Man, the Inverted Marble Gallery fucked me up pretty bad at times.
Hell yeah. If it weren't those spikes-on-wheels, it was the insane amount of damage those Nova Skeletons could do if you weren't quick enough to nip 'em.
Man, the Inverted Marble Gallery fucked me up pretty bad at times.
Hell yeah. If it weren't those spikes-on-wheels, it was the insane amount of damage those Nova Skeletons could do if you weren't quick enough to nip 'em.
God, I miss that level design.
To this day, I typically do a loop around the castle before hitting that area up. Probably the only other places to give me a lot of trouble were the Clock Tower (not really hard, just fairly frustrating at times) and parts of the Inverted Caverns (fucking Alura Une.)
How about uh, the Succubus? I thought that was interesting.
She just floated in the corner and did the exact same spike attack over, and over, and over. The bitch didn't even fly around (and my stats were low enough for the fight to take more than enough time to give her the chance).
Man, the Inverted Marble Gallery fucked me up pretty bad at times.
Hell yeah. If it weren't those spikes-on-wheels, it was the insane amount of damage those Nova Skeletons could do if you weren't quick enough to nip 'em.
God, I miss that level design.
To this day, I typically do a loop around the castle before hitting that area up. Probably the only other places to give me a lot of trouble were the Clock Tower (not really hard, just fairly frustrating at times) and parts of the Inverted Caverns (fucking Alura Une.)
Those Alura Unes are part of the reason I miss shields--weaving between her stalks, blocking those thorn projectiles, getting my hits in--it all just feels so nice. A bigger enemy with those sorts of attack patterns, except with more of them for variety's sake, and much more damage per hit, would make for a really cool boss.
No, I meant the whole, pretending to be Alucard's mother being burned at the stake thing.
Well, I was never complaining about the script of the fights. That was a neat plot development (or, would have been if the Succubus didn't arguably have the worst voice-acting in the whole entire game), but the fight was weak--especially for all that emotional build-up. For a key to getting the real ending and something with so much pathos, that should have been one of the harder fights of the game, and it ended up one of the easiest. It's criminal.
The clock tower is the most annoying and frustrating part to me. You're trying to go up, and you keep getting hit by wave after wave of stupid petrifying medusa heads.
Turned into a gargoyle once though, thought that was cool.
The clock tower is the most annoying and frustrating part to me. You're trying to go up, and you keep getting hit by wave after wave of stupid petrifying medusa heads.
Turned into a gargoyle once though, thought that was cool.
Mirror Cuirass ftw.
Man, Rufus was crazy when he said SotN's platforming didn't provide any menace. :P Sure, it's not to the level of the old games, but shit, what is? Other than, like...the old Ninja Gaidens.
The clock tower is the most annoying and frustrating part to me. You're trying to go up, and you keep getting hit by wave after wave of stupid petrifying medusa heads.
Turned into a gargoyle once though, thought that was cool.
Mirror Cuirass ftw.
Man, Rufus was crazy when he said SotN's platforming didn't provide any menace. :P Sure, it's not to the level of the old games, but shit, what is? Other than, like...the old Ninja Gaidens.
I do think more DoS and PoR had way more dangerous Clock Towers.
Though this might be partially do to Symphony's being rather tiny.
Succubus didn't arguably have the worst voice-acting in the whole entire game
Darkling I smell your blood! You're a vampire?
*shudder*
While I'm convinced a lot of the game's voice-actors could have done a decent-to-good job if they had better direction, there was absolutely no hope for the woman that voiced the Succubus.
I have to say, playing SotN again and Super Castlevania IV for the first time is really taking me back to my gaming youth. Symphony's not really old to me--I bought it maybe two years ago--but a lot of what I feel playing it reminds me of the whole sense of amazement I felt then. And Super Castlevania IV is just complete, undiluted gaming. I haven't played anything like this in years.
I have to say, playing SotN again and Super Castlevania IV for the first time is really taking me back to my gaming youth. Symphony's not really old to me--I bought it maybe two years ago--but a lot of what I feel playing it reminds me of the whole sense of amazement I felt then. And Super Castlevania IV is just complete, undiluted gaming. I haven't played anything like this in years.
