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The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: DoctaMario on August 29, 2008, 01:07:34 PM

Title: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: DoctaMario on August 29, 2008, 01:07:34 PM
This kinda comes on the wings of what Danial was saying in the Judgment topic about Castlevania's lack of consistency.

If you think about it, no two of the more CV games ever seem to have the same protagonists with the exception of the Sorrow games. I feel like it's hard to care about a protagonist character when he/she is only in one or two games. Part of the reason I think people love Simon so much is because, in addition to being the original CV character, he starred in 4 different games (and made appearances in HoD as a guest).

The series has had a lot of different artists lately too and it seems like they change things for the sake of changing them which gives people no idea of what to expect. Sometimes this can be good, but not always.OoE is a pleasant surprise that seems to bridge the newer art to the older art in a way, but Judgment is something else entirely, something designed to lure the Death Note crowd.   

The soundtracks have been a lot more hit or miss lately. Sometimes we get incredible stuff (LoI) and other times we get songs that are mind-numbingly dull (PoR) and sound like something some kid with GarageBand could have cooked up.

The one thing that SHOULD be changing more than it does is the gameplay, and that seems to stay rooted in the same place. THey don't seem to change that up ENOUGH by making a natural progression forward.

What do you guys think?
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: crisis on August 29, 2008, 02:49:42 PM
This man speaks the truth!

I basically agree with all your points. As I said in the other thread, the cv series still needs to find it's true identity. All these handheld titles we've been getting for years have been consistent which people view as either a good or bad thing, but I feel the decision to make Judgment the way it is, is a step in the wrong direction & the artwork doesn't help its case.

NOT to say that Judgment will be a terrible game, I'm sure it won't. Everyone here is gonna play it atleast once, and more than half of us might enjoy it to some extent (i'm even buying a Wii just to play it when it comes out). But.. this isn't what I want CV to be.

I just hope the rumored wii-ware CV will be worth it.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Reinhart77 on August 29, 2008, 04:11:29 PM
I'm more interested in variety than consistency.  This is partly because Castlevania is the only game I really play enough to try to get to the ending, and I do want some variety.

Storywise, yeah, the inconsistency kinda stinks.  But is there any other franchise that has pumped out nearly as many games (on average 1 game every year for over 20 years) that has any coherency to the storyline?  It's a miracle that they are at least able to retroactively make the timeline make sense for the most part. 
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: paletteswapmonster on August 29, 2008, 05:58:02 PM
I haven't thought of this before. I highly agree.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Long John Silver on August 29, 2008, 08:56:23 PM
Quote
Everyone here is gonna play it atleast once
lies. i'm not gonna sell my kidney to buy another console just for one game, and i doubt the wii will be emulated anytime within the next 10 years.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: A n t r a x x on August 30, 2008, 08:57:53 AM
I find it hard to care about the characters these days, due to the design.

OoE is the exception.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: impulse on August 30, 2008, 10:04:00 AM
In Reply To #1

I agree with most of what you're saying.

However, saying that you can't care for a character that appears in less than 3 installments is silly. Especially considering the length of a video game now'adays. Even though the character presentation differs dramaticly, does this mean you wouldn't be able to care for any movie protagonist if it's not a trilogy?
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: paletteswapmonster on August 30, 2008, 11:14:14 AM
I find it hard to care about the characters these days, due to the design.
ugh!
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Bad Wolf on September 01, 2008, 05:56:18 PM
In Reply To #1


Truth. Nothing is changed that should be changed, and things are changed that shouldn't be.

Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: DragonSlayr81 on September 01, 2008, 06:03:55 PM
In Reply To #6

I don't know. I can't honestly say I ever cared for ANY CV characters...EVER. Though that's just me. I don't play CV to care for the characters, or the developement. I play RPGs for that reason. ;D
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: darkwzrd4 on September 04, 2008, 07:34:40 PM
Here's another inconsistency.  Ever notice that the abilities that Soma has in the "Sorrow" games are different.  For example, in AoS, the flame demon soul gave Soma an attack similar to the Hellfire spell used by Alucard and Dracula.  Where as in DoS the flame demon soul simply allowed Soma to shoot a single large fireball.  Same goes for the Axe Armor soul.  In AoS, that soul allows Soma to throw axes like the Axe Armor enemies.  Where as in DoS, Soma simply throws an axe 2-D Belmont-Style.

