Topic: A Letter to All Iga-Vania Fans From a LoS Fanatic

[KyleVoakes]

Kyle, personally, I've been playing Castlevania since my early days as a gamer, being Vampire Killer on MSX my 1st castlevania. I've seen how the series evolved from a side scroller, to a rpg "metroidvania". I have a love for both types of Castlevanias. I've played most of the CVs, save for judgement, haunted castle, that cv arcade(wish they import it to the states). I honestly did give LoS a try. From beginning to end. My personal opinion, I found nothing that made me feel like it's a CV, or a classic CV at that. Sure, there's elements of CV in the game. But it didn't feel like CV to me, not once. The atmosphere, the music (a definite problem for me), that DBZ moment that occured at the end of the game, are just a few things I point out. As a game, it's alright. As a CV, it's terrible in my opinion. The game left me very skeptical on the LoS series.

To this day, I'm still very indecisive in the next two installments to the LoS series. My biggest gripe on MoF, they used that same gimmick on turning another Belmont onto a vampire. I think it's common knowledge by now, since new screenshots more or less confirm it, but Trevor becomes Alucard. I can't seem to explain it why in words, but it bothers me greatly. I really don't know why. I rather it didn't occur, since a Belmont turning into a vampire, let alone Dracula, already happened once. That idea irked me a bit throughout LoS already.

I don't honestly know if I want to try MoF at this point. I'm stuck in a pond with now oar to row the boat on this.

If you didn't think LoS was "Castlevania" enough, in your own perspective, that's okay with me. I guess it's kinda like a magic eye, eh? Some see the sailboat, others see scooters. Some see Castlevania within LoS, others don't. To respond to your grievances on Mirrors of Fate though, I have to disagree on Belmont=Vampire being a gimmick here. If you think about it, having Trevor become Alucard is completely accurate to both source materials due to the plot twist at the end of the first LoS. To stay true to the original characters, Trevor needs to be a descendent of Gabriel, and Alucard needs to be the son of Dracula. Since Gabriel is also Dracula, it's totally logical for Trevor to be Alucard. Could you imagine if they attempted to include both Alucard and Trevor as separate characters? They'd have to either be brothers, or one of them would have to lose their namesake.

To put it simply: Gabriel Belmont = Dracula; therefor Trevor Belmont = Alucard.

It isn't being used as a gimmick, it's the only way for Trevor and Alucard to make sense in the LoS universe; but if you don't want to give it a shot despite that, I won't try to convince you otherwise.

[gortaithe]

If you didn't think LoS was "Castlevania" enough, in your own perspective, that's okay with me. I guess it's kinda like a magic eye, eh? Some see the sailboat, others see scooters. Some see Castlevania within LoS, others don't. To respond to your grievances on Mirrors of Fate though, I have to disagree on Belmont=Vampire being a gimmick here. If you think about it, having Trevor become Alucard is completely accurate to both source materials due to the plot twist at the end of the first LoS. To stay true to the original characters, Trevor needs to be a descendent of Gabriel, and Alucard needs to be the son of Dracula. Since Gabriel is also Dracula, it's totally logical for Trevor to be Alucard. Could you imagine if they attempted to include both Alucard and Trevor as separate characters? They'd have to either be brothers, or one of them would have to lose their namesake.

To put it simply: Gabriel Belmont = Dracula; therefor Trevor Belmont = Alucard.

It isn't being used as a gimmick, it's the only way for Trevor and Alucard to make sense in the LoS universe; but if you don't want to give it a shot despite that, I won't try to convince you otherwise.

agreed kyle!

that is the only way i'd accept a dracul/gabe spawned alucard. i've said it many times in other threads, dracula (non-CLOS) having kids just doesn't sit well with me...
gabriel (who is cursed) has a kid, later becomes dracul, and gabriel's kid (who carries the curse) brings said curse to endpoint... alucard... absolutely believable in my way of thinking.
 
don't get me wrong. alucard cv:dracula's curse/SOTN, is an okay character, but alucard's origin point is so, forgive me, laughable. i still play the games. i enjoy them.

however, if for CLOSMOF they decide to keep to the SOTN origin story for alucard, i'll be sorely disappointed. i'd love to see if they, forgive the term, revamp alucard's origin and perhaps change direction from that tired old dhampir trick.

[DoctaMario]

Definitely an interesting topic. I'm on my first run through LoS right now and I'm only at chapter 3 at the moment so I can only discuss the game based on what I've seen so far.

I was the biggest defender of LoS before it came out, especially when people were saying "It doesn't look/feel/etc like Castlevania." The videos I watched (mainly of the first levels) looked pretty well in line to me. But as I started playing it, I began to see what they were talking about.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the game on its own merits thus far, but it's big flaw is simply this: At no point does the game allow me to forget that what I'm playing is a pastiche of other popular games. The comparisons to God Of War, SotC, and others are fair comparisons but only because the game itself invites them. The controls are exactly like God Of War's (so much so that I even find myself instinctively doing that Square, Square, Triangle Plume Of Promethius BnB combo, or trying to anyway), the whip looks just like the Blades Of Chaos, the quicktime events, the climbing, etc. ALL screams "God of War." It does TOO GOOD a job at emulating games that were obviously used as templates.

