Castlevania Dungeon Forums
The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: warfreak on May 22, 2008, 11:45:29 AM
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Well, here's the ultimate thread that will probably spawn a lot of debates. Do you like IGA's works and would you like him to continue on Castlevania? Would you like someone new to work on it? Or maybe you don't care? ;D
Personally, I like his works, and the direction he brought the series. Especially SotN.
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I like IGA because he's a Castlevania geek --like me.
Many people here question his leadership, but at the end of the day --this man is the reason Castlevania is still alive.
The real question here is if its time for him to pass the torch to some new blood. I'm not certain I know the answer to that... I'd really hate to see Castlevania degenerate the same way the Megaman franchise has --although the series has become a tad stale since AoS... We haven't reached the point where the suits are driving game development at the expense of the artistry and overall quality. Although I think this may be changing. Do we really need a new Castlevania every single year?
If IGA were to step down, I'd like his successor to be another zealous, Castlevania Geek living and breathing the mythos, an passionate artist who isn't afraid to tell the suits to go f*ck off when he's pressured to cut corners and stay on a contrived business schedule.
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In Reply To #2
I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get away with telling your boss to f-off in Japan :P
Anyways, I've been a fan of Iga's for a while. I think he's really passionate about the franchise and each individual game. On the other hand, I DO think it's time for some changes, I'm not saying throw Iga out on the curb, but maybe he should share some of the responsability, or take on a lesser role in the development.
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Koji Igarashi's probably a really nice guy; prolly quite smart too. I could see him being a pretty cool dude to hang with (so long as he took the damn hat off first).
However, I think he is past his prime. SOTN was his magnum opus and I just don't think he can personally top it. (That doesn't mean someone else can't. I say let the former head of KCEK give it a go again, if he's still around). As such, IGA's Castletroids have really only gotten more predictable and trapped in their element; that being to try to match the overall grandeur that was SOTN but just never quite reaching it.
But he doesn't have the same talent in his team anymore, or if he does, they are stretched too thin. The proof is in the constant downspiral in the art department and the general lack of polish as he seeks to make the castles larger, the systems more complex and just this going with the general idea that more begets more.
He has made some awesome contributions to some of the sub game systems in both the 2D and 3D outings. I love all the replay value he manages to get into a game. I think more than a lot of his peers, he is successful at this. His equipment switch (character switch, in POR), his weapon-building and his constant ability to give us secondary quests in some form is also an impressive trait as a developer he has upheld.
You really can't complain about how he has kept the series alive this long, and consistently makes decent, fun games. Also, he hired two very talented female artists and they have done just as much to shape the identity of Castlevania today.
But I hate his story telling, and his more an more lame excuses to cover his tracks due to bad, sloppy writing. I can't take the story seriously anymore, and at least before I didn't have to because there wasn't much there. Game's don't need stories -- Mario is proof of that -- but if you're going to attack something as potentially complex and ambitious as a milennium-running story arc, you better be ready and confident to do it. Yeah he at least tried to make something of it all, but it's just not working for me. I already would like to see some of these plots redone, actually (LOI in particular, and I think HOD needs to be retconned due to retarted, boring characters and lack of an interesting plot at all... made for a cool twist as far as the castle goes at least).
He started something interesting with Soma and the concept that Dracula was never going to be what he once was. Soma's not necessarily an interersting character though, and the endings to the Sorrow games come off as sappy and trite compared to what could have been the ultimate showdown of good vs evil. Especially in DOS, that DBZ/Sailor Moon friends save friends with LOVE -- ugh -- CRAP! Hey I'm all for throwing the power of love into the mix, but you gotta be more clever and subtle than that. The series deserves nothing less. I dunno... maybe he's not done with the Sorrow part yet though.
I also really don't understand how he's so horrible at developing an accurate 3D castle. Capcom's done it 4 times now with its Devil May Cry series. We all thought LOI was just a baby step for the series and forgave it at the time, but when IGA gets a second chance, and he blows it even worse, it's not a good sign that he's up to the task. And even HE admits it. COD was trying to be too big and as a result a lot of corners were cut in design to get there. I am worried that Order of Ecclesia might suffer a similar fate.
I just think IGA's time at KCET is drawing near. He doesn't seem to have much more innovative ideas left in him, and maybe KCET as a whole just needs to try something different than the SOTN formula anyway. We saw interesting potential in how they handled the Rondo remake (and yes I'm also thankful he gave us that).
It's not just IGA, if Konami really wants to grow the series, than they have to grow the funding with it. More funding would also allow higher talent, and someday even a better producer. I'm not saying IGA necessarily should be cut from Konami, but if you want to breathe some fresh air into Castlevania, let someone else have a go at it. IGA wants to try other series anyways.
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yeah I think he is ambitious and wants to do a good job and has tried to make everygame he's released a good solid game and not to just rake in the cash which I respect. I also like how he's trying to broaden CV's audience. I think he does tend to get carried away plotwise in some cases though like in LoI I think he went a bit overboard in that department. rewriting dracula's whole origin was sort of unnecessary in my opinion as I've always like the vlad the impaler drac. However I loved establishing the belmonts power at the time of the crusades and showing the vampire killers origin was awesome but the whole ending scenes and deathfight (cool as it was) just wasn't necessary to me Walter should have
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Do you mean... like like? ;)
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I like IGA, but i think that every new Castlevania is the same with the previous at the graphic's section, with poor scenarios! The only new is the game play system. All the others are the same.
What i believe is, that Konami must give more time, freedom and funds to IGA and IGA with he's turn, he should listen more to what funs want for the series and before every new game to make a gallop poll and see if what he's going to make will be acceptable from the world!
So i want to conclude, that IGA has talent and i don't think that it is necessary for him to leave konami and the series!
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Hmm.. I don't know. The guy has good intentions and ideas HOWEVER, his overall execution needs more polish. It seems that most of the general fanbase has a grudge against IGA for not creating the next 2D game on a home console. I've noticed that in a lot of his interviews he's always asked on his thoughts of another epic symphony-esque title on console, but he's always reluctant towards it.
The fact of the matter is, the next console game, be it 2D, 3D or a combination of both, is going to make or break CV & in turn decide IGA's fate with the series.
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I think he's a decent guy, and he's trying to make something of the series. I applaud him for his efforts, though the results can be severely lacking.
Maybe with Hideo Kojima finally leaving, Konami will start wanking off to IGA and Castlevania, but that's a far cry.
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In Reply To #8
Do you honestly think Iga would be allowed to make a 2-D castlevania on a home console? You do know he is not in charge of Konami right?
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No. However, I loved what he did for Castlevania with what he did with SotN. However, he should have retired afterwards. I HATE his storytelling. In my opinion, the story line is a joke. It died after Symphony. And each game gets more and more lackluster with every new release. Each 2D game is basically the same game and the 3D games have been disappointments. He even knows this, yet he continues only for the fans to suffer.
And I've noticed that many people feel that Iga has been keeping Castlevania alive. How the hell can anybody be sure of this? Maybe if somebody else was in charge of the series Castlevania would be bigger and better than God of War, Grand Theft Auto, etc.
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In Reply To #11
Symphony of the night had a generic lackluster storyline... Sure Alucard was cool, but the story is nothing special at all.
AoS, DoS, LoI, CoD, even HoD had much MUCH more depth stories than SoTN did. Even PoR had much better ideas, just not as well executed.
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I think that IGA is great and he has kept Castlevania alive. Remember this is the guy who brought us Symphony of the Night which is a magnificent game. Its the greatest 2D game ever. Now I even I will admit that you know 6 Metroidvania titles is kind of pushing it. Thats why I think he is trying to do somethings a little bit differently with the series at this point. IGA wants Castlevania to be great in 2D or 3D but he says it best, that they have to give him a good budget to work with and they never do.
When someone doesn't give you the money to build something that you envision its not gonna come out polished or even at 100% of what it could've been. I think that the next game might be a breath of fresh air for the series if early impressions of the game are a CV2 inspired game. I would love to even see something on like the Wii thats purely awesome. IGA shouldn't go, without him Castlevania might fall completely off the map. As far as his team and their talent?
He doesn't have a very large team and he did say that he is trying to hire new staff who can hand draw really well. His team might not be big but they are very talented and make up for their lack of size with their heart. He wants to train as many good artists as he can to do great hand drawn artwork but he needs money for that too. I see nothing wrong with Castlevania except people getting all nit picky and saying that you know that the art direction sucks (although that looks to change). IGA created the greatest Castlevania game ever and he is still capable of producing another epic Castlevania title.
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Do you honestly think Iga would be allowed to make a 2-D castlevania on a home console?
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In Reply To #1
Yeah, I like the guy. He's done a decent job with the series, but of course there are a few things he could improve on.
