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The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => Hardcore Gaming 101 => Topic started by: TormentedBelmont on February 19, 2012, 03:17:02 PM

Title: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: TormentedBelmont on February 19, 2012, 03:17:02 PM
I just recently played Castlevania III. I am embarrased to say that I couldn't beat this in one sitting (I tries most all day) and will have to try and make my way up the damn waterfall level once again, for the billionth time. I'm not playing a rom, so no save states, I'm not using a walkthrough. Anyone else find or found this one tough?

Also, I think these Castlevania inspired Haikus are pretty appropriate:
http://thedarkopera.weebly.com/castlevania-iii-haiku.html (http://thedarkopera.weebly.com/castlevania-iii-haiku.html)
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: PFG9000 on February 19, 2012, 04:13:32 PM
EDIT:  Whoops, double post.  Stupid glitchy forum.  :(
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: PFG9000 on February 19, 2012, 04:11:31 PM
Nice haikus.  I got a kick out of this one:

                       Ten minute level

                   Now finally completed.

                      Seven hours later

CV3 is among the more difficult CVs, but I've never found it unbearably frustrating.  I actually have more trouble with Dracula XX, CV Adventure, Haunted Castle, and Vampire Killer MSX than with CV3.  I'd even go so far as to say the last two levels of the original CV are harder than anything in CV3.  I've never played all the way through CV3 in one sitting, but I've come close, twice.  I played it through up to the last level, and once up to Dracula, and just got sick of playing.  (Sounds like a cop-out, I know, but I've beaten CV3 at least 15 times, so I didn't feel the need to prove a point.)  I've been craving some CV3 lately, so I'll definitely hook up the NES and have a go at it again one of these days.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: TormentedBelmont on February 19, 2012, 05:21:14 PM
I don't think I've tried any of the ones you've mentioned. Most of my experience comes from the handheld systems and the new CV for PS3. I've played the old school ones in the past but never really commited. I definitly heard some interesting things about haunted castle and CVI is probably next on my list to try. I do like a challenge. It sounds like there's more ahead. good times.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: PFG9000 on February 19, 2012, 06:07:35 PM
Which systems do you have access to?  Obviously you've got an NES, so give CV1 a try ASAP.  It's much shorter than CV3.  Once you know what you're doing, the whole game can be beaten in less than 30 minutes.  If you have any way to play Super CV4, that should be very high on your list too.  It's one of the easiest oldschool CVs, and (in my opinion) the very best.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Gecko on February 20, 2012, 06:49:00 AM
Which systems do you have access to?  Obviously you've got an NES, so give CV1 a try ASAP.  It's much shorter than CV3.  Once you know what you're doing, the whole game can be beaten in less than 30 minutes.  If you have any way to play Super CV4, that should be very high on your list too.  It's one of the easiest oldschool CVs, and (in my opinion) the very best.

Castlevania 4 is a masterpiece. It's my personal favorite for its soundtrack, atmosphere, solid gameplay and stage design, and just the overall creepy and exciting experience.

More on topic though, I've personally yet to beat Castlevania 3 because of the last stage. It's a tough game. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not beating it in one sitting. That's why it has a password system. It's a fairly long(for NES), difficult game.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: DoctaMario on February 20, 2012, 09:01:16 AM
CV3 is tough but it's an enjoyable kind of tough, unlike some games where you feel like everything's stacked against you but in a bad way. I also love that you can't see the entire game in one play through. There are so many levels and the branching paths thing was one of the coolest things Konami brought to the series.

