Topic: SomaCruz90 plays through "old-school" CVs, watch and laugh at his pain

[RichterB]

CV3 is one of the best.  If you want better jumping controls, I suggest you take a trip to the Clock Tower of Untimely Death once you're done with the first stage instead of choosing the Mad Forest of Monsters.

^Trust Jorge's advice on this one: Go to the top of the clock tower for mobility assistance.  

...And please be sure not to skip Castlevania III. You won't regret it. It was a convergence of everything learned from 1 and 2, and despite its limitations as an NES title, it can rival any Castlevania game (It always wrestles with IV for the top spot in my mind). In fact, you might find yourself wanting to play III multiple times due to the surprising content within it. Enjoy. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. ...You'll see more classic enemies, tunes, and tropes introduced here, as well. The older CV featured a good deal of innovation between games.

Back to Simon's Quest...I know its puzzles were ridiculously hard and obscure...but I found that charming. I wish there was more of that in modern games, which tend to spoon-feed players a bit too much. The idea of meeting people in the graveyard with a special item (garlic) and getting something in return (upgraded daggers) was kind of revived a bit in Castlevania 64 with Rosa in the flower garden. Heck, the ambitious idea of night and day cycles from the N64 titles comes from Simon's Quest, too. I'm still hoping for the magic crystals to make a return to Castlevania. It can be a bit more intuitive, of course, but I still want those brain-teasers and shocking environmental twists (drained lakes, tornado lifts, etc). And speaking of the stiff controls and stairs in early Castlevania...it can be unfair at times, yes, but I think the ninja-like maneuverability brought in around SotN with floaty double-jumps and air boosts and such, and the character just floating over the stair sprites instead of actually interacting with them, was too much on the opposite end of extremes and cheapens the realism/challenge. Lastly, I'm sure you noticed, but Simon's Quest gave us the inventory, the flame whip, the crystal sub-weapon, NPCs, Carmilla (via mask), and werewolves just to name a few. It must be really interesting to see the series evolving in order like this.

And congrats on mentioning Arthur from GnG. You are well-versed in the classics (though Super Ghouls n Ghosts SNES is the special entry in that series that really makes it sing).  

[Sumac]

Talking about Castlevania 2 I had a book with codes and walkthroughs three years prior I played this game.
And while I had basic idea how I should play this game, some of the things weren't written in this book, so I need to figure them on my own.
Like how (and where) to use stakes. And most importantly how to get to the Mansion with Dracula's Eye. Book did mension something about showing Dracula's heart to the boatman and it added that I shouldn't give heart to him. For quite a time I was confused since there was no way how I can "give him this heart". I figured it out eventually...one year after I initially played this game.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

And congrats on mentioning Arthur from GnG. You are well-versed in the classics (though Super Ghouls n Ghosts SNES is the special entry in that series that really makes it sing). 

Too bad he was mentioning him in a derogatory sense.
The controls take a bit of getting used to, but they're fine for the type of game that it is.

[SomaCruz90]

My favorite game in the G'n'G series is the recent Ultimate G'n'G. Arthur still isn't the best platformer in the world, but the difficulty on the whole has turned down just a tad and seems less built around your glaring limitations.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse:

-And we are off. Back to CV1 style, even slightly edited CV1 sprite with two frames of animation. I know I heard this song before, was it in Portrait of Ruin or one of the other Metroidanias?

-arrrgh Medusa heads. Its so much bullshit that I decide to climb stairs and then randomly spawning Medusa head from nowhere hits me, and I can't do shit about it.

-LOL just on this right block and own this boss here. Aw sweet, alternate paths! I'll take Jorge's advice and go to the Untimely Death route, even if that doesn't sound very enticing!

-Huh, I know I heard this song before too.

-Hey, swinging pendulums! What would an absurdly huge, intricate clock tower level be without those?

