Castlevania Dungeon Forums
The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: markyjoe1990 on January 24, 2012, 01:26:16 AM
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Block 1 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 1] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhEJpeOOZP0#)
Block 2 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 2] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfcGqiDPIuU)
Block 3 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 3] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1WhjTFysaA)
Block 4 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 4] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDYATrGNGPk)
Block 5 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 5] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRBV6DkSKKk)
Block 6 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 6] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GZm6xz-yvc)
Block 7 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 7] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svDvYth6ihw)
Block 8 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 8] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRtTW6khw3g)
Block 9 - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 9] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ThNMNf4UA)
Block A - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block A] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxPSDkpaZNw)
Block B - Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block B] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KB6An9M7cU)
Out of nowhere, I decided to do a challenge run of Super Castlevania IV. Since this was the Castlevania I grew up on, I live and breath this game, so needless to say, I'm up for any challenge I come up with off the top of my head.
So what's the Eternal Candle challenge? Basically, I have to go through every stage in the game without destroying a single candle. Since I cannot destroy any candles, this means I can't get any sub-weapons or whip upgrades. Since this challenge doesn't include breakable walls, I can still get meat and extra lives.
But nah, that wouldn't be challenging enough. Let's add to this challenge.
This run will also serve as a no-damage run, AND it will be on the "Hard Mode" of the game, which is unlocked when you beat the game once (You'll be thrown right into it after the ending credits).
Recently, I found a way to shut off the music in the game. I decided to take advantage of this and replace the in-game music with arranges instead to make the viewing experience more enjoyable. If I find no arranges I like for specific songs, I leave the original song in. Sometimes, I don't find any arranges whatsoever.
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Man I wouldn't last a second doing an "Eternal Candle" Challenge I find myself trying to destroy candles in platform games that won't actually let you, it's become some kind of weird relex!
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I've actually done this one before. It was a long time ago, maybe three or four years after SCV4 came out. I played the game straight through almost four times in a row, but found that the difficulty only increased once and stayed the same from then-on. I also tried the no candle run as well. But I really didn't find it difficult as I was already that good at the game and I wanted very much to see what would happen if I went in without any upgrades. It was like I was watching the credits at the end of the game as it shows Simon with only his leather whip.
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Finished Block 2. Jesus christ that was WAY harder than Block 1.
It will be uploaded sooooooooon.
I really like the song choices I made.
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Looking forward more awesomness.
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Excellent game play!!! Keep it up!!!
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Block 2 is up.
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Excellent work, but I think the edited-in music should be a bit louder.
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Excellent work. A great show of skill, and I really like the remixed music in here, especially for the Forest of Monsters.
I look forward to seeing more.
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Say, does anyone know any good arranges for the music in Block 3 of Super Castlevania IV? I'm having a bit of trouble...
Also, jesus christ Block 3 is hard.
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interesting, i thought you would have gotten a candle and subweapon as a drop from an enemy by the time you were through, but i guess not in this game.
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Enemies don't drop anything in this game. The only exceptions are the white dragons and the skeletons in the treasury stage.
Even if enemies DID drop stuff, I'd probably not take it. Although I'm technically allowed to get power ups so long as they don't come from candles, I feel exploiting this would lower the challenge of this play through.
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Enemies don't drop anything in this game.
Not true. It has happened to me on several occasions. Though very rarely, it has happened. And it sucks sometimes since I love holding onto my axe with the triple shot only to lose it due to this >:(
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Huh. The more you know.
In any case, I know I asked this before, but I'm not sure people noticed. I'm looking for remixes/arranges to the tunes in Block 3 to use in the next video. Any help is greatly appreciated, especially since I have a tendency of not finding most of the good ones.
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Block 3 music, huh? Kinda hard to find.
For part 1 (The Cave), I found one remix on OCR: Shaolin's Cave (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01297/).
For part 2 (The Waterfalls), I'd use the LoS track, "Waterfalls of Agharta (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmUZ8B2pgAc#)".
For part 3 (The Submerged City), I found nothing directly arranging the tune. Maybe using a cool arrangement of another track, like "Aquarius" or "Walking on the Edge", which are also water levels.
I hope it helps! Don't hesitate to ask me if you're looking for more music. ;)
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Great stuff, thanks for posting these. I look forward to seeing more, please continue.
As for the songs, there's a classical version of that which I love. Here it is....
http://www.fileplanet.com/hosteddl.aspx?classicgaming%2fcastlevania%2fmp3%2fdraculanewclassic%2f06_The_Cave.mp3 (http://www.fileplanet.com/hosteddl.aspx?classicgaming%2fcastlevania%2fmp3%2fdraculanewclassic%2f06_The_Cave.mp3)
As for the rest, for 3-2 you can use Waterfalls of Agartha from Lords of Shadow since it's a remix of the music from this area.
Castlevania Lords of Shadow Music - Waterfalls of Agharta (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmUZ8B2pgAc#)
For the remaining part of the stage, it's up to you.
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Excellent work.
Whipping enemies without hitting a candle must be pretty hard.
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Use Jorge's arrange version instead. It has both LoS and CV4's remixed into one.
The Waterfalls - Block 3-2 - Super Castlevania IV + Lords of Shadow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVITAImw0nI#)
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I found one for Submerged City, although it might be a bit too different atmosphere-wise to actually play over the game:
Submerged City Remix - Super Castlevania 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC2EfFGNfCM#)
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I found one for Submerged City, although it might be a bit too different atmosphere-wise to actually play over the game:
Submerged City Remix - Super Castlevania 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC2EfFGNfCM#)
Yeah... that's a bit too out of proportion for what I'm looking for. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
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These might be your best bet;
Castlevania SoundTracks: Submerged City (2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU-jFhUpp4M#)
SNES Music Classics Orchestrated - Castlevania 4 - Level 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JHhPZctE5A#)
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I like the second one. Thanks~
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UPDATE:
YEEEEESSSS! Finally beat Block 3 after 2 ragequits. Must've taken me well over 5 hours. Jesus christ.
I'm gonna try to get the video up soon. Now to figure out which remixes I will use...
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Wow, crazy idea and congrats on getting through level 3! I've always thought that level was a bit too early in the game, as it's one of the harder ones for me at least.
Also, this reminds me a lot of "low%" speedruns which ban all powerups and other useful items such as hearts and health. Moneybags would be the only allowable item in such a run...I've thought about learning low% for 1/3/4 but not sure when it will actually happen.
Good luck!
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Block 3 is up.
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 3] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1WhjTFysaA#)
I would like to take a moment to give my thanks to all of the people who helped me find arranges for the level tunes. Without your help, I probably would've ended up using less interesting tunes. Keep up the good work, everyone. =]
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:o WOW, nice work. I wonder how many times you had to restart due to accidentally hitting a candle. Funny how twice an enemy dropped a power-up. It's like the game was saying "hey idiot, why aren't you grabbing any power-ups!?"
Nice choice of music (yay!, you used my suggestion for 'The Cave'), Jorge's remix was good choice over the originals.
Also, although I've played through Cv4 countless times, I never knew you could whip the green flame orbs that the boss shoots at you.
Anyhoo, keep it up. Honestly, I wonder if some of the latter stages are even possible to beat w/o hitting at least a few candles.
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Update on Block 4:
The level itself is about as easy as Block 1, but the bosses... AGH. So many ways to make it impossible to avoid damage, and so many random variables! I'm half tempted to say the Skull boss is luck based, but there's always a chance that I'm doing something wrong.
I've only fought the... golem thing boss a few times, but he's got a ton of HP, and the blocks are very difficult to avoid consistently.
After about two or three hours of failure, I've ragequit temporarily. I'm mentally drained.
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They really started trying to force those upgrades on you with the bone dragons mid-way through block 3 it seems.
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Yeah, it's kind of annoying. I never understood why whip upgrades exist in the series anyway, since they are always given to you right away.
'Course, I COULD have gotten those upgrades dropped by the dragons since they don't contradict the eternal candle challenge, but... eh. I don't want to make things easier for myself.
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Trudge on, you masochistic hero!
Keep a tally of all of your deaths so we know how many times poor Simon had to die.
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Can't. I never counted in the first place, so I can't give an accurate number of deaths. However, I've probably failed over 100 times by now.
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Alright, I need some suggestions for Block 4 music. I haven't beaten Block 4 yet, but I'm confident that I can take it on now, and plan to make more attempts at it very soon.