Yeah, I was a late adopter to both SotN and Super CV4 (I got the former around 2000-2001 (god, three years late doesn't sound bad at all, but that game's production was ridiculously short-handed), and I think Super CV4 even more recently), and I found them both just as amazing as everyone else did when they first came out. So much for the "rose-tinted glasses" theory.
There's just something to Super Castlevania IV's sound design, it's flawless. Even if the game had Commodore 64 quality graphics the music alone would uphold the atmosphere, especially in the stages before you reach the castle.
Neo Rasa on
"You know how Batman hangs people over the edge of buildings and gets them to spill information. That's Neo Rasa's way of it, but instead of information, he just likes to see people suffer." ~Senor Fish
There's just something to Super Castlevania IV's sound design, it's flawless. Even if the game had Commodore 64 quality graphics the music alone would uphold the atmosphere, especially in the stages before you reach the castle.
I'd laud the game even if only for letting you walk while crouching.
Seriously, why the fuck don't more games do that?!
You'd think she, along with Dracula, beings with near eternal life, that have been around for hundreds of years, if not thousands, would be able to use proper grammar.
You'd think she, along with Dracula, beings with near eternal life, that have been around for hundreds of years, if not thousands, would be able to use proper grammar.
"Pile" of secrets? Exactly.
Dracula gets the shit whipped out of him so soon after he wakes up that it's a wonder he can say anything coherent at all. By 1999 I'm sure his words to Julius were "YOU WHIP HOLY BAD MAN LEAVE HURRRAGAGHAGHHHH"
I might get flack for this, but while the controls definitely left something to be desired, I actually enjoyed some of what was done with CV: Legacy of Darkness. I think the controls, along with not being anywhere near as good a 3-D transition as a lot of other franchises, are what really hurt those N64 CV's.
Really, what made those games (the N64 ones) stick out for me, though, where A) the actual vampires, and the vampire-infection dynamic (which could've been done slightly better), the storyline being a lot more solid than many Castlevania's before it, and C) though it probably wouldn't hold up today, the greater sense of spookiness the castle provided, thanks to what was then some cool graphics.
Plus, I dug both of Dracula's character designs in that game.
Anyway, I really would dig seeing a solid 2-D, Symphony-style CV on the major platforms, but I get a hunch like we won't likely get one, not sure why. It'd be great, though; such refined sprites, probably an enormous castle layout, etc. The possibilities would be endless, but they'd REALLY have to do a good job of selling the game to the higher ups to convince them that, yes, there is indeed a market for good 2-D on major home consoles today.
I'm still not sure that anything the series will do, however, could ever top the experience that is Super Castlevania IV. That, to me, was the game that made it official that, yes, video games are an art form. Sound, music, design, gameplay (though I still hate those goddamn Medusa heads), all you need to do is play for a half hour to really feel the rush that's still there after almost fifteen years.
Anyway, I really would dig seeing a solid 2-D, Symphony-style CV on the major platforms, but I get a hunch like we won't likely get one, not sure why. It'd be great, though; such refined sprites, probably an enormous castle layout, etc. The possibilities would be endless, but they'd REALLY have to do a good job of selling the game to the higher ups to convince them that, yes, there is indeed a market for good 2-D on major home consoles today.
A 2d Worms is also coming to XBLA courtesy of Team17, and the team also let slip that there will be a new 2D worms for PC. Why the turn back to 2d all of a sudden? I can't find the exact post, but Spadge, Team17's director and mouthpiece, summed it up like this: The market has changed, and big-wigs are now realizing that super-fancy-ultra-3d graphics does not automatically equal big seller.
Why do I bring this up? Castlevania, much like Worms, is one of those games that doesn't translate easily to 3d. Couple this with the popularity of the 2d portable games (and the lack of enthusiasm for the 3d ones). Tack on the fact that SotN is coming to XBLA and Super Castlevania IV hit the Virtual Console (which means somebody in Konami knows what Castlevania games are popular).
