Topic: The Great Reviewer: All Castlevania Reviews (please read and debate)

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow: 4,5 stars out of 5 stars.

He was about to close the trilogy Blue Nintendo, and with understandable suspicion, everyone expected a fiasco from Konami, and knowing that they would repeat the worn formula MetroVania. But as they always tend to follow the illogic once again surprised us, and gave us the best game available to date: Aria of Sorrow.
In this game embody Soma Cruz, a kind of 2D Cornell, and we must defeat the master of evil, which surprisingly (and thankfully) no longer Dracula. From this time, announce Iga, all portable titles count with Count's absence grateful (although in the future they would manage to make it to include under dubious circumstances). Castlevania last counted in a 2D game designer services Ayami Kojima for their characters, and the design was almost at the height of his best work: SotN. In the future, it would pass to a more Rondo (although Ayami back in 2007 for PSP Dracula X Chronicles, Castlevania always proving that in all return).
The graphics may not be impressive as HoD, but the levels are very varied, excellent and have the best atmosphere that had a title in the series in its history.
The sound is very good and the music again wildcard by Yamane, is as expected.
The gameplay is the height of Maria RoB so fluid and dynamic, and the system of collection of souls is totally addictive.
The story is very good and has (in one of its end) the most exciting time that the series (which never was characterized by this) we knew how to give.
The characters, regardless of their design, are typical. The presentation and packaging are as always was with all games in the series (good and bad): excellent.
And best of all, beyond catching graphics, the best climate issues has been heard, good characters and an ending epic and exciting, it's fun. Rarely was a game as addictive as Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and that's why, as happens with other consoles (PC Engine, Nintendo 64, X68000, PSX, and Nintendo DS in the future), we have here a game series is the best of your console.
Obviously recommend this game with all my senses, and I wish Konami products always give us this level, proving that when they want to think and work as they should be doing.

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania Adventure: 1 star out of 4 stars

Fulfilling the obligation to transfer all title eighties NES to Game Boy, Konami did what each company did in those days: A black and white version almost unplayable even compared to its lackluster original game pales almost to disappear.
With the exception of music, the ridiculously titled Castlevania Adventure offered only good music and in other respects was almost nil. Ignoring the familiar and hated the sound chip prehistoric Game Boy, subjects fail to build a respectful atmosphere, and they work even better when played away from the monochromatic and flat screen laptop ocher primitive.
The graphics, sound effects and gameplay were not even at the height of the forgotten consolita, and therefore the fun was almost nil, since we are dealing here with the most difficult title in the saga and the most difficult he had ever both a laptop. Endless fields of precipices, pinches who persecute us, monsters random with multiple attacks, an energy bar that is over nothing and a single attack possible, locate this game with Dragon's Lair NES in category "Play hard to be bad fact be the main character and a total useless ".
Therefore, I do not recommend this game for anything, unless you have to choose between this and Castlevania Legends, which is the only thing salvageable Sonia appearance.
As a curiosity, look at how a cross in the ratings.
A then forget this game and all its consequences, that Castlevania had no decent portable versions until well into the new millennium.

[The Great Reviewer]

[The Great Reviewer]

[The Great Reviewer]

[The Great Reviewer]

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania Chronicles X68000: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Continuing its tradition of taking the best titles for consoles that nobody has, once Konami took a long, long time, a platform for an old Castlevania: the X68000.
And as always, the result was again a great game that we could play until they decided portearlo a console that everyone has. In this case, the choice was gray Sony.
They say those who played the first title (also available here) which was very good. And the truth is that if it was like this, must be right, because for the years when it came out, here renegábamos with horrible management titles NES, Super NES and, above all, Game Boy.
That is, until there's just pulled Konami PSX worldwide trash, and good games were exclusive to Japan (except for Castlevania: Bloodlines).
Basically it is the same title as always, with the same character, the same gameplay just improved, no history, and with better graphics and sound. But there is one essential difference: it is fun and has climate. For PSX version are included, in addition to the original mode, four modes, all from the same game but with better graphics. And far from lazy, this time the guys at Konami decided to work a little, offering one of the richest level sets of linear Castlevania history.
This, coupled with a killer soundtrack (perhaps one of the best works in the game), Castlevania Chronicles make a title X68000 Playstation highly recommended, not only for those who have never played the original, but also for those who want to relive it with new sensations.