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hmm.... perhaps
for 4-1,
CastleVania Legacy of Darkness Soundtrack ~ Castle Wall ~ Watchtower (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49W2fOAqQHg#)
Or maybe since 4-1 is the "endless tower"
condemned tower from DoS?
The Condemned Tower - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvsFHmMJqm0#)
(Jorge's version is best imo)
not sure bout the other parts of 4.
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I was thinking more along the lines of arranges/covers/remixes of the themes of Block 4.
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This one isn't bad, for starters.
Super Castlevania 4, Clockwork Mansion arrangement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeuFnwgpQQs#)
It's find of hard to find both Spinning Room and Clockwork Mansion as separate remixed pieces. People usually combine them. So, in that case, why not try two different remixes of the combined version. Perhaps even editing out the intro of one to start at the higher part of it, such as;
Clockwork Mansion - ReArranged - Underground Warehouse - Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHNNkLK73-E#)
Using the CotM version might be an interesting take.
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Not to many remixes of music from stage 4. Personally, I like the music as is for that one. There is an 8-bit remix of it though...
8-Bit Remix 21 - Super Castlevania IV - Clockwork Mansion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YomkqDBpt0#)
and this is pretty good to...
Super Castlevania IV Remix Descent Into The Dungeon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZmF4FAXJOw#)
Stage 5 though, you gotta go with this...
Courtyard: Castlevania Lords of Shadow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACPhBIgaKEs#)
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!
YES! YES! I FINALLY BEAT BLOCK 4!!!!! HG(FSGE)FE)FZ_)PEFHFHIJCFSPOHFH_)PFHEGH{(T
...... Keep going with the suggestions people. DX
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Block 4 is up:
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 4] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDYATrGNGPk#)
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Once again great work 8)
Both bosses for stage 4 are difficult enough to get past w/o being hit while using a powered-up whip and sub-weapons.
Stage 5 should be a cake-walk by comparison.
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Yeah, I actually already finished Block 5. The only thing that's preventing me from uploading it is... I can't find any arranges for the music used on the stage.
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This is the only one that comes to mind off the top of my head;
DRACULA BATTLE II - PERFECT SELECTION - 06) Ascension to the Castle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5RXkeZBO3M#)
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Jesus Uzo, how do you find this stuff? I'm impressed.
It's not what I'm looking for, but I'll probably end up using it anyway cause it's a good arrange, and I doubt I'll find better.
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Well for the courtyard, the LoS remix would probably be the best remix to go with. That Dracula Battle 2 remix is pretty beastly itself too.
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Jesus Uzo, how do you find this stuff? I'm impressed.
The Dungeon has a multimedia section where the soundtracks are kept. It's quite extensive.
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You just made me visualize the CVD as a castle with different areas. And its amazing.
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!
YES! YES! I FINALLY BEAT BLOCK 4!!!!! HG(FSGE)FE)FZ_)PEFHFHIJCFSPOHFH_)PFHEGH{(T
...... Keep going with the suggestions people. DX
Just do it go for the gold man :D you make it look heck of easy when it's not this is not just another let's play this is very interesting.
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Jesus Uzo, how do you find this stuff? I'm impressed.
It's not what I'm looking for, but I'll probably end up using it anyway cause it's a good arrange, and I doubt I'll find better.
Mostly from what I remember hearing before. There isn't much to choose from that I can recall for this track though.
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Mostly from what I remember hearing before. There isn't much to choose from that I can recall for this track though.
Wow, there must be a library of CV remixes in that noggin' of yours. :o
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Block 5 is up
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 5] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRBV6DkSKKk#)
This block only seems to exist to set the mood: The calm before the storm.
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The next one is a tough one for remixes too. From her eon out the pickings get rather slim.
Quality is a little iffy but man is it impressive none the less;
Castlevania - The Concert :: Entrance Hall, Chandeliers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpolz4V2Ez4#)
Perhaps not what you're looking for but here's one I've never heard before, but I love it. Just chop out of the into and it should be fine.
Super CastleVania IV - Monstrous Chandelier Remix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvugZ33NOvU#)
Jorge's is pretty good too for the first part. His sounds different enough from the original in this case;
Entrance Hall - Block 6-1 - Super Castlevania IV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWqqBNIecjM#)
Second part isn't bad either;
Chandeliers - Block 6-1 - Haunted Ballroom - Super Castlevania IV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUGejND2-7U#)
Though, Jorge's are sometimes so close to the original that it's not really so much different. I personally prefer ones that deviate a tad, or use different instrument sets.
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Speaking of the Ballroom, the boss (Paula Abghoul & Fred Ascare) is going to be an even tougher battle the say, Puwexil.
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Hahah... funny you should say that. I actually did a practice run against that boss. Beat them on my first try, no hits.
The stage itself is far worse than the boss.
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Hoho, well now. It seems I missed one. Not sure if it'll be useful but it's not bad;
SNES Music Classics Orchestrated - Castlevania 4 - Level 6 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sws4gcaNExw#)
This guy seems to have done a lot of SCVIV tracks. I'm liking them.
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Update on block 6:
Boss is easy. The level itself is slightly easier than Block 2 or 3. I'm relieved about this honestly.
I just need to record a successful attempt.
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I just watched the videos for blocks 3 & 4 and I just gotta say DAMN DUDE! Amazing work there! There were a few moments, especially on the boss fights that I was like "Oooooh SHIT! He's gonna get hit!" but you made it out! You really know this game like the back of your hand! Keep it up man, it's really awesome seeing someone with that kind of mastery over the game play it at such a high level!
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I just watched the videos for blocks 3 & 4 and I just gotta say DAMN DUDE! Amazing work there! There were a few moments, especially on the boss fights that I was like "Oooooh SHIT! He's gonna get hit!" but you made it out! You really know this game like the back of your hand! Keep it up man, it's really awesome seeing someone with that kind of mastery over the game play it at such a high level!
I concur. For me, my palms were sweating profusely as I was watching the video. seeing some of the close calls really got to me :)
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For Block 6, take "Castlevania - The Concert"'s version. Freaking amazing orchestration.
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For those interested in seeing me play other castlevanias under the eternal challenge conditions, here's a preview of what's to come
Castlevania Chronicles: Eternal Candle Challenge Preview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOhy_mn9ns4#)
I get my ass kicked horribly, but this is just a preview so nyeh.
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You know, I would've edited in KDII's stage 2 music instead of KDI's stage 1 music if I were you. But eh, you're the one doing the challenge, not me.
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Oh? What's with KDII's stage 2 theme?
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Fits a trek through a castle's hallways better IMO. It's either that or KDI's stage 3 music.
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Aye. I think I'm gonna stick with what I chose. I'm not going for music that fits the environment. I'm going for a theme that's fitting for a climatic final battle... thing... kinda like how the original stage went, y'know?
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'Cept that KDI's stage 1 music feels more like an intro stage music, which it is. Personally, I'd pick something that's close to Prologue from SotN or KDII's Phantasm stage music.
...Then again, it won't matter that much anyway since we're watching it for the gameplay, so let's stop this before it escalates into a full-blown argument.
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Hey, what gives!? Where's stage 6? Don't tell me you've given up?
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I haven't. It's just that Block 6 is... really god damn hard. I need a break from this play through or else I'm going to snap.
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lol :D, you sound like me with Bloodrayne Betrayal
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I haven't. It's just that Block 6 is... really god damn hard. I need a break from this play through or else I'm going to snap.
Snap like a whip, eh? But as hard as block 6 is just wait till you get to the dungeon segment. I'll bet you're already dreading it. Just take a breather for however long you feel and then persevere :)
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Hey guys.
Guess who's back?
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 6] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GZm6xz-yvc#)
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I really enjoyed the video, but when the boss battle started, i was expecting the classic boos battle theme to kick in, when the battle theme from sisters started and i lol.
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Admit it. That was the most fitting choice for a boss theme against the Dancing Ghosts. 8)
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I have to agree the music was fitting, but since the battle didn't last long enough it was a little oddly timed.
Crazy close calls there. You're a crazy bastard.
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I kept getting anxious, expecting the one moment where you accidentally hit a candle or get hit. Holy shit just watching these is nerve wracking. but playing them, dayum son, you crazy.
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Man, your nerves must be forged in steel. Amazing.