To me, all these signs point to the idea that Konami has come around to the idea that Castlevania in 2d = good thing.
Anyway, I really would dig seeing a solid 2-D, Symphony-style CV on the major platforms, but I get a hunch like we won't likely get one, not sure why. It'd be great, though; such refined sprites, probably an enormous castle layout, etc. The possibilities would be endless, but they'd REALLY have to do a good job of selling the game to the higher ups to convince them that, yes, there is indeed a market for good 2-D on major home consoles today.
A 2d Worms is also coming to XBLA courtesy of Team17, and the team also let slip that there will be a new 2D worms for PC. Why the turn back to 2d all of a sudden? I can't find the exact post, but Spadge, Team17's director and mouthpiece, summed it up like this: The market has changed, and big-wigs are now realizing that super-fancy-ultra-3d graphics does not automatically equal big seller.
Why do I bring this up? Castlevania, much like Worms, is one of those games that doesn't translate easily to 3d. Couple this with the popularity of the 2d portable games (and the lack of enthusiasm for the 3d ones). Tack on the fact that SotN is coming to XBLA and Super Castlevania IV hit the Virtual Console (which means somebody in Konami knows what Castlevania games are popular).
To me, all these signs point to the idea that Konami has come around to the idea that Castlevania in 2d = good thing.
The Worms 3D games probably sold worse than even the N64 Castlevania's. As much as I'm hoping and hoping that another 2D CV will pop up on a console, Team 17 really does have much more of a reason.
Besides, the 2D work in something like Worms doesn't compare to what would have to be done to Castlevania to make it seem like a worthwhile console game, which would entail huge amounts of arduous sprite work and animation. And, if you've played the DS games and seen how many sprites they recyle, you'll find that IGA can hardly even bear to do a modicum of that anymore.
We've got less than a week until this new EGM comes out, right? Here's hoping I'm proven wrong on all counts.
Anyway, I really would dig seeing a solid 2-D, Symphony-style CV on the major platforms, but I get a hunch like we won't likely get one, not sure why. It'd be great, though; such refined sprites, probably an enormous castle layout, etc. The possibilities would be endless, but they'd REALLY have to do a good job of selling the game to the higher ups to convince them that, yes, there is indeed a market for good 2-D on major home consoles today.
A 2d Worms is also coming to XBLA courtesy of Team17, and the team also let slip that there will be a new 2D worms for PC. Why the turn back to 2d all of a sudden? I can't find the exact post, but Spadge, Team17's director and mouthpiece, summed it up like this: The market has changed, and big-wigs are now realizing that super-fancy-ultra-3d graphics does not automatically equal big seller.
Why do I bring this up? Castlevania, much like Worms, is one of those games that doesn't translate easily to 3d. Couple this with the popularity of the 2d portable games (and the lack of enthusiasm for the 3d ones). Tack on the fact that SotN is coming to XBLA and Super Castlevania IV hit the Virtual Console (which means somebody in Konami knows what Castlevania games are popular).
To me, all these signs point to the idea that Konami has come around to the idea that Castlevania in 2d = good thing.
That's logical, and makes me feel a bit better about the possibility.
Considering how much money a lot of companies drown into making games with eye-popping graphics, movie-quality sound, etc., if the gameplay's not there, the game's not likely going to sell all that great. As production costs only continue to rise, I suppose it does make sense that some developers might embrace less expensive ideas, like new 2-D titles. We'll see.
There's something tragic about CV not really making the 3-D jump, though. I mean, really, the potential IS there; the ambiance of the castle, the dynamic settings, and boss battles that could be absolutely mind-blowing, even a great storyline, the whole nine yards...if only someone would actually invest some stronger effort into making it, instead of making games with poor controls (N64 games) or attempts at making Devil May Cry with CV characters (which wasn't bad, but just wasn't inspired or anything).
You people are aware that most people don't bother with 2D because doing it hi-resolution is actually harder than making a 3D game, right? It's a bitch even for the 2D fighting games that end up recycling the vast majority of their sprites through the series--imagine something with as much depth and (comparative) longevity as Castlevania getting the treatment. It'd be the greatest thing ever, but also probably the hardest.