And maybe we should have expected this, seeing as how Castlevania has relied on other games to set the tone since, well, probably near the beginning. Castlevania and Simon's Quest are the only games in the series that aren't based on some other game, and who knows, maybe they were too. Castlevania 64 might be another one, although it may have been patterned after LoZ. I don't know. But it's pretty clear that most of the more recent CV games have been based on something else, so why should LoS be any different? I guess for my purposes, I don't mind that they base parts of the game on other games, but at least try to do a better job of covering up the source material. For all their flaws, the Castleroids did this pretty well. I mean, you could always tell they were kind of based on Metroid, but they never put a character shooting a cannon and using a Maru Mari style move or anything like that.

 As a fan of the classic CV games (Simon's QUest is the reason I started playing games altogether), I feel like they were generally better designed than anything we've gotten since although AoS is a contender for sure. I've learned to like the Castleroid games over the years and Symphony ranks up there as one of my favorites, but I don't know that I would call LoS a "return to the series' roots" or anything of the sort. It's a good game to be sure, but if anything it severed the series' roots.

But with all that said, Castlevania needed an update. It's been a middling series at best for the past 10-15 years, one that people pay lip service to when they want to show their "game cred." And while any update would have likely been a drastic one, I'm not sure they went in the right direction with LoS quite yet. I've still got quite a bit of the game to play through, and I'm liking what I've played so far (minus the Titan battles), so time will tell.

[crisis]

The game doesn't get the "CV-feel" until after chapter 4, as Gabriel approaches the land of the vampires. But even then, the similarities are somewhat superficial; there's a castle, there's vampire-like creatures, and there's bats flying over your head (which you can't kill). Those moments when you're traversing an area and there's no music to set the mood are way too common, and there's too much wall shimmying where there should be whip swinging, and even during these moments you'd expect a monster to attack you, but nah.

Soo Docta, you'll see the CV stuff eventually, but as I say, I have it all figured out, exactly how Julius manages to finish Dracula off forever, so please wait a little bit longer. (laughs)

[Havatchu]

I will admit the most "Castlevania" it felt was entering the the castle via that long ass Helsing-esque snow/ice covered bridge.

Perhaps if they made a 2.5 game at that angle it would appease older fans more?

I think it would be tight, personally, keep the battle system, take out MASHMASHMASH enemy finishing moves and kick up the platforming about 5 notches.

I'm only defending platforming right now because it makes sense in terms of going only forward and backwards for adding an extra dimension of gameplay, whereas over the head perspective doesn't really flourish as much from it.

[X]

And don't forget the whipable wall meat and candles.

[PFG9000]

Since my PS3 has taken a crap, I picked up Lords of Shadow for Xbox360.  I've been working my way through it, and I just finished Carmilla last night.  I forgot how great this game is.  It's still not Castlevania, and the random name drops still piss me off, but the game is really good.  I love the beautiful vistas, and the mood is pretty solid throughout.  I kinda wish they would've lopped off the werewolf levels and the necromancer levels, because the vampire parts are both good and Castlevania-ish at the same time.

This is how I felt after my first playthrough, but I guess I forgot how polished the game is.

[Munchy]

I really hope that for the sequel they allow us to install one of the discs completely and just use the other one for playing it. Switching between the two was fucking awful, though it's my fault for wanting the 360 version I guess.

They probably can't because Microsoft would be all like UHHHH PIRACY PROTECT THE CONSUMERS FROM THEMSELVES URRRRR. Disc switching works fine for something like FFXIII where you're pretty much done with the first part and can't go back, but for an action game where you'll want to go back to earlier areas for items (and just the joy of replaying), it's fucking dreadful.

[uzo]

Oblivion for 360 had an install. I don't see why this cant. Most games do anyway.

[GenyaDarknessFalls]

I just love how if you do not like LOS than you are most likely a "IGAvania" fan lol.

And also how if you like IGAvanias than you are automatically somehow kicked out of the "Retro Fan" club even if you happen to be a big fan of the classicvanias as well.

I adore that these words were stripped right from my mouth!
Honestly, I get it ok? There seems to be two sides of the fan coin or whatever. But to write that large ranting post, then claim to 'rage quit' seems silly to me. (not that I truly care ^^) If you are THIS passionate about the series then quitting would not be an option. Heck, even I have my rants and boo hoos some times about certain things, but guess what...I get over them or find alternatives then ranting and rage whatever-ing. Lets face it, the series has had a few up and downs. That is going to happen! You cannot nail a fan to the cross because of what they follow. The only thing we can do it sit here and hope and pray and whatever else (Rub a lucky bat?) that things can carry on and we all get what we want so that we can live happily ever after in a castle made of sunshine, lollipops and rainbows! 
Until then, stop with the rage quitting. 

[beingthehero]

What is an Igavania?

[X]

What is an Igavania?

Castlevania games and stories written and produced by IGA.

[beingthehero]

That's a needless distinction.

But I do say i am a fan of Kitauevania.

[beingthehero]

Though I do say that Tomikazuvania is extremely underrated.

[Sumac]

That's a needless distinction.

IGA was a producer of the series for almost a decade. So, far he is the only one who was in charge of this series for such long time. Like it or not, but in the end the series was shaped by him in many ways and it's him that people will remember as the mastermind behind "metroidvania" rise for glory and fall from grace. So, I think it's correct to call SOTN-OOE period of the series history as "IGA's Era" and the games that were produced by him as "IGAvanias". It's not a negative term in any case.