MoF. I was so excited for it, even bought a 3DS XL just for it... then... aaaarghhh.... 100% in 2 nights. /booI know that feeling. I didn't buy a 3DS precisely for MoF, but because I had hopes that we'd receive a follow up to the GBA and 3DS games.
Dawn of Sorrow.
I might still play it now and then, but i've grown to rather dislike many aspects of it that at first, didn't bother me. particularly, the music grates on my nerves. I dont like the way Castlevania sounded on the DS.
Dawn of Sorrow.I personally loved NDS soundfonts on Castlevania.
I might still play it now and then, but i've grown to rather dislike many aspects of it that at first, didn't bother me. particularly, the music grates on my nerves. I dont like the way Castlevania sounded on the DS.
Hm, maybe dislike is too strong a word, but I guess Mirror of Fate. It looks great and... it looks great, but when you discover how the combat works, it becomes basically the easiest game in the series. If you are press X X X X X, L+backwards, X X X X X, you will most definitely not be sucked. And once you've found everything, there isn't really much incentive at all to go back to it. Definitely the weakest of all the handheld titles.
I personally loved NDS soundfonts on Castlevania.
But the music itself? I'm surprised.
Even these tracks?(click to show/hide)
They are all excellent in my opinion, and really different from one another; and you have also (if you care about remixes, I really don't, though I think it's a nice touch sometimes) remixes of Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears, Beginning, Dance of Illusions and Underground Melodies.
I think Dawn of Sorrow, while not so great as a game (it's the weakest MetroidVania in my personal tastes) have a hell of an excellent soundtrack.
Dawn of Sorrow melodies did it right, they sound sorrowful and are beautiful.
Dawn of Sorrow's soundtrack always makes me think of a dance party.Well, admittedly I've never heard this one before. But Castlevania has made quite a name for itself with its characteristically "upbeat" music. And why Dawn of Sorrow, in particular?
I started off liking OoE for its increased difficulty and traditional level design, but the more I played it, the more the difficulty felt artificial (i.e. not due to the design, but simply because enemies did a boatload of damage) and the more the level design felt bland and repetitive. It was like everything I didn't like about PoR's portrait level design.Hmm. Didn't come off as quite so bland or repetitive to me... If you could elaborate?
...and I like Juste Belmont.Well, who doesn't?
(about DoS's soundtrack)... I'll agree the music is good, and it did fit the game, but I guess that's the problem.That becomes a matter of personal taste. Maybe it fits the game. I like its anime design, but I'll always prefer PoR.
I loved MoF for the whole playthrough. I really did like the game, but once I was done, I quickly grew disappointed at how little was actually in the game, and how easy the journey had been. Double the game's size, and at the very least get rid of all those checkpoints, and I'd like the game a lot, lot more.I have to recognize that MoF felt felt to me like a step in the right direction for MS when comparing to LoS, but as time passes by, I realize about more mistakes about the game. But that also happened with LoS for me. I have to let some time pass, let the passion cool off and think it better to come to a final conclusion.
DoS as it exists should never have been made.Oh, I certainly wouldn't go that far...
CoD started out ok, but the quick realization of the lack of platforming and no real relation to the other games other than the cameos of Trevor kind of ruins the experience. Again, like with DoS, this game doesn't impact the overall CV storyline what so ever and thus doesn't matter. It's a shame. This game had a lot of potential that was wasted.Alas, you're perfectly right here. This game has wasted so much of its potential -- yet it has such extraordinary charisma that I still love it for what it is.
Well, who doesn't?
Oh, right... No one likes him.
At least there are some few people in the Dungeon supporting good Juste, including me and my dreams :)
Well, admittedly I've never heard this one before. But Castlevania has made quite a name for itself with its characteristically "upbeat" music. And why Dawn of Sorrow, in particular?
Hmm. Didn't come off as quite so bland or repetitive to me... If you could elaborate?
As for the "boatloads of damage", it's a decent way, among others, to scale up the difficulty; it forces you to be more mindful of your position, to minimize taking hits. And in Castlevania it's almost always been that way -- frustratingly so!
How do I delete posts?
The only stages I can consistently enjoy and claim as my favorite Castlevania stages these days are 4, 6, 7, 9, and the Dracula battleFive favourite stages from the same game, to me it sounds like a game you love.
