Topic: I Critique the Perfect Game

[Ahasverus]

Like a woman that looks stunningly hot when dressed, you anticipate awesome things coming for you, but then you get her naked and... it just isn't the same at all, but you have to get through the motions because you're already there anyway.

Someone print that quote in the box of its next re-release  :lol:

[e105beta]

You sound like a spiteful whiny child. SotN is still an incredibly beautiful game filled with some of the best pixel art to grace the series, let alone all of gaming in general.

This.

[Joachim]

Sure the game is outstanding and it may have staying power as already mentioned, but that's because you keep remembering the awesome intro and what could've been. It might not seem like it at first, but a game like Metroid (the original) actually shows to be much better in the long run.

thats such a terribly written sentence. "the game is outstanding" - implying a sense of objectivity outside of human interpretation - and then you assert "thats because you remember "the awesome intro"".

which is kind of a dumb claim anyway, regardless of the wonky phrasing. i didn't really start to appreciate Symphony until at least 1/3rd of the way through the game, once the stucture of the castle started to make more sense and its depths started to be revealed.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Yeah the intro has little to do with why I'm into that game.  I really don't start to pick up into it until I reach the Royal Chapel, Olrox's Quarters, or the Coliseum.

[Reapers Death]

thats such a terribly written sentence. "the game is outstanding" - implying a sense of objectivity outside of human interpretation - and then you assert "thats because you remember "the awesome intro"".

which is kind of a dumb claim anyway, regardless of the wonky phrasing. i didn't really start to appreciate Symphony until at least 1/3rd of the way through the game, once the stucture of the castle started to make more sense and its depths started to be revealed.

What then? Should I insert "in my opinion" all the time? Yeah the intro and the early game is the best part of the game (in my opinion), for me anyway. Sure getting to know the castle is FUN, the music is very good, the art is top notch, and for many people, this was enough to give the game a 10/10. Not for me, as the OP says, bosses go down too fast and you have to just stand there to even see all of their moves, also the lack of a challenge chases you all the time, it's practically impossible to ignore. It's as if you have to forcibly slow down to fully enjoy the game.

Yes, the game, is good, but lacked some important tweaks.  To the people who love this game unconditionally, more power to you, but I just don't share the same feeling, that's all.

[Joachim]

no, i'm saying that you're switching "tense"; you're jumping from an objective statement and then explaining/relating it subjectively. in this particular case, its done so poorly and the result is technically nonsensical; you're essentially saying that "no, wait, its not actually objective but subjective". its kind of like if i were to say "i am going to the store later and it was great"; it switches tense and doesn't work all that well.

something like "The game only appears to be good because of the awesome intro" is more internally consistent and better represents what you were trying to say. although i still disagree strongly with the sentiment, as it doesn't even remotely apply in my case.

[thernz]

I don't feel that the difficulty is that much of a flaw considering the point of the game was to explore, and so, it was in the best interest of its design to have a lesser difficulty so that players weren't afraid to venture out and get punished or to inhibit pace and flow of the player's navigation. The action itself was really just a branch of the exploration aspect, with its level of ease correlating with the rewards for exploration. Most of the level design wasn't so much to provide challenge as it was to give identity to the areas by way of the player moving through them. The enemies most of the time were not so much obstacles as they were parts that built up the environment, establishing more rhythm and dynamics. The game wasn't so much about the action as it was about navigating and discovering the depths of the castle. Of course, having a preference for action and being dissatisfied with this game is okay. Because it never strove for that and it clashed with that preference.
It's like having a blind date with someone you think said he was a strongman, but on that date appears some cave-exploring artist-type raving about all the little cranks and cracks in a cave rather than how he bashed CAVE-GOBLINS in it.

