Topic: Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Castlevania has been released!

[Gunlord]

I just placed my order on Amazon.com

[PFG9000]

Ordered.  I can't wait for it to arrive.

[EisaKrieger]

Ordered along with a Hammer Horror Collection to bump it to almost exactly $35 for free shipping.

[Abnormal Freak]

Currently $15.49 at Amazon, my kinda price.

[Chernabogue]

Currently $15.49 at Amazon, my kinda price.

Perfect, thanks to this little price drop, I could use my gift card and buy it.

[RichterB]

Congrats and THANKS!!! I've been looking forward to this. It couldn't come at a better time with the way the series has been low-key lately (to say the least). I'm certainly going to pick one up in the near-future, if not sooner. Even with the descriptions, I'm a little confused over what to expect. (i.e. Is it equal-ish time for the main series games, or are some favored heavily over others in page count. And what's the general ratio between screenshots vs. artwork between the text?)

Nevertheless, I've always wanted a Castlevania history-type book like this. I'm especially interested to hear your thoughts on the more recent titles; but I also like the idea that you're going to revisit the titles you've already written about here, since a historical perspective helps on the lost merits of some titles. (I especially wonder how the N64 era will shake out in your final assessment!!!)

My salute for all of the work you've put in on this, and on the Dungeon in the past. It's meant a lot. And by the way, semi-unrelated, have you written about your thoughts on Contra Rebirth anywhere? (Fan of the old Contra HQ, too--and that series, which has had its share of rough times).

[Akumajou Jason XX]

My copy arrived today.  Looks good so far, though I kind of wish this was a hardcover and much larger.  I'm getting kind of old and blind these days.

[darkmanx_429]

The PDF link at Sellfy is active now!

https://sellfy.com/p/568x/

Just got my pdf!

[JR]

Perfect, thanks to this little price drop, I could use my gift card and buy it.

Price drop?? Aw, hell. I had a feeling I should've waited.

Eh, on second thought, it's from a site I like, so no big deal.

[EstebanT]

Just got my copy. It's pretty badass. I hated the cover art and sometimes the text ink gets a weird look. Almost a runny ink red newspapery look but it's not a big deal. I can see the love put into it. Very happy with it. Also pretty kind on the wallet, that's a plus.

[discoalucard]

Just got my copy. It's pretty badass. I hated the cover art and sometimes the text ink gets a weird look. Almost a runny ink red newspapery look but it's not a big deal. I can see the love put into it. Very happy with it. Also pretty kind on the wallet, that's a plus.

If it looks too bad, then you might be able to return it. It's not supposed to look like that, but I've seen people be sent copies due to printing errors.

[Inccubus]

Sweet! I'll have to get one. No choice in the matter.

[Abnormal Freak]

Price drop?? Aw, hell. I had a feeling I should've waited.

Eh, on second thought, it's from a site I like, so no big deal.

I figure it got a price drop a couple days after release because so many others ordered earlier. You helped people like me out.

It's a nice book. The artwork scans look pretty lo-res compared to the crisp screenshots, but it's a minor gripe. Nice to even see a page which has a timeline with all the game logos, one of the pages I always liked admiring the most on the Dungeon because of how cool each logo looked. Wish the Japanese counterparts had been included also, but oh well.

[Akumajou Jason XX]

Do you actually own those Dracula II cards?  Never even knew about those.

[EisaKrieger]

If it looks too bad, then you might be able to return it. It's not supposed to look like that, but I've seen people be sent copies due to printing errors.

I thought huh that's a cool trippy effect with the color gradient in the text.  Then I saw the double imaging on page 13 and realized I got a faulty printing.  On most right hand pages, the left side is noticeably a bit blurry.  25 and 51 are a couple other pages where the left side is noticeably bad.  It's not horrible though.  Didn't stop me from looking at and reading the book for hours since I got it yesterday.  I Love this book in any condition and it's so packed with great info of which some good amounts I didn't know.  Fortunately I already have the full size map on page 13.  Should I contact amazon or what?

My only complaint is the image the book ends with on bottom right of the final page.  Bleh.

Maybe the cover art leaves a bit to be desired, but I think it was an alright choice.  It's better than LamePro's style and appeals to wider audience than the more effeminate stuff even if it's not as good quality as that.