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IGA's fine. He just needs more moneys. :(
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In Reply To #14
He has stated many times that he is not allowed to make a 2-D game for consoles. Konami will not let him.
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In Reply To #11
Symphony of the night had a generic lackluster storyline... Sure Alucard was cool, but the story is nothing special at all.
AoS, DoS, LoI, CoD, even HoD had much MUCH more depth stories than SoTN did. Even PoR had much better ideas, just not as well executed.
Wtf are you talking about?! SotN started the game out with the ending of RoB, made a Belmont be the enemy!, had characters from previous games return, and had Dracula fight his own son!
Wtf did the other games that you mentioned bring to the table? AoS story had Dracula be reincarnated into a Japanese teenager :o :'(. DoS had no reason to be made in the first place. It didn't advance the story...at all. LoI was such a lackluster origin to the series. CoD storyline was also a joke. What was the whole point of having it be a direct sequel to Dracula's Curse? We didn't get to play as Trevor, but instead a redundant, cliche' character who had no reason to exist at all, Hector was basically a Belmont with a different name. And why would Dracula and Death need Devil Forge Masters in the first place? Where were Sypha, Alucard, and Grant? Why have Trevor get stabbed...and then not even mention what happened to him at the end? And wtf was up with St. Germain? What was his point? Why was he there in the first place? If he could time travel why didn't he just prevent everything in the first place? HoD is almost an exact copy of CoM. And PoR story line is also a joke. Why wasn't the story of why the Belmonts could no longer wield the Vampire Killer told? It would have given the game a reason to be made in the first place.
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In Reply To #18
Notice how you were able to flesh out the entire symphony plot in one sentence...
SoTN did NOT have a story that was anything special. Neither have any Cv games (accept for maybe LoI and CoD). It was a simplistic, generic, emo-goth, archetype. The good son must fight his evil father, the once hero appears to be evil, only to be controlled by someone else... Let us not forget the twirly haired pretty girl who does nothing of value... It has nothing to offer, these were stories wrote in comic books in the 70's...
Now while most of the games I listed don't have great stories, they were far far FAR more creative and interesting than the one in SoTN. How can you have a good story with such few dialogue, and only one character with any real character developement?
CoD, so what if Trevor wasn;t the main focus, there can't be stories that aren't just Drac vs. Belmont? Alucard not there? You obviously don't care about continuity at all because Cv3 states he went into an eternal slumber afterwards (before he was awoken in SoTN). Grant was rebuilding Wallachia, he was not a warrior, just a man who fought for his land. Sypha was more than likely raising a child. Hector is not at all like a Belmont, and Dracula had the devil forge masters for two reason. One to help him raise monsers for an army, and two because they serve as a vessal in case he was ever killed and needed to be ressurected (note how you forgot this game was his FIRST ressurection).
LoI was in no way "lame" as you put it. It was a deep emotional story with some big twists, un-like soTN where the only twist was the obvious, ZOMG he is controlled! Anyone who didn;t see that coming is just silly.
Aos + DoS were a great story about what would happen after Dracula was destroyed. Of course someone would step up, and in a series that has heavy ties to reincarnation from the very beginning (Dracula, the novel) it is logical to question, what happens to his soul?
PoR does not tell you why the Belmont's could not use the whip because it is a mystery OBVIOUSLY to be answered in a future title. You must have been pissed after the first LoTR movie, cause things weren't answered!
HoD is so so, but still better in storyline that SoTN, it had twists that were not entirely predictable, which is a HUGE change in this series. Not to mention finally making Death more than just "Haha, i am evil!" which is continued in LoI, CoD, and PoR.
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You obviously don't care about continuity at all because Cv3 states he went into an eternal slumber afterwards (before he was awoken in SoTN).
Actually SotN said that, I don't recall that being said at all in his CV3 ending (unless there was something in the Japanese version that I don't know about). In CV3 it just says he felt bad for having to help kill his real father...
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And wtf was up with St. Germain? What was his point? Why was he there in the first place? If he could time travel why didn't he just prevent everything in the first place?
He himself explains that he can only observe what's going on, not interfere.
And why would Dracula and Death need Devil Forge Masters in the first place?
Because every evil being needs minions, generals, etc.
Why wasn't the story of why the Belmonts could no longer wield the Vampire Killer told? It would have given the game a reason to be made in the first place.
Maybe this'll be revealed in the upcoming OoE?
LoI was in no way "lame" as you put it. It was a deep emotional story
LoL.. whatever.
HoD is so so, but still better in storyline that SoTN, it had twists that were not entirely predictable, which is a HUGE change in this series.
What are these twists you speak of? The "best friend turning into the enemy" twist that we've seen before? The alternate castle "twist"? plz elaborate.
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WHAT A TWEEST!
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In Reply To #21
Your "LoL... whatever" argument, as enthralling as is was seemed somehow lacking...
And as I said, HoD did have SOME twist. It was not great at all. But I for one felt that one of the castles being a representation of Maxim's soul was pretty nice. More creative than anything in SoTN.
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In Reply To #19
I can not stop laughing at your post. It's so pathetic.
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In Reply To #24
Man, I thought I had a point until you showed me how silly I was with your witty rebuttal.
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He himself explains that he can only observe what's going on, not interfere.
Because every evil being needs minions, generals, etc.
Maybe this'll be revealed in the upcoming OoE?
LoL.. whatever.
What are these twists you speak of? The "best friend turning into the enemy" twist that we've seen before? The alternate castle "twist"? plz elaborate.
If St. Germain is only there to observe and not interfere then why is he chasing Death through out the game? Why does he fight Hector?
Dracula and Death have thosands of minions to begin with. Having Dracula need Devil Forge Masters is just silly and degrades his powerful status. As for generals, is Death not intimidating enough? Besides, now that Hector left and Isaac was killed who the fuck creates the monsters and demons now?
There is no reason to make such a drastic change and not give the reason why it happened. Especially, when the whole game centers around the result of what happened. It's just weak story telling. And giving us a reason years later is just plain lame.
In Reply To #24
Man, I thought I had a point until you showed me how silly I was with your witty rebuttal.
The only point you made was that you enjoy shitty story telling.
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Umm... this is a topic about IGA. Since IGA made all the games you are currently flaming over, there's really no point to this unless you tie it back to him.
For instance, instead of saying HOD's presentation sucks balls, I would claim that being it the first time that IGA had a go with the handhelds, I could forgive some corners cut, like the ugly palette (seemingly forced to prevent any possibility of COTM's darkness problems), and the crappy sounding soundtrack.
But the story was lame, the characters were even more lame, and entirely uninteresting and their sprites are quite possibly the worst thing I've seen come outta a professional studio. There was no excuse for the entire lack of artistic skill apparent in those sprites. I hope anyone involved in the making of said sprites were either fired or sent to a development camp. Those sprites shoulda been fixed before realease.
IGA was in charge of this project, and it's easily his worse in his CV career... but even then... it can still be fun. I just think he was getting used to the whole working-on-handhelds thing. But I see no excuse for the storytelling.
Also, again I ask, how the hell is it that Maxim is so powerful. He' sjust a friend of a Belmont, but given his skill set, he could take on any of them easily.
Lydie was entirely useless, and I didn't feel an ounce of emotion for her.
I might throw in there also that this is the weakest set of characters Ayami Kojima's come up with too, although the box art of Juste is cool enough.
I'd like it retconned. It's a waste of space on the timeline. And Juste doesn't deserve the Belmont name. No IGA's not going to do it, but I
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In Reply To #26
I don't see what you're so angry over. Germaine fought Hector because they were caught in some sort of time displacement field. The cutscene makes it clear.
Since Dracula has thousands of minions, I'm sure 2 more wouldn't hurt.
Who the fuck creates the monsters and demons now that Isaac & Hector are gone? Evil worshippers create them.
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In Reply To #11
Symphony of the night had a generic lackluster storyline...
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IGA is a hero, man. The last living game developer with a genuine love and dedication for 2D. I love the guy.
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He holds a poisoned chalice. He
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^Yes, I can only say I agree with everything you said.
The only point you made was that you enjoy shitty story telling.
Hate to butt in on your argument, but you seem to be the only one who thinks the story is TOTAL shit. There are many flaws, yes, but the entire thing can actually hold up on its own. His rebuttal was about whether the story was good in general, not whether he enjoys it or not.
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In Reply To #31
You are right in that aspect that at its worst Castlevania is still not broken. I think the weakest CV titles were probably the first two Game Boy Advance titles. Given the fact that IGA didn't work on Circle of the Moon I won't blame him for that. However, both games are fun to play they just aren't the strongest in the series. I think people who think IGA should step down need to think that this man is passionate about 2D games. I think thats why his 2D outings are way better than his 3D is because he is so much more passionate about the 2D artwork. Of course after you do the 2D thing so much it starts to feel repetitive so I am pretty happy that the next DS title might be taking this in to a different direction.
