Sonic Zone

A miserable pile of-holy shit, dude.

Didn't the last one sucks cocks, though?

Quote from: jkid101094 on December 10, 2012, 12:02:09 AM
Didn't the last one sucks cocks, though?

No, it was one of the most amazing games i've played.
ever.


So called "Fans" just hate it because it has similarities with God of War and Shadow of the Colossus. And because its linear.

Quote from: {Your Lovely Kyo}~ on December 10, 2012, 12:33:50 AM
And because its linear.

I can understand this one, but only a little. Castlevania doesn't have a platforming genre named after it for no reason.

Quote from: jkid101094 on December 10, 2012, 12:44:12 AM
I can understand this one, but only a little. Castlevania doesn't have a platforming genre named after it for no reason.

Castlevania was born linear and should've stayed linear.
Super Castlevania 4, one of the best games ever made, period.

Lords of Shadow used its linear design to compliment the fantasticly written story.
Not only that, but the Lords of Shadow Games are about how Dracula became Dracula. And its just such a fantastic tale.

I dont like the term Metroidvania, because Metroid is just... so much superior in that regard.
You get rewarded for exploring with important items and power-ups.

While in Castlevania Symphony of the Night you can just... grind through. And all you find are useless things.

Lords of Shadow goes back to Castlevania's roots.
A Linear and Challenging Game, where you always explore a completely new region in each level.

Guacamelee is still my Game of the Year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ro6JoqBBQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ro6JoqBBQ)


Aside from that epic trailer...
Here's the first 20 minutes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSBoI7bAmX8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSBoI7bAmX8)

And holy god damn... I am in awe.

The Music, the Graphics, the Gameplay...
Castlevania's back *o*

Y'know, Ive never cared for Castlevania, i jut know it gets compared to Metroid a lot.
Is this franchise any good?

Quote from: Hakudamashi on November 01, 2013, 10:10:54 AM
Is this franchise any good?

One of the best of the best, with a few exceptions.

Well, what makes it one of the best? Other than being compared to Metroid...

Quote from: Hakudamashi on November 01, 2013, 01:12:29 PM
Well, what makes it one of the best? Other than being compared to Metroid...

Now, the issue with this question is that there's so many different flavours of Castlevania...


Flavour #1 - Classic
Titles: Castlevania, Castlevania 3, Castlevania 4, Castlevania Bloodlines, Castlevania: Dracula X, Castlevania Chronicles, Castlevania Adventure ReBirth

Some of the hardest games you'll ever play. I mean it.
But, unlike Ninja Gaiden on NES, they aint just insanely difficult to an unfair degree.
You could compare it to more recent games who've taken a page from Castlevania...
Games like Dark Souls, Super Meat Boy, Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures.
These Games are basically the mother of that "really hard, but fair" style
They give you an especially awesome feeling when you beat the Stage and the Music keeps you pumped during it all.
Each Stage has new enemies and a completely different boss, keeping you interested about what is gonna happen next.
The Artstyle still grabs you - Decades after release.
Now, I have to note that the above mentioned games are completely linear and use a classic level system. They are NOT Metroidvania.
I also have to note that these might not be enjoyable to modern games. The controls take time to get used to and you have limited Lifes w/ a password system.
Castlevania 4 has by far the most user friendly control sheme (you can whip in all directions) and isnt as hard as the others.



Flavour #2 - Metroidvania
Titles: Castlevania 2, Castlevania Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Cirlce of the Moon, Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin,  Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
I, personally, do not enjoy these.
But, in a nutshell... Castlevania mixed with Metroid plus RPG Looting and Leveling.


Flavour #3 - Lords of Shadow
Titles: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
The Spin-off/reboot games.
Well... These will tell you one of the greatest Stories you'll experience in a Game.
Lords of Shadow goes back to being linear and uses a level-to-level design again.
Lords of Shadow is something I'd call a Masterpiece. This is how I imagined how "next-gen" games would be.
I'll give the Word to Zeigeist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTov342NYls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTov342NYls)

Mirror of Fate on the other hand isnt that good...
I haven't bought that one yet, but I enjoyed the Demo.


