Topic: Which Dracula's origins do you prefer? SPOILER ALERT!!!

[Mike Belmont]

[This is my first poll. I hope I did it in a correct manner ]

---SPOILER ALERT-----
You must have seen Reverie ending to know that Gabriel turns in vampire (maybe not Dracula, yet) to figure out the Dracula's origin in Lords of Shadow. However, if you see LoS epilogue, you must know that Gabriel turns in Dracula some day after LoS.
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Having recently seen Lament of Innocence history through cutscenes, I remember how is Dracula's origin, in IGA's LoI. I, personally, prefer that one, because is more close to the Brahm Stoker's Dracula one. I like how Mathias uses all characters in the game to acomplish their mission to become in the powerful vampire. The fact that have a wife named Elizabetha, and she dies, and then he blames God to allow to this happen, is very close to what Dracula's origin must be. The way Leon fight evil through the game to rescue his bethroded, is something to note, too. The only thing that I would like, it's that having a fight with Mathias/Dracula might be awesome. Although, Dracula have not much power at that time.

Now, in the Lords of Shadow's Gabriel/Dracula tale (**********PRESUMABLE SPOILER***********), all we know is that to fight the Forgotten One, he must be powerful enough. Laura offers her powers via blood drinking. That's nice, but I would prefer Laura bites Gabriel, to him to finally turns into a vampire. Laura saids to Gabriel that is necessary to drink all of her blood, to fill his body with all of it. But, will the blood will enter Gabriel's arteries like this? How this event turns himself in somebody like the Dracula all we know? I know that Resurrection must tell us all that, but, this is all that we know related to Dracula's origin in Gabriel's tale.

Maybe neither LoI nor LoS Dracula's origin are good to anyone. But, with Dracula as MAIN antagonist in Castlevania, he deserves an epic origin, isn't?

[DarkPrinceAlucard]

I prefer the LOI origin for the same reason you posted above which is that it more closely followed the Bram Stoker's version of Dracula's origin which I find awesome

LOS's Dracula origin seems pretty darn lame when you compare it to LOI origin story in my honest opinion.

[cecil-kain]

Lords of Shadow is actually giving us a VERY similar Dracula origin, but the details are radically different.  I'm gonna go out on a limb here.  It's a mistake to introduce a Belmont hero before Dracula exists --the Belmont hero should be the RESPONSE to Dracula's arrival.  Imagine if Lords of Shadow had no Belmont --suppose we had played as "Mathias Cronqvist" the whole time?  None of this Belmont=Dracula nonsense.  THEN you introduce the Belmont hero for the sequel....  And to give Lament a little credit...  I loved that Leon and Mathias were comrades in arms before Elizabetha died.  The problem with Lament was that it was Leon's story, when it should have been all about Mathias...  Lords of Shadow fixed that problem by delivering a story from Dracula's point of view.  His actions are soundly motivated, rational, and the emotions driving him are quite authentic --superior character development --and the origin was ultimately far more mature than what we saw in Lament.

[GuyStarwind]

I voted LoI because it got me into Castlevania. Not to mention I like the story origins the best.

However, the real question is where is the Dark Priest violating my mind option?

[Munchy]

I honestly don't like either of the origin stories that much. Both of them are pretty hokey in their own ways and actually share an alarming amount of the "HAHAHA I BETRAYED YOU" plots, down to the protagonists being forced to kill their wives. I liked Dracula far better before he had like fifteen different pseudonyms and tragic backstories.

I will give LoS props for better foreshadowing, and the idea of good/bad halves kinda reminds me of Spirited Away.

[Mike Belmont]

It's a mistake to introduce a Belmont hero before Dracula exists --the Belmont hero should be the RESPONSE to Dracula's arrival.  Imagine if Lords of Shadow had no Belmont --suppose we had played as "Mathias Cronqvist" the whole time?  None of this Belmont=Dracula nonsense.  THEN you introduce the Belmont hero for the sequel....

Totally agree with this. This is one of my mayor complains about LoS. Well, if Gabriel was indeed a Belmont, before turning himself in Dracula, then we have no reason to argue with LoS plot and epilogue. If instead of Gabriel they must put Mathias Cronqvist (after all, Gabriel is a Cronqvist bastard). Mmhh, I have a question. If Gabriel will be the main protagonist of future CVs, will he fight the same baddies? I mean, in classic CVs, the baddies are command by Lord Dracula. Then, will Gabriel/Dracula are going to have new enemies? Or we finally will take control of a true blooded Belmont? If this is right, then why to put a Belmont name character as the protagonist in LoS? Will Kojima´s inspiration takes part in the sequels?

[Mike Belmont]

I voted LoI because it got me into Castlevania. Not to mention I like the story origins the best.

However, the real question is where is the Dark Priest violating my mind option?

There you have. Jeje, sorry .