-And of course the Medusa heads. Arrrgh, just let me climb in peace! Fuck you flying heads, TIME STOP mwahaha. Totally useless on boss fights, but a live saver in the levels!

-Who the heck is this dude? He's like that wall-crawling guy from Portrait of Ruin, lol. I was expecting Death when I got up here, oh well. This one clock tower level was better than any level from the past two games. Wait, what? OH SHIT IT IS THAT WALL-CRAWLING GUY, neat.

-Oh god I'm fucking Spider-man.

-Well I don't particularly care for backtracking through the whole stage again, even if it is a good level and Spider-man here makes everything better.

-Thank God for the Axe sub-weapon on these damn owls. Why do OWLS have to attack me, what did I do to them?

-This is good stuff here. I find myself switching between fake-Simon for combat and Spider-man for platforming.

-Oh god, more multiple paths. Which way do I go? I heard Alucard is in this game, did I miss him?

[PFG9000]

You need to head toward the caves to meet Alucard.

The song in the first level is "Beginning."  It's the third-most-remade tune in the series, behind Vampire Killer and Bloody Tears.  You might recognize it from the Julius Mode of DoS.  The tune in the Clocktower is "Clockwork" IIRC, and you probably recognize it from CotM's clocktower.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Head towards the end of the forest for the statue graveyard, and someone to play as other than Alucard.
Note that you cannot have multiple partners.  You will have to give up Grant to get anyone else.  You've been warned.

[Gaawa-chan]

It took me years just to get through Simon's Quest before the Nintendo Game Atlas fell onto my lap. As for leveling up, I wouldn't bother. You only have a limited amount of time to finish the game in order to get the best ending. But like Crisis said, time doesn't pass by while inside the mansions.

-X

'Use laurels whenever you can justify it' was my answer to everything when I was a kid. XD

I didn't think anyone wanted to hear me curse out their favorite game when I'm slamming my head in my desk trying to figure out Dracula's riddles and randomly whipping walls to find clues.

Dracula's eyeball, dude.  It lets you see the clues. XD

[SomaCruz90]

Note that you cannot have multiple partners.  You will have to give up Grant to get anyone else.  You've been warned.

Aw man, I can't just give up fake-Simon? Screw that mess then.

-Aw yeah, swamp level.

-Cool, those little ghost things IGA sees fit to throw into every new game!

-Whoo, down to one health bar when I beat Twin Giant Bat things. And I used Fake-Simon the whole time!

-Whoa acid burning from the ceiling. Oh shit, that guy is on FIRE. Let me help him out with some Holy Water.

-Yeeees I knew waiting for that acid to burn out the floor would lead to something good, 1up get secret door whee. I can't see how anyone could put this game below CV1.

-I really like this dual paths thing goign on in this cavern area.

-Oh shit, Dracula already!? I hoping this isn't the end of the game!

-Oh no, its actually Alucard. Sorry Al, you aint got Spidey's hops.

[SomaCruz90]

^Uh, sorry about how long that reply took, I actually got caught up with the game and just stop typing. But I figured I might as well post those impressions. I think I'm on the last level now.

-Oh shit, Dracula got a WAND! Dude's a magician now! Too bad this fire is easy to dodge and my whip is so very long(sexually suggestive joke #1!)

-Oh god, how many transformations do you have!? I knew I should have stocked up on my hearts for this Axe!

-Annnnnd finish! And of course watch as Castlevania falls to the green. This credits music is pretty sweet.

Hey, I'm actually glad I didn't skip CV3, its easily the best of the NES trilogy. From level design, to playable characters, multiple paths, music...its just the best game there. I wouldn't put it above any of my favorite Metroidvanias or anything, but it stands head and shoulders above its NES counterparts.

SCV4 ahoy!

[RichterB]

^Uh, sorry about how long that reply took, I actually got caught up with the game and just stop typing. But I figured I might as well post those impressions. I think I'm on the last level now.