Just and inconsistency that I noticed and I'm sure all of you did too.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: paletteswapmonster on September 04, 2008, 07:37:17 PM
In Reply To #11

The Axe Armor soul's change was good, though. Its nice to have an axe thrown at an arc instead of it acting like a cross except worse.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Saner on September 04, 2008, 08:00:34 PM
you can't expect Castlevania to keep changing, otherwise
it will get to the point where it isn't Castlevania at all anymore (see Guilty Gear 2 Overture and Fighting Force 2 and the recent Shining Force EX games)

the SOTN formula works best for it, but there's a limit to
how good a formula can get.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Stigma Black on September 04, 2008, 08:22:36 PM
So... change is good, but not too much change to the core, or it's only good if we go back to the old style? What?

I like that Castlevania's striking out in a few new directions now. Remember that just before DXC was announced everyone was complaining about how stale the series has become.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: paletteswapmonster on September 04, 2008, 08:27:50 PM
In Reply To #13

Woah! Slow down there. Not only are you not making sense, but you're making it seem like you think your opinions are facts. It all comes down to preferences. How does SQ prove that the exploration is better anyway? And what do you mean "change Castlevania too far and it'll lose its very genre"? That happened already. The platforming style is it's genre, and its being pushed away because of fanboys and newer fans of the series not liking it which is bullshit. Also, "it's better to not have the same main character for future games unless they are an extra unlockable"?! Thats just crossing the line.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: DoctaMario on September 04, 2008, 11:52:49 PM
I'm more interested in variety than consistency.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Long John Silver on September 07, 2008, 06:40:14 AM
In Reply To #16

wanna bet? i would so crush you with my ps2 and ds, since i actually own them. i also own 2 ds games (dos and phoenix wright), 1 gba game (cotm) and 1 ps2 game (ggx2) as well as tools to play imports/burns. :o

SHOCKER
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Gunlord on September 07, 2008, 06:59:58 AM
In Reply To #17

You only own 1 PS2 game? :O I thought you would have a more robust gaeming library, Serio  :o
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Dark Nemesis on September 07, 2008, 08:29:35 AM
Oh no!! DoctaMario is going to need a doctor after that statement Serio has done!! ;D
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: Long John Silver on September 08, 2008, 12:13:44 AM
In Reply To #18

oh i do have many ps2 games. just they're all downloaded and burned on blank dvds. that's where me piratin' skills come in handy, yar.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: A n t r a x x on September 08, 2008, 04:26:05 AM
I has:

- a slim PS2 with 70+ games (yah dis a gewd system)(I bought a lot of games used)

- a model-1 PS2 now stuck in a drawer due to a weak laser

- a Dreamcast with roughly a dozen games (I only gots the best ones) (+ some pirated and emus and roms)

- a Gamecube with about 20 games (including both Zelda special collector's discs)

- a 360 with about seven games

- an XBOX with about 20 games (+ emus and roms)

- a DS with about a dozen titles

- a GBA SP+ with about 20 games (not including all my GB and GBC ones)

- a PSP with 4 games (+ some ISOs, and emus and roms)

- a Wii with about 10 games (+ VC and Wii Ware).

- an SNES with about a dozen games

- a Genesis with about a dozen games

- a Color Gameboy I haven't used in ages, and also an original "green-screen" Gameboy that met it's fate in a flea dip and that I display as part of a VG srine now)

- an original GBA, modified with a front light that probably has as many dust mites as it does smudges on its LCD (see I tried opening it up and wiping it down with a moist cloth ---- NEVER AGAIN will I treat an LCD this way)

- a Saturn I borrowed from my brother to play Panzer Dragoon Saga and which he never asked for back. I also played NitM with this off of a burned copy.

- an N64 with about 15 games (upgraded with expansion pack and a still-working rumble pack)

- a broken original model PSX that is now a part of my VG shrine on my bookcase.

....in conclusion: that's why Castlevania is inconsistent.
Title: Re: Castlevania's Lack Of Consistency
Post by: DoctaMario on September 09, 2008, 01:54:46 PM
In Reply To #16

wanna bet? i would so crush you with my ps2 and ds, since i actually own them. i also own 2 ds games (dos and phoenix wright), 1 gba game (cotm) and 1 ps2 game (ggx2) as well as tools to play imports/burns. :o

SHOCKER

LOL! Post.Of.The.Year! Seriously, that cracked me up!  ;D