Topic: Gametrailers' Castlevania Retrospective

[RichterB]

Machinima's Part II Retrospective is up. Pretty good stuff, and they actually give "Castlevania: Dracula X" some credit! Next time they plan to drone on about Sotn...

[GameGuruNT]

I wouldn't say Symphony of the Night is overrated. I've only been a Castlevania fan for a year and I love Symphony of the Night and think it deserves its praise. However, I also love Super Castlevania IV, Rondo Of Blood, and Adventure Rebirth, which I had bought after getting into SotN.

[GameGuruNT]

How did I double post with a quote?! 

[RichterB]

Part II of Gametrailers Retrospective is now up! Nice job overall. I'm dreading how they're going to bash the N64 era (in Part III). It is so misunderstood.

I wouldn't say Symphony of the Night is overrated. I've only been a Castlevania fan for a year and I love Symphony of the Night and think it deserves its praise. However, I also love Super Castlevania IV, Rondo Of Blood, and Adventure Rebirth, which I had bought after getting into SotN.

Yeah, SotN is a great game, and it does deserve more credit than I've given it lately. It's the best of the Metroid-style Castlevanias, I'd say. I can't say it's the best in series for me, as I need more consequential action-platforming with my adventuring. I think the fact that they made so many games so quickly in the same style as SotN, it cheapened SotN's specialness, and this trend was a death sentence for the ambitious Nintendo 64 titles, which tried to move the series forward in 3D on limited technology when people wanted more SotN. Moreover, I don't like how SotN's popularity usually relegates the Classic-style (action-platforming) Castlevanias as inferior, when that style started the whole thing, and had some amazing entries. Castlevania III, Dracula X, and Bloodlines are others that are really great outside the ones you noted, and Simon's Quest is an interesting blend of action and adventure styles.

[Harrycombs]

Part II of Gametrailers Retrospective is now up! Nice job overall. I'm dreading how they're going to bash the N64 era (in Part III). It is so misunderstood.

Me too. How can they consider the N64 era as CVs darkest era... That was only a 2 year period and both games were pretty good and were well received upon their original release. The DS era was by far worse.

They really spent to much time on Symphony. Its good, yes, but its not significantly better than its predecessors (although it is better than all of its hand held successors), especially in the face of SCV4 and Rondo before it. They make it sound as if its leagues ahead of the other games but its not really.

[RichterB]

Me too. How can they consider the N64 era as CVs darkest era... That was only a 2 year period and both games were pretty good and were well received upon their original release. The DS era was by far worse.

They really spent to much time on Symphony. Its good, yes, but its not significantly better than its predecessors (although it is better than all of its hand held successors), especially in the face of SCV4 and Rondo before it. They make it sound as if its leagues ahead of the other games but its not really.

Yeah, about N64 games, LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID:
*Multiple characters with alternate levels/bosses
*Full 3D gameplay
*Level Design features spatial depth (vertical and horizontal)
*day-and-night cycles
*Weather effects
*Dynamic, real-time lighting (next to candles, for instance)
*spot-on atmosphere
*death-defying platforming
*innovative survival-horror elements
*manageable questing with inventory items
*interesting plot (characters like Rosa, Vincent, Renon, Malice, Henry, etc)
*3D in-game cinemas
*Some voicing
....Can you imagine LoS' graphics and budget on these games?!  

Now, yes, the graphics were somewhat flawed, and yes the camera and lock-on function had some issues, and sure a few puzzles could be annoying (Castle Center), but darn if CV64 and LoD weren't just as ambitious and daring as SotN--maybe even more so since SotN was based on the successful Super Metroid. They were trying stuff that the N64 really wasn't capable of and risked doing it anyway. Way ahead of their time. Even LoI and CoD didn't have a comparable level of 3D design despite having better hardware.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Even Metroid couldn't do Metroid in 3D until Gamecube era.

It was at the very least, a very admirable attempt and at the most, a successful execution of a few Castlevania staples (many mentioned above by RichterB), while not really ripping off of anything done around the time (or if it did, it was not by choice).

I have to check out video #2, though.

[Dremn]

Super Castlevania IV <3

I hope they cover ReBirth in later segments.

[crisis]

CV64 & LoD also had the luxury of being played through this thing



what was nintendo thinking?!

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Eh, I enjoyed that thing.  It was quite comfortable actually.
I'll take anyone out in GoldenEye with that thing.

[e105beta]

Even Metroid couldn't do Metroid in 3D until Gamecube era.

The difference is they didn't try to make a 3D game for Metroid on the N64.

I personally found LoD to be super a super "meh" game. It wasn't horrible, but I couldn't get into it like I did for SotN or CVIII. I found myself just putting it down out of boredom halfway through the game.

Maybe it picks up near the end, I don't know.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Like LoS, it picks up on the latter half.  I think it's OK for CV games to be like this.

[thernz]

64's development seems to correlate with LoS with all they wanted to add in all these great ideas (though I guess 64 was probably more innovative about it), but they all backfired, especially in 64's case when all those features were pulled and we were left with uh, 64. ; - ;

[Akira]

Part II
Part II: Resurrection of Evil - The Castlevania Retrospective

[SomaCruz90]

Man, watching that retrospective on SotN made it perfectly clear why its by far the best Castlevania since: it looks like they actually gave a shit. The phenomenal soundtrack, the amazing art direction in pretty much every area, level design that isn't just giant boxes/straight lines with enemies lined up for attacking, and damn if it isn't one of the most beautiful games ever made, even today in 2010(crappy PS1 3d stuff aside). This is a game made by some super talented people pouring everything they have into one title, and they've been trying and failing to live up to it ever since. I know you guys really like your Rondos and Super CV4, but SOTN is just on another level. Try as he might, IGA will probably never top this masterpiece.

Wheee N64 stuff next. Ambitious as hell, but control/camera issues kill it, and it doesn't help that it looks ugly as sin today. Still, should be interesting!