Flavour #4 - All the shit ones
Which are all of those that I did not mention.



Now... If you want to get into Castlevania...
I suggest buying http://amzn.com/B00ENWZAHO (Castlevania Lords of Shadow Ultimate Collection) - It comes with Lords of Shadow, the two expensions packs for Lords of Shadow and an HD Port of the 3DS Title Mirror of Fate and a Demo for Lords of Shadow 2.

However, if you do so...
Do NOT tackle the Expansions Packs or Mirror of Fate before you finish Lords of Shadow.

aand you should also get Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (Vita PSN) and finally Castlevania 4 (Wii U eShop).
Dracula X Chronicles comes with a remake of "Castlevania: Dracula X" as well the full original versions of "Dracula X" and "Symphony of the Night"

Ah, yes...
Thou are the "Needs Demo" guy.
Well, luckily for you (or not, depending on how powerful your PC is)...
Castlevania Lords of Shadow does have a Demo... on Steam only.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/234080/ (http://store.steampowered.com/app/234080/)

There's a Lords of Shadow Demo on the PS3, and I wasn't impressed by it =V. It was like God of War with a bad framerate and an awkward dodging mechanic, but that was a loong time ago, I'll give it another try.
I tried Mirrors of Fate demo on the 3DS, 'twas alright. Framerate was wonky and the aesthetics didn't appeal to me at all though.

And that's my main gripe with Castlevania, I'm not into the whole gothic edgey aesthetic of the games, and games like it, but I can easily get over it if the games are cool

Quote from: Hakudamashi on November 01, 2013, 03:22:19 PM
There's a Lords of Shadow Demo on the PS3, and I wasn't impressed by it =V. It was like God of War with a bad framerate and an awkward dodging mechanic, but that was a loong time ago, I'll give it another try.
I tried Mirrors of Fate demo on the 3DS, 'twas alright. Framerate was wonky and the aesthetics didn't appeal to me at all though.

And that's my main gripe with Castlevania, I'm not into the whole gothic edgey aesthetic of the games, and games like it, but I can easily get over it if the games are cool

Well, I can say that I had no Framerate issues on Xbox 360.
Hmm, yeah I have a friend that stays away from Castlevania too because he really dislikes the whole gothic style.

Amazingly, I do not enjoy God of War.

If the Lords of Shadow Games are not your thing, i'd suggest getting The Dracula X Chronicles for PSP/Vita.
The Original Versions (also included) are some of the games that made everyone fall in love with Castlevania.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndl_YH7sPb4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndl_YH7sPb4)

Maybe I'll start with Super Castlevania 4

What are the games in chronilogical order, story wise?

Quote from: Hakudamashi on November 02, 2013, 07:10:03 AM
Maybe I'll start with Super Castlevania 4

What are the games in chronilogical order, story wise?

It honestly doesnt matter until you reach the Games of the 2000's.

Tell me anyway?

Quote from: Hakudamashi on November 02, 2013, 10:22:50 AM
Tell me anyway?

1094 - Lament of Innocence
1476 - Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
1479 - Curse of Darkness
1576 - The Adventure
1591 - Belmont's Revenge
1691 - Castlevania / Castlevania 4 (Remake of Castlevania)
1698 - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
1748 - Harmony of Dissonance
1792 - Rondo of Blood (also Dracula X Chronicles)
1797 - Symphony of the Night (also Dracula X Chronicles)
1917 - Bloodlines
1944 - Portrait of Ruin
2035 - Aria of Sorrow
2036 - Dawn of Sorrow


After Lords of Shadow the timeline got rebooted.

For those it'd just be: Lords of Shadow, Mirror of Fate, Lords of Shadow 2.
The N64 Games also were a Reboot and have their own Timeline.

Well, public opinion has told me that Symphony of the Night is the best one, the handheld ones are ok, the classic ones are hard, and the Lords of Shadows games are bad.