It's not a case of, "Oh, 3D is hip so let's move onto that, even though we could squeeze a 2D game out of our asses in our sleep"--it's more, "Let's make a 3D game because drawing and animating sprites detailed enough to be worth a next-gen handle will take us the latter half of our lives."
I want a proper 2D sequel so much, but I really don't want to get my hopes up for nothing.
Giving this a bump because it's officially February, so that next EGM should be arriving sometime soon. Hopefully someone with a subscription can hop into this thread and give us the details.
You people are aware that most people don't bother with 2D because doing it hi-resolution is actually harder than making a 3D game, right? It's a bitch even for the 2D fighting games that end up recycling the vast majority of their sprites through the series--imagine something with as much depth and (comparative) longevity as Castlevania getting the treatment. It'd be the greatest thing ever, but also probably the hardest.
Why is that? I can imagine pixeling hi-res sprites is a lot of work, but what about using hand-drawn sprites?
You people are aware that most people don't bother with 2D because doing it hi-resolution is actually harder than making a 3D game, right? It's a bitch even for the 2D fighting games that end up recycling the vast majority of their sprites through the series--imagine something with as much depth and (comparative) longevity as Castlevania getting the treatment. It'd be the greatest thing ever, but also probably the hardest.
Why is that? I can imagine pixeling hi-res sprites is a lot of work, but what about using hand-drawn sprites?
You people are aware that most people don't bother with 2D because doing it hi-resolution is actually harder than making a 3D game, right? It's a bitch even for the 2D fighting games that end up recycling the vast majority of their sprites through the series--imagine something with as much depth and (comparative) longevity as Castlevania getting the treatment. It'd be the greatest thing ever, but also probably the hardest.
Why is that? I can imagine pixeling hi-res sprites is a lot of work, but what about using hand-drawn sprites?
Does that really sound easier?
I've wondered about that. I mean, I know it would be easier for me to draw something than to pixel it.
You people are aware that most people don't bother with 2D because doing it hi-resolution is actually harder than making a 3D game, right? It's a bitch even for the 2D fighting games that end up recycling the vast majority of their sprites through the series--imagine something with as much depth and (comparative) longevity as Castlevania getting the treatment. It'd be the greatest thing ever, but also probably the hardest.
Why is that? I can imagine pixeling hi-res sprites is a lot of work, but what about using hand-drawn sprites?
Does that really sound easier?
It does to me, then again I lack pixel skills so... Pencil, scan, ink/color digitally, shrink to appropriate size (anti-aliased edges). The trick would be to fit the animations around the collision box, so the sprite doesn't feel separate from the tiled world.
This is something I'm doing a bit of research into atm actually for yet another one of my (deadend) projects, so please enlighten me if you're into this stuff.
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LCDXXA flask of wood and glassTerre Haute, INRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Giving this a bump because it's officially February, so that next EGM should be arriving sometime soon. Hopefully someone with a subscription can hop into this thread and give us the details.
I have a subscription, but haven't received the issue yet. I'm dying to see what the deal is... although, I won't be surprised if there's no mention of it (I seem to recall a couple times in the past year or so that they've hyped up something "in the next issue" only to have it not appear at all).
Posts
God, I miss that level design.
Turned into a gargoyle once though, thought that was cool.
Man, Rufus was crazy when he said SotN's platforming didn't provide any menace. :P Sure, it's not to the level of the old games, but shit, what is? Other than, like...the old Ninja Gaidens.
Though this might be partially do to Symphony's being rather tiny.
Darkling I smell your blood! You're a vampire?
The answer of course, if you didn't know, is but a miserable pile of secrets
While I'm convinced a lot of the game's voice-actors could have done a decent-to-good job if they had better direction, there was absolutely no hope for the woman that voiced the Succubus.
Seriously, why the fuck don't more games do that?!
"Pile" of secrets? Exactly.
That last part's the stroke.
"Why, why you ask? Because I love the young people and their Sony."
"Die monster!"
