Topic: Castlevania III, Japan or US version. Which do you prefer to play?

[Sinful]

Man, this game is just to darn epic. And I so much can't get enough of it that I alternate back and forth between both the Japanese (with Vice translation patch) and US version.

Anywho, there are quite a few differences between the two game balance wise (ie. not about graphics and sounds);
- item placement for all characters
- added enemies in levels for US version
- bosses seem tougher
- enemies are tougher (like mummies throwing projectiles sooner)
- Grant can't throw knifes as standard attack in US version
- and I'm sure I'm missing more as I only made it to the Castle via the two closest entrances to it.

Well yeah, and I though this game was epic in scope just as is + the fact of an added more difficult second loop. But another version with quite a few differences is almost like a second quest in itself. The depth & replay of this classic vania game it mindblowing even more now!


So it's known for obvious reasons that the US version is the hardest (why I didn't start with it, lol). But the question is which versions game balance do you prefer more? Personally I think I'll end up favouring the US version in the end as I do now. It had more development time and because of it they seemed to have balanced it better? Yes it's harder, but harder it not always a bad thing. For me if I really like a game, I always want for it to have a fair & tough challenge + at least one extra difficulty loop as an option (via code too, please). Reason why is because, if i really love a game, I want the game to give plenty of replay & depth so that I may enjoy more time with it + as you get better at the game you find yourself more addicted to it. Making progress in a well designed difficult game is very fun because figuring out how to better progress through the game is such a fun challenge to overcome. And as you keep playing, you discover better and better ways to handle things by yourself until you've mastered the game inside out... and then you barely even touch it anymore. >_> (Oh, and the way I play harder games like the classic vania games is that I play until I get to a spot where I find I died enough times and it's time for a break. This way I never get too upset & why I don't mind hard games. Then when I'm in the mood again, I'll pick it up from the very start... I also never use passwords... Oh, and sometimes it takes a lot of effort to get into a hard game, ie. like me and the first & third NES vania games )

But this is just me, we don't all love hard games or certain difficulties. So I ask which version do other vania III fans like to play?
 

[JR]

Like you said about bosses being tougher, I think final form Drac's eye/hand beam things are longer on the US version (and it seems to me like they lag a little bit on the Virtual Console version, which makes it even tougher than I remember, but that could be my imagination).

I've only watched parts of YouTube playthroughs of the Japanese version, but I really, REALLY want to play it firsthand. I plan on eventually buying it along with an AV Famicom (and a Famicom Disk System someday, too) so I can play it in all its original glory, unemulated.

And I've always loved the music to this game, but after hearing the Famicom version's audio, the NES version seems muddy and underwhelming. I never thought sound quality would ever be a major factor in my purchasing decisions for old games, but it definitely is in this case.

[K.G. Morder]

haha, I was considering making a CV 3 topic on the same matter.

I really like the music/enhanced graphics in the Japanese version. But mainly the music. The enhanced graphics are really just small tidbits. (like the clouds in the intro being animated, and the cross in the beginning having "rays" coming from it)

I really like the prelude and intro better in the VRC6 Famicom version.

Akumajou Densetsu Music (FC VRC6) - Prelude [Introduction]

Akumajou Densetsu Music (FC VRC6) - Prayer

[Profbeanburrito]

Even though I know the Japanese version is "superior", I will always play the US version cause that's what I grew up playing and it just feels like home

[Harrycombs]

I have yet to finish either, but I find myself playing the US version more, mainly because I can play it on an actual NES. I have to say though that some of the music sounds significantly better in the Japanese version.