The one time I was able to play the whole game beginning to end and enjoy every minute was on the game's 20th anniversary - and only because I was playing it for that very reason.I don't quite follow you on this one...
Unfortunately, now that I've played DX Chronicles, going back to Rondo is like trying to play Ocarina of Time after a long session of Twilight Princess - it's just ugly and potentially nausea-inducing.To each his own, but Rondo features some of the most beautiful sprites and backgrounds I've seen in a 2D game.
Aria of Sorrow. It had its moment in the sun and I got about 75% through the game (and then lost interest or got distracted) when it was new, but then I played Dawn of Sorrow; now playing Aria is the same "Ocarina after Twilight Princess" effect and I just can't look at it.I understand your comparison because I LOVE Twilight Princess. I LOVE IT! I still like and respect Ocarina a lot, however.
Five favourite stages from the same game, to me it sounds like a game you love.Castlevania 4 still holds a special place in my heart and it's not as if I've grown to hate the game or anything; I just can't go through the whole thing in one sitting without skipping things because I've grown tired of them. Let's just say it's a game I loved at first but have grown to love less.
I don't quite follow you on this one...What I meant there was I enjoyed every minute of the game when I played it on its 20th anniversary, but the reason I enjoyed even the more "tired" parts is because it was the 20th anniversary and I was filled with nostalgia. It felt like playing it in 1993 again.
To each his own, but Rondo features some of the most beautiful sprites and backgrounds I've seen in a 2D game.I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the game. Heck, it looked gorgeous after years of playing the SNES game; it just loses some of that beauty after playing DX Chronicles or SotN for hours and then going back to it. I still have some of my fondest Castlevania memories with Rondo, though. Again, just take this all as games I've grown to love less, not hate.
But I believe Aria is better than Dawn in every aspect. That's my personal PoV, though.Yes, and I've seen you express that a few times and I respect your opinion. I do agree with you that the character portraits are better in Aria, the music would probably be better in Aria if both games used the same sound hardware, Aria's plot is less corny, etc. but the feeling I got while playing (not during the cutscenes...eww) was a lot better in Dawn. There were quite a few "THIS is Castlevania" moments in Dawn (like in the Alchemy Laboratory) that I just didn't experience with Aria - especially when I started Julius Mode with "Beginning" blaring in the background. THAT was Castlevania. In my eyes, minus the cutscenes and plot, the actual experience of Dawn rivals SotN as far as "Castlevania feel" - but I know I'm in the very small minority here and everyone has a different point of view, and I respect that and am not meaning to start an argument with anyone. :)
Again, just take this all as games I've grown to love less, not hate.
Yes, and I've seen you express that a few times and I respect your opinion. I do agree with you that the character portraits are better in Aria, the music would probably be better in Aria if both games used the same sound hardware, Aria's plot is less corny, etc. but the feeling I got while playing (not during the cutscenes...eww) was a lot better in Dawn. There were quite a few "THIS is Castlevania" moments in Dawn (like in the Alchemy Laboratory) that I just didn't experience with Aria - especially when I started Julius Mode with "Beginning" blaring in the background. THAT was Castlevania. In my eyes, minus the cutscenes and plot, the actual experience of Dawn rivals SotN as far as "Castlevania feel" - but I know I'm in the very small minority here and everyone has a different point of view, and I respect that and am not meaning to start an argument with anyone. :)Oh no, I'm not trying to argue, I just like to talk :)
Symphony of the Night, yes a lot of people love this game, I did too at one time, till I felt like I played the shit out of it to the point of overplaying. Once I collected everything in the game, that was it for me, didn't collect everything at once, just used the save file and chased items down for ages. When it got re-released on PSP with Drac X Chronicles (and Rondo) I speed ran my way through the game as Alucard, did it again with Richter, then took my time a bit with Maria to see what she could do. Once I beat the game with her, that was the end of the line for that game on PS1 and PSP for me. Don't see myself going back to either one now (and no, I don't sell any game in my collection :P).I've played it like 5 times in PSX, 2 of them collecting everything, then played it for Saturn once and for PSP another, always with all available characters.
