Topic: Does the series need another IGA?

[kadosho]

After the journey we experienced with IGA, a fresh director/writer working with the series is a great start. But another IGA? I dunno, those were different times, but seeing how LoS may be turning even more heads, anything is possible.

Hmm I had no idea Amy left Eidos. Wow I would love to see her take on CV lore 

[zangetsu468]

I'm all for a few innovations in the weaponry department, but I don't want that trademark whip gameplay taken away. It's what made Castlevania unique in the first place.
And, after all, every CV game in the series' history has had a whip-wielding hero lying about. Let's not break with that tradition.

POR proved you can have both the whip wielding protagonist and variety with weapons/attacks. There's plenty of room to accommodate gamers with different tastes, using another weapon isn't a dealbreaker to the story imo. Why not a whipsword that retracts and can be used as both or for long range/ short range combat etc

I loved the versatility you were afforded as Jonathan, in PoR; when you come down to it, he's one of the most well-equipped CV heroes out there. His weapon/subweapon arsenal was considerable, even by CV standards, and it came along with a substantial skill mastery system. If you count Charlotte's spellcasting abilities, you've easily got one of Castlevania's most diverse combat systems. Best of all, Jonathan could still wield his trusty whip, as if he'd done so all his life -- PoR introduced some nifty whip variants, the likes of which I haven't seen since (Nebula, anyone?). And you almost wouldn't be bothered with any weapon once you'd unlocked the VK.

That's true, and unlocking the VK was satisfying upon defeating the VK's memory. That + Death/Dracula were two of the best Boss battles in CV ever.

Though I'm a bit less enthused by the dual-character layout. Sure, it adds that little bit of novelty, and it's definitely a great concept -- but the way it was executed, I felt as if I were playing only half a character at a time. I would have loved it if all of PoR's abilities could have been concentrated into a single hero.

Did you play the game on the absolute hardest level? I can guarantee there are areas you need to switch between both and you'll only be using one at a time. Granted Jonathan is more useful, but Charlotte is necessary for a few parts (Sanctuary for one) and transforming into animals. (to obtain Sanctuary)

Well, we can write to Konami (but they won't answer). We can start up a petition (but they won't care). So here are the better alternatives:
We could bombard their servers with requests, hack into their systems, and implement subtle modifications into their website's structure so that Konami employees will be tricked into thinking that 1999 game is underway.
OR!
We could hire a special strike team to land into Konami's Japan HQ and hold its executives hostage until 1999 is made. Fight the power!
... Well, maybe not.
So why don't we, uh... pray? Well, who knows if it will be effective? We can always try...

Ooooh! Actually, I've got it now. Here's an even better one: we should... wait! Yes, that sounds just like it. We shall sit around, twiddle our thumbs, do absolutely nothing, and just hope that IGA (or someone who cares enough about the original timeline to do anything about it) puts the 1999 plan in motion again. Somehow.
Haha! That's right. That'll do it. I'm a genius. 

Yeah the hype for 1999 is dead right now. I would still welcome that game, but it needed to be a part of the Sorrow series, it's been too long.

[X]

Yeah the hype for 1999 is dead right now. I would still welcome that game, but it needed to be a part of the Sorrow series, it's been too long.

I honestly don't think that the 1999 game could really be apart of the Sorrow series since Soma isn't in the Demon Castle War. He was still his original incarnate; Dracula. While it has some of the 'Sorrow' characters such as Julius and Alucard, the Sorrow games are known for featuring Soma as the protagonist. I would consider Soma to be the main point of the sorrow games themselves. If he's not in there, it's not a Sorrow game.

[Intersection]

POR proved you can have both the whip wielding protagonist and variety with weapons/attacks. There's plenty of room to accommodate gamers with different tastes, using another weapon isn't a dealbreaker to the story imo. Why not a whipsword that retracts and can be used as both or for long range/ short range combat etc

Aria of Sorrow had a whip sword that I'd always loved to use -- it was a bit slow, but it boasted an impressive attack range and was Soma's most whip-like weapon in AoS. A pity I was forced to shed it when better weapons became available; it was incredibly fun to use.
DoS did offer a line of chain whips, but they weren't as interesting as AoS's; they were your simple, short-ranged, average-powered weapons, and their animations looked like extendable tree branches. Understandably, it wasn't quite as captivating.
Now, Order of Ecclesia is one game which suffers from a serious whip deficiency. Shanoa's arsenal was otherwise pretty substantial, but neither she nor Albus were allowed to wield a whip! Blasphemy! Still, it felt as if some core CV mechanic had gone amiss.

That's true, and unlocking the VK was satisfying upon defeating the VK's memory. That + Death/Dracula were two of the best Boss battles in CV ever.

I've known better ones, but I'll admit the double D combo was pretty sleek. 
That fake Richter battle was annoying as hell, though.

