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WHICH CASTLEVANIA GAME IS YOUR FAVORITE?
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El_WaKa
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It used to be Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse, but every year I find myself replaying the original Castlevania, while the gap between CV3 replays gets wider.
Of the NES Castlevanias, I think I probably enjoy Castlevania 3 the most. I love that cool mini map that I get to see, when I finally get to beat a board, hah. I've never been good at NES games, but I find them fun to bang my head against every now and then.
Symphony of the Night and the Metroidvanias for GBA have all been the most amazing of the serious, in my opinion. I did like Rondo of Blood a lot, and I've been wanting to play Dracula X, but that game is so darn expensive...... I've been trying to play Dracula X Chronicles, mostly so I can play the unlockable game. I actually do find the remake enjoyable, and I like Richter's new voice actor. He has a lot more emotion than the more awkward Symphony of the Night.
As for god of Castlevania..... I'm not too big on that style of gameplay. Lament of Innocence was probably the most interesting for me in the game style. I have absolutely no desire to try the new series.... I don't really like the idea that they've just dropped the old continuity.
Symphony of the Night and the Metroidvanias for GBA have all been the most amazing of the serious, in my opinion. I did like Rondo of Blood a lot, and I've been wanting to play Dracula X, but that game is so darn expensive...... I've been trying to play Dracula X Chronicles, mostly so I can play the unlockable game. I actually do find the remake enjoyable, and I like Richter's new voice actor. He has a lot more emotion than the more awkward Symphony of the Night.
As for god of Castlevania..... I'm not too big on that style of gameplay. Lament of Innocence was probably the most interesting for me in the game style. I have absolutely no desire to try the new series.... I don't really like the idea that they've just dropped the old continuity.
Simon's Quest was my first, so even though it's an objectively terrible experience, I will always have a soft spot for it. The day/night cycle was thrilling to 6-year-old me, and it was my first experience with a game that was treated as a continuous adventure and not broken into a path of distinct "levels" (granted, I somehow managed to play this one before Zelda).
Symphony of the Night is my favorite to actually play, though. Sure, the GBA derivatives refined the gameplay and added new wrinkles, but the sloppiness of the "original" added a lot of charm. It also struck during the height of jRPG madness, so having a tacked-on leveling system (and voice acting!) made it feel new and exciting. Also, the entire concept of the upside-down castle just made my head explode.
Symphony of the Night is my favorite to actually play, though. Sure, the GBA derivatives refined the gameplay and added new wrinkles, but the sloppiness of the "original" added a lot of charm. It also struck during the height of jRPG madness, so having a tacked-on leveling system (and voice acting!) made it feel new and exciting. Also, the entire concept of the upside-down castle just made my head explode.
Close call for me, between IV and the first one, but I'm going to go for the first one. I love the hard to master control in the game and find it much more enjoyable and rewarding. But I still love IV quite a lot.
El_WaKa
3568
One game that never gets mentioned is Castlevania 64, is actually my first castlevania and I think is underrated, yeah, the gameplay is really different and the controls and camera can be annoying sometimes, but just give a try and think of it like it wasn't a castlevania game
author=El_WaKaI enjoyed Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness a lot, and i played it years after the nintendo 64 had died out in favor of the gamecube. I really think people should try to get past the niggles that populate the early game, it really picks up halfway through.
One game that never gets mentioned is Castlevania 64, is actually my first castlevania and I think is underrated, yeah, the gameplay is really different and the controls and camera can be annoying sometimes, but just give a try and think of it like it wasn't a castlevania game
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
author=El_WaKa
just give a try and think of it like it wasn't a castlevania game
...then why would you mention it in the Favorite Castlevania Game thread? :V
Housekeeping
3571
I tried thinking of Castlevania 64 as a new Mary Kate and Ashley Olson game and was still disappointed.
zeello
40
Lament and Judgment are my two favorites. Lament has the best atmosphere, while both Lament and Judgment have the best whip gameplay.
Speaking of not thinking of things as Castlevania games. I recently played Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest for PSP. It was surprisingly enjoyable and the more I played it the more it reminded me of Castlevania.