[justin312]

I, personally, prefer that one (Lament), because is more close to the Brahm Stoker's Dracula one...The fact that have a wife named Elizabetha, and she dies, and then he blames God to allow to this happen, is very close to what Dracula's origin must be.

I prefer the LOI origin for the same reason you posted above which is that it more closely followed the Bram Stoker's version of Dracula's origin which I find awesome

None of that stuff was actually in the Bram Stoker novel.  That stuff about his dead wife Elizabetha, and cursing God, was all added for Francis Ford Coppola's movie so he could make Dracula a sympathetic character and add a romantic sub-plot with Mina (none of that was in the book either).  Bram Stoker did not have an origin story for Dracula in his book.  So you could say that the Lament of Innocence story closely follows Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, but that's about it.

I honestly don't like either of the origin stories that much. Both of them are pretty hokey in their own ways and actually share an alarming amount of the "HAHAHA I BETRAYED YOU" plots, down to the protagonists being forced to kill their wives. I liked Dracula far better before he had like fifteen different pseudonyms and tragic backstories.

I will give LoS props for better foreshadowing, and the idea of good/bad halves kinda reminds me of Spirited Away.

I agree 100% with this.  If I have to take one, I would pick LoS for the reasons above.  However, I didn't think to much of either story (I found Lament's especially hokey and ham-fisted). 

Also, I would prefer a Dracula origin that actually links the vampire Dracula with the historical Vlad the Impaler (which the book DOES strongly hint at, and stops just short of flat-out stating it).  By making Dracula some other guy who became a vampire 300 years before Vlad was even born, both LoI and LoS completely disassociate the Castlevania Dracula with Vlad the Impaler, which weakens the link to the Stoker book, in my opinion.

[Mike Belmont]

None of that stuff was actually in the Bram Stoker novel.  That stuff about his dead wife Elizabetha, and cursing God, was all added for Francis Ford Coppola's movie so he could make Dracula a sympathetic character and add a romantic sub-plot with Mina (none of that was in the book either).  Bram Stoker did not have an origin story for Dracula in his book.  So you could say that the Lament of Innocence story closely follows Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, but that's about it.

Oops. Thanks for the aclaration, pal. I need to read Bram Stoker´s novel completely . I have to admit, that I love the movie inspired in the book. I owned the SNES videogame a few years ago, but there´s no need to keep it if I have already SCVIV, CVDX, and Demon´s Crest . These are my favorite kind of games.

[Mr.Bushido]

We should wait to Resurrection before start making this polls. We don't know yet how Gabriel turns in Dracula, we only know how he turns into a vampire.

[Mike Belmont]

We should wait to Resurrection before start making this polls. We don't know yet how Gabriel turns in Dracula, we only know how he turns into a vampire.

Maybe you´re right. I based my poll in what we know of Gabriel thanks to Reverie. I´m sure that in Resurrection they will give Gabriel a Dracula´s origin. I hope that MS make the correct decision in explain how did Gabriel turns in Dracula. Maybe Zobek have some kind of participation? Let´s remember that in the LoS´ epilogue they not seems like enemies. Mmhh, let´s wait to Resurrection, then... .

[X]

I selected the 3d option which is as close to Bram Stoker's Dracula as I can get. This origin of the CV universe was just fine by me until LoI was produced. Dracula from the novel was a badass evil vampire, just like he was in the CV games. And I know there are a lot of fans out there that prefer that type of Dracula. He wasn't overly complex or emo, he was a badass that wanted to kill you as soon as you stepped into his top-most tower. We need that Dracula to come back.

-X

[justin312]

Agreed, X.  Dracula is an iconic character, so everyone already has their own ideas of who he is.  Its not like he was some villain like Ganon that was introduced in a video game.  Doing a back-story that provides an "origin" and motivation for what he does was a big mistake, because it alienated some fans who liked the series because they were Dracula fans, and they already had their own ideas on who Dracula is.  It doesn't help that both origin stories are a variation of the same lame "good guy's wife dies, he can't get over it so he somehow becomes the Prince of Darkness" theme.

In my opinion, the best "Dracula origin" game they could possibly make has already been made... except its not a Castlevania game, its Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain.  In that game, you play as a guy who has just been turned into a vampire.  Unlike Mathias, you don't become a vampire by choice and you also don't have command over Death and all other monsters five minutes after first turning to a vampire.  You become more powerful as the game goes on, and you also become more evil.  By the end, you pretty much evolve from fledgling vampire into the Prince of Darkness.  To me, Kain captures the spirit of Dracula becoming Dracula a whole lot better than Mathias Cronquist or Gabriel Belmont ever could. 

[Munchy]

I'll admit I love LoI for some of its hilariously serious deliveries on some of the most insignificant lines ever.

"What can I do with the gathered power?"

Also if anything really needs an origin story, I'd say that would be the Castle itself.

[GuyStarwind]

There you have. Jeje, sorry .

Thank you.