Everyone here belly aching over the storyline really needs to stop it. Yeah I know some of the storylines aren't that great and we haven't seen a good storyline since Symphony but who plays Castlevania games for the storyline? I never did, I grew up on the original CV games that had maybe 2 sentences if that for a storyline that went like "Simon Belmont goes in to castle to defeat Dracula and bring peace back to the land". We all loved those games but they hardly had a storyline so when Portrait of Ruin came out with its "silly" and sometimes corny storyline it was easy to overlook. I really don't care if they go back to just the 2 sentence storylines, as long as the game is really solid I will play it.
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In Reply To #33
I know a lot of people who play Castlevania games at least partially for the story and the plot. It may be hard to accept, but in this day and age, storyline is very important to a game. There are, of course a select few that don't need a storyline, and as for CV, it won't appeal to a larger audience (including non-CV fans) if it doesn't have the semblance of a good storyline. If it doesn't appeal to many people, then it won't make money, and they'll have to discontinue it, heaven forbid.
Not that I think the storyline is bad. In fact, I'm perfectly okay with the plot as it is. Let's just hope IGA thinks up of better things this time. OoE had better have a good story.
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Seems like every IGA discussion turns into this. ::)
I'm no fan of IGA, the dude needs a haircut and to get rid of that damned hat, perhaps his hair is weighing his brain down, a little trim and who knows what kind of game he could come up with. ;D
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I still wonder how IGA gets around in public with his Gothic-Japaneese-Vampire-Cowboy getup. I'll be he scares the sh!t out of people. It would be amusing to see him take a walk in small town America, Time Square, Downtown Dallas, Washington DC, or even Gangland..
Of course he calls attention to Castlevania by branding himself this way --it truly sets him apart from his peers.
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It would be amusing to see him take a walk in small town America, Time Square,
He would actually fit in at Time Square! I live in nyc & I'm over there a lot.. there's a lot of interesting people walking the streets of the Big Apple :D
Of course he calls attention to Castlevania by branding himself this way --it truly sets him apart from his peers.
Atleast he's not dressing himself up as Alucard and making emo music. Didn't Gackt do something like that for one of his videos?
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In Reply To #36
I think he dresses pretty conservativly when compared to japanese street fashion...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2230/2059106580_9e47e06c26.jpg
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IGA is a hero, man. The last living game developer with a genuine love and dedication for 2D. I love the guy.
That's because he sucks at making 3D games. He has even admitted this many times.
Everyone here belly aching over the storyline really needs to stop it. Yeah I know some of the storylines aren't that great and we haven't seen a good storyline since Symphony but who plays Castlevania games for the storyline? I never did, I grew up on the original CV games that had maybe 2 sentences if that for a storyline that went like "Simon Belmont goes in to castle to defeat Dracula and bring peace back to the land". We all loved those games but they hardly had a storyline so when Portrait of Ruin came out with its "silly" and sometimes corny storyline it was easy to overlook. I really don't care if they go back to just the 2 sentence storylines, as long as the game is really solid I will play it.
And enough of this horse shit about how the Castlevania games never had that much of a story during the NES era. No shit. Games' presentations and cinematics have come a long way since then. Stop trying to compare what we receive now
with what we received back then.
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Thomas man, relax! No one is trying to kill you.
In my opinion. I REPEAT IN MY OPINION!!! I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING THAT! Lament of Innocence has the best storyline of them all. Curse of Darkness is my favorite Castlevania game. I think Symphony of the Night is overated. Now, I know some of you are probably turning purple over what I just wrote, but it'll be okay.. I promise. My opinion isn't going to hurt you in any way. :D
As for IGA, Castlevania wouldn't exist today if it weren't for him. You should all be sucking him off right about now instead of complaining, and nitpicking about every single little issue.
Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one.
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I am also one that thinks games do not need stories to succeed. But if you're gonna do one (for especailly such a large span of time): do it right.
He really does need to take off that damn hat.
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He holds a poisoned chalice.
Are you suggesting that we assassinate the man?! :D
Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one.
Ah, yes, but that is not the only similarity here. Many people on this forum think those of others stink.
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I am also one that thinks games do not need stories to succeed. But if you're gonna do one (for especailly such a large span of time): do it right.
I think that's the point. I can't really remember an IGA CV game LONG enough for a good story to, at least, develope. I think he tries but with his games being as short as they are, there's no length for proper development. Even LoI and CoD were short ass games. If IGA wants to do a REAL story, he has make these games longer.
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Even LoI and CoD were short ass games. If IGA wants to do a REAL story, he has make these games longer.
COD was short? I remember it feeling too long. The level design just droned on and on. But the story is ok in that one. Watching Isaac fall deeper into the depths of madness is fun :) And while, overall, I like LOI's story more, it was supposedly the beginning of the series' plot and I just don't think it did a good enough job there.
But I like how IGA explained all the items laying around as a game set up purposefully, because that tied it directly back to the gameplay of the series -- even the famed pot roasts :D. I also like how Walter is bored with immortality.
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I thought that LoI had a great storyline and I only played about halfway through CoD when it first came out (rented it). CoD had a good storyline from what I could see, I just never had the desire to go out and buy this game. My whole thing is I am old-school at heart and I know many people who play at least the 2D games are mostly old-school fans. Lets put it this way, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin all have WAY more plot than 99% of other 2D games that come out. I understand that NES and SNES era nobody expected a storyline but then again neither does anyone who plays 2D games expect it because most 2D side-scroller games don't have one or much of one. I just don't expect it and when I get a decent storyline from one like the Castlevania series, its awesome.
That being said I haven't really been disappointed with any of the storylines, not even Portrait of Ruin's. I thought PoR's storyline was great I mean I found the humor and the cheerfulness maybe a bit out of place but it was easy to forgive that cause not everything has to be "dark" and "gothic". PoR had a good storyline its just nobody gives it a chance cause of how silly and cheesy it can be at times. That being said I think that IGA is getting gradually better at telling the story and he is trying to fill in gaps and whole and has attempted to straighten everything up in the CV timeline. I think that the stories in the 3D games are really solid and are really the main draw to playing them. The level design is god awful in them but everything from the voice acting to the game's story is amazing and even the music is pretty awesome.
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In Reply To #44
I think both were too long. Droning... on and on and on.... but still mostly fun.
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Not to rain on anyone's parade but I don't see any of you creating a better storyline and/or artwork for a Castlevania game. Sure the series might not be at it's best right now and most people think there could be improvements made but how many of us have done what we ask IGA to do?
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well hiring a professional (or at least decent) script writer isn't that hard when you have money. :D
iga should just stick to producing, his storytelling's been getting more predictable and juvenile with each new 2d game.
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Not to rain on anyone's parade but I don't see any of you creating a better storyline and/or artwork for a Castlevania game. Sure the series might not be at it's best right now and most people think there could be improvements made but how many of us have done what we ask IGA to do?
I disagree. I can write a better story than IGA. While I'm not as skilled as Ayami Kojima, I can definitely do better anime than DOS or POR, too. And especially POR and HOD, I can do much better character design.
So yeah it pisses me off when we see horrible art like HOD's sprites, horrible level design like Cordova Town, and lackluster storytelling and characters, like POR.
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Any work to back up the claims?
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In Reply To #50
You'll see, when I get my website up :P If you so choose to visit.
I'm going through the process of relearning HTML, but I have big plans for this, as it will also serve as an online portfolio.
However, I can at least state how I could have written the story better. I will do so when I have the time, on a per title basis (of the ones I don't like). But prolly in a new topic, or through PM.
*takes out watch-clock
"Dear me, is that the time? We've already spoken too long."
*vanishes in thin air
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In Reply To #51
I wouldn't mind seeing your rewritten story plot, myself. I'm interested. :) So please post in a new topic someday.
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IGA awesome! While the COD are decent but I do know that they could do better then that. They need to work up more on 3-D gaming.
So yea, I have no idea what would castlevania series would be like without him.
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Seems like every IGA discussion turns into this. ::)
I'm no fan of IGA, the dude needs a haircut and to get rid of that damned hat, perhaps his hair is weighing his brain down, a little trim and who knows what kind of game he could come up with. ;D
Yes, let's make all males indistinguishable from one another. Brush cuts only! Conform to the post-revolution bourgeois mentality! Down with style, beauty, and expression! In fact, if IGA doesn't immediately cut off all his hair and start wearing a bowler hat and gray vest, I am never going to buy another Castlevania game! No male is worth the oxygen he breathes unless he acquiesces to the working class' grievous lack of imagination. How dare he spit in the face of drab post-18th century aesthetic principles!