Speaking of not thinking of things as Castlevania games. I recently played Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest for PSP. It was surprisingly enjoyable and the more I played it the more it reminded me of Castlevania.
author=zeello
Lament and Judgment are my two favorites. Lament has the best atmosphere, while both Lament and Judgment have the best whip gameplay.
I agree on Lament of Innocence's atmosphere. Konami did a great job capturing the dreaded atmosphere of the castle.
I can't really comment on Judgment, as I have never played it. I've seen that it's frowned upon by a lot of Castlevania for a lot of different reasons. I may try it some day, regardless......
I can say that I've heard the soundtrack to it, and it was definitely worth my time.
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
AFAIC the soundtrack is the best thing Castlevania has going for it right now.
You think so? I, personally, thought that the Lords of Shadow series' music was kind of a disappointment (I did listen to some of it's soundtrack, along with giving a few looks at it's gameplay videos in my spare time). I'm also not really into movie-styled soundtracks, especially when it's concerning video games, so that's the main reason I didn't really get into it.
I just assumed that a lot of people felt that way, because the style was different compared to the older soundtracks.
I just assumed that a lot of people felt that way, because the style was different compared to the older soundtracks.
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
Admittedly, I haven't listened to those ones. I was assuming that they were sticking with Yamane, which does not appear to be the case. Which I guess is another example of Konami going, "Welp, we don't want our games to be good, so we'd better get rid of anything that might make that happen!" :V
I would like to say "Symphony of the Night" because that's the Castlevania I "fell in love" with (I had played others Castlevanias before, but they were nothing great to me). But I feel "Aria of Sorrow" did improve on the gameplay. I loved to collect souls and try on different combinations to suit what type of monster or boss I would face against in each area of the castle. And the sequel "Dawn of Sorrow" allowed you to switch between two sets of combinations on the fly, which was pretty useful. Combat was much more fun that way...
However, I would disagree with the OP that the games had a cool story or characters. The dialogue was minimal. And I never liked that the protagonist was your typical high-scool student. Or that: "No, Jhon. You ARE dracula!" plot-wist. It all felt too "anime" for my taste. Luckily I don't play Castlevanias for the story (It would be cool if they had cool story on top of cool gameplay, though).
Also, I always stayed away from the Castlevanias on the PS2 fearing that they would be more like Castlevania 64 than Symphony of the Night because they were in 3D. But since some of you put them in such a good word, I guess I'll try them out. =P
However, I would disagree with the OP that the games had a cool story or characters. The dialogue was minimal. And I never liked that the protagonist was your typical high-scool student. Or that: "No, Jhon. You ARE dracula!" plot-wist. It all felt too "anime" for my taste. Luckily I don't play Castlevanias for the story (It would be cool if they had cool story on top of cool gameplay, though).
Also, I always stayed away from the Castlevanias on the PS2 fearing that they would be more like Castlevania 64 than Symphony of the Night because they were in 3D. But since some of you put them in such a good word, I guess I'll try them out. =P
emmych
817
I'm a filthy Symphony of the Night lover, mostly because it really gets that campy B-movie schtick across, and also the soundtrack is faaaaantastic. <3 And really, from what I remember, the plots of later games just got like... idk, Complex? I like my simple "I've come to destroy this castle" "who is the lord of this castle" "A BELMONT" plot.
I'm also a bigger fan of the Metroidvanias than I am the linear, early Castlevanias, so HEY this one just makes me smile a lot. ;w;
I'm also a bigger fan of the Metroidvanias than I am the linear, early Castlevanias, so HEY this one just makes me smile a lot. ;w;
Symphony of the night also had beautiful monster designs. I remember i let a sigh of awe at some of the monsters, and granfaloon gave me goosebumps, i had never seen anything like it and the soundtrack was probably the best castlevania soundtrack i've listened to.
emmych
817
Ugh yes <3333 The monsters are DELIGHTFULLY spoopy. Beezlebub and Granfaloon were like... cries my first playthrough of Symphony of the Night was over the course of a few nights, so STUMBLING ACROSS THOSE THINGS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WAS JUST AWFUL i loved it
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
author=Mirak
Symphony of the night also had beautifulmonster designseverything but voice acting.
Fixed.
If I could play a game that had SotN's aesthetics and metroidvania elements, CV4's controls, and was basically a redo of Simon's Quest, I would need no other Castlevania.