Similar areas, similar games, but the Dawn of Sorrow equivalent ditches a lot of the regalia for some jammin' beats.Ah, I see what you mean. But even Symphony had its own jammin' beats (think Tragic Prince, for one). And Dawn had many of its own solemn melodies (Condemned Tower, After Confession). And most of its other, more lively tracks are in fact quite enjoyable, if you can look past the prominent beat. But I'll admit DoS had its particular musical style -- one that also isn't a favorite of mine. Yet they're different games, with different musical influences, even if they're both from the same composer. But of all Castlevania games to compare it with, Symphony certainly had one hell of a sountrack!
But in older Castlevania's enemies served an instrumental purpose in the level design, moved with purpose, and you could kill them just as quickly as they could throw you into a pit. And from my experience, a lot of the time getting thrown into a pit tended to be more of a threat than the damage from actually getting hit.You're perfectly right here -- but you've missed an important point. In earlier games, often because of technological limitations, you were assorted with a comparatively shallow moveset, with little possibilities for attack and movement. This meant each of these possibilities came under careful scrutiny, something which allowed the game's creators to create a consequent level design, to optimize enemy patterns, and plan their positions, all taking into account the actual options you had to defeat them.
Metroidvania's have never really had that, it's always been "here's a room, here's a bunch of enemies, have at it". Thus, you get those "floating ball" enemies that just kind of swirled around you in circles in a "come at me bro" mentality, or suits of armor that just kind of run at you. I usually have no issue with high damage in games, but in OoE it just felt like a cheap way of increasing the difficulty, rather than designing a difficult game.
Super Castlevania 4. That's right, I said it.I agree with Pfil; it sounds like you actually love SCIV, but have played it so often that its charm has begun to wear off on you. Don't play it for a while, then come back to it -- it'll feel so much more enjoyable.
Even when I first played it, as much as I loved the music ("love" isn't even a strong enough word), I was just on the heels of Castlevania 3 and 4's level designs just screamed "get the CV3 designers". I soon grew used to the levels and started to love the game for what it was - but maybe a little too much. I played it from the beginning so many times that now, I all but refuse to play it from the beginning because even when I get nostalgic, as soon as I go through that first door in the fence, a feeling of "ugh not this again" washes over me and 9 times out of 10, I stop playing before the first stage is through. If I make it through that, the feeling persists until stage 4 - at which point, the wall skulls that watch you and other awesome level design quirks win me over. The only stages I can consistently enjoy and claim as my favorite Castlevania stages these days are 4, 6, 7, 9, and the Dracula battle (although 7 just makes me want to play SotN's Long Library). The one time I was able to play the whole game beginning to end and enjoy every minute was on the game's 20th anniversary - and only because I was playing it for that very reason. I still have a lot of respect for the game and what it did for the series, listen to the soundtrack regularly, and get giddy with any new CV with whip-swinging or whip-dangling (I'm looking at you, Portrait of Ruin), but it just lacks in replay value.
Circle of the Moon - or "CircleVania", if you will. I bought it with my Gameboy Advance (the first one) and it was the first Castlevania I'd played since 64, so I was pretty excited about it and it felt fun. Over time, I'd get to a certain point in the game that I couldn't get past (usually not very far), stop playing for a few months or years, delete my file and start over, get to another impassible point, stop, start over in another few years, etc. Now whenever I start it up, it's the same "ugh I've done this 1000 times" feeling as above, combined with either "Why am I playing this? I'll only get so far" or the inevitable hard part actually happening and stopping me yet again.It's almost the same problem with Circle of the Moon: it's not that you don't appreciate the game in itself, it's that you've tried to play it so many times that it has begun to irritate you. Have you, by any chance, been trying to defeat Carmilla before fighting Death and the twin dragons? That happens to be extraordinarily difficult. So remember to take the right path. And stop deleting your file. That is absolutely idiotic. So my best advice? Come back to it after a long break, and, well, as terrible as it sounds... try again. The game's hard, but beatable -- I've beaten dozens of times. Read strategies. Increase your level. Be victorious. I'm confident you'll learn to love Circle of the Moon again. I certainly did.
Aria of Sorrow. It had its moment in the sun and I got about 75% through the game (and then lost interest or got distracted) when it was new, but then I played Dawn of Sorrow; now playing Aria is the same "Ocarina after Twilight Princess" effect and I just can't look at it.Why would you be losing interest in a game like Aria of Sorrow? It had pulled out all the stops -- its visuals were stunning (even on GBA); its gameplay was fast-paced, varied, addictive; its ability system is one of Castlevania's best; even its plot was interesting... what is there not to like about it?
