Castlevania Appreciation Thread

[foxhound1022]

VC is the way to go to play a good port of it on the cheap.

[Ziggy]

VC is the way to go to play a good port of it on the cheap.

Yeah, Rondo is great on VC. I'm torn between that and the PSP. The PSP version has the official translation, but it's on a handheld. I can play it on the TV but it looks like ass. The VC version is in Japanese, but playable, and looks great on the TV.

[Rurouni_Fencer]

With the PSP version, you'll not only have both an English translated version of Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night all in one place - on the go, no less - but you'll also get the remake. The remake is pretty tough to swallow if you've played the source material, but it's still an enjoyable experience, I'd say, as it mixes up a lot of secrets and adds extra collectibles.
The VC version is just like playing the PC-Engine version - lacking only the load times and surprisingly comfortable gamepad.. Never played the formerly Japanese-exclusive Castlevania title that sets up Symphony? Save roughly a hundred bucks by downloading this and you can't go wrong..
I remember way back in the late 90's when this game's ISO was first leaked on the internet. It was a decently big deal, as I remember it being taken down from various servers quite often, although Konami never made any clear intentions to port it. All the while, you were able to find other PC-Engine ISO's and roms without any scarcity or problems, (remember - this is 199X and torrents and file-sharing was either unheard of or in it's infancy with 56k speeds.) When I first downloaded and played this game, I remember feeling guilty - Like a brand new game in my favorite game series had just come out, and instead of paying for it I stole it from my local EB Games.


I have never treated a rom or ISO with more reverence or more respect than I did with Rondo of Blood back in 1999.

[kelsoanim]

I had no idea Rondo of Blood was on Virtual Console. I might just have to give that one a try. I have played the unlockable original a bit on the PSP Dracula X Chronicles game but it would be nice to play it on a bigger screen. I also want to get Castlevania ReBirth, I've heard that is pretty good.

Man I wish Nintendo would just port all of it's VC to WiiU. I don't care if it has touch pad UI or not, just open that library up so I don't have to go in and out of that Wii mode menu. It's like bad digital game store UI all the way down...

[Ziggy]

So is Castlevania Judgment really as bad as every one says? I haven't read one good thing about it. I've been hunting cheap Wii games in GameStops recently, and I keep noticing this game. It's only like $6 or $7 IIRC. Is it worth it?

[Nyukki]

^ I'd like to know too. I mean, I played it once for like ten minutes, I think with a nunchuck and wiimote, so it didn't feel like a serious fighter as such. Perhaps there's more depth to it. A Castlevania themed fighter could be awesome if done right.

[Dylan]

Judgement's problem is that it's just a really shallow game. Even if you play with friends you'll have enjoyed more or less everything it has to offer in one session of play. It's overly simple, its combat feels somewhat clunky and awkward, a lot of the mechanics like sub-weapons come off as gimmicky, and in general it just isn't that rewarding to sink time into. You could enjoy mashing it out with friends for a while, but besides that it probably won't be able to hold your interest for very long.

[Rurouni_Fencer]

Judgment is pretty much Power Stone meets Castlevania.
If you like both of those games, you'll have fun. But don't expect a whole lot of depth to it. Arcade mode fleshes out the story, but the story is so rudimentary that the best thing going for it is that it's non-canonical.
There's also an "adventure" mode separate from Arcade mode that is very similar to the Chaos Tower mode in the PSP Darkstalkers game. Move along to the top of a map-tree, fighting other characters with certain conditions/debuffs to advance. Nothing really groundbreaking here. Finally, the biggest complaint I've come across with other 'Vania fans is the art style. Nothing against the illustrator of the popular anime Deathnote, but it doesn't belong in Castlevania. Simon looks like a highschool street thug ripped out of a Bakki the Grappler manga, Trevor has an eye-patch for some reason, and Sypha has unusually huge knockers that an obviously under-aged and over-sexualized Maria envies.

All in all - Not a great Castlevania title, but still worth a look. Fans of the series or Power Stone-like fighters will enjoy killing an afternoon with it, as it presents something of a fantasy "What-If" scenario with the Castlevania cast. It also links up with Order of Ecclesia by unlocking characters in the Wii game after it links to a DS with a OoE save file.
Get it now while Gamestop still has it for under $10. Even niche Castlevania games end up appreciating in value 1 or 2 generations out, and this game marks the final "physical " home console 'Vania release from IGA.

Meanwhile, if you're craving 2D Castlevania awesomeness, and already own the Virtual Console titles, then check out Castlevania Adventure Rebirth. You won't be dissappointed, as it's something of a love-letter to 2D Castlevania fans. Remixed versions of classic 'Vania tunes, 16-bit graphics, and traditional Castlevania difficulty and control.

[Sload Soap]

Interesting article on Koji Igarashi's thought process while developing Symphony Of the Night. Now that he's gone and MercurySteam are off the 3D-vania's, perhaps the series is entering into a phase of dormancy?

http://www.destructoid.com/symphony-of- ... 2310.phtml

[BoneSnapDeez]

I've decided that Symphony of the Night is gonna be the first Castlevania game I attempt to complete. I have it on Xbox 360.