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Thread: Castlevania

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    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

    The Castlevania franchise is among my favorite video games as far back as the original NES console. Some of the best and toughest games have come from its nearly 30 year history. The franchise got a reboot and a new storyline several years ago under the name Lords of Shadow. A few years later, Mirror of Fate furthered that storyline and the upcoming Lords of Shadow 2 will conclude it. Though I am still partial to those 2D side-scrollers of the past, I admit I have really enjoyed the new reboot and direction. The games have been excellent. There's a lot of hype surrounding the upcoming title. Konami has confirmed Lords of Shadow 2 will be the last Castlevania by game studio, Mercury Steam, and it will serve as the conclusion to this adaptation/direction of Castlevania. No doubt more Castlevania games will be made in the future, but those will be by a new studio and another reboot of the franchise. Enjoy the trailer....

    Last edited by pulse; 01-31-2014 at 04:34 PM.

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    Symphony of the Night is the greatest sidescroller of all time and one of my 5 favorite games ever. I fucking love SOTN. everything. The ganeplay, the graphics, the music the cheesey story and bad acting. SOTN is so good. Ive played it all the way through possibly.more than any other game.

    alsobenjoyed circle of the moon, and even castlevania 64 which is buried somewhere because of its bad reputation. I cant help but wonder if id still like it today.

    New castlevania was ok, but could have been better. It could have used a lot more atmosphere, and a better sense of place and better music. The gameplay was lacking too so i wonder about LOS 2.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wretchedest View Post
    Symphony of the Night is the greatest sidescroller of all time and one of my 5 favorite games ever. I fucking love SOTN. everything. The ganeplay, the graphics, the music the cheesey story and bad acting. SOTN is so good. Ive played it all the way through possibly.more than any other game.
    I love SOTN. It was an epic game for sure. I've played through it many times as well over the years. Many claim, as you do, it being one of the best games ever, and I can certainly understand why. Yet, I don't consider it the best Castlevania. I still feel like Castlevania IV or "Super Castlevania" on Super NES was the greatest Castlevania. It still boggles my mind how well it holds up today compared to modern games. Its soundtrack is one of the greatest ever conceived. Of course, there are also many that claim Castlevania III on the original NES to be the best. The 8 bit titles just haven't aged as well for me, though I still love them. There is a fan project that is remaking III with 16 bit graphics. II has already been remade and you can find it pretty easily. It's called Simon's Quest Revamped. It rules.

    New castlevania was ok, but could have been better. It could have used a lot more atmosphere, and a better sense of place and better music. The gameplay was lacking too so i wonder about LOS 2.
    I would have preferred Lords of Shadow more if it had allowed more freedom in exploration, but certainly it is the best of the 3D Castlevania games. Lords of Shadow 2 looks like it will be more exploration friendly and hopefully they've had enough years with this project to have improved upon gameplay. The art direction certainly looks amazing enough.
    Last edited by pulse; 01-18-2014 at 01:00 AM.

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    New game trailer:


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    Fucking YES. It can't be next month soon enough.

    Been with this series for a long time, and I do love LoS. It was the shot in the arm the series desperately needed. The art direction is top-notch; while I wish Mercury Steam weren't done with it after this one, I'm grateful they've simply got a story they want to tell and won't drag it out unnecessarily.

    And SOTN really is one of the all-time best games. None of the other Metroidvanias that followed really recaptured that greatness, enjoyable though they were to varying degrees.

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    Castlevania Music

    The score sounds awesome...


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    Maybe my favorite video game series. I think Lords of Shadow had an incredible story, I don't get the fanboy hate.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kodiak33 View Post
    Maybe my favorite video game series. I think Lords of Shadow had an incredible story, I don't get the fanboy hate.
    I liked the game, but it didn't really feel like a Castlevania game... and a large part of the reason for that is due to the fact that it wasn't originally intended to be one. The game was pretty much done, and Konami said "you know what will make this sell a lot better? Call it Castlevania."