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Thanks for taking the effort, that was entertaining to say the least. Must have taken quite a few tries, here's hoping it didn't drive you to drink ;)
From beginning to end...
- Really nice moves around between 0:25-0:28, I was wondering how you planned on dealing with the bats in the entrance hall, but that was particularly well planned.
- 3:50 "BY A SHOE!!" \0/
- 5:26 "Pardon me, come'n thru" or "outa mah way red skeleton"
- Boss Fight, nice music selection, when I was a teenager that fight took probably 20 tries. Way to avoid getting hit, especially consider, if I remember correctly, their movement is random.
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Can't wait to see how you're going to tackle the Sir Grackle boss fight in the next stage.
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I've hit a snag...
In block 7, there are enemies that can destroy candles. While the rules don't really say anything about enemies destroying candles, I think it'd be more impressive if I still killed them before they destroyed any candles.
The first enemy that does this isn't a problem. The second one however is in a terrain one-tile lower than mine, and it's about 10 pixels away from the nearest candle, which is heads straight for. I can only manage one hit on it before it knocks the candle out and there's not enough room between the enemy and the elevation left of it for me to get enough hits in on it before it hits me.
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Woo. Block 7 is up.
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 7] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svDvYth6ihw#)
Despite the wolf enemy destroying a candle, the rules specifically state that only the player cannot destroy the candles. Nothing is said about enemies, so... yeah.
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He didn't so much destroy it as knock it over, so that's fine.
Really cool stuff there too. I like how you just by passed the stair segment, knowing exactly where to jump down. Also the boss music was fitting. One of my favorites too.
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Fun fact: I've always, ALWAYS skipped the stair way area. I've always considered it way too tedious to go through normally, and since you have to go downstairs rather than up, it makes combat really annoying due to Simon's inability to aim downwards while on stairs.
Also, Block 8 was disappointingly easy. It'll likely be up by thursday.
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I prefer to skip the stairways too. Except I haven't played this game near enough to have them memorized, so when I fear I'm getting near the bottom, I'll stop. But I still land on enemies sometimes or even die from hitting the bottom. Meh, beats going down them still.
Anyways, nice vids. Plus I'm a fan of making games that I know well more challenging by setting higher goals for myself too. And man, all games should have at least one extra loop or extra difficulty levels (hidden or not), or more of both (Man, Super Castlevania should of had at least one more difficulty as the second loop feels like normal difficulty... but if it was the game might of not been as popular? IGA knows best. People like easy games. Yep, yep yep. And I should know, I turned into one of them during the 32-bit era... luckily I recovered... though moods may change and I may go back >_>)
And in regards to the vids, I kinda do wish you had the original tunes. But that's just me as I'm more of a fan of videogame sounding tunes then say redbook audio of say, let's say, Rondo of Blood for PC-Engine. So don't mind me... But for these vids your doing, it does make your videos much more unique, on the bright side, thus stands out more + more memorable... Well, can't wait for your next vid. And thank goodness it'll be up soon, as I'm loving them.
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I've been playing Block 9, Block A, and Block B and can safely say that Block A is going to be easy. Block 9 is hard due to it's length and dickery with the skeletons, and Block B................ *cries* Will be the worst Block in the entire series.
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and Block B................ *cries* Will be the worst Block in the entire series.
Um, because the bosses, right?
Anywho, today's the day still, right?
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Um, because the bosses, right?
Anywho, today's the day still, right?
Block B is hard because of two bosses in particular. Slogra and Dracula. Gaibon has a relatively predictable pattern, and nearly all of Death's attacks are negated by brandishing your whip or not being in the way.
So why are Slogra and Dracula hard?
Despite the fact that he gets knocked fifty billion feet in the air after each hit, Slogra has a long invincibility grace period that allows him to get a lot of attacks in. After being hit and landing back on the ground, he can instantly open up with an attack. While the wand he uses is easy to avoid, the problem comes in when he uses the lunge attack upon landing, which not only requires timing with precision on par with Kaizo Mario world hacks, but requires you can be running away from him as fast as you can, since he lands very close to you no matter what. If you can't increase distance from him AND time your jump to dodge the lunge perfectly, you will be hit. He doesn't use this often while using his weapon, but when you destroy the weapon, he spams the living shit out of this.
As for Dracula, he's simply just a very long boss fight. Though, some really bad situations can occur when fighting him. in particular, if you're on right of Dracula while he summons forth a tiny energy orb, you can do nearly nothing to stop the orb since hitting it will make it launch a screen-spanning energy shot attack (Which you can only dodge successfully if you are to the left of the orb due to it's energy shot pattern), and leaving it around will let it screw you up with it's eratic movements.
Aside from that, avoiding Dracula's attacks require a lot more precision than most bosses.
The stage itself is completely pathetic until you get to the sequence near the end with skeletons and the headless guys. The skeletons are absolutely relentless. The enemy placement is astonishingly well thought out unlike most stages in the game.
What sucks though is that one mistake against ANY of the bosses means you have to play through the entire stage again,
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This run is pretty impressive and I've enjoyed watching it. Honestly I suck so bad at this game I don't enjoy playing it. I've beat it once but that was after I exhausted all my blood, sweat, and tears. Any who I'll be looking forward to your next video. :)
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It's block 8 time!
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 8] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRtTW6khw3g#)
Some of you may be offended by my choice of music for the boss.
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lol, what the heck was with that boss tune? And what make you think of that? (Not saying anything bad, definitely gave me a good chuckle because it fit in very well with what you were doing. So yeah, pretty creative on your part)
I must say the level tune you picked worked really well. It sounding like it had an echo made it seem much more like you were in a dungeon + even the sound effects sounded like they echoed a bit. So yeah, I must say it really enhanced the atmosphere of that level.
Smooth how you made that one skeleton dragon disappear that was placed right after that one set dropping spikes by abusing the screen scroll to make it disappear. I recall once when I didn't have a sub-weapon that it was kinda tedious to to take him out with just the whip. Thus always made sure I had a sub-weapon for that part (which is kinda out of the way to get, so I didn't quite win again in saving time :P)
Never knew it was that easy to walk through them long & narrow set of single dropping spikes in a row, as I always crouch walked underneath them all. And man, is that ever boring as it takes forever. ... I also never noticed that you can make it sooner past them two counter weight dropping spikes earlier to thanks to you again, as I usually wait until they both almost line up and go up together. So thanks for saving me time on something else that bored me for how long it took.
Well, all in all, another great video + learned a lot too. Glad I gave this topic a chance (almost didn't).
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lol, what the heck was with that boss tune? And what make you think of that? (Not saying anything bad, definitely gave me a good chuckle because it fit in very well with what you were doing. So yeah, pretty creative on your part)
I must say the level tune you picked worked really well. It sounding like it had an echo made it seem much more like you were in a dungeon + even the sound effects sounded like they echoed a bit. So yeah, I must say it really enhanced the atmosphere of that level.
Smooth how you made that one skeleton dragon disappear that was placed right after that one set dropping spikes by abusing the screen scroll to make it disappear. I recall once when I didn't have a sub-weapon that it was kinda tedious to to take him out with just the whip. Thus always made sure I had a sub-weapon for that part (which is kinda out of the way to get, so I didn't quite win again in saving time :P)
Never knew it was that easy to walk through them long & narrow set of single dropping spikes in a row, as I always crouch walked underneath them all. And man, is that ever boring as it takes forever. ... I also never noticed that you can make it sooner past them two counter weight dropping spikes earlier to thanks to you again, as I usually wait until they both almost line up and go up together. So thanks for saving me time on something else that bored me for how long it took.
Well, all in all, another great video + learned a lot too. Glad I gave this topic a chance (almost didn't).
Thanks for your compliments. I'm quite glad my videos are helping and entertaining people.
I've recorded Block 9 and A. All that's left is B. I've mastered the strategy for Slogra. Unfortunately, luck is still involved when facing him on the first phase, and because of his eratic nature in the second phase of the fight, he's extremely nerve racking.
Gaibon, for god knows what reason, is giving me a lot of trouble. His earthquake causes spikes to fall from random parts of the cieling, and sometimes it's hard to avoid along with Gaibon's tendency to slam into you when he tries to take flight again. His random downward shots are also annoying. His second phase is the easy part.