-Oh shit, Dracula got a WAND! Dude's a magician now! Too bad this fire is easy to dodge and my whip is so very long(sexually suggestive joke #1!)

-Oh god, how many transformations do you have!? I knew I should have stocked up on my hearts for this Axe!

-Annnnnd finish! And of course watch as Castlevania falls to the green. This credits music is pretty sweet.

Hey, I'm actually glad I didn't skip CV3, its easily the best of the NES trilogy. From level design, to playable characters, multiple paths, music...its just the best game there. I wouldn't put it above any of my favorite Metroidvanias or anything, but it stands head and shoulders above its NES counterparts.

SCV4 ahoy!

Hey, in CVIII, did you see/play as "Sypha"--the blue-cloaked magic woman that every magic-based woman vampire hunter (including Charlotte) is based on? She had fire, ice (can freeze water hazards into platforms), and lightning spells. Anyway, changing paths and characters (you can even choose to go alone with Trevor) gives CVIII a lot of replay value. The sheer variety and length of levels and choices is awesome. There are lots of interactive scenarios, not sure if you saw them all, like the flooding level post-Bone Dragon King boss fight. For my money, it's the best branching path game in the series. Love the map presentation. That first boss you fought appeared again in Harmony of Dissonance, by the way. And Grant, Alucard, Sypha, and Trevor...that group sort of meets again in SotN in the arena battle, if you recall. Alucard's introduction of transforming into a bat came from here, too. Oh, and the famous Ghost Ship level seen in Rondo and Legacy of Darkness got its start here in a big way. In that same level, there was the advent of the skeleton swordsmen who hold their skull heads. They are in other games, including SotN's library area.

I agree that III is infinitely better than CV1. Hard to compare to II...though I'd say III has more fun replay value. In scope, CVIII is still ambitious even by today's standards. But CVIII is no joke on challenge. Maybe you took a path that bypassed some of the harder levels (like the one with the falling blocks that make a path upward). But that last level with Drac and the lack of continue points, that's really hard (well, more so without Grant, though).

Anyway, Super Castlevania IV is the game that if someone on the street asked me to have them play one game that defined Castlevania--as much as I love III and Dracula X (SNES) and find great charm in Bloodlines and the N64 titles--Super CV IV would be it. While some games have individual elements that are better than it, Super CV IV is probably the most rounded and eye-popping.

PS: To me, if you combined the controls and atmosphere of IV with the scope of variety and branching map-paths in III (with perhaps a dash of the "Item Crashes" in Dracula X/Bloodlines), you'd have the best 2D Castlevania ever.   (As for 3D, you'd have to take the previous and add the villages and puzzles from II, as well as the survival-horror/suspense elements from the N64 titles).

[Harrycombs]

To finish the entire NES trilogy in just a couple days is incredible. I still can't beat level 5 of CV

I personally think that CV3 is one of the hardest games in the series, so you are probably going to crush SCV4 when you get to it.

[SomaCruz90]

I several embarrassing deaths I didn't want to mention. The worst one was in CV3 when in the clock tower, and you know how the screen scrolls up so what was once platform is now bottom pit? I jumped right on a Medusa head flying AWAY from me somehow, fly backward right between the platform and the bottomless area. It was bad news 

Oh, and GameFAQs helps!

[RichterB]

Castlevania IV should mostly be a breeze for you after I-III. (I am curious, what do you think of Castlevania 64/Legacy of Darkness? (since it sounded like those were your first games)

[SomaCruz90]

Castlevania IV should mostly be a breeze for you after I-III. (I am curious, what do you think of Castlevania 64/Legacy of Darkness? (since it sounded like those were your first games)

I kinda liked the N64 games. I mean, they had Frankenstein chasing you with a chainsaw through a hedge maze garden, it couldn't have been TOO bad. But I remember the camera and controls being crap, and the fact that it looks so ugly today kills any interest in returning to it.