[The Great Reviewer]

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness: 2 stars out of 5 stars

A memorable soundtrack. Nothing more. That could sum up the poor review of forgettable and Curse of Darkness. Maybe add beautiful backgrounds to short, because you can not deny that the game has them. But nothing more. It's like believing that gathering only nice words we can build a good literary composition. Until I can figure out the process since the thought of making this game until it came to the final product. Don Igarashi called his best composer, Michiru Yamane, and asked what music best, better than ever. Then he called his graphic artists and asked them to draw funds most beautiful they have ever drawn. And then all that stuff rejuntó led him to his programmers and told them "Well, now I want to make a game that I have nothing to do with Legacy of Darkness and that seems a lot, no matter how much or what, Devil May Cry. And I want it fast. " The result was as expected: a game that he has achieved the difficult goal of gathering all the mistakes that he once had a game, and also create new ones. That is, playing crap that has nothing.
In the land of the blind the one-eyed is a beggar. In a console where all the games tend to have similar levels all, Curse of Darkness managed to stand by its monotony. And this game is as basic square and there.
You can sum up the experience of this product ahistorical, lacking climate, soul, on the following observation: it's so cute to see him play as play.
Legacy of Darkness was an addictive game that you could not stand, when played by two players, a long time seen him play for another. We always said "Well, give me some, my turn."
Curse of Darkness, that neither the original once had title without repeating any word of another game, replaced that phrase with "Well, I got tired, you Jugá a while, I'm already bored."
If enough funds to see to see what the game has to offer, because they are used textures unimaginative levels where there is zero interaction with the stage and all we can do is kill enemies with a short and uninspired range copied movements to other games, or worse still, to escape the beasts that "adorn" levels to try to score the percentage of map, which was already tired in 2D but in 3D does not have the slightest sense.
Again cut every second, the best PS2 RPG style, with the difference that this RPG game has nothing. In fact, it may be simpler. And as in any other action game console areas are cut every five seconds, here it goes, even when we are supposedly in a forest or a mountain (and we are actually in a square equal to the usual with a background texture that varies by level heading).
Again, no story, which was spared a decade ago but which is now impossible to ignore. It had been in the previous game in PS2, but the end was corrected. Here even that. And that if you have nerves of steel to get to the end, because after mediocre initial seven levels (where for example for the first time we go to a clock tower with no gears, no cliffs, no floors up and down! ... all so flat!) have to endure the lousy three levels where neither end good music there and then that "play" four monsters at all.
It was not enough towers fifty two equal floors where you must kill-kill-kill to infinity. They had to do so the last levels, and therefore the last hours that lasts this aberration, which incidentally are not many, are made as pleasant as lying on a iron maiden.
And the best example of the inconsistency, incoherence, lack of respect, and all that Konami knows always offer us, we started the game on the abandoned castle, and after overcoming a dozen levels, we arrive at Castle Dracula again, now is different and is in good condition. Maybe Hector went around the world and in the course of his travels the castle was redesigned and rebuilt. And last but not least, is the worst castle history. Only one area, all the typical entrance-hall-tower-so we're used to. Room-corridor-room-corridor, and repeated ad infinitum about seventy times, giving weight after the boring and unnecessarily difficult final boss, which is a kind of metrosexual Dracula dyed red. But do not think that everything ends, because there are three bosses before the end tasteless. At least this time there was not so crazy, despicable thing that was present in the Lament.
The only positive thing in the game that you can get to mention forging passes and innocent devils evolution, the most original of the two PlayStation 2 titles, which in any case is an understatement.
I think it goes without saying that under no circumstances recommend CoD where there is fun. Before that, get the OST separately and listen to him, and with that plus a couple of screenshots downloaded from the internet and have seen all that Konami had to offer after years of waiting for a new title.