I find it odd that Death is the easiest of the three. His sickles are completed negated by brandishing the whip, holding up and standing in the left corner. From there, his only viable attack is the scythe throw, which is easy to avoid and leaves him open for attack. My entire strategy consists of waiting for that moment.
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LOL, what was the boss music from? It was pretty hilarious but I am honestly ashamed that I didn't get the reference. :-X
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It's from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It's the Horse Racing music.
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Uh...can you give me some context here? I still don't get why you picked that (LOL never played OoT, problem?). :-X
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Uh...can you give me some context here? I still don't get why you picked that (LOL never played OoT, problem?). :-X
I picked the song to sort of make fun of how stupidly easy the boss is. All he does is throw bottles, which you can easily destroy, rendering him completely helpless. Poor boss design = music to make fun of it.
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Well, I kinda expected the Benny Hill theme if that was the only reason, but I guess that's been done to death. :-X
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I hate the Benny Hill theme, and yes, it's been done to death.
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I tip my hat to you. Doing self-imposed challenges like these must be very tiring. About the only thing I can think to make your current endeavor even worse would be to add a pacifist run on top of that, which would be a freaking nightmare.
What I'm trying to say is, I enjoy these and hope to see more.
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I tip my hat to you. Doing self-imposed challenges like these must be very tiring. About the only thing I can think to make your current endeavor even worse would be to add a pacifist run on top of that, which would be a freaking nightmare.
What I'm trying to say is, I enjoy these and hope to see more.
Now that you mention it, I guess now would be a great opportunity to announce that I've recorded all Blocks except Block B. Once I finish that, the videos will get uploaded and the playthrough will be over.
As such, I'd like to ask people what castlevania I should do a challenge run of next. I'll probably make a separate topic with a poll, but I'll worry about that when the time comes.
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As such, I'd like to ask people what castlevania I should do a challenge run of next. I'll probably make a separate topic with a poll, but I'll worry about that when the time comes.
Well, I think we all know which Castlevania game won't be on the list.
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Motherfucking Haunted Castle?
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Motherfucking Haunted Castle?
I was actually watching your attempts at the SNES Dracula X, so that was on my mind, but I guess that works too.
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I was actually watching your attempts at the SNES Dracula X, so that was on my mind, but I guess that works too.
I'd totally do SNES Dracula X. It's a flawed game, but I like it WAY better than Super Castlevania IV, and it's harder too.
I won't do Haunted Castle mainly because 1) I already have something very special in mind for it, namely a "Musical Playthrough", and 2) I've beaten it, and the footage is recorded and will be used for point 1. Beating the game in and of itself is a fucking challenge run.
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I won't do Haunted Castle mainly because 1) I already have something very special in mind for it, namely a "Musical Playthrough", and 2) I've beaten it, and the footage is recorded and will be used for point 1.
Now you have me curious about the "Musical Playthrough".
Beating the game in and of itself is a fucking challenge run.
True.
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Now you have me curious about the "Musical Playthrough".
True.
Basically, I wrote lyrics to each stage music. The lyrics pertain to the gameplay and serve sort of as a guide. Unfortunately, I've not worked on it in months.
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what about the original trilogy? or at least, CV 1 and 3? the same Eternal Candle challenge.
And yeah, Dracula X is another one an Eternal Candle challenge would be interesting in.
Only thing is in Rondo and Dracula X you have the chain whip from the start.
oooh, what about Rondo?
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what about the original trilogy? or at least, CV 1 and 3? the same Eternal Candle challenge.
And yeah, Dracula X is another one an Eternal Candle challenge would be interesting in.
Only thing is in Rondo and Dracula X you have the chain whip from the start.
oooh, what about Rondo?
CV1 - I know for a fact that I can beat Death without taking a single hit with no sub-weapons and no whip power-ups. The final stage on the other hand is going to be HORRIBLE. Definitely worth a shot though.
CV3 - Christ, this game would take forever due to the amount of stages it has, but I'd totally do it.
Dracula X - Definitely worth a shot since I'm confident I can beat it with no issues.
Rondo - For this game, I would do an entirely different challenge, since this game is too easy to warrant such a challenge. Instead of the Eternal Candle Challenge, I'd do the "Never-Hit Endurance Challenge", which would involve me going through the entire game in one sitting without taking a hit as opposed to the Eternal Candle Challenge where you go through each level separately.
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Came back to the CVD today to find not one, but two new stages added.
Really busy right now, but will post highlights later. Thanks for all the hard work ;D
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would involve me going through the entire game in one sitting without taking a hit
Now THAT's an endurance challenge. mainly because if you accidentally take a hit it's back to the title screen.
but after a few tries Id imagine it would get old hat.
I recently Downloaded SoTN on the Xbox 360, after having beaten it on an emulator first some time ago. So since Ive already beaten it, I decided to do something different, and instead am going through the whole game using my fist as my main weapon, and a sword only when nessecary. (theres points where I just cant use my fist to hit an enemy)
I DID kind of cheat a bit though by getting the Jewel Knuckles early through that hidden elevator, but fuck it, it aint cheating if it's a legit programmed secret.
Fist only is so much fun because you can land SO many more hits than with a sword. And with the Jewel Knuckles, half of em are criticals.
maybe next time I should try fist only no fist weapons?
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Now THAT's an endurance challenge. mainly because if you accidentally take a hit it's back to the title screen.
but after a few tries Id imagine it would get old hat.
I actually tried it out months ago and ragequitted. The farthest I got was to Shaft. This was taking all the alternate routes by the way, including 5'.
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Yo dudes and ladies. I need a remix/arrange to use for Block 9. I can't find anything.
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I just find Jorge's Block 9-1 remix
Treasury Room - Block 9-1 - Super Castlevania IV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-N_uhfXG7Y#)
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So what's up with the next video?
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So what's up with the next video?
I haven't uploaded it, mainly because I dislike every remix I've found.
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I haven't uploaded it, mainly because I dislike every remix I've found.
If you can't find a good enough remix then go with what's already provided by the game. Even today I still find SCV IV's music to stand up well against the test of time.
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MarkyJoe, you can also use remixes of other songs. There are lots and lots of remixes, covers and arrangements of other songs, so you could use some. Just my two cents.
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If you can't find a good enough remix then go with what's already provided by the game. Even today I still find SCV IV's music to stand up well against the test of time.
Y'know what? You're right. I should just use the original.
MarkyJoe, you can also use remixes of other songs. There are lots and lots of remixes, covers and arrangements of other songs, so you could use some. Just my two cents.
I usually do this for the boss music, since hearing the same boss theme would eventually get boring, but for stage music, I intend to stick to remixes of the original level tunes. With some exceptions of course (Block 4 used the original tune, as will block 9. Block B is going to use Finale Toccata, and Block A... I haven't decided yet.)
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Hey, do you want a special cover for this theme? I can do it if you want. You'd have it only for your video. ;)
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Hey, do you want a special cover for this theme? I can do it if you want. You'd have it only for your video. ;)
I'm a very picky person. If your cover isn't exactly what I'm looking for, I'll turn it down. As such, I don't recommend making a cover specifically for me. Besides, it would seem unfair if I was the only one entitled to it.
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I'm a very picky person. If your cover isn't exactly what I'm looking for, I'll turn it down. As such, I don't recommend making a cover specifically for me. Besides, it would seem unfair if I was the only one entitled to it.
No problem. I'd just like to give it a try, it's always good to imrpove my skills. What are you exactly looking for?
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No problem. I'd just like to give it a try, it's always good to imrpove my skills. What are you exactly looking for?
A redbook quality version of Block 9's theme. If not that, then an interesting, unique interpretation of the theme that still fits the stage. I'm looking for something that compliments atmosphere.
Jorge D. Fuentes's tunes are usually of the former kind of music I'm looking for, but are hindered by weird equalizations and odd instrument choices (Namely the drawbar organs that he uses a lot in his music that sound nothing like the SC IV organs)
A good example of "Interesting, unique interpretation of a theme" would be the song I used for Block 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfcGqiDPIuU#). It's the same song, but with a very different feel, and it still manages to compliment the atmosphere of the stage.
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A redbook quality version of Block 9's theme. If not that, then an interesting, unique interpretation of the theme that still fits the stage. I'm looking for something that compliments atmosphere.
