Castlevania General

Sorry for the double post but I JUST BEAT PORTRAIT OF RUIN AN HOUR AGO! :D I started new games as Richter/Maria and Stella/Loretta, too.

Those posters are goddamn strong.

As much as I like Alucard's current design I like Castlevania III Alucard too. He looked so sassy!◊

I kinda wanna play Portrait just to have a go at maria. Plus all the cool bonus modes. And despite its reputation, it does look like a charming, fluffier entry with a neat gimmick.

I really enjoyed what I've played of Order of Eclesia, but the bonus mode is kind of weak in comparison.

I was playing Shovel Knight's Specter of Torment campaign earlier this week and I just realized something kinda amusing, which just happens to harken back to a rant I made much earlier in this topic.

Specter Knight is clearly based on Death from Castlevania. This is hardly the surprising bit.

Specter of Torment is a prequel. In it, Specter Knight wears a much more normal medieval outfit and doesn't have a full robe yet. He also has legs, which he uses to run and jump around in ways that are still somewhat superhuman, even though he still fights with his scythe.

Also, it is revealed that he got his power over life and death via a pact with the Enchantress, revolving around a magically-powered keepsake amulet. She also used it to manipulate him into being her eternal servant.

Let me find it.

"This apparition received the great power of magic in return for being bound to Count Dracula in an eternal master-servant blood contract." - Death's bio in the manual for Castlevania Legends

Was this intentional? Taking one of the least logical versions of Death in the series and making it WORK in a different series?

edited 9th Jun '17 1:08:47 AM by FalconPain

You know what? Probably.

Shovel Knight is such a huge tribute to classic games, Specter in particular towards Castlevania!Death. I am willing to believe it was intentional.

So... I was just prepping something that requires me to dig into Castlevania Judgment. I don't think it's my type of game. I mean, there's just one wish I want... a FRICKIN' LOCK-ON FEATURE.

But I guess I can speak of why I'm not really that big on that game... The treatment to Sypha Belnades.

Seriously, Dracula's Curse is one of my favorite installments, and while Sypha's personality was minimum, it was still a lot better than the completely bitchy edition Judgment gave us. Wow, that was really the worst version of Sypha that even a pachislot version still comes off acceptable to me. And it honestly made me scared to try Judgment harder... I can't bear to see one of my favorite ladies of Castlevania... butchered...

Yeah, but boobs and Maria though.

Fuck Judgement.

I really hope nothing like that happens to Bloodstained.

If they changed her name and removed her boob obsession...Judgment!Maria could work as her own character.

I'll take it that Harmony of Despair is the better crossover game of the franchise, then?

On an unrelated note, I bought Symphony of the Night yesterday and have been enjoying my time with it! That said, is it just me or are a lot of the side/optional areas entirely just for better weapons? I was expecting something grandiose for beating Legion/Granfalloon and all I got was this lousy* dark-element sword.

*probably not all that lousy

If you ask me, while Judgment!Maria is really facepalm-worthy, Judgment!Sypha caused bigger pain and headache to me. To each to their own.

Despair is a more normal spin-off with minimum characterization. It uses more modern characters, though. But, if you ask me... yeah, personally, the characters not getting butchered makes it better to me. Not to say that Judgment doesn't have any gems, though.

edited 2nd Jul '17 4:31:46 PM by ChrisX

At least we can all agree that Judgement!Cornell is the coolest thing ever, right?

I mean, the Golem was pretty cool too.

I just edited saying that Judgment has its own gems. Cornell is one of them, and I think it's one of those things that gave Grant Danasty a much deserved screentime and not getting screwed personality-wise (though people may get unnerved with his 'mummy ninja' thing). And Aeon. I think he's one of the better time guys there.

Also miffed that they're forced to have Shanoa wear a habit (but not as bad as the treatment to Sypha...)

edited 2nd Jul '17 4:35:17 PM by ChrisX

I gotta admit one thing. I had some sort of daydream that Arc System Works is given permissions by Konami to 'do whatever they want' to the Castlevania characters, and then they proceeded to make a 2.5D Castlevania Fighting Game like Dragon Ball Fighter Z. A retraux to Castlevania Judgment, but with more consistent character design and personality, mixing 'old school cast' from Judgment and 'new school cast' from Harmony of Despair...

....

....

.... Pfft, not gonna happen, because Konami.

edited 2nd Jul '17 10:41:47 PM by ChrisX

"I see you are a man of culture as well"

A Castlevania game made by ASW with HD sprites would be absolutely amazing, and the two companies have worked together in the past before Konami became...well, Konami.

I have no idea where that meme came from.

Huh, really? Did ASW and Konami of the past used to collaborate? What game?

Hard Corps: Uprising back in 2011. Even had Daisuke himself do the music. When that came out I was hoping Castlevania would get a similar treatment, but alas it was not meant to be. :(

Ah yeah. Forgot about that one. Well if Super Bomberman R taught me one thing, I think Konami isn't above making deals with other video game company for collabs. But mark my words, if by any slimmest chance in hell what I mentioned ACTUALLY happened... ASW will be the only one who gets the thanks.

Sometimes, I just feel that the fandom may have a list or so that they want to demand on Konami if they even want forgiveness (I think Super Bomberman R isn't enough)... If I had to surmise:

• Abandon fucking pachinko and return to video games.
• Fire your CEO (or director board), bring a more game-oriented CEO
• Make a public apology for those who have been wronged. Especially Hideo Kojima
• Take a video of treating your gaming division well (and maybe take videos of demolishing your old policies) and show it to public. (E.g: Show your draconian policies on a board... then CRUSH IT) And bring a witness.

.... Did I miss something?

I'd personally add an apology to Jim Sterling since he got blacklisted by them but that's up to you since I know how...polarizing he can be.

As for Castlevania Judgment I do like Judgment Simon. His story is...weird. He already beat Dracula at the time yet he's like "I MUST BEAT TREVOR TO BE A REAL BELMONT" but he barely had any character before so I'll let it slide

Don't like Judgment Eric tho..

Blacklist removal should be focused more into their ex-employees more than Jim Sterling, IMO.

Well at least Simon got off lighter. Some like Sypha were better off with her vanilla characterization than what she got on Judgment. I could say the same to Maria and Eric, but at least in the future we saw their matured versions and have their personalities defined to be better than what Judgment gave. Sypha... might go down in gaming memory as 'hypocritical bitch'... Because her other alternatives seem to be derided as 'no personality' (while I think that would've been better than having THAT personality)

edited 3rd Jul '17 9:27:24 AM by ChrisX

Maria at least has some really neat looking attacks. Just yeah,no lesbian boob obsession please.

Shanoa's pretty cool there, and she gets a great remix of An Empty Tome.

Just go play Castlevania Fighter instead.

Onto another topic real quick, the Netflix Castlevania will be out this week.

So I guess no one cares that this is Sypha before Castlevania III, and as such before the character development she would have most likely have gone through during the game as a result of teaming up with Alucard and everyone else.

edited 3rd Jul '17 12:05:09 PM by Ssj3Gojira

Well, that's what I'm excited to see in the animated series. I do find it interesting she recognized Carmilla as an evil vampire and didn't care much about Dracula, which could imply that just like her book was published before Dracula's, she predates or at least was as infamous as him for a time.

I do consider her something of a wasted character with how much potential she had in her own book to show up in the series only on a very few occasions. Especially with Laura just sort of there by her side, which seems to suggest in Castlevania lore she was successful in seducing her to her side.