Did you play the game on the absolute hardest level? I can guarantee there are areas you need to switch between both and you'll only be using one at a time. Granted Jonathan is more useful, but Charlotte is necessary for a few parts (Sanctuary for one) and transforming into animals. (to obtain Sanctuary)

Using Sanctuary to purify Eric's daughters almost requires you to main as Johnny to ward the sisters off while Charlotte's spell charges. And you can still transform into a toad/owl as Jonathan (R button). In the end, these features feel more gimmicky than not -- after all, why couldn't Jonathan learn the purification and morph spells himself? Charlotte is meant to mix up the gameplay a bit, and while she sometimes succeeds in doing so (you'll sometimes need to fight alongside her, especially with the lv1 cap), her integration into the formula ends up feeling a tad too artificial at times.

I honestly don't think that the 1999 game could really be apart of the Sorrow series since Soma isn't in the Demon Castle War. He was still his original incarnate; Dracula. While it has some of the 'Sorrow' characters such as Julius and Alucard, the Sorrow games are known for featuring Soma as the protagonist. I would consider Soma to be the main point of the sorrow games themselves. If he's not in there, it's not a Sorrow game.

Agreed. Sorrow is Soma. 1999 is something else.

(insert cool design)
Castlevania DCW -- Demon Castle Wars
OR
Castlevania 1999 -- The Final Confrontation
OR
Castlevania -- Dawn of the Dark Eclipse
OR
Castlevania -- The End of All Things (with deep philosophical implications)
OR
Castlevania WARZZZ -- F2P MMO!!!!!!!!! (Oh please no)

[theANdROId]

I'm kinda glad for anyone that adds another installment to the series.  Even if they sometimes turn out a little weird, I don't feel like any have been too off the wall.  Someone with a passion for it who'd be true to Castlevania form would be great, but I'd take a weirdo here and there over nobody at all.

[crisis]

Pandemic Entertainment, Killer Experience (Peke)

[zangetsu468]

Aria of Sorrow had a whip sword that I'd always loved to use -- it was a bit slow, but it boasted an impressive attack range and was Soma's most whip-like weapon in AoS. A pity I was forced to shed it when better weapons became available; it was incredibly fun to use.

Yeah that weapon was awesome, I'm glad it was thrown in to harken back to Classicvania

Now, Order of Ecclesia is one game which suffers from a serious whip deficiency. Shanoa's arsenal was otherwise pretty substantial, but neither she nor Albus were allowed to wield a whip! Blasphemy! Still, it felt as if some core CV mechanic had gone amiss.

I disagree with feeling the core mechanic was missing. I played both games recently and as much as I like the whip in POR, the gameplay didn't feel as finished to me, it was a bit more rigid with character movement, dashing and so forth. Shanoa's attacks were so varied that the whip range was covered, but I understand the point of the gamer missing the act of whipping as it really is like no other. 
There was never going to be a whip because neither the Belmonts (nor their family extensions; Morris' etc) were protagonists. Until the player completed the game Albus was also the pseudo-antagonist. However, they could have given Albus a straight flame attacked which threw back to the flame whip of Castlevania II, that would have been cool.

I've known better ones, but I'll admit the double D combo was pretty sleek. 
That fake Richter battle was annoying as hell, though.

Aside from Dracula X for the SNES final boss, I'd say Double D's was top 5 easily
Other bosses I'd probably rate are Julius in AOS, Death in DOS, Dracula in COTM, The Creature in AOS, SOTN/Nocturne Galamoth was fun, I have to say I didn't mind Dracula in COD either.

Really? I thought beating the whip's memory on the hardest level was so satisfying. I had to max out my Axe, after that it felt rewarding to use

Using Sanctuary to purify Eric's daughters almost requires you to main as Johnny to ward the sisters off while Charlotte's spell charges. And you can still transform into a toad/owl as Jonathan (R button). In the end, these features feel more gimmicky than not -- after all, why couldn't Jonathan learn the purification and morph spells himself? Charlotte is meant to mix up the gameplay a bit, and while she sometimes succeeds in doing so (you'll sometimes need to fight alongside her, especially with the lv1 cap), her integration into the formula ends up feeling a tad too artificial at times..

Not so much, the easiest way for myself to beat the sisters is play as Charlotte, stay to the right of the screen, make Jonathan stand about 3 character spaces to the left of you, start charging Sanctuary, call him back when the sisters approach, release Sanctuary. This takes about 10 seconds in total, I'm sure there are other ways to do it but this I found as the easiest; no need to use Jonathan there at all. 

I don't think there are times you pretty much ever need them both on the screen in Lv 1 Hard unless
A) it's for platforming elements which are few, or
B) team special attacks like 1000 blades or the very first team attack which you can use to dodge Dullahan's heads (which kill you in one or two hits)

Only issue I had with the having more than one character gameplay is that DOS Julius mode did it better than POR. The dynamics were different (only one person on the screen at a time) but it felt like their abilities were much more useful and varied.