But we all know public opinon is more often than not completely wrong, so here's me asking an actual Castlevania fan.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on November 04, 2013, 11:45:49 AM
Well, public opinion has told me that Symphony of the Night is the best one, the handheld ones are ok, the classic ones are hard, and the Lords of Shadows games are bad.

But we all know public opinon is more often than not completely wrong, so here's me asking an actual Castlevania fan.

Well, I like almost all of 'em...

I mean, I can see why "old gamers" "hate" the games after the Lords of Shadow Reboot...
It aint the same anime-y, metroidvania castlevania.

Its back to a level to level structure and features are quite serious tone.

For better or worse, I am going to compare it with DmC Devil May Cry...
Everyone who played DmC that didnt play the others would love DmC itself.

Know what I mean?

Ah, it's one of those kind of reboots...

Well, recently I tried the demo for Mirrors of Fate both PS3 and 3DS... 'twas pretty bad =V
The framerate was all over the place, the hit detection was inconsistent and the game was ugly to me.

But y'know what? I'll try out this Dracula X Chronicles sometime and get back to you.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on November 06, 2013, 12:58:15 PM
Ah, it's one of those kind of reboots...

Well, recently I tried the demo for Mirrors of Fate both PS3 and 3DS... 'twas pretty bad =V
The framerate was all over the place, the hit detection was inconsistent and the game was ugly to me.

But y'know what? I'll try out this Dracula X Chronicles sometime and get back to you.

Yeah you know, i tried out Mirror of Fate HD recently and concluded that its quite blegh.
Liked it on 3DS though.

In all seriousness though, Lords of Shadow is one of the best games of this gen for me.
It has so much love put in to it.
These people actually saw the old universal and hammer horror movies.
Like oh my god... I haven't played something so wonderful in, like, ever this gen.

It starts out really slow though and some things are really tedious because of the QTEs or just... incredibly hard puzzles.
Like, really fucking hard puzzles. Like, REALLY fucking hard puzzles.
However, they fixed this for Lords of Shadow 2 - No more QTEs if you so desire.

I, also, enjoyed Castlevania 1 through (Bloodlines or Vampires Kiss) the most.
I prefer the level to level structure by a lot over "Metroidvania".

Thus, i loved Lords of Shadow.

And yeah, its one of those "could've been a new IP" reboots on first glance.
But honestly, people who've actually played this game fully and actually beaten the game...
They know, this is a real castlevania game.

Lords of Shadow 2 also is Metroidvania again.

Quote from: {Your Lovely Kyo}~ on November 07, 2013, 07:03:19 AM
Like oh my god... I haven't played something so wonderful in, like, ever this gen.

Have you played Guacamelee or Wonderful 101?

The Xbox 360 actually has a worse framerate than the PS3 Version. (Lords of Shadow 1)
I don't know what your issue was.

I've been thinking about if this was a "bad reboot"...
But I've never once felt like I was not playing a true Castlevania game.

If anything, wouldn't the Metroidvania games be the "bad reboots"? I mean, they're soo different they created a new genre.

Actually, if you liked how DmC Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Rising played, you should like Lords of Shadow.
It's no where near as... repetitive as God of War.

Notonlythatbutcastlevaniahadthewhipgameplayfirst

Quote from: Hakudamashi on November 10, 2013, 05:57:43 PM
If anything, wouldn't the Metroidvania games be the "bad reboots"? I mean, they're soo different they created a new genre.

Y-no. They still played like Castlevania, ya' know?
They just ditched the level structure in favour of... well, 'Metroidvania'

Quote from: {Your Lovely Kyo}~ on January 15, 2014, 05:25:52 AM
repetitive as God of War.

The fuck did you just say to me?

Quote from: {Your Lovely Kyo}~ on January 15, 2014, 05:25:52 AM
Notonlythatbutcastlevaniahadthewhipgameplayfirst

It doesn't matter who did it first, it matters who did it well.

Quote from: {Your Lovely Kyo}~ on January 15, 2014, 05:25:52 AM
Y-no. They still played like Castlevania, ya' know?

You mean a 2D sidescrolling action game like...Ninja Gaiden?
I'm pretty sure this open world scmuck was Metroid's thing.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 15, 2014, 08:52:36 AM
I'm pretty sure this open world scmuck was Metroid's thing.