Jorge D. Fuentes's tunes are usually of the former kind of music I'm looking for, but are hindered by weird equalizations and odd instrument choices (Namely the drawbar organs that he uses a lot in his music that sound nothing like the SC IV organs)
A good example of "Interesting, unique interpretation of a theme" would be the song I used for Block 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfcGqiDPIuU#). It's the same song, but with a very different feel, and it still manages to compliment the atmosphere of the stage.
I shall try to have something for you by the end of the week. :)
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I shall try to have something for you by the end of the week. :)
Alright. In the mean time, it's time for...
AN UPDATE ON PROGRESS
Block B is still unbelievably unbelievable, but I think I now have a luck-free strategy on Slogra. As you may know, with his wand, Slogra has two attacks: A lunging charge and an exploding energy ball shot from his wand. When you hit him, he is launched in the air and lands on top of you. When you dodge this, he will occasionally open up with either one of the two attacks IMMEDIATELY after landing. No start-up whatsoever: or so I thought. The wand shot can easily be dodged by ducking before hand, but the lunge seems to actually have a telegraph to it, mainly that Slogra will take a step backwards before using it. I've been capitalizing on it, and find that my success-rate against Slogra has augmented immensely.
Unfortunately, Gaibon is still a thorn on my side, and Death takes excruciatingly long due to my risk-free strategy.
Dracula... is a god damn whore for two reasons. 1) His tiny energy balls that he tosses. If you're to Dracula's Left, you can whip the ball as he releases it, and then walk under it to avoid the bullets shot by the energy ball afterwards. If you're on the right side, brandish your whip and hope that it somehow prevents damage. 2) His lightning strikes are surprisingly fast, and I find myself unable to consistently dodge them. This is definitely a shortcoming on my part, and I will have to overcome it.
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I find it's the opposite for me. Gaibon is relatively easy and I can pretty much kill him without receiving damage. However Slogra is a much different story... He's fast and powerful. His method of attacking you can easily catch you off-guard if you, yourself are not quick. Death I can kill with little or no problems as I just stick to the far left corner of the screen. I will get the occasional cycle stuck up my @$$, but his scythe is ultimately useless.
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I find it's the opposite for me. Gaibon is relatively easy and I can pretty much kill him without receiving damage. However Slogra is a much different story... He's fast and powerful. His method of attacking you can easily catch you off-guard if you, yourself are not quick. Death I can kill with little or no problems as I just stick to the far left corner of the screen. I will get the occasional cycle stuck up my @$$, but his scythe is ultimately useless.
It's kind of ironic too since Gaibon used to be really easy for me, but now I don't have the extra whip range to reach him when he's at his highest. This, combined with the whip's lesser power means I have to deal with more occurrences of Gaibon's earthquake move, which heightens the risk of me being hit by falling debris, which can be very difficult to avoid depending on where they spawn and at what densities. This is made worse by the whip's unreliable hit detection towards multiple targets condensed together.
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Yknow what this thread has made me think,
someone should do a playthrough of LoS and replace the music with other Castlevania musical themes. That would be awesome.
unfortunately though, Capturing 360/PS3 footage is a bit trickier than using an emulator and recording.
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Yknow what this thread has made me think,
someone should do a playthrough of LoS and replace the music with other Castlevania musical themes. That would be awesome.
unfortunately though, Capturing 360/PS3 footage is a bit trickier than using an emulator and recording.
You know, that'd be awesome!
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BAM
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block 9] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ThNMNf4UA#)
Block 9 is up.
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Thanks once again, these vids are a joy to watch. I remember back in the day, the very first time I saw stage 9 my jaw practically hit the floor.
Really nice job not hitting any candles on this one, looked to be the most difficult thus far in that respect. Also, VERY nice job avoiding the bosses shrapnel.
Keep'em coming! The mummy is sadly easy, but really looking forward to watching you ace block 10. ;D
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Alright, this video is finally up!! Been waiting forever (but alas, if things go too fast then it'll be all over :'()... first a quick quote and reply, then off to see the vid. :)
Thanks once again, these vids are a joy to watch. I remember back in the day, the very first time I saw stage 9 my jaw practically hit the floor.
Yeah, this is the very first level in this game that I really enjoyed the look of a lot too and sadly the last level and only level in this whole game too. :(
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I too, though the Treasury was an awesome and unique stage. The had it in Harmony of Dissonance but in no way could it ever live up to the epicness of the SCV IV version.
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BAM
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block A] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxPSDkpaZNw#)
Bloody Tears, anyone?
One more level to go...
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The best thing to come out of Judgement was really the music.
Especially Bloody Tears and Beginning
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God fucking damnit!
I made it all the way from the beginning of Block B to Dracula, and got hit by fucking walking into Dracula.
EDIT: Beat Slogra THREE TIMES IN A ROW, only for Gaibon or Dracula to screw me up. I'm so close. SO CLOSE.
EDIT 2: Dracula's tiny orbs are the biggest obstacle at this point. If I can conquer those, the day is won.
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Another cool vid, markyjoe1990. And for a sec on it I though you were gonna commit suicide, because from what I remember, it wasn't possible to go that low below a screen. I was like, What the heck is doing?! ... So yeah, who would of thunk that?
Also, loved the frame finish to the video. Never seen that one before. Simon face and with his hair looked very different in that frame.
I loved how you opened the video with only the sounds of the gears in the background. And then only the sounds of the wind during the pre-boss scene (I take it this was added in for the wind sound FX? Or do you mean to tell me it's in the actual game?). So yeah, great stuff. As sometimes it's the little details that matter most or much too.
For your next Block vid, if you end up having too much trouble, maybe you should take breaks more often? I say if it's driving you too nuts, maybe it'd be best walk away from it for a bit?... As long as you get it done eventually is all that matters to me. And there is no point in pleasing everybody by rushing it and giving yourself extra grief... But then again, this may be all that's on your mind and you won't be able to rest until it's done or something too?... Hey, isn't it driving you nuts doing levels entirely over so many times?!... And do you ever plan on paying Super Castlevania 4 after this ever again? (I know when I come dangerously close to mastering a game my interest in it may take a massive nose dive)
... Hey, I thought you mentioned you preferred or much more preferred Castlevania XX for SNES over this one? Can I then quickly ask you how you rank the other classic style vania games from your least fave to most fave? (Since I much more prefer XX over SCIV too... in a ton of categories too >_>;; ) And what's next from you in the classic vania series?
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God fucking damnit!
I made it all the way from the beginning of Block B to Dracula, and got hit by fucking walking into Dracula.
Ouch. Nothing like being absent-minded to bruise the ego.
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Another cool vid, markyjoe1990. And for a sec on it I though you were gonna commit suicide, because from what I remember, it wasn't possible to go that low below a screen. I was like, What the heck is doing?! ... So yeah, who would of thunk that?
I should have down-whipped the hook thing. That would have made it even cooler.
I loved how you opened the video with only the sounds of the gears in the background. And then only the sounds of the wind during the pre-boss scene (I take it this was added in for the wind sound FX? Or do you mean to tell me it's in the actual game?). So yeah, great stuff. As sometimes it's the little details that matter most or much too.
I added in those sounds. And thanks.
For your next Block vid, if you end up having too much trouble, maybe you should take breaks more often? I say if it's driving you too nuts, maybe it'd be best walk away from it for a bit?... As long as you get it done eventually is all that matters to me. And there is no point in pleasing everybody by rushing it and giving yourself extra grief... But then again, this may be all that's on your mind and you won't be able to rest until it's done or something too?... Hey, isn't it driving you nuts doing levels entirely over so many times?!... And do you ever plan on paying Super Castlevania 4 after this ever again? (I know when I come dangerously close to mastering a game my interest in it may take a massive nose dive)
I'll figure something out. I don't know if I'll ever play super castlevania IV again, but eh. I might. It's not a horrible game by any means, I just find it sloppy.
... Hey, I thought you mentioned you preferred or much more preferred Castlevania XX for SNES over this one? Can I then quickly ask you how you rank the other classic style vania games from your least fave to most fave? (Since I much more prefer XX over SCIV too... in a ton of categories too >_>;;) And what's next from you in the classic vania series?
Actually I changed my mind. While I do appreciate that Dracula XX is more difficult than Super Castlevania IV, it's... not very fun.
I don't think I can make a list for the entire series, but my top 5 castlevanias are as follows:
1. Rondo of Blood
2. Castlevania X86000
3. Castlevania III
4. Bloodlines
5. Rebirth
What Castlevania do I plan to do a challenge run of next? I might have people vote, but if not, Rondo of Blood.
