kirby's Return to Dreamland was absolutely fantastic. I know we got Adventure ReBirth, but it was too short. I want a game modeled after CV3 and Rondo, and possibly a little longer. They might be too scared to make and release such a game, but I don't see why they can't do a digital only thing on PSN and whatnot.

/rant

[J T]

I have a hard time playing Castlevania's many sequels because I love the first one so much that any time I play a new sequel I get so nostalgic for the NES original that I can't play the sequel for more than five minutes before I've gone back and fired up the original NES version again.

[graffix_13]

The problem with CV3 is after playing the Famicom version you NEVER wanna go back to the NES version.

I'm not a big fan of the later CV games. The ones on the N64 are mediocre. Fun to play but not any where near as good as the original games. The ones on PS2... meh. I've played through Lament of Innocence (the first one on PS2). I remember thinking that it was sort of like a 3D SotN. But the game is a lot slower paced than SotN, and just not as fun. It's not a bad game, but just not as good as the original games. I have Curse of Darkness (the second one on PS2, also on oXbox) but have only played about 10 minutes of it. I would like to try and play through it one day, but the review on the Castlevania Dungeon website scares me (I'd link it, but that website isn't loading for me right now).

Why is the CV3 Japanese version superior to the NA/PAL version if I may ask?

As for the two Castlevania titles on the Playstation 2, I'm in the same boat. Played through and beat Lament of Innocence. It was ok. I liked that you could play as Jachim or whoever that vampire was after you beat the game. That's pretty much all I remember about it.

As for Curse of Darkness.....same as you, I only played about 20 minutes of it and stopped playing it. I think my intention was to pick it up again at some point, but that never happened. Not a sign of a good game. I don't think it was HORRIBLE, per se, but nothing memorable or mind blowing.

[o.pwuaioc]

I didn't care for Lament of Innocence, but I put only 30-45 minutes into it. I've only been holding onto it because I have (well, had now) hope that should I try it again, I could get into. I'm not getting a strong confidence vote in it, though. Sell it?

[AppleQueso]

Why is the CV3 Japanese version superior to the NA/PAL version if I may ask?

Konami used their own custom mapper chip that enabled a couple of extra sound channels. This is reflected in the music, there's a lot more going on in it than is normally possible on a famicom/NES.

Nintendo of America had a policy that didn't allow 3rd party developers to create their own mappers, so Konami had to adapt the game to one of Nintendo's own mappers, the MMC5, which lacked those sound channels.

[MrPopo]

Why is the CV3 Japanese version superior to the NA/PAL version if I may ask?

Konami used their own custom mapper chip that enabled a couple of extra sound channels. This is reflected in the music, there's a lot more going on in it than is normally possible on a famicom/NES.

Nintendo of America had a policy that didn't allow 3rd party developers to create their own mappers, so Konami had to adapt the game to one of Nintendo's own mappers, the MMC5, which lacked those sound channels.

Not quite. Nintendo of America used the pins on the cart connector that were used by that mapper as part of the NA copy protection, so they were unavailable for the extra music information.

[Xeogred]

Lament of Innocence is definitely 10x more "Castlevania" than anything Lords of Shadow ever will be, but yeah it's pretty flawed itself. Felt as repetitive as the generic generated dungeons from Dark Cloud at times. Same hallways, same rooms, everywhere.

The music was really good though.

Not LoI, but have had this theme stuck in my head lately:

[Stark]

Lament of Innocence is definitely 10x more "Castlevania" than anything Lords of Shadow ever will be...

That ^ statement is debatable, but all I know is Lords of Shadow is an excellent game.

[Ziggy]

I have a hard time playing Castlevania's many sequels because I love the first one so much that any time I play a new sequel I get so nostalgic for the NES original that I can't play the sequel for more than five minutes before I've gone back and fired up the original NES version again.

I've definitely done that before, shut off a CV game to play the first one.

Why is the CV3 Japanese version superior to the NA/PAL version if I may ask?

Like AQ said, the music. It is VASTLY superior to the NES version. So much so that after experiencing it you wont be able to play the NES version anymore. It just seems boring and bland. If you're curious, check out a YouTube video, I'm sure there are lots of comparisons done.

There's a few other changes, though they're very minor in comparison to the music. There's a few graphical changes, some things look a little better. The fleemen, for example, look very different. In the intro, the clouds scroll (they're static in the NES version). Stuff like that.

There's also a change in the difficulty aspect of the game. The "help me" cheat (start with 9 lives) doesn't work, but I find that you don't need it. The damage taken works different, you don't take 2 in the first levels, 3 in the middle levels, and 4 on the later levels. Each enemy has a set amount of damage that it deals, and it stays consistent in every level. This ends up making the game easier.

And my biggest complaint with the NES version... On the last level just before Dracula, you have to jump to/from swinging pendulums. Some one thought it be funny to throw a bat in there for the NES version. And when you die against Dracula, the NES versions sends you all the way back to the last door instead of at Drac's staircase. This means you have to fight through a room of enemies and make it past that damn bat, hopefully not taking any hits, to fight Dracula each time. Assholes! The FC version doesn't have that stupid bat, and when you die against Dracula you start right outside his chamber as you should. Forget the music, the FC version is better because of that alone!

Konami used their own custom mapper chip that enabled a couple of extra sound channels. This is reflected in the music, there's a lot more going on in it than is normally possible on a famicom/NES.

Nintendo of America had a policy that didn't allow 3rd party developers to create their own mappers, so Konami had to adapt the game to one of Nintendo's own mappers, the MMC5, which lacked those sound channels.

Not quite. Nintendo of America used the pins on the cart connector that were used by that mapper as part of the NA copy protection, so they were unavailable for the extra music information.

The bitch of it is, I think it could have sounded better than it does with the MMC5. I know they didn't have as many sound channels, but it seems like they just ported it to MMC5 and washed their hands. I think if they spent a little more time they could have made it better. After listening to the FC version a lot, then listening to the NES version again, there's parts in the music that ARE there but are really low. So low to the point that you can barely hear them. I know they're working with less channels, which accounts for some of the missing sounds. But the bass line in every sound is much to low.

I know it would never sound as good as the FC version, no matter how you slice it. I just think it could have been mixed better.

[graffix_13]

Like AQ said, the music. It is VASTLY superior to the NES version. So much so that after experiencing it you wont be able to play the NES version anymore. It just seems boring and bland. If you're curious, check out a YouTube video, I'm sure there are lots of comparisons done.

There's a few other changes, though they're very minor in comparison to the music. There's a few graphical changes, some things look a little better. The fleemen, for example, look very different. In the intro, the clouds scroll (they're static in the NES version). Stuff like that.

There's also a change in the difficulty aspect of the game. The "help me" cheat (start with 9 lives) doesn't work, but I find that you don't need it. The damage taken works different, you don't take 2 in the first levels, 3 in the middle levels, and 4 on the later levels. Each enemy has a set amount of damage that it deals, and it stays consistent in every level. This ends up making the game easier.

And my biggest complaint with the NES version... On the last level just before Dracula, you have to jump to/from swinging pendulums. Some one thought it be funny to throw a bat in there for the NES version. And when you die against Dracula, the NES versions sends you all the way back to the last door instead of at Drac's staircase. This means you have to fight through a room of enemies and make it past that damn bat, hopefully not taking any hits, to fight Dracula each time. Assholes! The FC version doesn't have that stupid bat, and when you die against Dracula you start right outside his chamber as you should. Forget the music, the FC version is better because of that alone!

Hmm interesting. I'll have to check out getting a copy of the Famicom version of CV3 then (if it isn't too expensive).

Thanks for the information all!