Topic: Site Update!!!!

[discoalucard]

I really hate to say it, as I've been reading this site practically since it started, but it might be time for me to find a new Castlevania site that actually cares about Castlevania

Geez I'm sorry man, I guess you'd like me to give up on my social life so I can spend all day locked in my room writing about a video game, right? Would you like to explain to my girlfriend why I couldn't go to her best friend's wedding because a new DS game is coming out and it's EXTRAORDINARILY IMPERATIVE that a fan site, of all things, is updated constantly with up-to-the-minute breaking news? I already have a stack of video games on my shelf I haven't played, you want me to stop talking to my family too or something?

At any rate, the main page is updated now, or will be once the soundtrack is finished uploading. I'll try to get something resembling a review up in a reasonable time frame, but no promises.

And yeah, I have considered passing on the site, or at least getting people to help. The problem is, in my years of running these things, I've never really had a satisfactory experience with it. I give people the log-ins and stuff and then they do one update and then fall off the Internet. Working on these things is not as easy as it looks! I started this site when I was 15. I'm almost 28 now. Let's see you try that!

*apologies for the bitterness to all who aren't whiny jerkasses, by the way. I'm not normally this cranky. I'm actually pretty happy about Order of Ecclesia, really!

[Abnormal Freak]

Just out of curiosity, is there a possibility of the older soundtrack CD rips being replaced with ones of higher quality, say, 192kbps, and all the soundtracks being available as a zip file each? Just wondering, as that would be nice.

[discoalucard]

In Reply To #17

Hmmm, zipping up the remaining OSTs would not be a bad idea. If I get the chance I can see about re-ripping some CDs too. Which ones need better rips? It's been years since I've even looked at those files...

I think I'm going to eventually stick up the actual soundtracks for Portrait and DX Chronicles. I wanted to keep up this "rips only" policy to encourage people to buy the soundtrack CDs, but with Galbadia Hotel offering the whole things anyway, there doesn't seem to be a huge point...

[Artanis]

In Reply To #17

Which ones need better rips? It's been years since I've even looked at those files...

Dracula New Classic could use one. The mp3s are 128kbps, they should be at least 192kbps imo.

[Abnormal Freak]

The first Perfect Selection Dracula Battle is 160kbps, which ain't bad, but 192 would be better. I actually haven't downloaded all of the soundtracks, since it's tedious as all hell to download every track individually, so I can't really say which are below 192, although of the ones I've downloaded, the OSTs for CV64, Dracula X/Bloodlines, and Dracula Best 1 and 2 (though my brother owns these two so no biggie for me that they're low bitrate) are all 128. (The Haunted Castle rips from Konami Game Music Collection Vol. 1 are 160, not a big deal, but 192 may represent the sound better.)

I try to buy OSTs when I have the money, but as far as I know most of the older ones are out of print with the exceptions of the two Dracula Best albums, or all one can find are bootlegs. I usually just stick to whatever Otaku.com has since I trust 'em, but their shipping prices are a pain.

Anything 192kbps or higher would be awesome, as well as the albums presented as one zip file for easy downloading. Wouldn't take too long to do, but it's totally up to you to do at your leisure if you ever do it at all. It's just tough to find higher quality CD rips elsewhere (though I haven't really tried Galbadia Hotel, though once when I looked I found it difficult to find anything I wanted), and again, the pre-GBA OSTs are out of print or else bootlegs are sold, with a few exceptions.

[Abnormal Freak]

Do people at Galbadia Hotel EVER upload actual official OST releases? Seems they're all mostly game rips, which is awesome, but I'd like to hear the actual soundtrack CDs to know if I'd wanna buy 'em.

Like, honestly, the people there are fucking retarded. They label stuff as OSTs, when in actuality they're just game rips, and it's frustrating.

Though I did find the official Dracula X Chronicles OST, which if I like enough I'll probably plunk down the money for anyway, especially since it looks like it has the full PC Engine soundtrack, but unfortunately my Rapidshare limit is up due to morons misleading me into thinking I was downloading Original Soundtracks.

Hey Kurt (or anybody for that matter), is there any cool artwork and such in the OSTs for COTM/HOD, AOS/DOS, POR, and CV Chronicles? 'Cos I'm listening to the CD rips on your site and most of them honestly sound really lousy. For the GBA games, I don't even get this much hiss when having headphones plugged into the GBA (although I recently bought an adapter to use headphones on my SP+, and this is about how it sounds), and while I enjoy the scores for DOS, POR, and Chronicles, I'm not quite sure if I'd really listen to them outside of the games. But the collector in me wants them, despite it being a lot of money to pay for all of those, and I just wanna know if there's cool artwork and such.

For now I really just want to buy the Dracula X Chronicles album, that is if the second CD is a good version of the PC Engine tunes.

[Artanis]

The SOTN soundtrack is another one that could benefit from a boosted bitrate (from 128 to 192).

[discoalucard]

I don't actually own Dracula New Classic so that's out of the picture. I own the rest, though, so I'll see about it.

I have the Chronicles and COTM/HOD CDs, and their liner notes are very banal. I wouldn't bother if you want them as collectibles. I THINK AOS/DOS has some artwork (check the artwork in the Games sections...I forget which CDs had what) but the quality on AOS is really bad, way worse than the rips I did myself (and should still be up.)

The DXC versions of the Dracula X tunes aren't much different, at least from what I could tell. The only major difference is the inclusion of the chip generated tunes.

[Abnormal Freak]

I wasn't even aware the chip tunes were included. That makes it so much better in my opinion.

I noticed when comparing track listings that certain songs are longer while others are shorter than the old double CD. Kind of disheartening that "Bloodlines" isn't very long on the new album, but I'll probably buy it anyway. I'll likely buy that and the CV Chronicles one, since I really like those X68000 tunes, and the PSX remakes are pretty good too. The MIDI ones are interesting but I don't favor them over the originals.

[Angel Rage]

Damnit I had to re-register o_O

*mutter*

[Abnormal Freak]

Holy @#$%, I thought there was a limit to avatar size. :o