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What Castlevania do I plan to do a challenge run of next? I might have people vote, but if not, Rondo of Blood.
Though I actually just realized that I shouldn't watch anymore playthroughs since I consider these high skill playthroughs to take a big chunk out of the fun of figuring out a game I really like myself for quite a bit longer (remember, I just started with this series, still lots to learn on my own + I notice you go and reveal secrets too)... Super Castlevania is probably my least fave classic vania game? (Legends don't count :P) My love/hate for SCIV is all over the place, but lately I've been more bored with it then ever (and I'd really like to love it! As there ain't that many classic vania games :'(). So I didn't mind it getting ruined a bit more by watching someone show me how to play more expertly through it, lol (though it's not like I have a super memory either, so not that much damage :rollseyes:).
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Fun Fact: You don't need to be an expert to beat Super Castlevania IV. Just power up your whip, get the boomerang, triple-shot it up, and then you're neigh invincible. Even if you get hit, enemies deal crap for damage. The only real worry comes from elements of instant death.
Super Castlevania IV is sort of crappy in terms of challenge and polish. The level design very rarely pushes you to do anything difficult, enemies have needlessly high amounts of health while lacking the cunning to make them engaging, some bosses have unavoidable attacks or are easily trivialized, the whip-swinging mechanic is under utilized, the whip's range and aiming ability obsolete almost all of the sub-weapons and any semblence of strategy, the game has a raging axe armor fetish (And bat fetish for the second playthrough of the game), and the only enemies that are exploited effectively are the bats (occasionally), floating eyeballs and skeletons.
However, Super Castlevania IV is considered good because while it's level design isn't exactly creative from a challenge perspective, it combines colorful, detailed visuals with music to create a sense of immersion rivaled only by Symphony of the Night in the entire series. While it never asks for much in terms of challenge, it also has enough variation in the level design to not feel bland either. It's also got very flexible controls and mechanics, which makes it a very approachable game.
I don't feel it's enough to get me to like the game a lot, but it's unfrustrating and immersive, which for a lot of people, is agreeable.
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Fun Fact: You don't need to be an expert to beat Super Castlevania IV. Just power up your whip, get the boomerang, triple-shot it up, and then you're neigh invincible. Even if you get hit, enemies deal crap for damage. The only real worry comes from elements of instant death.
Lol, I thought I already posted here that the only thing that kills me in SCIV is instant death by falling in a pit. It's actually another reason why this game upsets me/bores me. To die in a lame pit and then be forced to do most of a boring no challenge otherwise level all over again is enough to make me turn system/emulator off and forget about playing this game again. And since I never use passwords in my classic vania games, starting this game all over again next time I start is a drag (lol, last time I started this game, I for the first time in my life sang out loud along with the first stage theme as it started; "Bored, bore, bore, bored, bore, bore, bored." Because honestly, that's how I felt and couldn't help but wonder as to why I'm wasting my time playing this?
And yeah, the boomerang item in this game is my choice weapon. There is absolutely zero point in getting any other weapon in this game unlike other Castlevania games. This sub-item is crazy way more usefull then the others. Two boomerangs is all you need to kill Medusa. :D Only since I still die in some lame platforming related area instant death type thing, due to not playing this game enough to be familiar with it enough, makes powering up my subweapons pointless. Especially when all you really need for this game is you whip, really. :P And the game is still easy enough with just the whip only... heck, when ever I have a triple boomerang, I still never use it during a level, but save it for bosses only, as utterly destroying them with the aid of a triple boomerang is fun. ;D
Super Castlevania IV is sort of crappy in terms of challenge and polish. The level design very rarely pushes you to do anything difficult, enemies have needlessly high amounts of health while lacking the cunning to make them engaging, some bosses have unavoidable attacks or are easily trivialized, the whip-swinging mechanic is under utilized, the whip's range and aiming ability obsolete almost all of the sub-weapons and any semblence of strategy, the game has a raging axe armor fetish (And bat fetish for the second playthrough of the game), and the only enemies that are exploited effectively are the bats (occasionally), floating eyeballs and skeletons.
Lol, and people complain about overused enemies in the next SNES vania game. But yeah, I noticed the extreme bat fetish this game uses for loop two as well + they use them very cheaply, like you almost better know where they're coming from otherwise BAM! You take a hit... luckily this game supplies you with a ton of meat. :D But yeah, lol, did I ever get bitched at in another topic with people complaining about the bats in Dracula XX for SNES & them being cheap. I guess them same people never payed Super Castlevania IV loop two before? ;D
However, Super Castlevania IV is considered good because while it's level design isn't exactly creative from a challenge perspective, it combines colorful, detailed visuals with music to create a sense of immersion rivaled only by Symphony of the Night in the entire series. While it never asks for much in terms of challenge, it also has enough variation in the level design to not feel bland either. It's also got very flexible controls and mechanics, which makes it a very approachable game.
And here is why I'm having such a hard time liking this game. I didn't see any graphics excellence at all for the most part. Save for a few key scenes like when there is a lot of paralax background scrolls and small scenes like where you fight the Mummy boss & the final set of bosses after that.
Now add the fact that playing this game bores me gameplay wise. And it's really not that hard to see why I'm having such a hard time trying to get into this game. :( I almost feel like completely giving up on this game sometimes from the sheer boredom this game gives me... Sometimes I think that if only I had played this game when it came out right away, instead of the tailend of the SNES' lifespan, that maybe I would of seen some of this game graphical excellence and that I too may of been a fan of this game? Now I feel very sad that this isn't the case and can only wish I had the same nostalgic memories as the Videogame Nerd and many other from this site who list this game as their fave... But as it is, when I first popped in this game I was like "Yikes & No! I wasted my money on a prehistoric, & very well looking it, SNES game. :'( EGM, you lied to me!"
Oh, and exactly, when people say a game has good level design, they almost never mean it from a challenge game design perspective, but from a visual perspective only.
I don't feel it's enough to get me to like the game a lot, but it's unfrustrating and immersive, which for a lot of people, is agreeable.
Yeah, this game's massive size really upsets me too since I don't like this game. But the sad thing is that if I did like this game, this game's massive size would of been one of it's best features, and one of the reason why I would of probably rated it as one of my most fave vania games ever... But I don't know, graphics alone aren't always enough I find. I thought SotN looked out of this world graphically back when it first came out (it was my second played and beat vania game), and since then I have yet to replay SotN even once more... But that's just me, as SotN is the other most popular Castlevania game out there... So I guess your right? Most people favour Castlevania games mostly due to graphics alone...
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God fucking damnit!
I made it all the way from the beginning of Block B to Dracula, and got hit by fucking walking into Dracula.
LOL!! This has never happened to me before! Way ta go markyjoe1990!
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Lol, I thought I already posted here that the only thing that kills me in SCIV is instant death by falling in a pit. It's actually another reason why this game upsets me/bores me. To die in a lame pit and then be forced to do most of a boring no challenge otherwise level all over again is enough to make me turn system/emulator off and forget about playing this game again. And since I never use passwords in my classic vania games, starting this game all over again next time I start is a drag (lol, last time I started this game, I for the first time in my life sang out loud along with the first stage theme as it started; "Bored, bore, bore, bored, bore, bore, bored." Because honestly, that's how I felt and couldn't help but wonder as to why I'm wasting my time playing this?
And yeah, the boomerang item in this game is my choice weapon. There is absolutely zero point in getting any other weapon in this game unlike other Castlevania games. This sub-item is crazy way more usefull then the others. Two boomerangs is all you need to kill Medusa. :D Only since I still die in some lame platforming related area instant death type thing, due to not playing this game enough to be familiar with it enough, makes powering up my subweapons pointless. Especially when all you really need for this game is you whip, really. :P And the game is still easy enough with just the whip only... heck, when ever I have a triple boomerang, I still never use it during a level, but save it for bosses only, as utterly destroying them with the aid of a triple boomerang is fun. ;D
Lol, and people complain about overused enemies in the next SNES vania game. But yeah, I noticed the extreme bat fetish this game uses for loop two as well + they use them very cheaply, like you almost better know where they're coming from otherwise BAM! You take a hit... luckily this game supplies you with a ton of meat. :D But yeah, lol, did I ever get bitched at in another topic with people complaining about the bats in Dracula XX for SNES & them being cheap. I guess them same people never payed Super Castlevania IV loop two before? ;D
And here is why I'm having such a hard time liking this game. I didn't see any graphics excellence at all for the most part. Save for a few key scenes like when there is a lot of paralax background scrolls and small scenes like where you fight the Mummy boss & the final set of bosses after that.