But much like any Classicvania, the name of the game is figuring out exactly what to do where. Once you figure all that out, the games become simple.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Sumac on February 20, 2012, 09:14:41 AM
I only completed this game once and broke keyboard because of it. I didn't have save states and couldn't change key settings.
Since that time I (undeservedly) hate this game. 
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: X on February 20, 2012, 09:51:46 AM
I can't tell you how many times I've beaten CVIII. But yeah, it is one of THE more harder CV games to conquer. It's like playing CVI except CVIII vastly improves on the old formula. Such as extra playable characters, more and longer levels, great music and branching paths. You said you were stuck at the waterfall stage? This sounds like the second-last stage in Dracula's castle i.e. the Doppelganger's stage. Yea... That level had me in a bad mood for a long time. I feel your pain. Be warned however. Fighting the Doppelganger will be another trial in itself.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: crimsonmist on February 20, 2012, 01:49:17 PM
one of my favorite nes games and my pick for one of the best games in the series. sure, it's pretty challenging to beat the game, with multiple paths and three partners to choose from (or you can keep going alone for extra fun  :) ), but i haven't had much trouble with the first few levels since the last several times i played it. nevertheless i have to agree that cv3 is hardcore since it's such a challenging game in the series.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Las on February 20, 2012, 02:22:20 PM
Yeah cv 1 was harder but not by much. I thought the cv3 was very difficult and never beat it as a kid same with cv1. I had to go back years later and beat them. CV2 was much easier, but opened a new door for the cv series. I kinda think it may have been the start to what introduced sotn and ds type metroidvania style games. Either way cv3 is an awesome game. I remember the first day i got the game and brought it to my buddy's house to play. I had no idea you could unlock other players and i was  like holy...$%?#. Yeah it was new for me then and awesome. About the only thing now i can say about it is that they shouldn't have put in all the same bosses over and over again, but i realize too 8 bit cartridge games were limited. And to think i have almost completed a set of 16 bit aniamtions for all characters in the game exept trevor which was basically done by konami anyways. I'm debating what the hell to do with them, maybe they can be eye candy on the forum. Still i'm unsure. Either way cv3 yes it was a difficult game. I used to die at the doppleganger all the time,until i found a glitch in the game. I don't mean the one were you cheat like in mega man at the rock monster and hit select or in this case start on and off. If you stand on a certain area of a block on a ledge the doppleganger will jump at you, miss the ledge and not swing because he did not reach you. you can just stand their all day and wack the crap out of him. I don't know if i'm the only one who found that one out. I'm sure their are other cool glitches too.  Ever notice the glitch where alucard's 3 way shot becomes a 2 way shot again. Well anyways..... yeah this was an awesome game for sure, same with cv1 and cv2.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: TormentedBelmont on February 20, 2012, 03:22:33 PM
CVI is probably next on my list of games, followed by CV4... I can't believe I missed that game completly while growing up. I've heard so many good things.

CVIII's path system is excellent... am lovin the ability to pick extra players. don't know if I made the right choice with ol grant though...

Music in this one is pretty good. All around pretty impressed.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: knightmere on February 21, 2012, 12:40:30 PM
Castlevania III is the best game in the entire series IMO.  A perfect blend of challenge, freedom of choice and awesome music creates a true classic with loads of replay value.   I love how this game keeps you on your toes with the pin point platforming and tense boss fights.  It seems almost unfair at first but once you learn the enemy patterns and are able to conquer them easily you won't find a more rewarding experience in gaming.  I would definitely classify CV III as "Hardcore".  It certainly has earned that label.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Belmontoya on February 23, 2012, 03:10:56 PM
CV3 is good. But I think it's far from the best linear action style Castlevania.

In my opinion Castlevania 4 is the true masterpiece of the series. CV 3 is great but it's my least favorite of the NES titles. Something just seems off about it. Perhaps it's the multiple playable characters that dilutes the sense of character motivation.

I think one of the best undermentioned CV's is Bloodlines. I wisg my genesis still worked...

Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: GypsyGrifter on February 26, 2012, 12:26:17 AM
Oh Castlevania III! I have a love hate relationship with it. I love the game, but I don't think ANY game has ever made me rage more in my life. I've...... never even come close to beating it..... How do I put this.... It's hard for me to beat the clock tower stage where you get Grant, I can spend all day on that. It's, in my opinion, not as good as CV1, but that's probably mostly because of nostalgia, as I never played CV3 until recently, and have been playing CV1 most my life. It is better than CV2 though. I don't hate CV2, but it's a bad game. It is an NES game though, so I can't critique it too much.

As for CV4..... I don't know what it is, but I find it boring. all the freedom you get, with the whipping in all directions, and controlling your jumps, it just makes the game a bit too easy, so I usually get bored at around stage 4-2 or so. I mean, in Castlevania 1, I can play for like 6 hours straight, get any amount of game overs, and keep going, but with this one, I make it to stage 4 or so, have gotten only about 5-6 game overs, and I just turn it off because I'm bored. Maybe I'm missing something? The musics awesome, and it's fun at first, but... it just gets boring. But that's just my opinion, you guys feel free to love the game.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Abnormal Freak on March 04, 2012, 06:37:35 PM
I don't recall ever having the patience and commitment to beat Castlevania III. It's just not one of my more favorite games in the series, which is weird to say because I love the Oldskoolvanias the most and this one is regarded as one of the best. But of those games, the third ranks pretty low for me. Not sure if it's just because of the difficulty or I just don't find the design that fascinating or what. All I can think of is that one orange level where the blocks fall for an hour and you have to keep dodging them until you get to the top platform. Shit bores the piss out of me, and that whole level almost feels like some kinda fucked-up glitch somehow rather than a well-rounded, fun design. Maybe someday I'll have a true appreciation for it.

