Topic: Analysis, gripes of the NES Castlevanias and a question/suggestion for project

[Belmont Stakes]

As we have all experienced the NES trilogy of games have a lot of challenges to them, often stress inducing. Some of these are difficulty issues like the infamous Death Hall in the first one, to mis-translations in the second game (graveyard duck duck goose). There are some points and comparisons that I would like to bring up about each one that I think culminate with my final point.

1 Some of the plat-forming in CVII is brutal.

Unlike in CV I or III if you are on stairs and get hit you fall off sometimes into a pit,spikes or water as AVGN pointed out. This is off set by the re-spawn points set in that game. The enemy placement may be more predictable than the other two titles but the stair issue is one that stands out. (Just a side note) this is one of the things that pisses me off about players saying CV1 and III and too hard but then go and holy water spam the the bosses to win. LAME!!!!! It's about how you skill not what you kill. Skillz not sKILLZ!!!!!

2. I don't see how Castlevania III is harder than the first game.

Yes you have the one last trek through the clock tower at the end of both games. Yet Dracula's Curse punishes you if you die at Dracula. But over all one was much more difficult IMO.

3. The character movements from all of the games differ slightly from Simon in 1 and 2 to Trevor and crew in 3 to the way the enemies, bosses and objects move. I prefer 1 in this regard to the others outside of that with exception to how music is more subtle and less bombast in CV1 (loud drum parts in the others) the other games have so much to offer, night and day themes, powering up,
branching paths, extra characters, discovering secrets etc...

I have been attempting to learn ROM hacking for the NES. However, to do the game that I would like to do with the scope and magnitude would be daunting. It would include aspects from all three games into one, going far beyond NES hardware capabilities. Game maker is an option but I have tried it and I am not sure I would go back to it. NES rom hacking I see is iffy due to the aforementioned even by picking the brains of the community. Outside that, the nil possibility of Archemides doing another Castlevania Quest or Dracula's Shadow type project the only other way I can see envision the project would be doing this. Back in the day Super Mario All Stars and the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy was ported to the SNES. They cut a lot of corners on that game and it wasn't nearly as good as the originals but it made me question this..

Has anyone considered doing a NES Castlevania retrocompilation/hack on a SNES ROM? If 8 bit Mario appeared in Mario RPG no problem, what would be the difficulty of doing a NES authentic encapsulation of the games in a SNES ROM project?

[theplottwist]

If 8 bit Mario appeared in Mario RPG no problem, what would be the difficulty of doing a NES authentic encapsulation of the games in a SNES ROM project?

If you're not kidding here, I just want to point out that 8-bit Mario appearing in Mario RPG is a much, much simpler matter than coding the entire engines of the NES Castlevanias into a single SNES ROM.

The coding is different, graphic and sound compression is different. I'm fairly sure it'd be the equivalent of creating an entire game from ground up.

"B-but Mario All-Stars!"

Yes. I'm almost 100% certain that game was recoded (not "ported") for SNES.

[Aceearly1993]

I'm not so far into the NES/FC CV trilogy because My all-time favorite is Castlevania Chronicles (PS1 version) but I see no further problem/brutal point from CV1(at least 1st Round/Quest) and CV2

Technically CV2 has no "Game Over" status because when the game called "Game Over" you can just choose "Continue" and return to the EXACT location (if possible) where you were taken down and I like the setting. Abusing this setting properly and ALL the difficulty/brutal points gone
I see no lost form platforming failed in CV2 because you can try UNLIMITED times in the same area until final victory (Game Over DOES triggers removing all Hearts, but it's not a big cost IMO)

2. I don't see how Castlevania III is harder than the first game.

Yes you have the one last trek through the clock tower at the end of both games. Yet Dracula's Curse punishes you if you die at Dracula. But over all one was much more difficult IMO.

The Drac punish IS a problem since the move of Drac 1st form is rather pathetic & a bit unpredictable. (almost 0F hit detection when he stopped his after-images, I was heavily panned by how he suddenly stops right at my feet and run into me in no time)
Japanese version has shown little mercy due to Japanese version considered the final stair as a checkpoint

Also the overall length of CV3, regardless of versions, is amazingly long and I feel VERY tired in last few stages... But it may be only me who suffered from the aforementioned points

To talk about CV3 Second Round/Quest is yet another story because the difficulty changes in a dramatic way from version to version (Specially US version which is literally Hell ITSELF)

[zangetsu468]

Maybe it's because I've played it more or because the stages for the most part are shorter, but I find cv1 much easier than cv3(US version). Cv3 also seems to have more input lag and the stairs + evading projectiles or using subweapons are much worse than cv1, not even gunna lie.

[Crying Freeman]

As plottwist pointed out, 1.) it would be porting over, and that would need some serious fuckin programming skill 2.) 8bit Mario in RPG had absolutely nothing to do with the NES game's code or porting from the NES game, it's just a sprite swap. If that is your goal to change some irks in the games, Gamemaker will save you SO much time and aggrivation.

If porting the games over to SNES from NES is your goal, it would take years I'd say of learning. You'd have to know how to truly code shit and plus you'd need to know how to utilize the SNES, which is a much different system to the NES coding wise. I've heard it is more complicated to code for the SNES, and it uses some uncommon stuff.

[Belmont Stakes]

Ok let's put it another way. Mega Man 10, its on PS3, XBOX360 and Wii. These are vastly superior to the SNES but yet the development is 8 bit. How large is this game. Also please tell me why is it that with a game like this and the advent of Mario Maker there is not a bit of a wiggle in Konami's collective executive pants to make or have made an 8 bit classic Castlevania in similar fashion? The game could be fucking huge not just in design but in sales. Oh IGA how you mock me but not as bad as your former employer!!!!!!


FUCKING DICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Belmont Stakes]

Just a quick addendum. Does anyone know about this?


https://youtu.be/Za7nepSOBZQ