Agreed. Sorrow is Soma. 1999 is something else.

My bad, I didn't think of that - Soma should be in the Sorrow series. I always felt there could have been one set after DOS, problem being where do they push the story after you've just played through a replica of Castlevania?

I had also hoped 1999 would be a 2d game, but if they actually had made it I have a feeling it would have been a console game. I'm sure Saint Germain also alludes to this battle after COD's ending.

[Shiroi Koumori]

My bad, I didn't think of that - Soma should be in the Sorrow series. I always felt there could have been one set after DOS, problem being where do they push the story after you've just played through a replica of Castlevania?

Ahahaha! They bring it back to Transylvania. Oh just read the novel continuation of the story. (click my signature)

[X]

I'm sure Saint Germain also alludes to this battle after COD's ending.

He does in fact suggest about traveling to a time where humanity and Dracula have a final showdown. But I never really saw any purpose or use for the St. Germain character in the series. CoD didn't really need him as he was so lose in the plot. Kinda like Mathias was in LoI except St. Germain had more screen time and dialogue.

[zangetsu468]

He does in fact suggest about traveling to a time where humanity and Dracula have a final showdown. But I never really saw any purpose or use for the St. Germain character in the series. CoD didn't really need him as he was so lose in the plot. Kinda like Mathias was in LoI except St. Germain had more screen time and dialogue.

Umm you know Mathias is actually Dracula, I don't see how he fits loosely into LOI's plot, he's the main antagonist after Walter Bernhard.

St Germain has relevance, for one thing his character (a bit like Dracula) goes beyond a historical figure and to its own discourse(s) of NewAgeism/ contemporary Urban Myth. To this day people still claim Saint Germain exists and he could be hundreds of years old. The relevance of Saint Germain to the CV universe particularly to do with themes of Alchemy (which LOI touched upon) are as follows:

He claimed to be the son of a Transylvanian Prince,
It is rumoured these abilities were inherited in Transylvania
He is thought to be a Master of Spirituality and Alchemy (hence his longevity which ties back to eternal life; the ultimate realisation of alchemy referenced in LOI, as well as his ability to manipulate time, levitate, teleport, so forth)
He is associated with the coming of New Astrological Ages i.e. his reference to the final showdown between Dracula and humanity was referencing the coming of the Age of Aquarius
He is known as an 'Ascended Master' and makes reference of something to the effect of the Masters 'not allowing him to interfere any further' after his final encounter with Hector
He parallels and later juxtaposes Zed>Death as part of COD's narrative
I always personally believed that the unseen Sage Eneomaos who was had knowledge about devil forging (and alchemy in general) was SG himself

[crisis]

St. Germain should've replaced Aeon in Judgment. The game might've been slightly more entertaining.

[Shiroi Koumori]

St. Germain should've replaced Aeon in Judgment. The game might've been slightly more entertaining.

Yes. That would have made more sense for me.

[Intersection]

Yes. That would have made more sense for me.

Really? I'd always felt as if Aeon was the only well-designed character in Judgment.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing him appear in future games; though St. Germain comes first, of course. But I'd certainly love to see our time traveling pair return to Castlevania -- and better together than not.

[DarkPrinceAlucard]

Really? I'd always felt as if Aeon was the only well-designed character in Judgment.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing him appear in future games; though St. Germain comes first, of course. But I'd certainly love to see our time traveling pair return to Castlevania -- and better together than not.

Well I agree with others that Saint Germain would have made more sense considering he was in the last 3D castlevania game before Judgement.

His story as a time traveler should have been expanded upon in that game, Aeon really was not needed when you already have a time traveler in your timeline.

And to make it worse, they did not even bother having him make a appearance in that game nor did they even mentioned him.

I just think it was a missed opportunity.

But even with his inclusion it still would not have been enough excuse what was wrong with Judgement, but like crisis said it would have made it a bit better in my opinion.

[zangetsu468]

Well I agree with others that Saint Germain would have made more sense considering he was in the last 3D castlevania game before Judgement.

His story as a time traveler should have been expanded upon in that game, Aeon really was not needed when you already have a time traveler in your timeline.

And to make it worse, they did not even bother having him make a appearance in that game nor did they even mentioned him.

I just think it was a missed opportunity.

But even with his inclusion it still would not have been enough excuse what was wrong with Judgement, but like crisis said it would have made it a bit better in my opinion.

Agreed, I thought the same thing when I'd heard of another time traveller. Saint Germain with all his references to mastering alchemy was better suited to a time traveller's position. Although even though Judgement can't theoretically be canon, I suppose Saint Germain's interference is limited by higher powers where as Aeon seems to be just roping warriors in from different eras into one place? (I have the game but never played it much tbh)

Time travel has always intrigued me, so has the fact that Castlevania Resurrection would have had Victor and Sonia who were from different eras come together.