Now add the fact that playing this game bores me gameplay wise. And it's really not that hard to see why I'm having such a hard time trying to get into this game. :( I almost feel like completely giving up on this game sometimes from the sheer boredom this game gives me... Sometimes I think that if only I had played this game when it came out right away, instead of the tailend of the SNES' lifespan, that maybe I would of seen some of this game graphical excellence and that I too may of been a fan of this game? Now I feel very sad that this isn't the case and can only wish I had the same nostalgic memories as the Videogame Nerd and many other from this site who list this game as their fave... But as it is, when I first popped in this game I was like "Yikes & No! I wasted my money on a prehistoric, & very well looking it, SNES game. :'( EGM, you lied to me!"
Oh, and exactly, when people say a game has good level design, they almost never mean it from a challenge game design perspective, but from a visual perspective only.
Yeah, this game's massive size really upsets me too since I don't like this game. But the sad thing is that if I did like this game, this game's massive size would of been one of it's best features, and one of the reason why I would of probably rated it as one of my most fave vania games ever... But I don't know, graphics alone aren't always enough I find. I thought SotN looked out of this world graphically back when it first came out (it was my second played and beat vania game), and since then I have yet to replay SotN even once more... But that's just me, as SotN is the other most popular Castlevania game out there... So I guess your right? Most people favour Castlevania games mostly due to graphics alone...
*sigh* Given that I've read quite a bit on your topic (http://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/index.php/topic,4845.0.html), I was able to learn enough about your personality to predict you would reply in such a manner.
I don't want this topic getting derailed, so I'll just reply with "I disagree with most of your points". I don't want to explain why, and I don't want to be asked. I should've kept my mouth shut about SCIV in the first place, so I apologize.
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While you all wait for Block B to be finished, here's some commentary on Block B.
SCIV Eternal Candle Challenge Block B Practice Run with Commentary (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgmghspI-8I#)
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... instant death by falling in a pit. It's actually another reason why this game upsets me/bores me.
Boo hoo! The instant death pits upset me! I shall shun all of classic gaming for such a folly mechanic!
And since I never use passwords in my classic vania games, starting this game all over again next time I start is a drag
It's not the game's fault you're too retarded and lazy to write down a password or, even worse, use a save state.
And here is why I'm having such a hard time liking this game. I didn't see any graphics excellence at all for the most part.
Oh! I finally understand. You're blind. Your entire post suddenly makes sense now.
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Oh and Mark, you had me WTF with the sudden hook riding off the bottom edge of the screen. Well noted and exploited. Very nice work on these last two.
Waiting for the rage that is Slogera.
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Boo hoo! The instant death pits upset me! I shall shun all of classic gaming for such a folly mechanic!
It's not the game's fault you're too retarded and lazy to write down a password or, even worse, use a save state.
Oh! I finally understand. You're blind. Your entire post suddenly makes sense now.
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Oh and Mark, you had me WTF with the sudden hook riding off the bottom edge of the screen. Well noted and exploited. Very nice work on these last two.
Waiting for the rage that is Slogera.
Please don't encourage Sinful. I'm begging you. I really don't want this thread to be derailed.
Please.
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Please don't encourage Sinful. I'm begging you. I really don't want this thread to be derailed.
Please.
lol, relax, I'll keep your topic clean as spic and spam. :) (I'll start a separate topic about Super Castlevania IV graphics eventually, just to see if there is at least someone who agrees with me?... as I seem to be the only one?...)
Anywho, off to watch that last video. And wow, didn't think it'd be up already! :o
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Oh man, I just seen that vid, and I have to say I was blown away! :o So blown away that I want more vids like this from you from now on, only they don't have to be perfect challenges (plus avoid the secrets so I can watch 'em too). Just you playing a classic vania game and you yapping away while doing as best as you can is good enough for me. Plus I always respect players thoughts on a game much more if they know their games enough to eventually end up above average in them.
Anyways, back on the video;
- it's pretty cool to see you basically playing this game in your sleep while showing off great skill at the same time (basically because you've played these scenes enough time to do it in your sleep, lol).
- you though that bridge has no good purpose besides aesthetics? But it's one of the very few very pleasing to look at scenes in the game. And it set the mood very well too... Plus it's tradition... though yeah, they could have added some gameplay to it, since that's tradition too. >_>
- So you like the way the last stage was designed then? Too bad that if you don't include the bridge, it's a tad short... though not shorter then the first Castlevania as I just found out, and Dracula XX (so I'm glad for games that don't follow this short last level idea).(And since I heard that Simon's Quest last level has no enemies in it, I guess it's too short too?)
- when I read here that you mentioned that you just figured out you could duck under the first bosses attack, I was surprised that you didn't figure this out much earlier, since there seems to be plenty of attacks that could be ducked through in this game... and other classic vania games too... I don't think I would of beaten this game back in the day if i didn't figure out I could duck under that attack?..
- seemed like the second boss was really stressing you out? But didn't seem like it to me (the inexperienced) that you were having that much trouble and handling everything just fine?...
- you know, I don't think I've ever used that safe spot to beat Death ever? And I recall the very first time I played him back in the day, that I was so clueless as to how I'd ever come up with a tactic to beat him? I think I must of figured out the brandish whip move to have beaten him back then?... Had too...?
- you didn't use the brandish whip move to block Dracula's three fireballs move at the start?... I guess if your timing ain't that close some can slip by, thus it's not as effective? But the jump and hit downward move seem to require pretty good timing too, no?... Or maybe the whip has to be upgraded to the brandish to block out the three fireballs?... And man, you sure love that jump and whip down/down-diagonal move, don't you? As I've seen you do if soo many times in this playthrough, meanwhile, I don't think I've ever done it, lol.
- wow, that fire part of Dracula was the hardest part for me!! Never thought about jumping to hit them much sooner. :-[
- the lighting part I thought was the easiest? :-\ Maybe not from a no damage perspective playthrough though?
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lol, relax, I'll keep your topic clean as spic and spam. :) (I'll start a separate topic about Super Castlevania IV graphics eventually, just to see if there is at least someone who agrees with me?... as I seem to be the only one?...)
Anywho, off to watch that last video. And wow, didn't think it'd be up already! :o
Block B isn't complete yet. This was just a practice run.
Oh man, I just seen that vid, and I have to say I was blown away! :o So blown away that I want more vids like this from you from now on, only they don't have to be perfect challenges (plus avoid the secrets so I can watch 'em too). Just you playing a classic vania game and you yapping away while doing as best as you can is good enough for me. Plus I always respect players thoughts on a game much more if they know their games enough to eventually end up above average in them.
Normally I feel my commentary is very good, but in this video... ugh. Not so much.
Anyways, back on the video;
- it's pretty cool to see you basically playing this game in your sleep while showing off great skill at the same time (basically because you've played these scenes enough time to do it in your sleep, lol).
I've made over 50 attempts to beat the level. It's practically muscle memory at this point.
- you though that bridge has no good purpose besides aesthetics? But it's one of the very few very pleasing to look at scenes in the game. And it set the mood very well too... Plus it's tradition... though yeah, they could have added some gameplay to it, since that's tradition too. >_>
I don't like that bridge section. Chronicles managed to make a bridge section that was both really hard and interesting to look at, and Rondo's bridge section was super aciton-packed. This one is just... there.
- So you like the way the last stage was designed then? Too bad that if you don't include the bridge, it's a tad short... though not shorter then the first Castlevania as I just found out, and Dracula XX (so I'm glad for games that don't follow this short last level idea).(And since I heard that Simon's Quest last level has no enemies in it, I guess it's too short too?)
I said a lot of stuff in that video that I didn't intend to say. I don't like the last level much. The only good parts are the falling stairway section and the four-boss endurance section. It's pretty amazing that you have to fight four entirely new bosses in a single level rather than Megaman's lame ass "Fight every single boss you've already beaten before" thing.
- when I read here that you mentioned that you just figured out you could duck under the first bosses attack, I was surprised that you didn't figure this out much earlier, since there seems to be plenty of attacks that could be ducked through in this game... and other classic vania games too... I don't think I would of beaten this game back in the day if i didn't figure out I could duck under that attack?..
