Topic: Is Castlevania made by a bunch of lazy bums?!

[DragonSlayr81]

I think IGA's concepts behind plot and characters are great, it's just the execution that's not. If anything, with each concept IGA brings up, the potential is there to do the most with it, and come out with a real kickass story, but, by the end of each game, it leaves you unsatisfied. I really love the concepts behind CoD, PoR, HoD, LoI and such, but the potential seems to have been lost for IGA's simplistic storytelling. His stories are extremely simple. He never really does anything that ISN'T expected, like throwing a curveball or something. How much I would've loved, at the end of CoD, when Hector transmutes the curse's dark energy, if he actually turned it into a monster(you actually have to KILL the curse, which was devil forged into a physical form), then THAT was the real final boss, THAT would've been interesting. I mean, I liked the concept behind Devil Forging, but IGA didn't really do anything MORE with it other than it being a gimick system excuse to run around the countryside and collect your different monsters so you have all the required types by the end of the game. I would've also loved to see appearances from the CV3 cast besides Trevor. There was great potential, storywise, for that game, but IGA never even met it halfway.

[DingusBelmondo]

I think IGA's concepts behind plot and characters are great, it's just the execution that's not. If anything, with each concept IGA brings up, the potential is there to do most with it, and come out with a real kickass story, but, by the end of each game, it leaves you unsatisfied. I mean, love the concepts behind CoD, PoR, HoD, LoI and such, but the potential seems to have been lost for IGA's simplistic storytelling. His stories extremely simple. He never really does anything that ISN'T expected, like throwing a curveball or something. How much I would've loved, at the end of CoD, when Hector transmutes the curse's dark energy, if he actually turned it into a monster(you actually have to KILL the curse, which was devil forged into a physical form), then THAT was the real final boss, THAT would've been interesting. I mean, I liked the concept behind Devil Forging, but IGA didn't really do anything MORE with it other than it being a gimick system excuse to run around the countryside and collect your different monsters so you have all the required types by the end of the game. I would've also loved to see appearances from the CV3 cast besides Trevor. There was great potential, storywise, for that game, but IGA never even met it halfway.

 

I totally agree with this. Concepts like the portraits in POR and others are so underplayed, great concepts, poor execution. I just find it strange, because so many japenese game series go so completely over the top with the plot twists and story and bosses, Iga just seems to lack some of those ideas. Im not saying I wish CV was like a crazy Jrpg, it's just that there are people out there who have limitless wells of inspired ideas, but they don't really make it to CV.

[Munchy]

Dunno if the level designers are lazy, or if they're told to re-use as much as possible to save time and money. They probably have LOTS of visions and ideas (why else work in the industry?), but in the end they need to do as they're told, sort of. That's what I think, anyway.

Reusing things like backgrounds and sprites I can understand. They're hard to draw. But copying and pasting entire room layouts is unacceptable. Adventure Rebirth was a budgety 10 dollar game, and its level design was better and more varied than pretty much every DS Castlevania. (In this case, though, I guess the relative lengths of the games should be taken into account, but still, something's gotta give.)

[nsideus]

Reusing things like backgrounds and sprites I can understand. They're hard to draw. But copying and pasting entire room layouts is unacceptable. Adventure Rebirth was a budgety 10 dollar game, and its level design was better and more varied than pretty much every DS Castlevania. (In this case, though, I guess the relative lengths of the games should be taken into account, but still, something's gotta give.)

Everything in game production is "hard" to do, not just artwork.  That being said, it's easier to notice reused art than say, reused code.  But code reuse is something that is generally a good practice.  Even so, programmers are generally the most overworked people on the team. 

I agree with copied room layouts being lazy.  Design, relative to programming, art, and sound engineering, is the easiest thing to do in production.  Sure you have to be creative, but as far as the actual amount of work that needs to be done in each discipline, design is the easiest.  I'm sure they have a level editor where it is easy to move things around. 

One strange thing I have noticed is that in almost all of the 2D CV games, the designers double as artists.  If you look in the credits, you won't see a separate section for art.  The designers do the sprite work.  I don't know if that is common practice for Japan, but you'd almost never see that in the US unless we're talking about a dinky mobile game.

[JR]

I think IGA's concepts behind plot and characters are great, it's just the execution that's not.

Couldn't have said it better. I think this is my gripe with the story in IGA's games. Great initial ideas that become muddled by the end of the game.

As far as the topic goes, I don't think IGA's team is lazy; just unfortunately on a small budget. I really do believe that this has been a greater factor than laziness or incompetence. 

[Amduscias]

If u give a lot of $$$ to Iga, what's the result?: Pokevania - Curse of Darkness  :

Also, i dunno how did Iga accepted the idea of Order of Shadows

[Nagumo]

He is just a producer man, give him a break. 

[nsideus]

If u give a lot of $$$ to Iga, what's the result?: Pokevania - Curse of Darkness  :

Also, i dunno how did Iga accepted the idea of Order of Shadows

Iga had little to nothing to do with Order of Shadows.  I don't know why people mention him as producer of that game.  If you look in the real credits, he's only under Special Thanks. 

[X]

Hmm... what to say when I've pretty much said it all.................IGa needs to think outside "HIS" box.

-X