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Yes, let's make all males indistinguishable from one another. Brush cuts only! Conform to the post-revolution bourgeois mentality! Down with style, beauty, and expression! In fact, if IGA doesn't immediately cut off all his hair and start wearing a bowler hat and gray vest, I am never going to buy another Castlevania game! No male is worth the oxygen he breathes unless he acquiesces to the working class' grievous lack of imagination. How dare he spit in the face of drab post-18th century aesthetic principles!
That's rather overdramatic, but I agree. (With the point, that is) ;D I like IGA's style.
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In Reply To #55
his style is very unique. I remember them interviewing him in Nintendo Power about why he wears so much black and if Castlevania has inspired him to do that. Actually I have it right here. It was in Volume 219 in the "Power Profiles" where they interviewed IGA.
NP: Where did you acquire your famous fashion sense? Were you always into wearing black, or did that happen after you became involved with Castlevania?
Iga: Honestly, I do not have a good fashion sense. But those around me always poke fun at me, saying, "you're going to be in front of the press!" Well, they suggest nice clothes for me. But at any rate, I've preferred wearing black clothing for a long time. Yes, I think I've come to wear black more since I started working on Castlevania.
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He's a nice person, gave me an autograph, and let me touch his whip, so yeah, he's cool.
As for his games: I don't have an issue with them either, or at least, not enough to outright whine about or try to so desperately pick apart just so I can have a flimsy excuse to continue to bash him.
Not to rain on anyone's parade but I don't see any of you creating a better storyline and/or artwork for a Castlevania game. Sure the series might not be at it's best right now and most people think there could be improvements made but how many of us have done what we ask IGA to do?{\
I'm going to go on and agree with this statement, much more the latter part. I've seen some *stories* out there (let's ignore the Slash crap because good lord, WHY?) that would make me consider stop playing the series if they ever happened. And that's not an easy feat.
::cough::InsertTalesofWhateverHere::hack::
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One should play Castlevania for the game, not the story, methinks.
IGA does a better job with that anyway.
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His story concepts are generally good. SotN could have had a really amazing story if it were, say, a RPG. The whole family thing going on in that one was interesting and had a nice sense of melancholy to it.
The concept behind the Sorrow games is an interesting one too, and the initial plot twist that Soma is Dracula was actually pretty rad. I agree with the general consensus that the games could have ended better though. (Alucard killing Soma, Soma going nuts and killing everyone, etc.)
Lament of Innocence had something resembling a fleshed-out story and it was definitely enjoyable. It really enhanced the brooding mood and general experience. I'll take my Castlevanias with a dash of tragedy, please.
So yeah, generally he does a good job with the writing considering that these are action games. His one misstep was the disgusting Saturday morning cartoon vibe of Portrait, but I'm guessing that was intentional given that he was trying to market the game to a younger demographic. The man is trying to keep 2D games alive, here. If he felt he had to cater to children once to get more sales so that he could keep the series alive, I respect his decision even if it wasn't quite my favorite entry in the series.
And for people who complain that the series is stale, consider that IGA redesigns the game mechanics for almost every new installment. There are dozens of million-selling franchises out there that just release sequel after sequel with little but the number at the end of the title changed. (Gimme all dem Halos...)
And finally, he's always funny and courteous in interviews. He speaks about games in a way that I really appreciate because no other game designer still grasps the stuff that made games so great in the 90's. So yeah, I like IGA. He's an all-around rad guy.
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hmm IGA is the best guy to put on Castlevania me thinks, not only does he have the right experience he was a CV fan before he even joined Konami and to be honest; he isn't all that bad.
His stories might get a bit predictable but that's not something you can't fix if you hire a story writer to assist you. ( since I doubt many have to much CV knowledge it's better to coop then to have him do all of the work )
He did some really good things for the CV franchise but also some bad ones. We all make mistakes don't we? Let's just hope he hears our plea and stops with the anime style and kid orientation and returns to the gothic awensomeness Castlevania stands for.
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In Reply To #54
Someone missed the sarcasm. :P
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IGA can only keep adding so much before people start realizing they're just playing a remake of SOTN in some form.
I hate to point it out, there wasn't much innovation in Castlevania's early days either. Vampire Killer and Simon's Quest at least brought some more adventure elements to the series, but following titles just built upon CV1. CVIII added branching paths and Rondo let you go back and re-explore the levels.
Thing is, what can you do with 2D anymore? He could go back to level-based gameplay, or stick with the Metroidvaina gameplay.
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One should play Castlevania for the game, not the story, methinks.
IGA does a better job with that anyway.
I might be alone on this, but I like playing Castlevania for um, everything: the story, the music, the gameplay, the graphics...everything it has to offer, though one element of the game might be more important than the other.
As for IGA, I can't say since I never met him. I like his hat. :P
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I hate to point it out, there wasn't much innovation in Castlevania's early days either. Vampire Killer and Simon's Quest at least brought some more adventure elements to the series, but following titles just built upon CV1. CVIII added branching paths and Rondo let you go back and re-explore the levels.
Yeah but it was still unique from other platformers. Once it went Symphonized, it's really just a rehash of inspiration from Metroid.
Thing is, what can you do with 2D anymore? He could go back to level-based gameplay, or stick with the Metroidvaina gameplay.
Being creative is a start. Although I don't want him turning Dracula into a computer virus :P
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One should play Castlevania for the game, not the story, methinks.
IGA does a better job with that anyway.
I see nothing wrong with wanting both? Also, the 2D games have become monotonous and the 3D games are lackluster. Iga has even stated the latter.
And this shouldn't even be debatable. He turned Dracula into a benevolent, Japanese teenager. He sucks. And I'm sick of all of the people saying that Castlevania would be non existent if it wasn't for him or that he saved the series. For all you know, the series could have been bigger than GTA, God of War, Halo, etc. if it wasn't for him.
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He turned Dracula into a benevolent, Japanese teenager.
KCEK turned him into a whiny purple-haired kid, so tit for tat.
For all you know, the series could have been bigger than GTA, God of War, Halo, etc. if it wasn't for him.
Even though SotN is still fapped to by any major reviewer who takes care to point out that the series took a nosedive after the success of SCIV?
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I like IGA. Just look at him, with his little whip and frizzy hair. Who couldn't love him? ;_;
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For all you know, the series could have been bigger than GTA, God of War, Halo, etc. if it wasn't for him.
I guess we'll never know! But maybe the next console game will be a huge success?
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Only if it's 3D and they get someone else to make it. :P
Hell, if Square let one of its character designers become a producer, let's let Michiru Yamane have a go at Castlevania :P
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Only if it's 3D and they get someone else to make it. :P
Hell, if Square let one of its character designers become a producer, let's let Michiru Yamane have a go at Castlevania :P
I lolled, that might not be such a bad idea now that I think about it. :P
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One should play Castlevania for the game, not the story, methinks.
IGA does a better job with that anyway.
Well yes. Of course we play Castlevania for the game. But the story is an important side dish.
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In Reply To #66
You don't know anything about historical or fictional Dracula do you? =(
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Even though SotN is still fapped to by any major reviewer who takes care to point out that the series took a nosedive after the success of SCIV?
Wtf are you talking about? The only game that came after Super Castlevania 4 and before SotN was Rondo of Blood and it's arguably one of the greatest games in the series. The only thing that took a nose dive was the shitty port that the States and Europe received, Dracula X and Dracula XX.
In Reply To #66
You don't know anything about historical or fictional Dracula do you? =(
Well, if Dracula was actually Japanese then I guess not. ???
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The only game that came after Super Castlevania 4 and before SotN was Rondo of Blood
You forget Bloodlines ???
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I dont have anything against the guy personally (and if Shanoa really was based off his wife hes a very lucky man) but I want him to be done with CV and let someone step in.
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In Reply To #74
Soma Cruz is the reincarnation of Dracula. Is that really so bad? He isn't exactly Japanese either, judging from his name and the fact that the localization team added the whole "foreign exchange student" thing..
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I'm not really sure why CV catches so much flak for "ripping off" Metroid. Even in professional reviews they use the term "Metrovania". It seems a little weird that adding the two fairly broad concepts of free-range exploration and permanent powerups makes it in any way related to Metroid. There were other games on the NES and SNES with such features. Metroid just allowed you to get more health and new weapons. Castlevania has a more fully-featured RPG system with comprehensive stats and a large variety of equipment. It really isn't as if the two are so similar as to conclusively posit that one is derived from the other. Even the Megaman series - starting at ZX - has included free roaming rather than linear stages. Why isn't anyone calling it a Metroid rip off?
Speaking of Megaman, games like it and Zelda are far worse offenders where rehashes are concerned. Every Zelda game has the same main character doing the same story, getting the same weapons in mostly the same order, and the same dumb elemental temple dungeons. I stopped playing Phantom Hourglass a quarter way through because it was just so boring doing it all again. I sort of realized that my payoff for trudging through those samey puzzles and boring enemies would be just another dumb Zelda ending, and no longer saw the point of playing. I completely lost interest in Megaman games after MZ4.