There were quite a few "THIS is Castlevania" moments in Dawn (like in the Alchemy Laboratory) that I just didn't experience with Aria - especially when I started Julius Mode with "Beginning" blaring in the background. THAT was Castlevania.I never liked what DoS did with Julius. He became slow, heavy; he lost his signature ability; and he felt... old. And of course, he is, but in AoS he was quick, powerful, effective... it felt good to use him. DoS also took away his extraordinary theme -- it was replaced with Beginning, which didn't fit anywhere near as well.
I agree with Pfil; it sounds like you actually love SCIV, but have played it so often that its charm has begun to wear off on you. Don't play it for a while, then come back to it -- it'll feel so much more enjoyable.That is EXACTLY it. I played the hell out of a game I love, and as a result, I can't play most of it without feeling the fatigue that comes with playing it for the 3179th time. I guess what I was trying to get across isn't that I don't like the game, just that it makes me feel that fatigue rather than nostalgia when I play it. You're probably right about just not playing it for a long, long time and coming back to it to bring it back to its glory.
Try again. The game's hard, but beatable -- I've beaten dozens of times. Read strategies. Increase your level. Be victorious. I'm confident you'll learn to love Circle of the Moon again. I certainly did.Again, you're probably right. I don't get nearly as far as what you're talking about - I think the farthest I've gotten is the Audience Room the first time, though I do remember fighting that giant ram's head in the wall in the background. Yes, I'm terrible.
Why would you be losing interest in a game like Aria of Sorrow? It had pulled out all the stops -- its visuals were stunning (even on GBA); its gameplay was fast-paced, varied, addictive; its ability system is one of Castlevania's best; even its plot was interesting... what is there not to like about it?I think I just had my expectations set too high the first time I played it. I really wanted to like it, but the graphics were too cartoonish, I couldn't wrap my head around the soul system and it just confused me (at least initially), and I overall expected it to be a lot more like the old games than it was. I eventually gave it a chance and got pretty far, but I just kept wishing I was playing SotN instead. I'm not really sure what exactly it was, but the game just didn't "click" with me.
I never liked what DoS did with Julius. He became slow, heavy; he lost his signature ability; and he felt... old. And of course, he is, but in AoS he was quick, powerful, effective... it felt good to use him. DoS also took away his extraordinary theme -- it was replaced with Beginning, which didn't fit anywhere near as well.I didn't like Julius a lot in DoS either, for the reasons you list. As far as the Heart of Fire question: I can't really speak to that because I never beat AoS and thus, never played Julius Mode in it.
And are you telling me that playing as Julius in AoS with Heart of Fire as his theme doesn't feel like Castlevania?
Ah, I see what you mean. But even Symphony had its own jammin' beats (think Tragic Prince, for one). And Dawn had many of its own solemn melodies (Condemned Tower, After Confession). And most of its other, more lively tracks are in fact quite enjoyable, if you can look past the prominent beat. But I'll admit DoS had its particular musical style -- one that also isn't a favorite of mine. Yet they're different games, with different musical influences, even if they're both from the same composer. But of all Castlevania games to compare it with, Symphony certainly had one hell of a sountrack!
Yet I still don't understand why you're singling out DoS. Almost every modern game in the series had its own share of upbeat music. How about Invitation of a Crazed Moon in PoR? An Empty Tome in OoE? And to take it to the extreme, how about Anti-Soul Mysteries from LoI?
You're perfectly right here -- but you've missed an important point. In earlier games, often because of technological limitations, you were assorted with a comparatively shallow moveset, with little possibilities for attack and movement. This meant each of these possibilities came under careful scrutiny, something which allowed the game's creators to create a consequent level design, to optimize enemy patterns, and plan their positions, all taking into account the actual options you had to defeat them.
But in more modern Castlevania's, where you're given considerably more freedom in your movements, and where you're granted a far richer set of abilities, this isn't possible anymore: the methods you can use when defeating an enemy, the ways you can jump, kick, dash, attack with myriads of different weapons -- there are far too many of them to be planned. Enemies could no longer be given fixed, set patterns to follow. Instead, they were given freer modes of attack; they became more agile, more numerous, more varied. Hence the "come-at-me" patterns you'd noticed. There wasn't exactly any other option.