I'm thinking if I do decide to devote time and effort to it, I'll go with the Japanese version. The difficulty seems a little more rounded out, and the music and certain visual effects are better.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: X on March 04, 2012, 10:47:01 PM
Quote
All I can think of is that one orange level where the blocks fall for an hour and you have to keep dodging them until you get to the top platform. Shit bores the piss out of me, and that whole level almost feels like some kinda fucked-up glitch somehow rather than a well-rounded, fun design.

Just take a different route. That'll spare you the boredom. And yea, that level can get very tedious at times. But if you have Alucard then just turn into a bat and skip it, but do be careful not to collide with a falling block.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Abnormal Freak on March 05, 2012, 03:30:25 AM
I usually go with Grant 'cos he's way more awesomez. :<
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Kale on March 05, 2012, 03:37:00 AM
As I've always said. CV3 is almost undoubtedly my favorite game in the series. I've only beaten it recently on an emulator though. My NES cartridge was fucked and in the battle with Leviathan the demon thing that jumps around.... It always, ALWAYS never load after that. I can't remember it specifically now but it was either the level complete ball that never comes out or it came out and I just stay there til I die. But after like 20 attempts to get pass that. I finally had to quit til recently where I managed to emulate it.

However, I think I abused Save States like crazy on the emulation.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: X on March 05, 2012, 09:47:08 AM
Have you ever tried connecting your game up to the a game genie cart and see if that helps alleviate the issue?
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Belmontoya on March 05, 2012, 12:26:11 PM
I gotta say.. CV3 always kicks my ass. I can beat it fine. But damn. I die a lot.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Belmontoya on March 05, 2012, 12:37:18 PM
As for CV4..... I don't know what it is, but I find it boring. all the freedom you get, with the whipping in all directions, and controlling your jumps, it just makes the game a bit too easy, so I usually get bored at around stage 4-2 or so. I mean, in Castlevania 1, I can play for like 6 hours straight, get any amount of game overs, and keep going, but with this one, I make it to stage 4 or so, have gotten only about 5-6 game overs, and I just turn it off because I'm bored. Maybe I'm missing something? The musics awesome, and it's fun at first, but... it just gets boring. But that's just my opinion, you guys feel free to love the game.
[/quote]

Wait a sec.. You already have 5 or 6 game overs racked up by stage 4? That doesn't sound to me like it's easy for you! LOL. I can make well into stage 8 without even dying. I think the difficulty in CV4 is perfect because it gets harder as it goes on. It crescendos perfectly in my opinion. The only complaint I have is that Dracula is too easy. But then again, I always cheat and get the power ups from the invisible floor under the stairs right before his chamber.

I don't think that giving the player more maneuverability is the reason some parts of the game are easier in the beginning. I think it's just the difficulty that they set the enemies at. I think CV4 has the best controls of any CV ever. I'll never understand why the awesome mechanics they put in that game haven't been repeated. 
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Belmontoya on March 05, 2012, 12:39:36 PM
Oops I quoted Gypsy the wrong way. Sorry I'm still new to this forum.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Kale on March 05, 2012, 02:41:19 PM
Have you ever tried connecting your game up to the a game genie cart and see if that helps alleviate the issue?

No... I don't have the game anymore. It was really my..... niece's? or something and is left over there somewhere when I moved out. And we didn't have game genie.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Jorge D. Fuentes on March 06, 2012, 05:56:15 AM
I usually go with Grant 'cos he's way more awesomez. :<

You can get Grant and then take the path through the Haunted Ship.
Taking the Mountainside Path with Grant is a taxing experience.  The deck's stacked against Grant in those long stages.  Grant can jump higher and control his jumps, but those stages have spiked ceilings and jumping enemies.  Grant can move faster, but those stages have more crumbly platforms and wild enemy encounters (Mermen).
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: X on March 06, 2012, 10:18:06 AM
Quote
Grant can move faster, but those stages have more crumbly platforms and wild enemy encounters (Mermen).

This isn't a problem for Grant. He can hang from below on a crumbling block and it won't crumble. I'm not sure if it's a game glitch or an intentional element.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: Jorge D. Fuentes on March 06, 2012, 01:26:29 PM
Yeah it's a feature; Grant won't crumble the block.
But the spots where that happens are few, and it's difficult to climb off of them.
Title: Re: Castlevania III is pretty hardcore. Anyone else think so?
Post by: crimsonmist on March 07, 2012, 10:28:14 PM
This isn't a problem for Grant. He can hang from below on a crumbling block and it won't crumble. I'm not sure if it's a game glitch or an intentional element.
i don't believe that's intentional, maybe the developers originally planned the blocks would crumble no matter if you're standing on it or below it? and then they neglected the times when you'd hang below them so grant can exploit them?