So, while the Castlevanias have not been huge departures from their respective predecessors, I think they are hardly deserving of the scorn they get for being similar.
*writfest hesis on vidoe gmas...*
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In Reply To #78
Most of the older game franchises would benefit heavily from a reboot. Miyamoto is an excellent game designer, but he has FUBARed the Zelda mythos beyond repair --because he builds his games without a story in mind at all. Whereas IGA approaches the story first and designs the game around it --and that's the way it should be now. Video games have outgrown gameplay for its own sake --even casual players want a good storyline to motivate them. Are any of IGAs storyline hokeyier than Mario running around collecting stars --again?
Megaman Powered Up and Maverick Hunter X were an excellent opportunity to revive the megaman series, but again... The suits at Capcom put these games on the wrong system at the wrong time --resulting in poor sales and ultimately near failure... I'd be playing their sequels by now if someone had approached these reboots with the fanfare they deserved.
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In Reply To #74
Soma Cruz is the reincarnation of Dracula. Is that really so bad? He isn't exactly Japanese either, judging from his name and the fact that the localization team added the whole "foreign exchange student" thing..
Yeah I don't know where people get the Japanese thing, just look at his cloths, every other asian person has asian cloths, he wears jeans and a t-shirt.
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Yeah I don't know where people get the Japanese thing,
from the original japanese manual and intro obviously.
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from the original japanese manual and intro obviously.
in the intro it just has him at the shrine and living in Japan, it never says he is japanese and I didn't know the original intro said he was, that's weird.
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In Reply To #78
Most of the older game franchises would benefit heavily from a reboot.
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In Reply To #74
No, but throughout everything Dracula involved, reincarnation has been a HUGE theme. Even in Vlad Tepes Dracula's real life, but more so in the novel by Bram Stoker.
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The difference here is that you're not supposed to take Mario's world very seriously at all. The series set itself up a long time ago with the gerneral freedom of Miyamoto's mind.... in mind. Miyamoto and crew design games around fun first, and ask questions later.
I dunno...CV1 and HC were far from anything serious. Especially HC. It played out like a cheesey 70's Vampire/epic hybrid film.
Anyways, CV's always been about the action.
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Could you explain how it's FUBAR? He builds the Zelda franchises with select, oppurtunitive stories that exist within themselves. But you could still tie the games together in a timeline of sorts. The difference here is Link is a different incarnate of himself in just about every game.
Aside from what was mentioned earlier in the thread... Zelda has a seriously flawed continuity that leaves even its most hardcore fans scratching their heads. Zelda games function very well as a self-contained stories, but they don't have anywhere near the cohesion we see in Castlevania (thanks in part to a few retcons)
The NES Zelda's are cohesive from a story-telling standpoint, although AoL introduces a needlessly complicated backstory in its plot. A LttP distances itself from the NES installments and presents a plausible prequel to the existing mythos, but complicates a critical element of the AoL backstory.
Supposedly the sleeping Zelda from AoL was the original Zelda --implied to be the first in a long bloodline of Zeldas. LttP makes no connection to AoL's backstory, but this was easily overlooked, until OoT took the prequel concept one step further...
OoT set to flesh-out LttP's backstory --the "imprisoning war" where Ganondorf was sealed away in the Dark World by 7 sages. According to LttP Ganon had obtained the COMPLETE Triforce and threatened to conquer all of Hyrule with its power, but at the end of OoT we see Ganon sealed away with ONLY the Triforce of Power. OoT also progresses with Link traveling between 2 points in time (somehow retaining his child and adult forms for each respective time period) --and ultimately ends the game in a paradox-like state.
Then we have Wind Waker where Ganon somehow manages to escape the Dark World, ravages Hyrule, and draws the wrath of the Gods to flood the land... Sadly Wind Waker's ending did nothing to reconnect with the continuity established in LttP or even resolve the main conflict of its plot --Hyrule remains flooded --as it does in Phantom Hourglass...
I'd like to go on, but I have not yet played Twilight Princess --and getting into the oracles games just doesn't seem worth the time...
Bottom line is this --IGA's sloppiest story-telling really isn't that bad in light of what Miyamoto has done to Zelda.
What, like other companies haven't done this? Some companies design the music first, then the story then the game.
Nothing wrong with taking a gameplay idea and building a story around it, but it would be nice to see franchise games (like Zelda) working within the established framework and respecting its own canon.
The first part of that sentece makes no sense at all. If you're playing a videogame more for its story than the game itself, watch a damn movie. If the gameplay is good enough, you don't need ANYTHING else to motivate you. :P But it's nice if they manage to add a good, belivable story on too.
Most modern video games revolve around characters --and those characters need a story. No matter how simple the story is, the character needs motivation. Like --go out and save the world --or whatever...
Personally, I think AoS is one of the best things to happen to Castlevania, because it broke new ground in storyline as well as gameplay. I remember telling a couple friends of mine about Dracula's absence and they thought it was a joke --because his resurrection had become one of the oldest cliches in all of gaming. And it got old for quite a few players. When I actually showed them the game, they both went out and bought it for themselves. Bottom line: great gameplay isn't likely to be discovered without a good story to lure the player in.
The difference here is that you're not supposed to take Mario's world very seriously at all. The series set itself up a long time ago with the gerneral freedom of Miyamoto's mind.... in mind. Miyamoto and crew design games around fun first, and ask questions later.
I really shouldn't complain about Mario --it is what it is. Solid gameplay wasted on children who haven't been around long enough to be bothered by all the cliches.
I agree on Megaman Powered up. It was a fnatastic remake of the first Megaman and the level editor has an insane amount of flexibility. The entire original Megaman series needs to be remade too, as it's the absolute best era of the Blue Bomber, IMO.
... Sorry for off-topic banter.
I really can't say enough about how well done these games are --anyone that owns a PSP should go digging for these gems.
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The only thing that was missing from Maverick Hunter X.. was the original game as a bonus!! >:(
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In Reply To #87
True, that...
There was enough rearranged that it would have made for sensible content. Too bad. :( Vile mode rocked nicely though. :) The replay value was almost like.... --Castlevania ;)
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I am no Zelda scholar or anything like that, but I've found Twilight Princess to touch some points of A Link to the Past. You still get a world of shadows, Ganondorf's imprisonment in the dark realm (TP) by the sages, without the Master Sword you are a cursed beast in the dark realm (TP) and you have an animal counterpart on both games.
The timeline in Zelda is not that screwed up, considering what happened during the events of Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, if you are reading this PLEASE REMAKE THAT GAME FOR THE Wii, I'll PAY IN GOLD FOR IT IF I HAVE TO, I have the N64 version and a game of such greatness must go into a great console as well).
Anyway, the Castlevania plotline is fair as it is, surely it has a mixup here and there, but it is not that shrouded in mystery as the Zelda timeline is. My main complain about the recent games is the lack of feel:
- The whip, oh that? It was given to the Belmonts by an alchemist without having to endure a great test (killing your fiancee with it? meh, overused. It should have been a test in blood for the Belmonts)
- Daddy left me and died and didn't teach me to use the whip, I hate him. Hey Vader, are you Luke's father? Oh, and I'm not a kid. (Portrait of Ruin)
- Soma and Mina, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g! It's not like that! (Dawn of Sorrow)
We need more good moments, like in Aria of Sorrow, when you discover you are Dracula, or when die to Chaos. Or moments like when Brauner broke his walking stick, that kind of drama was good, but the moment was set up wrong. Or like when Ralph C. Belmont was stabbed in Curse of Darkness.
Too many bland moments in Castlevania. I want my storyline with more horror, more sacrifice, and less kiddy stuff. I want it all dark.
And speaking of Metroid and Zelda. Those two series made it to 3D without any trouble at all. What is wrong with Castlevania? Metroid Prime rocks. Ape Metroid again? Or Zelda?
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Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, if you are reading this PLEASE REMAKE THAT GAME FOR THE Wii, I'll PAY IN GOLD FOR IT IF I HAVE TO, I have the N64 version and a game of such greatness must go into a great console as well).
it was released for the gamecube alongside a master quest version. You can still find this once and a while and movie trading company and gamestop though it's expensive what they really need to do is give the game a complete graphical overhaul and make it look real. The game has considerably aged graphicswise as you can see all the polygons that make everything up. They need to give it the Twilight princess treatment and make it look real like an interactive movie. This game is so good and is suppossed to be nintendo's crowning achievement zelda wise it would be a disgrace to leave it with oldschool 64 bit 3d graphics. as the first game in the timeline (or second if you put minish cap before it) and the game that starts the ongoing conflict with ganon and link as the hero of time this game should be close to the top on nintendo's priority list.