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Never Konami started well on a console that would take more than one title, with the exception of Playstation. It was time to start on the right foot, especially on a Nintendo console, which is always characterized by their frolics children without drama or seriousness.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow follows in the footsteps of his predecessor, Game Boy Advance, Aria of Sorrow, in history, such as level design, music and gameplay, aspects that are all improved.
I wonder what this game would have been if he had spent more time and effort.
What went well copied from the prequel, but unfortunately they forgot that history and should have good villains. And is that the "bad" of this title are the worst of the whole saga. The story is practically nonexistent compared to Aria. And the characters, but I like more style designed RoB (anime) are few, no choice and we left feeling that something is missing.
On top, you see that they had to call to Michiru Yamane trouble to compose something decent to them after the mess that made them Masahiko Kimura. Here Konami should have learned that although they love to both staff change all the time, not always good. Luckily the good of Michiru works better than ever when trouble, and offers two tracks that are the best in the history of video games, plus a welcome remix of "cumbia" Haunted Castle Arcade, that although it has nothing to do with the level at which we are presented, sounds great and is taken over.
Thankfully, leave all the bad stuff (poor you feel better) to the beginning of the game (including the use of the stylus forced it was not necessary in the least), and then give way to those who happen to be the best levels of entire history of the series, and why not in general industry. I will not reveal what those levels, but both are blue and have the two best songs.
Rounding, this game, the seventh of eight MetroVanias (counting the two titles Black Sony), fails to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, but despite its flaws, which are quite important, he walks quite close, and is Very fun, addictive, and recommended climate, at least in the second half, which is what leaves us feeling of having enjoyed a high quality product.

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance: 3 stars out of 5 stars

After Circle of the Moon pass unnoticed through our hands, we all thought that the genius of Iga and company had exhausted Symphony of the Night. Along with his creativity. And as for the genius, we were not mistaken. But in terms of creativity, only half were successful.
After testing with a ridiculous system of cards that just kept the stupid fashion imposed by Yu-Gi-Oh! and his entourage of clones, Castlevania returned to his roots. In more ways than one. Using the system SotN weapons and equipment, and a story that continues the Castlevania II (or prefieriría say Dracula's Shadow), we finally have the feeling of being in a good Castlevania.
Incredibly, HoD showed us that Nintendo is able to offer a portable console with good graphics. Trying to emulate a consolita SotN as GBA, Konami task was pretty monumental. And unlike what everyone (including them) believed, the result was missed: the graphic level of Harmony of Dissonance is excel-len-te. Same as level design, mapping, texture, processing speed and optimization. Impeccable. A pinturita.
But someone had to pay. And in this case was sound. We are in this game with the worst sound in the series, even worse than the horror trilogy Game Boy. Common sense would have said that a typical soundtrack (epic, dramatic, strong) Castlevania people had come despite PCI inaudible sources. But following his poor judgment, Iga decided to honor the title (or perhaps after the horror of the composer thought the title) and move to a progressive wave tracks where only a connoisseur of music could find meaning. Even I, who pride myself on my knowledge of music, it took me over a year to digest the topics and understand what they wanted to do. Nor do I think of a typical player who suddenly goes from baroque sound always this. I do not want to be misunderstood, the music is good and creates a perfect climate and unique. It's just ... there's something that will not.
Working both in graphics and puffing so much with music, they forgot to take care of the story, so to complete tell, is this: kidnap Lydie, come to the rescue of Death takes her away again, go to another castle and rescued. And the smoked opium Iga and his boys to achieve the soundtrack took effect in history, and then there will be a castle with two layers, where we have three different maps to complete, through rooms once per layer, with three different colors and the worst mess ever in a game map. And the explanation of this, in history Death is given to Nathan, our character, after becoming a dinosaur skeleton class and lose the battle (...).
On the other hand, for the third time we have to endure the friend owned, which added to the formula MetroVania makes the game an experience full of Déjà Vu's.
All point to a bad grade, but despite the chaos (perhaps intentional?) Which is the title, I have to say I enjoyed playing it, and, even with just, I recommend it.
It will not be the best of the series, not even the best of GBA ... But amid many bad titles and copies out, it is always good to give a chance to a game that, although rare motifs, is something different and fresh, at least in part.