Anyway, beat SCIV today. I'll try a little different and break it down into pros/cons:

Pros:
+When it comes down to Classicvania, this is the best one. It takes the original games, injects steroids, and lets it fly.
+Solid soundtrack
+pretty good art direction
+Lengthy for a Classicvania

Cons:
-Swinging isn't that fun. It doesn't help that I played this almost directly after the incredible, seamless swinging of Bionic Commando Rearmed, but SCV4's swinging is slow, rigid, and gimmicky. The Mode 7 swinging room was little more than an excuse to "wow" gamers with its rotation effects.
-I'm still not a huge fan of Classivania's style of play. Yeah, its more challenging than the Metroidvanias, but that's because Alucard and co are so nimble and smooth. Simon still feels like he has cement blocks tied to his ankles and still has a god awful jump. When I jump and land in a bottomless pit because Simon can only hop 6 inches from the ground, its incredibly frustrating and the opposite of fun
-The 8-direction whip actually works AGAINST the slow, methodical feel of the Classicvanias. it reduced what were dangerous enemies that required a steady approach and careful tactics to surmount to rote moving targets, since most enemies couldn't get around it. And without that challenge, what was an otherwise necessarily slow and steady approach lost that meaning and often became a pointlessly slow lurch. Congratulations Konami, you totally missed the point.

Overall, I did enjoy SCV4 more then the others(although its ranked closer with CV3 than the others), but I have no idea why people think this is the best of the series. All I can think of is the "Final Fantasy 7 Effect", where I play it see an ugly as hell, poorly-translated, above average RPG with God awful pacing. But perhaps had I been there when it was coming out, I would have fell in love with it. Not that I'm saying people who love SCV4 are blinded by nostalgia, but I vividly remember after beating Dracula and staring at Simon as he watches Castlevania fall, and I just couldn't help but think, "Why do people think this is a great video game?"

[Vampire Killer]

"Why do people think this is a great video game?"

It's probably one of those 'guess you had to be there things'.  Like when you complained about the mode7.  Yeah, they were trying to wow you back then.  Guess what though, that's what they do today.  A large part of this hobby is about "oooh the pretty".  Why else would you think the graphics such crap?  It's because you have in your mind references to game that to you look amazing. But, that's how we all are, welcome to the club   . Back then, the mode7 was in fact mind blowing, as was a lot of CVIV (music was some of best in series imo).

Admittedly though, the graphics by todays standards (even 2D) are fairly poor.  There have been some games that I've regretted going back to because they didn't live up to how great I remembered them.  Many things were drawn pixel by pixel back then, and it shows.  But, that is also part of the charm I guess (at least for those of us that grew up through it).  It's cool to see what they could accomplish within the limitations they had (and CVIII did have really good platforming, even if it was cheap at times - freakin medusa heads). I know it's odd thinking that kids were so wow'ed by that at one time, but then we were both wowed by CV64 when it first came out, and that game is fug-ugly now.  Anyone ever notice how 3D game don't age as well as 2D?  I wonder if it has to do with one being more akin to more traditional art (drawing and painting), and the other being more of an attempt visually to simulate the real world.

Uh, moving right along. You should take RichterB's adive and try another playthrough of CVIII, but this time use Sypha.  Surprisingly, she can make some of the bosses easier due how powerful her magic is.  Alucard is fun too, though he sucks for damage, but he can shoot in 3 directions and turn into a bat.  His bat form helps, but it's not really needed.  To get the best ending you have to get all three in one game, Grant > Sypha > then Alucard last.  Doesn't really do much else other than show them all standing on the cliff. And I think Trevor grabs Sypha ass.

Anyhoo, even though I grew up with the old games, surprisingly enough, I think SotN is probably my favorite, with CVIV and Rondo tied, CVIII next.  Oh, and Lords of Shadow is great.

(try the original NES Batman game - the one based on the movie with Jack Nicholson as Joker)