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In Reply To #82
Soma is definitely, indisputably Japanese. The "exchange student" thing was just some nonsense made up by the localization staff for Aria and was discarded as of Dawn. For more of explanation, see this post (http://castlevania.classicgaming.gamespy.com/forums/index.php?topic=835.msg14233#msg14233), because I'm tired of explaining it over and over again.
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In Reply To #82
Soma is definitely, indisputably Japanese.
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Another SotN won't be "fresh and new" because we've been getting knockoffs of it ever since!
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In Reply To #93
What about at least the sequel of Symphony that we heard and then move onto something new?
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In Reply To #94
OoE could very easily be that sequel... It's mentions Richter Belmont and if I had to wager a guess, I'd say Alucard and/or Maria will be involved in the Order as well.
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In Reply To #95
Maybe, but if i remember correctly, they stated that the sequel for Symphony it was going to be on next gen consoles and specifically for X360!
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In Reply To #96
I don't think it was ever stated which console it would be on... But Iga might have said it would be next gen, I don't know.
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In Reply To #97
Personally, i don't care which console it will be If we are going to have it!
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iga said there will be no returning characters in this game though, so no al/maria unless they just get mentioned like ric.
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The CV series has fallen to it's current state due to two reasons:
1.) Stagnant gameplay and lack of ideas
2.) Failing storyline
Unfortunately, IGA will continue to make games that adhere to these two reasons for the ultimate reason: People still buy them. Game producers equate sales of games as a green light that whatever they are doing, they're doing well and should continue to do until consumer sales wane. I believe, since CV fans have been so starved for a game that eliminates the aforementioned major problems, that we (to quote a recent review) "Dive at any scraps of meat as if it were fine stake", and thusly initial game sales are good.
In order for the series to take a innovative and fresh turn to gameplay and storytelling, IGA and Konami both need a swift kick to the balls in terms of critical reactions to their games and game sales. I do think that, short of Konami all out replacing IGA or a "tragic accident" occurring, we will have to deal with IGA's way of doing things for a while yet. (since I don't see him stepping down anytime soon...especially if he thinks he's doing good by the series)
Due to this, it's up to the fans of Castlevania to send loud and clear messages to IGA that we may not be satisfied with the current trend of his games. However, unless a large coalition of fans goes so far as to physically get up close and personal to IGA to tell him straight to his face what's what, it looks like game sales are the next best possible way to get things across. Unfortunately, it's doubtful that this will happen because we love our series too much to just collectively abandon it in hopes of forcing IGA's hand....because if games like Portrait didn't drive us all away by now, we're not going anywhere despite how much we piss and moan.
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In Reply To #100
Well, if he doesn't listen to us, he should at least be listening to the review sites.
Portrait of Ruin scored the lowest a CV has in a long time, and the comments about the formula getting stale and the team getting bored were everywhere.
IGA stated his new handheld character designer (likely the one who did DOS and POR) was getting bored, and so commissioned a female lead to wake him up.
This does not sound like a motivated team up to the task of taking Castlevania to the next level. It's apparent in their sloppy sprite design and their copy-pasta attitudes in building a level.
It's like they know how to produce a lot of content, but they don't know how to mix it together in a meaningful way. So the sub systems kind of stand out from eachother and don't really relate. POR was full of cool sub-systems but it just didn't mesh very well, and the story made little effort to pull it all togehter.
It's nice to have content, but you gotta make sure it fits in your world. The way Jonathan and Charolotte, for instance, merely picked up scrolls to gain their powers; whereas Soma had to steal the actual soul of the enemy. They mean the same thing, but the latter makes a lot more sense where believability and explanation is concerned.
You know... why the hell can Jonathan build up his sub weapons, but Charolotte can't build her spells? Granted she gets a double-charge later, but... see how these don't stand well next to each other?
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Due to this, it's up to the fans of Castlevania to send loud and clear messages to IGA that we may not be satisfied with the current trend of his games. However, unless a large coalition of fans goes so far as to physically get up close and personal to IGA to tell him straight to his face what's what, it looks like game sales are the next best possible way to get things across. Unfortunately, it's doubtful that this will happen because we love our series too much to just collectively abandon it in hopes of forcing IGA's hand....because if games like Portrait didn't drive us all away by now, we're not going anywhere despite how much we piss and moan.
LOL! Obviously you haven't been to Gamefaqs lately. PoR and DoS both have huge fanbases there, and they can't get enough of those games.
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In Reply To #100
Well, if he doesn't listen to us, he should at least be listening to the review sites.
Portrait of Ruin scored the lowest a CV has in a long time
Um... No.
http://www.gamerankings.com
Search Castlevania, it is one of the higher rated games.
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LOL! Obviously you haven't been to Gamefaqs lately. PoR and DoS both have huge fanbases there, and they can't get enough of those games.
This is nothing new and not specific just to Castlevania. Gamefaqs' boards are full of the whiniest and youngest (well they act like it) posters on the net, where game talk is concerened. Unless you throw 4chan into the mix.
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Um... No.
http://www.gamerankings.com
Search Castlevania, it is one of the higher rated games.
Umm... YES!
Harmony of Dissonance
http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/554981.asp
Aria of Sorrow
http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/589456.asp
Dawn of Sorrow
http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/922145.asp
and Portrait of Ruin
http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/930294.asp
The rank/reception kept rising a little up to Dawn's deserved 9.0, but PoR fell back to HoD numbers.
I'm not including the 3D games, because that largely had a whole different target audience, and we all know the slacking level design was at fault for their low scores.
And... just for fun:
http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/938141.asp
Man, it deserves better than THAT. Basically 3 GAMES on this little UMD, and so much reaply value. I cite the system's much smaller userbase as the result of that score.
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In Reply To #105
Oh yes... 85% following an 88 and a 90 is sure so show Iga his short commings. And since when does 2 games constitute for "in a long time"?
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http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/938141.asp
Man, it deserves better than THAT. Basically 3 GAMES on this little UMD, and so much reaply value. I cite the system's much smaller userbase as the result of that score.
That game's reception was terrible. Individual opinions aside, I don't understand how many reviewers gushed over Contra 4 for its old-school style, but baaaaawwwwwwed when they found out DXC was an old-school game. I think IGN rated it the same as CoD.
HoD was well received when it was released. Konami said it outdid their expectations.
This is nothing new and not specific just to Castlevania. Gamefaqs' boards are full of the whiniest and youngest (well they act like it) posters on the net, where game talk is concerened. Unless you throw 4chan into the mix.
Thing is, that's the crowd DoS and PoR was targeting. That's why they had Kojima and that "Medieval" feel to the PS2 games and why they chose DXC for a PSP release, to off-set the kiddiness of the DS games so they won't lose the vets.
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In Reply To #106
Dude, WHEN did HOD come out? 2002.
That constitutes a long enough time in the industry, to make a progress report on how a team is doing.
Numbers mean what they mean. POR's score represents a shift in the reception of the series, due to the general bored, or perhaps overworked, CV crew. Is a 10/10 not different than a 9.5/10? Is a 7.5 not largely differnt than a 6.9?
5 points on the current scale is enough to cahnge the letter grade up or down. Don't tell me it doesn't matter.
It might not be enough to change how IGA operates, but it should raise someone's brow at Konami if this trend continues. But of course, the sales numbers come first.
Hmm... mayhap we shall look at those too? I think verily.
UPDATE: Nevermind... it seems the numbers at VGchartz aren't updated or accurate at all for the recent games.
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I was saddened at the reception of DXC. It was a great package, but it got such a low score as compared to other Castlevanias. I guess it's because it's for the PSP?
People don't pay enough attention to the PSP as opposed to the DS, since the DS is way more popular. :P
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probably because of the old school factor. contra 4 didn't fail because as far as i know it didn't turn into piece of cake stroll through the game while powerleveling to the point where nothing can touch you anymore, like all of the kcet 2d games.
so its userbase remained the same, while cv is becoming more and more kid and casual gamer friendly, and those can't appreciate challenge.
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I guess they should have placed varying difficulty modes, then? Like there's a "normal" difficulty, and an "easy" mode with more meat hanging around, and weaker enemies and bosses. Personally, it really was a challenge for me, and while I like it, I STILL haven't finished the game. I'm stuck at stage 6 :P My friend who loves SotN gave up on DXC without finishing stage 2. I also remember GameSpot giving it a "punishing difficulty" tag.
I suppose that's part of what makes metroidvanias more popular, the fact that it's possible to level grind and make things easier if you're having a tough time.
I still like the path that IGA led Castlevania. And the 2.5D DXC was pretty. ;D
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I guess they should have placed varying difficulty modes, then? Like there's a "normal" difficulty, and an "easy" mode with more meat hanging around, and weaker enemies and bosses.
