Which do you think was the all-around best of the Castlevania series?
Which do you think was the all-around best of the Castlevania series?
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Like I just said in a very similar post, I liked 'em all except for II which was a bit too "RPG" for me.
But my favorite is Dracula X on the DUO, which, not unlike most DP polls, is NOT on the list. And the SNES version of the game was really weak by comparison. So ... my SECOND favorite was SoTN.
I usually go by the US relased titles seeing that's what ones the majority of us here have played.
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MY fav is SOTN for the SATURN! gaaaaaaa..
Fear your thoughts because they become your words
Fear your words because they become your actions
Fear your actions because they become your habits
Fear your habits because they become your character
Fear your character because it becomes your destiny
Therefore: Thinking and nurturing positive thoughts, at any point in your life, can change your destiny.
Even though SOTN will forever be a masterpiece of a game, Castlevania 3 will always remind me of fond memories as a kid... so that's my #1.
I'm with Joe; where the hell is the PC-Engine version??
The standard by which all others are measured
What made the Duo version great? I have only seen screen shots. What was different about it, etc?
Well, let's see... what made the Duo version great. There was a lot, let's see what I can list.
1. Near-perfect control and rock solid gameplay.
It doesn't get much better than that. It's classic CV gameplay all the way, and both Richter and Maria are extremely responsive to your commands. It introduced the whole "weapon-swapping" technique as well - in case you pick up a weapon you don't want, you can turn around and pick up the one you had, instead of it just vanishing forever.
2. Diverging pathways and hidden areas.
Kind of like Castlevania III in a sense, you could go in different directions depending on what areas you went to. All roads lead to Dracula, of course... and going down the different pathways was the only way to get 100% of the game completed. On top of that, you could go back and replay levels you'd already completed.
3. Play as Maria.
Once you find her (if you can find her... okay, it's really not that hard) you could play as her. Her attacks and item crashes were all unique - they haven't been reduplicated in any other CV. She added a bit of anime cuteness to the game.. plus her ending was actually a bit better than Richter's, imo.
4. Anime cutscenes
Sure the game had rock solid gameplay and near-perfect control, but the added cutscenes were the icing on the cake. Granted, they were just still scenes, but they were still beautiful.
5. Fantastic character design.
The different enemies and other characters had the most unique look to them... classic CV, but at the same time, very anime. In fact, most of them were reused in SOTN.
6. Incredible music.
Some of Konami's finest, by far. It's still the best CV soundtrack imo, even beating out SOTN. If you haven't heard it, you have to find a way to.
Oh, and one of my personal favorite things about the game - the first stage is a tribute to Simon's Quest, as you travel through one of the towns from it. You can even read the signpost just like you could in SQ - too bad what it says is in Japanese.
I also have to give a nod to both fights with Death. The one in the prologue was pretty sweet, but the one on top of the ship is just fantastic - especially when he rips off his first outfit and reveals his classic Death attire... and then creates his scythe out of thin air. Sweeet.
Although I love Super Castlevania 4 dearly, I actually prefer the Japanese version, Akumajo Dracula. It has the uncensored nudity and religious imagery that Nintendo took out of SC4. Not that I especially care for pixelated, nude statues or a cross here and there, but it's the principle of the thing. Also, the green slime in the dungeon stage is red blood in the Japanese game, which looks much cooler and scarier. The chain whip also sounds more whiplike.
I'm stuck at a tie between SotN for the PS and Dracula X for the Duo....well, i think i may give the Duo version a sligh edge due to the better soundtrack, IMO....a CV game must have Bloody Tears!
Also, i believe that Dracula X was the debut of the "item crash".
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The best 2D and 2.5D video games.
Too bad no one brought Dracula X for the PC-Engine over and that Komami (or someone) is hogging the files for it.
Anyhow, I think the closest we got to Dracla X was the Richtor game of SotN.
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I think everyone would agree that the N64 Castlevania was a real big stinky pile of crap.
Fear your thoughts because they become your words
Fear your words because they become your actions
Fear your actions because they become your habits
Fear your habits because they become your character
Fear your character because it becomes your destiny
Therefore: Thinking and nurturing positive thoughts, at any point in your life, can change your destiny.
I've always loved Castlevania 2. It has the best soundtrack in a game, even to this day.
The N64 CV was crap but Legacy of Darkness kinda fixed the bad taste in everyone's mouths from it methinks.
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I personally enjoyed the Nintendo 64 games... they were a lot of fun in their own right, IMO. Not a classic Castlevania and not really part of the series truth be told, but a fun couple of games nevertheless.
Nobody mentioned Bloodlines for the Genesis. How sad! Has anyone played it? The music isn't up to the standards of the CD and SNES versions, but the gameplay is tight, fast, and Konami-difficult. I'd say it's right behind the TurboDuo and PSX games, ahead of the SNES games. I haven't had the pleasure of the GBA yet.
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My favorite Castlevania has always been Simon's Quest. This was such a popular game between my friends, even though it took almost two years for me to finally beat the thing (I always respected the fact that the instructions gave nothing away). Of course, once you solved the blue crystal/kneel-at-the-lake mystery (which really was the lynchpin that kept us stuck), things aren't so tough.
Another thing I love about Simon's Quest (other than the terrific music) was the world that was laid out before you. The dark forests, the haunted graveyards, the villages with their Renaissance Bavarian designs, all those people who would feed you bad advice -- now there was an innovation!
It seems ironic to me that Konami revitalized the Castlevania franchise by returning to its pseudo-RPG elements with Metroid -- eh, Symphony of the Night. Too bad that the recent Castlevanias are likely the only ones anybody knows about anymore. Don't emulators come prepackaged with computers yet? And why the hell not?
BTW, I remember cracking on my old zine years ago that Bloodlines was the Star Trek 5 of the Castlevania series. It seems, if anything, I was too kind on that game.
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am i stupid or is castlevania: chronicles (ps) missing?
My vote goes to Casltevania III. This game took everything from Castlevania I added more levels and characters and variation. Also the music for this game is simply awesome!
Scotty
Castlevania II: Great game. Great music BUT! I think part III would give it a run for the money. You dont think so?Originally Posted by Atariguy
Scotty
I love the classic NES Castlevanias, and Super Castlevania 4 was a awsome game, but no one has mentioned the GBA one's yet -- sweet. Classic gamestyle and play, not the SoN style that I did'nt care for too much (although there are aspects of that in here). Espeicly the newest one, Auria of Sorrow. Can't wait to see how the PS2 game looks. (drool)