Really, what made those games (the N64 ones) stick out for me, though, where A) the actual vampires, and the vampire-infection dynamic (which could've been done slightly better),
Plus, I dug both of Dracula's character designs in that game.
Anyway, I really would dig seeing a solid 2-D, Symphony-style CV on the major platforms, but I get a hunch like we won't likely get one, not sure why. It'd be great, though; such refined sprites, probably an enormous castle layout, etc. The possibilities would be endless, but they'd REALLY have to do a good job of selling the game to the higher ups to convince them that, yes, there is indeed a market for good 2-D on major home consoles today.
I'm still not sure that anything the series will do, however, could ever top the experience that is Super Castlevania IV. That, to me, was the game that made it official that, yes, video games are an art form. Sound, music, design, gameplay (though I still hate those goddamn Medusa heads), all you need to do is play for a half hour to really feel the rush that's still there after almost fifteen years.
Wii Code: 5700 4466 3616 6981 (PM if y'all add me)
A 2d Worms is also coming to XBLA courtesy of Team17, and the team also let slip that there will be a new 2D worms for PC. Why the turn back to 2d all of a sudden? I can't find the exact post, but Spadge, Team17's director and mouthpiece, summed it up like this: The market has changed, and big-wigs are now realizing that super-fancy-ultra-3d graphics does not automatically equal big seller.
Why do I bring this up? Castlevania, much like Worms, is one of those games that doesn't translate easily to 3d. Couple this with the popularity of the 2d portable games (and the lack of enthusiasm for the 3d ones). Tack on the fact that SotN is coming to XBLA and Super Castlevania IV hit the Virtual Console (which means somebody in Konami knows what Castlevania games are popular).
To me, all these signs point to the idea that Konami has come around to the idea that Castlevania in 2d = good thing.
Besides, the 2D work in something like Worms doesn't compare to what would have to be done to Castlevania to make it seem like a worthwhile console game, which would entail huge amounts of arduous sprite work and animation. And, if you've played the DS games and seen how many sprites they recyle, you'll find that IGA can hardly even bear to do a modicum of that anymore.
We've got less than a week until this new EGM comes out, right? Here's hoping I'm proven wrong on all counts.
That's logical, and makes me feel a bit better about the possibility.
Considering how much money a lot of companies drown into making games with eye-popping graphics, movie-quality sound, etc., if the gameplay's not there, the game's not likely going to sell all that great. As production costs only continue to rise, I suppose it does make sense that some developers might embrace less expensive ideas, like new 2-D titles. We'll see.
There's something tragic about CV not really making the 3-D jump, though. I mean, really, the potential IS there; the ambiance of the castle, the dynamic settings, and boss battles that could be absolutely mind-blowing, even a great storyline, the whole nine yards...if only someone would actually invest some stronger effort into making it, instead of making games with poor controls (N64 games) or attempts at making Devil May Cry with CV characters (which wasn't bad, but just wasn't inspired or anything).
Wii Code: 5700 4466 3616 6981 (PM if y'all add me)
It's not a case of, "Oh, 3D is hip so let's move onto that, even though we could squeeze a 2D game out of our asses in our sleep"--it's more, "Let's make a 3D game because drawing and animating sprites detailed enough to be worth a next-gen handle will take us the latter half of our lives."
I want a proper 2D sequel so much, but I really don't want to get my hopes up for nothing.
Why is that? I can imagine pixeling hi-res sprites is a lot of work, but what about using hand-drawn sprites?
Does that really sound easier?
I've wondered about that. I mean, I know it would be easier for me to draw something than to pixel it.
It does to me, then again I lack pixel skills so...
This is something I'm doing a bit of research into atm actually for yet another one of my (deadend) projects, so please enlighten me if you're into this stuff.
I have a subscription, but haven't received the issue yet. I'm dying to see what the deal is... although, I won't be surprised if there's no mention of it (I seem to recall a couple times in the past year or so that they've hyped up something "in the next issue" only to have it not appear at all).
Fingers am crossed.
At least, Play seems to insist so.
Now if it's for a next gen system my bet is on the Wii, or slightly possible for the 360. No F-ing way PS3.