[The Great Reviewer]

Haunted Castle: 3 stars out of 5 stars

Haunted Castle is the kind of title you are forgiven many mistakes because they take into account several points, namely: was one of the first titles, beats all the titles of 4, 8 and 16 bits that have come to America to Bloodlines exception, and let the best Arcade soundtrack in history.
The graphics, among which stand out the funds, they are very good, even for the time. The sound effects are very bad, even for the time also. The gameplay is the same horrible NES barely improved, and the story is almost nil. We are something like a Belmont, is perhaps Simon, somewhat overweight and dressed as He-Man, who must rescue his girlfriend (the first girl in history Castlevania), who was abducted during the marriage (that scene is very funny) by Count Dracula that looks like something out of a movie from the '40s.
Crossing (thank God) outdoor levels, passing through places like a cemetery that seems taken from The Night of the Living Dead, a forest and a cave, until the castle, which has the best design of it in years. There are some good moments during the game, you can not deny it. But there is also a huge problem: the difficulty. It is impossible to reach beyond the fourth level. For this reason the fun is affected, and we could not know the levels until years later, thanks to the blessing of the emulators could play this game with cheats and so see the part that no one saw without cheating and therefore was made vain: levels 5 and 6 and the end of the game.
The peak point of the game is, without any doubt, the music of the first level, Cross Your Heart, which together with the cumbia that appears later be remixed for Nintendo DS titles two decades in the future, when the existence of portable decent and stop being a dream.
In short, a game Haunted Castle is recommended, at least to play around and as a curiosity, and a history of the series, as it was the only Castlevania arcade (except the horrible and unplayable "VS Castlevania").

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence: 3,5 stars out of 5 stars

Once Konami did a good 3D game. Since several years of that, and with the missing formula tried to do the same for Playstation 2. But as remembered a couple of things, like interactive levels, good weather somewhere secluded and a good puzzle, they forgot to dozens of them. And the result was none other than a game just good. Neither more nor less. Well, nothing more.
Among the things I remembered, was the music. And copying what was done by a stranger to the poor black Nintendo console, Michiru Yamane did what he does best: what they ask. And his work resulted in a soundtrack that will achieve what is wanted, good climate constructs. But the best parts happen in the scenes and in the final level, so you can say that this soundtrack is halfway between N64 and Curse of Darkness. Not bad, but not defined.
Levels typically alternate between PS2 levels "is supposed to be such a thing" and N64 copied. The first group are pretty bad, and the second are very good, if we forget that they are copying something that was far superior, being the best example autoplagio level 3 Legacy of Darkness, Villa.
The characters try to build a story, and while not bad, are left half way with her. For the first time there was an alternative way where massacred our enemies, but rather not take place until years later we played the Sisters Mode in PoR. Not to mention that the characters to unlock in N64 will easily win here we have poor Joachim.
And back to the inconsistencies that never fail, Joachim supposedly Alucard, who for some reason with swords flying around. The same character PSX majestic, and the same character in the NES and Game Boy was fat and bald, here's a flying ghost. Konami stuff ...
The fun is not absent, but the game quickly turns from fun to boring, is that the areas are cut every second, and levels are generally aware of each other and within the same, terribly repetitive.
As a good thing to mention, meaning that Iga, head of the series at that time, was not yet in love with Devil May Cry, game than Lament of Innocence in all aspects but much less than Legacy of Darkness. This means that the title would come, instead of trying to copy only unsuccessfully Iga would of plagiarism plagiarism. And not just DMC, but God of War, a game that was already beginning to copy the game that concerns us. It would then wannabe was heavy in our beloved saga.
In short, yes. LoI is recommended. Not much, but to know what gave the series in the sixth generation of consoles is better to know this game than the flat and mediocre DMC clone called Curse of Darkness.