[Sinful]

It seems nobody mentioned anything about wether they enjoy a versions certain particular gameplay and balance changes over the other version yet? Here's an example for the Ghost Ship level;

- as the whip guy (Trevor); in the US version at the start of the level the first sub-weapon you get is an Axe in comparison to the Japanese version a Knife. The second weapon you can get is a Knife (I think?) instead of a Cross as in the Japanese version. These changes, providing you die and don't or aren't equipped with what you already want for this level, I find really helps change things around as to how you tackle the level. I find the US version balanced things a bit better with this choice (except now you don't need  Grant to access the large heart before you make it through the first checkpoint door. This this kinda screws things up). The Axe makes things much easier at the start by not have to time them stabbing skeletons at the start as your coming down to their ground level from above. While by not giving you the Cross, Medusa and the final bosses aren't as easy... Both the Cross and Axe come in pretty handy for them crows near the end if held on to that point... maybe the Axe more helpful/easier to time? So you see how by just messing around with the sub weapon placement changed things considerably tactics wise for Trevor? (Well, if your pretty reliant on sub-weapons like I am)

- for the Magician (Sypha); her first sub-weapon for both versions are the Fire Spell. I forget the rest more clearly as I've only been playing as the whipping Belmont Hero these days. But from what I recall in the US version, unlike the Japanese version, you don't get that very usefull (too usefull) homing spell for the entire level that made me rely on it to beat this stage and bosses much more easily. Combine with the bosses being more aggressive/harder in the US version (I'm thinking for the last two at the end), and I was forced to kick Sypha out and let the real Hero of this game step in and take care of business... plus figure out how to really beat the last repeat boss instead of relying of the first encounters safe spot or Sypha homing shots from a safe distance to make quick work of him in no time. So again, playing another version of this game really made me change my tactics around quite a bit.


So yeah, this is the main reason I brought this up to encourage others to forget about what music or graphics they prefer for a sec and just play around with both versions for a new spin on things from a gameplay and game balance perspective... But talking about game graphics and sound it alright too, as I do enjoy reading what other have to say about this too. Here's what I have to say about it;

-  haven't noticed anything major in the graphics department yet, besides them trying to fix the appearance of Frankenstein more in Sypha's route more by removing a layer of blocks so it don't look so much as he's coming through the walls. But instead coming along side the stairway is the illusion it gives of more, I find... still looking for something more major like what the Japanese/US version of the first Contra game scope wise (or more close too. I'm hoping...).
- in regards to the music, I so far don't mind the US version, and for the most part am really enjoying having two very different takes on the same soundtrack for added variety when playing these games (I do like the US version for sounding more retro, while the Japanese for being more refined & the original take/the true versions of these songs). So yeah, I don't see this a negative at all, but a major positive (just like how we got two different games of Rondo instead of just a port, which shockingly, is what most wanted! I've love how Konami back in the day gave us new games instead if straight ports, like NES Life Force, Contra, TMNT2 & IV, Gradius III SNES, etc, etc. ... Besides, the SNES XX vania game rocks big time. Well, i sure love it a heck of a lot more the Super Castlevnia IV at the moment)... the only negative thing I can think about the US version of CIII's soundtrack is that sometimes during gameplay, certain sound effects remove a certain fairly vital soundtrack channel that sometimes sounds very obvious. Like it's a bug in the game, that the track skipped a beat, or something? ... Wonder if I can remove this somehow through the wonders of emulation? ...

[K.G. Morder]

I've love how Konami back in the day gave us new games instead if straight ports,

im pretty sure we got Dracula X solely because they couldnt actually port Rondo from a disc system to a cartridge. So they opted for just remaking it using Rondo assets and materials.

[TheouAegis]

The enemy-hit sound effect is much richer in the Japanese version. It's a high-pitched "chink" sound and in the US version it's drowned out or faint. In the Jap version it is very distinct. That's something I noticed.

[X]

I play both versions. It all depends on the mood. If I'm feeling nostalgic then I'll go for the US CVIII. Though it is tougher to beat I grew up with it too. I have noted some small sprite changes with it. Mainly the first stage zombies. The Japanese version made them look almost like walking mannequins. They had no real defining characteristics. It wasn't until the US CVIII that the zombies were more "Fleshed out" and looked like actual zombies. The Phantom bats are also another change though be it a color-based one. JP: Green, US: Dark navy blue/Black. There were also the hunchbacks in the US version that replaced the killer rabbits in the Japanese one. And we never found out about those killer rabbits until SCV IV.