I think the way I worded that boss fight was a bit dodgey. I've always known how to avoid his attack.
- seemed like the second boss was really stressing you out? But didn't seem like it to me (the inexperienced) that you were having that much trouble and handling everything just fine?...
He used to, but then I found a working strategy. Now he's cake.
- you know, I don't think I've ever used that safe spot to beat Death ever? And I recall the very first time I played him back in the day, that I was so clueless as to how I'd ever come up with a tactic to beat him? I think I must of figured out the brandish whip move to have beaten him back then?... Had too...?
I can't remember a time where I didn't use that strategy to be honest. I really hate that Death is so pointless in this game. It's nice that you fight four new bosses in the final stage, but aside from Dracula, they're all designed like crap.
- you didn't use the brandish whip move to block Dracula's three fireballs move at the start?... I guess if your timing ain't that close some can slip by, thus it's not as effective? But the jump and hit downward move seem to require pretty good timing too, no?... Or maybe the whip has to be upgraded to the brandish to block out the three fireballs?... And man, you sure love that jump and whip down/down-diagonal move, don't you? As I've seen you do if soo many times in this playthrough, meanwhile, I don't think I've ever done it, lol.
The whip brandish is unreliable when it comes to block multiple projectiles at once. The whip brandish is almost always detrimental in the context of this challenge run.
And yes, I love doing the diagonal downward whip move. Simon's best poses are in that animation, and it makes the videos look closer.
- wow, that fire part of Dracula was the hardest part for me!! Never thought about jumping to hit them much sooner. :-[
I don't understand why people think the floating fire phase of dracula is hard.
- the lighting part I thought was the easiest? :-\ Maybe not from a no damage perspective playthrough though?
You aren't the first one to say the lightning part is the easiest. I guess my reflexes are just horrible.
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I think your commmeting was just fine. ... Maybe because you were probably being yourself, and that's what I most respect.
I don't like that bridge section. Chronicles managed to make a bridge section that was both really hard and interesting to look at, and Rondo's bridge section was super aciton-packed. This one is just... there.
Haven't seen the Chronicles one yet. But yeah, now that you mention the Rondo bridge, I can really see why you hate SCIV bridge. :D Rondo's bridge I praised already in another topic for being really greatly designed (toss in some of that random Castlevania stuff tradition that's been around since the first game, and it's too awesome).
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lol, relax, I'll keep your topic clean as spic and spam. :) (I'll start a separate topic about Super Castlevania IV graphics eventually, just to see if there is at least someone who agrees with me?... as I seem to be the only one?...)
*Spoiler Alert*
We Don't.
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I've made over 50 attempts to beat the level. It's practically muscle memory at this point.
50? That's a lot.
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50? That's a lot.
Don't ever plan on taking the challenge of doing speed runs then. ;D
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I apologize if this counts as a necropost, but uh...
Super Castlevania IV: Hard Mode, No-Damage, Eternal Candle Challenge [Block B] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KB6An9M7cU#)
I finally did it. The challenge is complete. After months of attempts and caving in and giving myself some leeway, I finally pulled it off. I never want to play Super Castlevania IV again.
I'd like to thank all of you for your support and for sending me music to use in the videos. This challenge was really god damn hard, but I'm glad I at least got some satisfaction from it.
I know I'm gonna hate myself for this, but I do plan to do more Castlevania challenges in the future, including another Eternal Candle Challenge, maybe. I have my sights particularly set on Rondo of Blood and Castlevania Chronicles, since those two are among my favorites.
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Good show. Perfect Halloween video.
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Wow, I had completely forgotten about this (having a baby will do that). Good job, and thanks again for taking the time. I look forward to future projects.
And LOL @ you teabagging drac at the end.
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Wow, I had completely forgotten about this (having a baby will do that). Good job, and thanks again for taking the time. I look forward to future projects.
Assuming I have it in me, I plan to do a no-hit, one-sitting run of Rondo of Blood. By "one-sitting", I mean that I have to go through the entire game without getting hit once. If I mess up once, I have to start th entire game over from stage 0. I plan to do two different playthroughs, one with the main route, and one with the secret routes, though, I might just do one runthrough with only the hardest stages in the game.
And LOL @ you teabagging drac at the end.
He. fucking. deserved. it.
I spent so much time trying to beat each and every stage under these conditions, and ultimately I don't feel it was worth the frustration. Frankly, tea-bagging him was FAR from satisfactory vengeance.
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Wow I agree with Uzo, perfect Halloween video. Great job! I look forward to future endeavors.
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Nice to see you actually finished it. I was thinking you just gave up, which considering the challenge you set up, would've been fine in my book.
I'm a little surprised you didn't use the Chronicles version of Simon's theme. That's the most badass version ever.
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Nice to see you actually finished it. I was thinking you just gave up, which considering the challenge you set up, would've been fine in my book.
Giving up is something I do way too often. If you look on my channel, I have tons of unfinished playthroughs (with commentary), and I have a tendency of going back on what I say I will do. It's a trait that I really don't like about myself, but more than that, the reason why I kept going with this challenge was because I got so far; quiting now when I'm so close to victory would've been disappointing for me and everyone interested in this playthrough.
I'm a little surprised you didn't use the Chronicles version of Simon's theme. That's the most badass version ever.
That's one of my favorite versions of Simon's Theme, and I do prefer it over the one I used in the video. I considered using it, but the intro for the 2007 arrange seemed more fitting because of the more heroic beginning.
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Giving up is something I do way too often. If you look on my channel, I have tons of unfinished playthroughs (with commentary), and I have a tendency of going back on what I say I will do. It's a trait that I really don't like about myself, but more than that, the reason why I kept going with this challenge was because I got so far; quiting now when I'm so close to victory would've been disappointing for me and everyone interested in this playthrough.
I do that a lot too, but that's mostly laziness on my part.
That's one of my favorite versions of Simon's Theme, and I do prefer it over the one I used in the video. I considered using it, but the intro for the 2007 arrange seemed more fitting because of the more heroic beginning.
Good point on the heroic part.
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Nice to see you actually finished it. I was thinking you just gave up, which considering the challenge you set up, would've been fine in my book.
I'm a little surprised you didn't use the Chronicles version of Simon's theme. That's the most badass version ever.
IMO the Bloodlines version is best for me. The genesis soundchip really makes a sinister sound.
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I have my sights particularly set on Rondo of Blood and Castlevania Chronicles, since those two are among my favorites.
CV Chronicles will definitely be a challenge to overcome. Rondo on the other hand might not be so challenging due to the fact that there is no whip power-ups. But the harder version of Rondo ala CV: Dracula X (SNES) would be a more challenging run then Rondo. Try killing Dracula in his pillar-floored tower with NO axes to help you.
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CV Chronicles will definitely be a challenge to overcome. Rondo on the other hand might not be so challenging due to the fact that there is no whip power-ups. But the harder version of Rondo ala CV: Dracula X (SNES) would be a more challenging run then Rondo. Try killing Dracula in his pillar-floored tower with NO axes to help you.
Take note that Chronicles and Rondo would be completely different challenge runs. Chronicles would be a continuation of the Eternal Candle Challenge, whereas Rondo would be a "one-sitting" no-hit playthrough. Sub-Weapons would still be allowed for the latter.
For Chronicles, I'd probably have to make some exceptions regarding candles since it's impossible to avoid the candles in Dracula's boss room. To avoid destroying the candles, Dracula has to be in VERY specific spots on the playing field AND you have to hit him with a diagonal whip shot to avoid hitting candles. This is far too tedious and unfun to be worth it, and, assuming I use the timer, I'd run out of time long before I whittle down even HALF of his health.
As for Dracula X? I don't really have anything in mind for that game, but of all the castlevanias, that's probably the most reliant on sub-weapons since not only is Richter very slow, but the sub-weapons are incredibly powerful, including the daggers which deal the same damage as your whip (Which was a good balancing decision of you ask me). If I did eternal candle, it would be horrible, but at least I'd get a break in between each level. The "one-sitting" no hit run on the other hand would be devilish considering how hard it is to avoid getting hit. I'd probably resort to equipping the axe for most of it simply due to the invincibility frames of it's item crash (Plus the axe is probably the best weapon in that game).