Nah I think that would just kill the thrill of beating it if you can just go through on uber easy and get the same ending.
the difficuly is fine the way it is.I personally didn't think it was that hard. Kids these days just need to learn patience, hell the game saves your progress so you can start on the level you died at, what more could you ask for?
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I play through Castlevania games without saving, and if I get hit I reset. To the beginning. How's that for difficulty? So far I've beaten Aria of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin like this. Aside from a couple problematic rooms and the Death boss, it was very easy for PoR. Of course for AoS I had to practice individual areas beforehand using savestates on emulators.
Oh, but I beat them normally first. I'm not that hardcore.
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In Reply To #113
That's impressive effort. I wouldn't have the patience for it.
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In Reply To #112
what is in cv right now considered normal should become easy, and the hard mode should be the standard normal. then a real hard mode should be added, that's more than just dying from 2 hits and taking 10 minutes od repetitive button mashing to beat one boss (like pork's hard modes were)
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In Reply To #112
what is in cv right now considered normal should become easy, and the hard mode should be the standard normal. then a real hard mode should be added, that's more than just dying from 2 hits and taking 10 minutes od repetitive button mashing to beat one boss (like pork's hard modes were)
I agree. That way, everyone [even us kiddies who suck at gaming :'( ] can play at the difficulty they wish.
The thing is, Castlevania's userbase right now is divided between the old Castlevania fans who have been with the series since the beginning and the new fans who only started past SotN. I'm quite sure there are a lot of newer fans too, including children. With that method, the children [and not-so-young-yet-not-so-good-at-gaming people] can have Castlevania accessible to them, but the hardcore fans will be pleased too. ;D
EDIT:
Nah I think that would just kill the thrill of beating it if you can just go through on uber easy and get the same ending.
the difficuly is fine the way it is.I personally didn't think it was that hard. Kids these days just need to learn patience, hell the game saves your progress so you can start on the level you died at, what more could you ask for?
Maybe a different ending if you play on easy mode and a different one if you play on hard mode, then.
A checkpoint in the middle of the level or on the pre-boss room, perhaps available on the suggested "easy mode"? It's not just the patience, it's the skills. While after trying the level about a dozen times I've gotten MUCH better and can get MUCH farther, it still takes a long time for me to actually be able to beat the boss at the end. I'm not that young, but I never got the opportunity to play games during the NES era, so I admit I'm not used to such difficulty. That doesn't stop me from loving it, but a lot of people get turned off by it.
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Yes I do. he hadthe power to transfom a little vamp
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In Reply To #112
what is in cv right now considered normal should become easy, and the hard mode should be the standard normal. then a real hard mode should be added, that's more than just dying from 2 hits and taking 10 minutes od repetitive button mashing to beat one boss (like pork's hard modes were)
Oh you mean CRAZY mode?
To his credit, IGA's CRAZY modes form the recent 3D games were actually challenging. The thing is, they consist of just giving every enemy unholy armor points or health, and so it becomes a button masher.
I'm all for CRAZY mode still, I just think it should be executed more thoughtfully than just raising the health of the enemy. You know, add more traps and think of more interesting ways to raise the difficulty. Balance and flesh the idea out more.
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no that's just stupid. it's exactly what portrait did with its hard mode from your description, and that was just tedious and boring instead of challenging.
i mean a real hard mode, where new types of enemies and bosses appear, they become much smarter, their attacks are altered to be harder to dodge and come out much more frequently, the environments are way more hazardous with more traps like spikes, and so on.
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i mean a real hard mode, where new types of enemies and bosses appear, they become much smarter, their attacks are altered to be harder to dodge and come out much more frequently, the environments are way more hazardous with more traps like spikes, and so on.
Ok... yeah. IGA's never going to do that. :'(
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Ok... yeah. IGA's never going to do that. :'(
You never know. He might just surprise us.
And sometimes I just get optimistic to a fault.
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And sometimes I just get optimistic to a fault.
Yes you do.
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Yes, I do. But you never know.. *whimper*
IGA just might get randomly possessed and actually deliver GREAT stuff this time.
Or he might get randomly possessed and do even worse. [I hope not! .... geez.]
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He just never (or is never allowed to) put that kind of effort behind a second quest.
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Yes, I do like IGA very much. And yes I do want him to continue on with Castlevania.
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I believe that IGA is the most suitable for Castlevania series. I can't imagine what would be like the castlevania series without him.
I gues it would have been the same ruination as the FF series after Hironobu Sakaguchi left Square-Enix!
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In Reply To #124
Im pretty sure if he had his choice. He would easily make the game harder. I beleive he said somewhere about the games are just to easy. But something about rumors about the series being to hard and might be losing a fanbase because of it.
Actually its right here. Just read the part about the DS gaming. http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=page9mn9.jpg
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In Reply To #112
what is in cv right now considered normal should become easy, and the hard mode should be the standard normal. then a real hard mode should be added, that's more than just dying from 2 hits and taking 10 minutes od repetitive button mashing to beat one boss (like pork's hard modes were)
Agreed. I would also like Hard Mode to be accessible from the first time you put in the cartridge. It'd be nice if I could have an actual challenge when I experience the game for the first time. 'Cause like, the first time playing a new Castlevania game is one of my favorite experiences. I... I love them. :-[
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Agreed. I would also like Hard Mode to be accessible from the first time you put in the cartridge. It'd be nice if I could have an actual challenge when I experience the game for the first time. 'Cause like, the first time playing a new Castlevania game is one of my favorite experiences. I... I love them.
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I am not sure how things would be different if IGA isn't around. The castlevania games are still fun even though I would like a return to the pre SOTN days. However, what counts is how enjoyable the game is.
It would be quite difficult for me to fathom if the CV games are handle by another company other than IGA or Treasure(some of the employees fro that company did the pre cv games.)
In the case of Contra, a lot of the titles not made by konami sees to be either crap or missing something.
Wayward's Contra 4 is a nice return to the old style, but after beating the gae in hard mode, I realize I don't want to play the game a 2nd time unlike Contra 3, which I play over and over again. I think it has to do with the innovation of the game since I felt that nothing really wowed me in contra 4 like it did in contra 3. True, contra 4 brings in grappling hooks and a vertical screen, but the grappling feature was used in other games better. I cannot point my finger on it, but I felt soething is missing in contra 4.
I mean, there is still things I would like to see in CV, but it is getting there with the sequels and I would rather have someone who have worked on the series for a long time than a completely new team and see whether or not their game works or not.
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In Reply To #130
How is the often humdrum, POR, a sign that he's "getting there"?
I think he's largely running outta ideas. And maybe that's just how it goes. But whatever the case, I think the series could use a shakeup.
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I love the Castleroids, but they are getting kind of boring. Especially after revisiting some games via the Wii VC, Castlevania 4 especially, the old style of stage based play almost seems fresh these days. Plus, there are many ways to make a lower budget 2d game for a console these days, with xbox live and PSN, not to mention wii ware.
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In Reply To #113
That's impressive effort. I wouldn't have the patience for it.
do you have OCD? Just curious cuz I used to do that back in the day when my OCD was at it's peak I'd get obsessed with perfecting everything, main boss first boss didn't matter if I got hit I started over.
In Reply To #124
Im pretty sure if he had his choice. He would easily make the game harder. I beleive he said somewhere about the games are just to easy. But something about rumors about the series being to hard and might be losing a fanbase because of it.
I don't think so if any, I think it would have a positive effect. Take the remade Castlevania x68000 game, having beaten the original 16 bit game first I was incredibly dissappointed at how easy it was compared to the original version. I would think a remake would improve on things that needed work and leave things that were fine the way they were. Some of the music could have been way better in the remake and the difficulty should not have been changed. Maybe take away some of the bats in the clock tower or give them patterns that are easier to dodge cuz they were so damn cheap but the overall difficulty shouldn't have even been touched, it was realistic and what the difficulty in an oldschool based vania should be like. If you get hit more than a few times your going down.
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do you have OCD? Just curious cuz I used to do that back in the day when my OCD was at it's peak I'd get obsessed with perfecting everything, main boss first boss didn't matter if I got hit I started over.
No, just a huge showoff/don't really play any other games so I spend more time on these. ;) Plus, Aria was so well designed it was a pleasure trying to figure it out like a puzzle. I never appreciated how good the level design, monster placement, and soul system were until I tried pushing the game to its limits. On the other hand, it also made me realize how poorly PoR is designed.
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On the other hand, it also made me realize how poorly PoR is designed.
You say that now, but in 10 years you and everyone else will be praising portrait's crazy level design!
Watch !! :P
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In Reply To #135
Wanna bet? >D .... Nah.
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I'm seeing "he's running out of ideas!" thrown out as if there's a plethora of things to do with 2D. Pray, what can you do with 2D? Linear classic games, or adventure?
