Topic: Newcomer: Which CV games to play first?

[Crazy Eight]

In the latest issue of Nintendo Power, one of the editors briefed over the history of the Castlevania series and of it's themes. It seems pretty interesting, however, the only Castlevania game I ever played was Super Castlevania 4.

Jumping into the series head first and blindsided, I began with Aria of Sorrow- and loved it.  However, I still want to play a good majority of  the series.

Sooo.....  Which Castlevanias would you recommend- and are any games in the series particularly difficult to get a hold of?   

[Mystic Myotis]

Castlevania.
III: Dracula's Curse.
Bloodlines.
Dracula X Chronicles. (or Rondo for the PC and SotN for the PS1)
Circle of the Moon.
Harmony of Dissonance.
Dawn of Sorrow.
Portrait of Ruin.
Order of Ecclesia.
Adventure Rebirth.
Lament of Innocence.

... are all worth a go, imo. Then try the other games in the series (the GB games, Simon's Quest, Legacy of Darkness, Curse of Darkness, etc) if you still aren't satisfied.

[Profbeanburrito]

Well I would have said play Super Cv 4, but you already did. I would say play Symphony of the Night and give Lords of Shadow a shot if that's your thing, that way you get what's probably the best classic, "Metroidvania" and 3D game in the series. Also check out CV1, and CV 3 for NES. Aria of Sorrow is a good one too

[uzo]

the only Castlevania game I ever played was Super Castlevania 4.

You got a great start. Try out the ever popular Symphony of the Night too.

[Crazy Eight]

Gaawa-chan, UZO and Profbeanburrito, thanks for the suggestions.

I guess I'll buy SotN off ebay and replay SCV4 in order to prime myself for the classics.  I've heard Dracula's Curse was a killer :x

[DarkPrinceAlucard]

Well you have already played one of the greatest CV games out there that is Super Castlevania 4.

But others I would recommend that you play in order from great to good is,

1.Castlevania Symphony of the Night
2.Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
3.Castlevania 3 Dracula's curse
4.Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
5.Castlevania Circle of the Moon
6.Castlevania Legacy of Darkness
7.Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest
8.Castlevania Lament of Innocence
9.Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
10.Castlevania Adventure Rebirth

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Symphony of the Night

Lament of Innocence

Castlevania 1

Castlevania 3



All of those offer something of the series that I would consider the best.

Symphony is the best rounded game in the series. Lament has some of the best music and story the franchise has to offer. Castlevania 1 is the original, and still one of the best, and Castlevania 3 largely improves on Castlevania 1, but does fall flat on it's face on rare occasions. If nothing else, play it for the first meeting between Alucard and the Belmonts and the legendary first battle between Dracula and a Belmont in the official timeline.

After you play those, I'd recommend Legacy of Darkness and Circle of the Moon, which are the best non-canon games out there in my opinion, and both display Castlevania's best and worst attributes.

Then you can play Lords of Shadow and try to not get swept up in the whole dispute about it "being a Castlevania game" or not. It's at least worth a rent.

[Thomas Belmont]

You should play them in the order they were released. I think you'll appreciate each game more that way.

[Kaori]

I would recommend:
Castlevania (NES)
Castlevania III (NES)
Symphony of the Night (PSX)
Dracula X Chronicles (also known as Rondo of Blood) (PSP/Wii Virtual Console/PC-Engine)

Those along with Super Castlevania 4 I consider to be the best in the series. I personally think each Castlevania game holds it's own unique experience though, and in my opinion, all of them should be played. However, I listed you my personal favorites. The newest Castlevania game, Lords of Shadow is worth a shot too. I personally don't like Lords of Shadow, but I think you should at least try it so you can see if you are interested in it's sequels that will be released in the future (Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2).

[Ratty]

You should play them in the order they were released. I think you'll appreciate each game more that way.

Not a bad suggestion.

Crazy Eight - If you're wanting to play the ClassicVanias as well as the MetroidVanias and the only one you've played so far is SCIV, my most important piece of advice to you would be prepare to die, a lot.
SCVIV is almost certainly the easiest old school ClassicVania. Part of the fun of the older games is their insane difficulty. You will die on many screens until you absolutely master them. Classicvanias are at their best an extreme test of your reflexes, your memory, your attention and your patience. It's a triumphant old school feeling every time you beat an area you were stuck on, to say nothing of finally beating the whole game.

My recommendations are-

Symphony of the Night (PS1)
Circle of the Moon (GBA)
Castlevania (NES)
Castlevania III (NES)

Those should be good for a start.
I think "Legacy of Darkness" is probably the best 3D game, but it is an N64 exclusive and difficult to find, especially if you want the box and manual. I once saw a boxed copy with the strategy guide sell for over $100 on ebay, no joke. Though I waited and shopped around and got them both for much less.

As for other rare games, Rondo of Blood (Japan only PC Engine game) Dracula X for the Super Nintendo and Castlevania Legends are the most notable ones. Dracula X is a quasi-remake/port of Rondo for the Super Nintendo. Rondo is pretty universally considered the better game though, being a popular contender for "Best Classicvania". "Symphony of the Night", probably most often considered the "Best Metroidvania" in the series, is a direct sequel to Rondo by the way. Both Rondo and Symphony are available on the PSP "Dracula X Chronicles" but are better served by a full sized screen imo.

Legends was the first instance of a lead/main female protagonist in the series, as well as the canon origin story before "Lament of Innocence" came along. Said origin is somewhat controversial as it implies that the Belmonts are descended from Dracula by way of Alucard, which I think is a great idea but ymmv.

[Bloodreign]

The only CV that may set you back some cash is either an original SotN print, or CV Chronicles on the PS1. Last time I saw a copy of Chronicles for PS1, they wanted $45 for it, since I already had the US and PAL versions, I naturally  passed on it.

[uzo]

I feel incredibly sorry for the poor guy who buys Legacy of Darkness for 100$ on eBay.

Hell, I felt ripped off picking it up in the bargain bin for 5$ at GameStop. That game is terrible.

[e105beta]

Rondo of Blood isn't a rarity anymore if you have a Wii. Just buy it on Virtual Console.

Likewise, if you have a PSP you can just grab Dracula X Chronicles. IMO, that's probably the best place to start as it gives you 2 games and a remake in one package, and they're all excellent games.

[KyleVoakes]

I think it'll depend on what you prefer to play.

If you like the more typical platformers with linear stages like Megaman/Contra, then I'd suggest you start with Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES). As much as I want to say SCV4, you'll need some experience with only being able to whip forward to appreciate the 8-directional whipping in SCV4. Plus, if you manage to beat Dracula X, you're ready for anything.

If you like the more open world, ARPG levelling system like Diablo or something similar to Zelda/Metroid, then I'll begin with Aria of Sorrow (GBA). It's easy enough at first to suck you in, and the variety of equipment/skill combinations has a nice range of detail/power. You start with just a simple blade, but after a while, you get stuff more along the lines of magic two-handed spears, golden axes, and guns.

Edit: Silly me, not paying close enough attention! You're already on the right track with Aria of Sorrow! Okay, so next up, if you enjoyed that, go with Symphony of the Night or Portrait of Ruin. Circle of the Moon is one of the harder Metroid-Vania games, and don't bother with Harmony of Dissonance.

[X]

I say play 'em all. But don't just wait to get a specific game, just play the first one you get then move on to the next. You've got over twenty titles to try out so don't limit yourself, give them all a shot. If there are some games that you cannot get then you can always do the Emulator thing. It'll save you on money that's for sure.