[Sinful]

im pretty sure we got Dracula X solely because they couldnt actually port Rondo from a disc system to a cartridge. So they opted for just remaking it using Rondo assets and materials.

Well, you could then say the same thing about all the other ports too. Regardless, they were different games, and I much prefered it that way. Screw getting exact ports. Takes all the fun out of ports today. I recall back in the day I would buy an exact port of a game just because games of Genesis looked and sounded different then games on SNES. So yeah, I owned both versions of Mortal Kombats for them systems (Genesis & SNES... er, and Game Gear >_>).

The enemy-hit sound effect is much richer in the Japanese version. It's a high-pitched "chink" sound and in the US version it's drowned out or faint. In the Jap version it is very distinct. That's something I noticed.

Ah, cool! Didn't notice this!

I play both versions. It all depends on the mood. If I'm feeling nostalgic then I'll go for the US CVIII. Though it is tougher to beat I grew up with it too. I have noted some small sprite changes with it. Mainly the first stage zombies. The Japanese version made them look almost like walking mannequins. They had no real defining characteristics. It wasn't until the US CVIII that the zombies were more "Fleshed out" and looked like actual zombies. The Phantom bats are also another change though be it a color-based one. JP: Green, US: Dark navy blue/Black. There were also the hunchbacks in the US version that replaced the killer rabbits in the Japanese one. And we never found out about those killer rabbits until SCV IV.

Hmm, didn't know about them bats?... Them hunchback things, I'm not too crazy about them. I much prefer the Japanese bunnies. (Them hunchbacks are too creepy/ugly/gross for me >_>) Besides, we seen them in Castlevania 1 already, so for part III they were new enemies (that did the exact same thing as hunchbacks of CI, er, yeah >_>, still new ).

Knew about the Zombies from Mr.P's Castelvania Dungeon lesser enemy sprites (so go there for pic comparisons... Hmm, wonder is the bat pic for both versions are there?... Nope ). http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/unique.htm




But yeah, any of you notice any more differences, please post about it here.

[Thunderbrand]

I've always liked both versions of the game, but I definately give the music advantage to the Famicom version. That system had better sound. The improvement is especially noticeable on tracks like "Overture", which IMHO is the best in the game...

Akumajou Densetsu Music (FC VRC6) - Overture

[Munchy]

American, because I don't have the money or patience to modify shit just so the enhanced Japanese version music can play on my system. Don't get me wrong, the Japanese music is cool, but I'd rather just listen to it on my computer or something. The only other change I'd truly desire for the American version is that jerk checkpoint right before Dracula.

[Sinful]

American, because I don't have the money or patience to modify shit just so the enhanced Japanese version music can play on my system. Don't get me wrong, the Japanese music is cool, but I'd rather just listen to it on my computer or something. The only other change I'd truly desire for the American version is that jerk checkpoint right before Dracula.

So, emulation is out of the question?... The only bad thing I can think of for emulation is that I much prefer the games how they look on an older 4:3 aspect ratio TV through Composite or S-Video connections for the videogame systems of the late 80's and all of the 90's. But luckily some emulators, like the NES emulator nestopia, has Blargg's NTSC video filter option to make the games on your computer monitor look like how they did on a TV through Composite, S-Video, RBG, and a ton of other video option to please anyone (ie. one example is using Composite option but reducing the the Artifacts and Fringing down to zero).

The only other problem I can think of is sound emulation. Some emu's aren't too accurate in  this department...


But yeah, personally myself, I can't until I move soon so I can hook up all my old gaming consoles again and start collecting some fave games of mine from the past... starting with Castlevania, Gradius, and Shining Force series.

[Super Waffle]

The Pachinko version.

[SilentCircuit]

Japan version has better music quality IIRC but I use the US version.