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness: 4,5 stars out of 5 stars

When Konami announced that a Castlevania would be one of the launch titles for the new 64-bit console that would for the first time in 3D, very few will have faith. The deadline for Nintendo got, as with SotN, that play out incomplete. Luckily, Konami decided to finish it anyway and take it back to show what was the final idea, already finished, and incidentally to charge a little more, something they never forget.
It is difficult to describe an incomplete game, so it's best to take the final and only take into account for this review the best of the previous one: the Carrie dress in homage to the beloved Maria Renard.
In many ways, the best example being the management, it went from one game to another from bad to excellent. The same is true of graphics.
But rarely had a 3D game playability as fluid as Carrie or Cornell.
The soundtrack is for the first time an album that does not help much to hear out of the game, but after all the goal is to create a climate soundtrack, and never a Castlevania achieved this by as to the perfeccción. The case completely opposite to what would happen years later with Curse of Darkness.
The graphics are very good, even today, and the level design is es-pec-ta-cu-lar!. Never cut, are crowded totally addictive puzzle are as varied and absorb the player as if in them.
Certainly there are textures and some ideas stolen from a game (Ocarina of Time perhaps ...), and they could have improved some things like transparencies processing, but for every moment of relative laziness rewarding moments are dozens.
The range of characters and the story is the best so far, only compared to SotN, and there are also several emotional moments, and for the first time there is a story of Castlevania certain amount of humor, descontracturar widely welcomed for the rigid structure that seems mandatory in dark aesthetic games and do a little to one side so seriously unnecessary.
As reflected in the scores that adorn this review, it was never a Castlevania as even, and therefore fun and hover final note perfectly.
I wish Konami had not lost the formula that was to make a good 3D game, and so we had avoided the disappointments that were to come.
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, by itself, is the best game of the poor catalog of N64, which does not mean much.
And the best 3D action game to date. And that really is saying something.

[The Great Reviewer]

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin: 4,5 stars out of 5 stars

It seemed impossible that a game could gather a great story, epic and exciting with touches of humor (as we have here), a soundtrack of the best addition to historical songs create an excellent climate (as we also have here), rich characters and as varied (which includes four beautiful girls like Charlotte, Mary, Stella and Loretta), the best villain ever seen (as Brauner), the best gameplay available in 2D until then (when used at Charlotte), levels well varied, beautiful and immersive and also cut through SotN and AoS unused (at least partially) the already worn formula MetroVania.
But Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin was commissioned to prove otherwise.
There is little to say about this game more than the above, while there is a lot. The graphics are amazing for a DS and the best I have seen on a laptop so far. The soundtrack leaves us speechless, the weather is at times unrivaled, handling is the best I had, with a richness and range of powers and hablidades that seems endless, and the game system applies the familiar formula but maps Luck adds a refreshing breeze refreshing, taking us out of the castle every so through portraits.
As if this were not enough, between quests, spells, secret areas, powers and modes and secondary characters, we find the longest Castlevania history, since we get to play about sixty hours if we want to see everything what the game has to offer.
There is no better summary than a short and subtle, especially when so much stress and so little (if anything at all) to criticize. And is that because only negatives we can mention some sprite recycling a sentence badly acted or lack of a little more depth in the story (which is not not have, because it is the longest and haunting that occurred in the series , comparable to SotN by their magnitudes.)
Yes, it is true that being longer and having intermediate areas between the castle and the exteriors have been the game with a perfect score, but this is explained in the story flawlessly and we must also remember that it is a Nintendo DS, not a PSP.
And now it seems that Konami has taken the way of good games, and unfortunately do not seem to intend to make a sequel to the unique 3D solid (Legacy) they did, you can not help but wonder and wait forward to the day they decide to take, for a seventh generation console, the final Castlevania, the perfect game: a 2D mass maps, quests, dozens of characters, tracks, stories and alternate endings, hundreds of musicians, dozens of levels, and full weeks of play. A kind of Infinite Undiscovery but with Castlevania and 2D. Can you imagine the possibilities?.