Topic: Will the old timeline be used again ?

[Intersection]

Well, this thread has gotten inflamed rather quickly. At this point, I don't believe we should be worrying about low budgets or reused sprites. As for IGA, you can't blame the poor man for capitalizing on a successful idea.

In any case, here's the crux of the problem:
Konami will need to situate its future Castlevania games. These games will need to be set in a cohesive universe, and bear a decent plot (and I don't care if "plot" doesn't figure in the Merriam-Webster's definition of a game).
So, we must ask: how will we be setting these future titles? Where will we situate them?
Five answers, so far, have come to mind:
- Extend the LoS storyline
- Return to the original timeline
- Change the focus of the series to allow parallel events (e.g. choose a different vampire)
- Add an additional timeline
- Use a chronology-free setting to continue the series

As we have seen, all five possibilities have presented difficulties.
- The original timeline is running out of space (and this isn't in 59 years; it will happen very soon).
- The LoS storyline isn't well adapted to host future games.
- Changing the series' focus would be at the detriment of some of Castlevania's core appeal.
- A chronology-free continuity would make the series feel less cohesive.
- An additional timeline would hopelessly confuse it.

Here to further complicate the matter is the fact that Cox will be leaving after LoS2. We're divided as to the value of his legacy, but we need need to ask ourselves who will replace him. Will Konami turn to Western or Japanese markets? Can we hope for IGA's return, or is the advent of a new developer inevitable?

So here's what we need to know: Are there any other viable options for Castlevania's future? Can Castlevania, in the long run, remain as it is? How can it avoid becoming nothing more than an "empty shell"?

[beingthehero]

And this only confirms my stand on Juste being nothing more then an Alucard clone rather then a fully unique Belmont. I mean white hair deathly pale complexion and the glowing blue red aura surrounding him. That's all Alucard right there. At least they didn't give him a sword otherwise it would be more of a blatantly lazy effort on their part.

and had a protagonist design that was blatantly trying to imitate Alucard.

?

Also:

Juste was originally designed with brown hair, so he certainly wasn't made with Alucard in mind from the outset.

Simon in Chronicles -

White hair pale protagonists are simply common in Japanese fiction. Any one of us could link a zillion white-haired bishies. Plus Alucard is blonde:

HoD had SotN ememies in there, they were just scaled down and that is clearly evident when playing the game. Take the spear knights for example. They are exactly the same but have been scaled down. Look at the pixelation and you can clearly see it. They weren't even smoothed out either. Just left as is and they were not even touched upon to smoothen them out for the final product.

Wroooooooong. Compare:

http://www.spriters-resource.com/gameboy_advance/cvhod/sheet/8547/

with

http://www.spriters-resource.com/fullview/5442/

Also most telling: HoD's spear guards can't move their spears down. Nor do they have the march animation. Plus completely different spinning and attack animations, and the fact that in HoD, once a spear guard slashes downwards he immediately spins his spear. The ones in Dracula X/SotN do not, and immediately spin their spears the moment you attack instead of as a finishing attack. All enemies in HoD were made to look like Rondo's, but they are new and not simply resized.

Also again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=auKH9sKOMVs#t=225

Right at 3:40 - Harmony of Dissonance's team was confirmed by IGA himself to be the SotN team with some elements of the Dracula X team. You're accusing SotN's team of ripping themselves off. : /

Nobody ever gives Trevor Belmont any gruff for looking exactly like Simon Belmont...

So many images, unf

[Maedhros]

The only thing we know for sure is that LoS will be ending. And that's good, they started and finished a storyline.

If someone wanted to do the 1999 game, that's great. If they did something entirely new, another timeline, that's great too. At this point, I just want the series to continue in any form. I'll judge the game after it comes out (infos or trailers or whatever).

[Ahasverus]

I hope not. I want it to be used as the base for the next one, be "remade" if that's fitting, but never go /back/ with it.

[Flame]

The only thing we know for sure is that LoS will be ending. And that's good, they started and finished a storyline.

If someone wanted to do the 1999 game, that's great. If they did something entirely new, another timeline, that's great too. At this point, I just want the series to continue in any form. I'll judge the game after it comes out (infos or trailers or whatever).

I can agree with that sentiment.

I just want more Castlevania in general. I'm personally, open to new ideas and whatnot. I'll judge the gameplay first, everything else second.

[Beaumont_Belmont]

White hair pale protagonists are simply common in Japanese fiction. Any one of us could link a zillion white-haired bishies. Plus Alucard is blonde:

Sure, but there weren't any in Castlevania prior to Symphony of the Night. Since Symphony was successful there was a point where it was IGA just said "Kojima, draw ALL the white haired bishies! MAKE IT SO!". Saying "oh, but Alucard's actually blonde" is a pretty weak argument. It's an extremely light blonde.

I guess when vampires go to sleep for 200 years they wake up blonder and prettier.

[Maedhros]

Sure, but there weren't any in Castlevania prior to Symphony of the Night. Since Symphony was successful there was a point where it was IGA just said "Kojima, draw ALL the white haired bishies! MAKE IT SO!". Saying "oh, but Alucard's actually blonde" is a pretty weak argument. It's an extremely light blonde.

I guess when vampires go to sleep for 200 years they wake up blonder and prettier.

I'm sure that's not the case. Looks at Gabriel. Alucard would look similar to that when he wakes up. After some time, he can gain a good look again.

[Beaumont_Belmont]

It's kind of comparing apples to oranges to guess at the effects of vampirism and sleep on what are effectively two separate game series.

[beingthehero]

Sure, but there weren't any in Castlevania prior to Symphony of the Night. Since Symphony was successful there was a point where it was IGA just said "Kojima, draw ALL the white haired bishies! MAKE IT SO!". Saying "oh, but Alucard's actually blonde" is a pretty weak argument. It's an extremely light blonde.

So you say he's blonde but I'm wrong because he's not blonde enough

oh ok

[beingthehero]

Not quite the same color.

[Maedhros]

Maybe he is color blind man. =/

[beingthehero]

I mean here they are, side-by-side. Big Al's gold-blonde is nowhere near Juste's silver-white hair, and it's definitely not light enough to be confused with each other.

I'm putting off making some bitchin' paneer over rice to teach colors, so I hope you're all happy. ;_;

[Beaumont_Belmont]

So what you're saying is that, you don't see ANY pattern in the protagonists of Castlevania games when designed by Ayame Kojima.

[beingthehero]

Where did I say I didn't see any sort of pattern? You went from saying that Alucard's hair is too light to be seen as blonde to patterns.

[Beaumont_Belmont]

When did I say it was "too light"? I was just pointing out that during Iga/Kojima's tenure there weren't really any main protagonists with dark (or at the very least naturally colored, poor Simon) hair.