Metroid was kinda on life support though at that point.

Quote from: {Your Lovely Kyo}~ on January 15, 2014, 10:23:48 AM
Metroid was kinda on life support though at that point.

And that matters how?
The whole open world 2d platformer was Metroid's thing, and the difficult, methodical 2D platformer was Castlevania.

Then somehow "Metroidvania" became a thing... which to me just seems like Metroid in a midevil setting.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 15, 2014, 10:27:55 AM
And that matters how?
The whole open world 2d platformer was Metroid's thing, and the difficult, methodical 2D platformer was Castlevania.

Then somehow "Metroidvania" became a thing... which to me just seems like Metroid in a midevil setting.

Well... that's kinda what it is...

That said, actually I just realised the first 'Metroidvania' Castlevania Game (Simons Quest) and Metroid came out like...
at the same time in a giant blob of different regional release dates.
They came out basically at the same time doing the same thing.

It was even more cryptic than Metroid was.
Seriously, try Symphony of the Night. You'll get what People mean by 'Metroidvania'


---
I just googled, Symphony of the Night apparantly was just a spin-off that somehow reached huge popularity and become the face of castlevania. hm.

Quote from: {Your Lovely Kyo}~ on January 15, 2014, 10:52:58 AM
---
I just googled, Symphony of the Night apparantly was just a spin-off that somehow reached huge popularity and become the face of castlevania. hm.

This makes me sad.

Quote from: {Your Lovely Kyo}~ on December 10, 2012, 01:16:59 AM
Castlevania was born linear and should've stayed linear.

Sorry to reel all the way back to this but..

Rondo of Blood disagrees.
And no, I'm not talking about that Dracula X shit.

Cause Japanese games are awesome?

Now only if they communicated with us westerners more.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 23, 2014, 07:02:12 AM
Now only if they communicated with us westerners more.

god i hope not

Well Western influence sparked the genius that is Persona 4... I think...

What's the worst that can happen?

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 23, 2014, 07:07:34 AM
What's the worst that can happen?

Resident Evil 6.

The point of failures is to learn from them so that they don't happen again, not to put ur tail between ur legs and never try again.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 23, 2014, 07:18:16 AM
The point of failures is to learn from them so that they don't happen again, not to put ur tail between ur legs and never try again.

I dont want japanese games to be filled up with scripts.

Then you woulda hated the PSOne era.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 23, 2014, 07:26:03 AM
Then you woulda hated the PSOne era.

Let me rephrase

Scripts that take away the control from me all five minutes and somehow always manage to restrict gameplay for no fucking reason but to show me how cool they are for programming a explosion.

I dun see how simply conversing with westerners directly causes that, but ok.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 23, 2014, 07:36:35 AM
I dun see how simply conversing with westerners directly causes that, but ok.

ever heard about focus tests?

Nope.jpeg

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 23, 2014, 07:53:37 AM
Nope.jpeg

okay, so...
Usually games (of bigger publishers) are tested in focus groups during their alpha or beta phase, usually by the 'normal gamer'.

There's one thing that stuck with me...
This one guy who worked at Sierra before it went fwump was responsible for PR and had a part in those focus tests... He still to this date can exactly recall: 'This would be better with iron sights.', 'I wish there was more fluid action, like in Call of Duty', 'This is kind of boring, there needs to be more action.' He stood in and said the focus test was bullshit.

That was for a game we all now know by the name of 'FEAR'.
So, Sierra went fwump and he didnt work there anymore.

Then FEAR 2 happened.

What the fuck do you think happens when japanese devs do focus tests in the west?

Sounds more like the west needs to hire people with sense.

Quote from: Hakudamashi on January 23, 2014, 08:09:45 AM
Sounds more like the west needs to hire people with sense.

they get those people to focus test that buy the games - or rather make the most money.

Sounds like the devil's factory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkux3q0MU-s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkux3q0MU-s)

Wow, that voice acting
Wow, those graphics
Wow, that... DmC Influence.