    I just miss the original 2D side scrolling games, especially the metroid/exploration variety. The PSN/LIVE game was horrible though... I'm still not sure how they misunderstood what people wanted so badly there. I can do without the 2D Lords of Shadow game too, at least based on that demo I played.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    I liked the game, but it didn't really feel like a Castlevania game... and a large part of the reason for that is due to the fact that it wasn't originally intended to be one. The game was pretty much done, and Konami said "you know what will make this sell a lot better? Call it Castlevania."
    Where did you read that? The game was intended to be a Castlevania game from its very beginning. There were actually several, perhaps even three game studios, that were all bidding on making a new 3D Castlevania for Konami back before Lords of Shadow was green-lit. You should read this interview with David Cox. According to David, the game and its engine was originally pitched to Konami as a western style 3D Castlevania when Mercury Steam was considering potential bidders. But Konami had so much trepidation over the Castlevania franchise at that time, when they bought the project from Mercury Steam and granted permission to complete a prototype, they said it would be an original IP (i.e., non-Castlevania). Obviously, Mercury Steam needed that contract, so they worked around the change and that incarnation became a new IP called Lords of Shadow. Yet, due to the game's original design as a 3D Castlevania game, it retained much of the same atmosphere and characteristics; so much so, that when they showed the prototype, the executives at Konami and Kojima (of Metal Gear Solid fame), Konami decided the game should be Castlevania after all. At that point, Kojima came on board with the project, and Mercury Steam commenced to turning the game back into what it had originally intended to be. Perhaps the reboot of the franchise, the storyline of Lords of Shadow being remolded into a new take on the origin of Dracula, and the fact it's a 3D game, much of this may have turned off some of the old diehards. However, the game is still by far the best 3D Castlevania game that has ever been made. Mercury Steam managed to pull some good ideas from the earlier, failed 3D attempts, and bring forth the concrete successful themes of the 2D games, and make a all-round great game. There were still problems, however. The restriction of space in a 3D world was a bad move. I wouldn't have minded the linear path so much if it had retained more elements of exploration. You make this beautiful 3D world and this huge damn castle, not too mention the eastern European countryside, you should be able to explore it. I don't expect The Elder Scrolls here. But you shouldn't feel so restricted in your forward progress. But hopefully a little more freedom has been incorporated into the new game. That looks to be the case, based on early previews. There's a very Gothic-styled modern city built up around Castlevania to explore. That should be fun.

    I just miss the original 2D side scrolling games, especially the metroid/exploration variety. The PSN/LIVE game was horrible though... I'm still not sure how they misunderstood what people wanted so badly there. I can do without the 2D Lords of Shadow game too, at least based on that demo I played.
    Hey, I'm with you there. Konami is be making a huge mistake if they turn their back on 2D side-scrollers in the classic vein of Castlevania. Too many of us are still alive and ready to throw our money at a new one. It just needs to be done with the same level of scope that was poured into those terrific 8, 16 and 32 bit consoles. I have to admit, the handheld Metroidvania style games that came out for the Gameboy Advanced, DS and PSP through the 2000s got kind of monotonous. They all played off the theme and success of Symphony of the Night on Saturn/PS1. But they started beating a dead horse by the time the DS came out. I guess enough time as passed. Hopefully they do something great, whether the next project is 2D or 3D.
    Last edited by pulse; 02-01-2014 at 04:41 PM.

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    Lords of Shadow is the best 3d castlevania of course by far... But the other 3d entry I tried was barely playable. Lords of Shadow is fun in a God of War meets Shadow of the Collosus kind of way. And yeah the portable 2d entries got a little cookie cutter, but they can bring it back. Put time and budget into a console 2d castlevania with modern graphic bells and whistles, and it'll be brilliant. If konami doesn't believe in it, start a Kickstarter fund and watch it succeed overnight like Mighty no. 9

    I'm a little tired of 2d games being treated as relics from an older generation, or relegated to low budget productions. What's the most critically praised game on Ps4? Resogun.

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    I tried Mirror of Fate HD the other week, holy shit it was terrible. I was not impressed at all.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kodiak33 View Post
    I tried Mirror of Fate HD the other week, holy shit it was terrible. I was not impressed at all.
    Yep... I made it through about 2 minutes of the demo before giving up on that one.

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    I just scored Castlevania 2 for the Game Boy. Now I wanna find the adapter to play on Super NES.

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    Playing MoF now and ugh, it's like an easy-mode NES flash game with unavoidable deaths (if that makes sense) and awful, awful check-point reliant boss fights. I'm glad I got it super cheap. Just going to keep soldiering on before LoS 2 drops to get myself in the mood. Almost done 70%...must force self to continue...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Shadaloo View Post
    Playing MoF now and ugh, it's like an easy-mode NES flash game with unavoidable deaths (if that makes sense) and awful, awful check-point reliant boss fights. I'm glad I got it super cheap. Just going to keep soldiering on before LoS 2 drops to get myself in the mood. Almost done 70%...must force self to continue...
    Mirror of Fate was just disappointing from a technical standpoint. It felt like a rushed attempt at carrying the story over to a handheld/3DS. The 3DS version of the game has poor graphics compared to other 3DS titles. The gameplay also suffers because the storylines for the three characters you play are incredibly short. I was left scratching my head at how overkill it is to have perks when you completely leave that character behind after just a few hours of gameplay. It would be fine if the game was longer and you changed back and forth to those other characters as the game progressed. The graphics for the downloadable HD port for PSN and Xbox Live was improved upon, which helps the game levels significantly. I mean, overall, the game isn't horrible -- just plain average, however. That alone makes it disappointing compared to what it could have been -- and also disappointing compared to the LOS1. There are rumors the HD version will come as a surprise with Lords of Shadow 2 for the PC. It's worth playing if you want to visit an episode of time between LOS and LOS2 before you play LOS2. Just don't expect to be overly impressed.
    Last edited by pulse; 02-04-2014 at 08:13 AM.