[Reapers Death]

no, i'm saying that you're switching "tense"; you're jumping from an objective statement and then explaining/relating it subjectively. in this particular case, its done so poorly and the result is technically nonsensical; you're essentially saying that "no, wait, its not actually objective but subjective". its kind of like if i were to say "i am going to the store later and it was great"; it switches tense and doesn't work all that well.

something like "The game only appears to be good because of the awesome intro" is more internally consistent and better represents what you were trying to say. although i still disagree strongly with the sentiment, as it doesn't even remotely apply in my case.

I may have done that unintentionally, but that just might be cause I actually think you can't be completely objective or on the other hand, subjective, when judging a game. On the first game you're a robot, on the second, you're a blind, unreasonable lover/hater.

[Reapers Death]

Fair enough Thernz. It's a good point of view and surely one can appreciate the game more that way. When I first began playing SotN seriously, I had already played most if not all earlier Castlevanias. Surely SotN was a whole different animal that didn't have that aspect of challenge I loved on the series. You know, exploring the castle was mostly a relaxing experience, but when bosses fell so easily and almost as fast as a group of normal enemies, well... I at least expected a remnant of that challenge previously in the series been poured on the bosses, or at least on Death... or at least on Dracula.

[Alukard]

Yeah, the game's difficulty is just a walk in the par-, err, stroll through the castle.
(The hardest time I had was figuring out how to get up the broken staircase at Castle Keep, I had no idea a bat form existed)

But it was a creepy, mysterious, adventurous, and entertaining stroll.
It felt like the castle had an actual presence to it. A presence I haven't felt in Castlevania games for a long time.
(Now we have whip-action in deserts, pirate ships, jungles, and what-have-you, yay.)

In my opinion, its because of that "presence" that this game holds a special place in the expanding library of Castlevania games.

[Ahasverus]

(Now we have whip-action in deserts, pirate ships, jungles, and what-have-you, yay.)

Now and back to 1986 too
I think what makes SOTN especial is, nothing less, that the soundtrack. Yep, there I said it, what makes SOTN especial is that the soundtrack is the one and only Cv soundtrack that actually fits perfectly with the stage is representing, it's classy just like the Castle imagery and Alucard himself so it attaches into the whole atmsphere and intensifies it.
PLay SOTN without music and you'll see little more than a Super metroid rip off with cartoony sound effects

[A-Yty]

Offopic: Goddamnit, what happened to the reply button? I want it back  

Anyways. I agree with almost everything you said, person who started this topic. A few points though.

I think Death is supposed to sound like a minion. He is Dracula's servant, after all. But yeah, he should've sounded more sinister (I consider his LoI voice the best so far). Shaft sounded like someone's voice was just made lower. Alucard's voice may have been a bit too deep. For DXC, they went to the other end and made him sound like a teenager.

After leveling up sufficiently and with all the abilities at his disposal, Al is damn near invincible. The cool things you could do as a dhampire were great, but the enemies should have been able to counter that. But this is only after leveling up. Inverted Castle is a nice, quirky thing and I'm glad they put it in. Sadly, they kind of replicated it in HoD.

All in all, I still consider it the best CV to date, though sharing the place with Dracula's Curse. Deciding definitely between those two is a real pain.

[uzo]

Now and back to 1986 too
I think what makes SOTN especial is, nothing less, that the soundtrack. Yep, there I said it, what makes SOTN especial is that the soundtrack is the one and only Cv soundtrack that actually fits perfectly with the stage is representing, it's classy just like the Castle imagery and Alucard himself so it attaches into the whole atmsphere and intensifies it.
PLay SOTN without music and you'll see little more than a Super metroid rip off with cartoony sound effects

How did Ahasverus ever like Castlevania before Lords of Shadow?

I've never seen a bigger load of bull.

[Ahasverus]

How did Ahasverus ever like Castlevania before Lords of Shadow?

I've never seen a bigger load of bull.

And I don't care

[DarkPrinceAlucard]

How did Ahasverus ever like Castlevania before Lords of Shadow?

i sometimes wonder the same thing.
all i've seen him do is praise LOS and constantly bash IGA and his games.