3D is just as bad. You can make God of War action games, or linear fight-to-end games. Or shake up the formula, like Castlevania RPG or Castlevania Pinball?
It's just like Mario or Zelda; you can only throw in minor changes so much, but in the end you're still playing the same game from ten years ago.
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They could revolutionize the level design. Actually they tried in PoR... And you see how it turned out.
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Level design? Do you mean the level themes, like a Pyramid instead of a Chapel? Again, how is that an evolution- exact same platforming 2D game as ever, just with a different background and music.
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In Reply To #139
Which is why I was talking about leveldesign and not about gameplay. And this is exactly what I mean. It's just boring, when everything repeats itself again and again. How often have we seen a chapel, or a clock tower? Yeah, shure, they are cool and they have to be in Dracula's Castle, but there has to be some more variety. Like I said, they tried in PoR. And they did well in my opinion... until they made a 2nd version of every stage.
I think OoE will bring some change there. We will see forests and a sea with pirate ship and stuff. It'll also bring at least some gameplay changes, like the world map or the glyph system. Having a fast recovering MP-bar which is consumed by normal attacks, while special attacks are limited by hearts, will definitely change something.
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In Reply To #139
Which is why I was talking about leveldesign and not about gameplay. And this is exactly what I mean. It's just boring, when everything repeats itself again and again. How often have
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I think it's great that they're adding new levels into the new games, like the pirate ship, but it would be a shame if they got rid of traditional Castlevania levels altogether. There's no other feeling like stepping into the clock tower and getting swarmed by medusa heads. As annoying as they are, and as much as they make you want to kill yourself, those classic levels are what keeps the Castlevania spirit alive!
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there already is a clock tower. it was shown in the nintendo power. it looked like an ugly cotm design though, with pretty flat, boring and uninspired design.
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I'm seeing "he's running out of ideas!" thrown out as if there's a plethora of things to do with 2D. Pray, what can you do with 2D?
You can do a lot with 2D if you're creative enough. Look at all these amazing PSP, XBOX live, and Wiiware games that dare to be different. They probably won't sell, but they prove again and again that 2D is definitely not dead, if you ask me. (Phantom Hourglass plays different than any other Zelda, becasue of the DS. I think the DS can still be utilized in amazing ways)
As a matter of fact, my own brother is working in a new team on a brand new 2D game and it doesn't play like anything else.
I have a couple ideas myself for Castlevania, but it'd require another topic to discuss it in detail.
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In Reply To #143
It reminded me more of HoD mixed with RoB.
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there already is a clock tower. it was shown in the nintendo power. it looked like an ugly cotm design though, with pretty flat, boring and uninspired design.
Yes it looks lame at this point.
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There are an endless amount of things that can be done with the concept of "chapel" or "clock tower". Architecture and interior design are not exactly limited fields, after all. They could really include the two in every game and make each iteration look completely distinct
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Yeah, I think they do need to be more original. They don't have to all look the same to still be classic Castlevania levels! And I agree, the Clock Tower does look pretty bad at this point in development, but you never know, Konami might change it! Please...?
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I dunno, he kinda cleaned up the timeline but then got it all messy again, but yeah he's cool I guess, I like the direction he's taken with some of the games and remakes.
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Castlevania's graphics and level design don't concern me. I seriously don't care about that. What bothers me is that the last 2 DS titles were pathetic compared to the previous GBA titles. Those were awesome games. I think Portrait of Ruin was way too repetitive and I hated the storyline. Dawn of Sorrow wasn't too bad, but after beating it, it wasn't the kind of game I would want to beat again. The overall gameplay was just long and boring. I just hope Order of Ecclesia changes that or the Castlevania series could die! :'(
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In Reply To #150
I dunno.. Your post seems to contradict itself, imo. >.<
I think the games wouldn't be repetitive if they had really good level design, so by caring about PoR being "repetitive" and DoS being "long and boring", I think you are still concerned about the level design. With good level design, it should at least be less repetitive and less boring. That's what I think. :)
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Good point. I think I should have said I'm not concerned about the graphics-not level design. New and more interesting levels would make the game more interesting, which is why I'm looking forward to Order of Ecclesia because by the sound of it, there aregoing to be a ton of levels outside the castle,which hasn't been done very much before (besides a small forest). I'm looking forward to exploring outside the castle for once. :)
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Yes, 20 areas supposedly built in a little over a year?
I'm just giving them the benefit of the doubt, but that does not sound good.
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I wish Konami could send out more pictures so we could know more about these new levels. Although, I wouldn't want them to rush the game's release, considering that would probably make the game even worse. This'll be the worst summer ever, having to wait for the fall for OoE to be released! I'm gonna die of anticipation! See, this is why I need a time machine. I could go forward in time, bring back some 3 copies. One for playing, another one for playing incase I lost the original, and one to sell on Ebay for some ridiculously immense sum of money to some obsessed Castlevania fanatic! Hahahahaha! ;D
Wait-I don't have a time machine nor any clue how to make one. I think I just got a bit ahead of myslef. Damn... :(
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In Reply To #153
Nah, it sounds Neato.
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Wait-I don't have a time machine nor any clue how to make one. I think I just got a bit ahead of myslef. Damn...
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i used to hate him, now i think he's ok
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anyone here really know him well enough to answer that question though?
as for what he's done, i prefer the oldschool platformer style myself, but i think he did what he thought best for the series.
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In Reply To #159
With the DOS thing being "long and boring" I beat it as Soma in about 1 hour 50 something minutes, and then about 20 something minutes in julius mode.
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I like IGA, I just think he's inconsistent. When he makes good games, he makes REALLY good games...unfortunately, the same is true of the really bad games he's made.
That said, I think that maybe he shouldn't step down, but rather take a breather. I mean, the guy cranks out CV games every year or so...Konami shouldn't put such stringent deadlines on his team.
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In Reply To #159
With the DOS thing being "long and boring" I beat it as Soma in about 1 hour 50 something minutes, and then about 20 something minutes in julius mode.
I just didn't like the game enough to keep playing. I beat a level, saved it, waited 4 days, got bored, and said, "Hey, I could always play Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow", so then I'd beat a level, get bored, save it, and the cycle begins again... :P
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I really try to like IGA i mean hes dedication toward putting out castlevania games every year or so is amazing he seems really loyal to the fans yet I cant agree to some of the things he did to the time line. Like making Dracula Mathias I really really dislike that and taking sonya out of the game series. The Boss from MGS reminded me of her being the mother of all the belmonts. And I think he glory hogs trevor too much, I really like trevor he was pretty badass in CoD but personally I think Simon is the best of all the Belmonts. As far as game designs goes I think he needs to stray away from the metroidvania style for a bit and go back to the stage by stage style and work on the level designs so they dont repeat themselves as much. Regardless hes at the helm of CV and he is the reason we are getting so many game to feed our hunger. Judgment though I think that was more for the fans which was a great thing to do.
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I think Iga does well with the 2D handheld games, and they should keep him on the series for those. I think he is not the right guy to create a 3D Castlevania, I really think Konami should give a new team a try at bringing us the definitive 3D Castlevania. I also think Iga has mishandled the story over the years (I didn't like the stories in LoI and CoD, and I thought they unnecessarily altered the overall story of the series), and I would actually like to see them go back to the drawing board, scrap most of the current continuity and just start over. I like the guy and what he's done, but I think a new creative team would be a good thing for the series.
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Personally I loved Aria of Sorrow. I enjoyed every single second of it. I think the plot twist was very creative, about how you were playing as the reincarnation of Dracula all along without knowing it. The levels and backgrounds were beautiful - especially the first one where you could see bats flying around in the background etc (I fall easily for minor graphic details). Plus, character designs were great and the spriting as well. I can understand though that picking a japanese teenager wasn't the ultimate choice, but I still have nothing against Soma Cruz. IGA also managed to place a Castlevania game in the future and still make it great. The whole thing felt new and creative, just like SotN.
Unforunately they created nyappy-neko-chan Dawn of Sorrow and turned it into something you could see on Disney Channel. I'm sure Ayami Kojima was busy, but a blank cover would've been better than what we encountered in it. Sure, I know it's not just about the artwork, but it kinda felt like all the characters changed personalities. Hammer turned into some love-crank wuss and Alucard wasn't as ''mysterious'' as he's usually been. And Soma looked like something you could find back in the 70s. Sorry for nitpicking, but I'd say DoS is the worst Castlevania title.
As for the actual topic; YES I think IGA should stay. I agree with the fact most of you say, that it's getting a bit too predictable and it the Castletroids are getting too overused. They should take some time off with Castlevania and give IGA some time to come up with something REAL great. Something new and creative, and perhaps give him a better budget too. They should give him time and a budget for an ultimate 3D Castlevania game. IGA's the one to do it. He probably just need some time to refresh his talent.