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    Castlevania: LOS2 is released February 25 (tomorrow) but you can start downloading it from Steam now...

    http://store.steampowered.com/app/239250/

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    I'm having a load of fun with LoS2, but if an alleged disgruntled source is believable: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=776423

    After the success of the first, Mercury Steam's CEO went into egomaniac control freak mode, had absolute say over everything, and exercised his veto power to such an extent that the art director left midway through the project, followed by some more staff. Konami weren't happy with the finished product, and apparently changed the ending because it was too depressing (not that I'm anywhere near there, but folks seem to be saying the scrapped one was better). And with the game's conclusion, 35 people have now apparently been fired, and more are to come.

    What's amazing to me is how much fun I'm actually having with this thing. While it's true that it feels uneven, combat's better than the first and some of these enemy designs are damned incredible.

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    I'll most likely pick this up on tuesday. As for Mercury Steam. Maybe there's more going on than meets the eye. I know it's their last game for the series. And maybe there's more behind their reasoning of not wanting to do PS4/XB1 ports. Either way, the game looks great.

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    The mixed reviews are making me hesitant to pick this up. I really enjoyed the first game though, so I should probably just get it anyway.

    Interesting inside info about the development, thanks for posting.

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    My advice is that it's very worth it if you liked the first one, but I'd still wait for a price drop. In general the castle sections of the game are amazing, and some of the modern areas look terrible to the point where you know they were developed after the art director left (garages are bland and lifeless, and Dracula is half the size of a doorway in some places). The stealth sections really aren't too bad at all, though they're out of place.

    The boss fights and combat though...holy crap. Amazing.

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    SOTN is my favorite game of all time, pretty much. In fact, the only games i ever had for PS were SoTN and Tekken 2 and 3. Currently (as in i just got up from playing it,) i am playing Aria of Sorrow for GBA and i am happy to report that it is fucking AWESOME! it's been a long, long time since ive played Symphony, but AoS DEFINITELY feels like a PS SoTN sequel. I've been up all night and day playing it (and no, i'm not on speed or coke or anything . ) I just can't bring myself to stop playing it!

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    I was never able to finish SOTN. Got lost, wandered around aimlessly for who knows how long. And who the hell puts stealth in a castlevania? A very stupid addition to castlevania...

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    ok. i NEED a copy of SoTN and a playstation one.
    someone make me an offer.
    i have shit to trade.
    i just finished aria of sorrow and i wanna play SoTN again SO MOTHERFUCKING BAD.

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    If I were to have a bucket list, finishing SotN would be on that list. I get so lost in that game. Brain farts all around.

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    So the new Netflix animated Castlevania series dropped yesterday. The first season is comprised of only four episodes. Netflix was seemingly testing the waters to see how the show was received before commiting financially to more episodes. Perhaps they gained some idea in screen testings even prior to release because it only took a few hours for them to request 8 more episides.

    Reviews have been mostly positive. The animation is very well done and the voice acting is solid. Hopefully with testing aside and more of a financial backing, Castlevania can really shine. It has a lot of potential.

    The show's plot is based on the classic 'Vanias and original timeline. No reboot alternative Lords of Shadow hogwash here. This story focuses on Simon Belmont's great-great grandfather, Trevor Belmont and the events leading up to and including Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

    http://collider.com/castlevania-review-netflix/

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    I am sooo excited to watch this. I loved Vampire Hunter D back in the day and always wondered what an actual Castlevania animated show would look like. I hope it's just as dark and wicked as I'm imagining it hah.

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    I really really liked it, and I'm the person that (even if I like video games) cringes when I see video game adaptations. This was a very pleasant surprise.

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    I liked it. Wish it had more than just four eps.

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    This has been renewed for a second season, and holy god did I love the first.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Shadaloo View Post
    This has been renewed for a second season, and holy god did I love the first.
    This summer? Yes.

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