http://ds.ign.com/articles/756/756726p1.html

I feel lucky to have memories from the 8 bit days. These youngsters will never know the pain of a real Castlevania.

Outside of the SOTN bias that skews the whole thing a bit, it was an okay read.  Using the Dracula X section to talk about the failures and achievements of the SNES game was weird though.  The original Rondo is highly regarded and I would've preferred to have had more on it.

Why did they choose *all* of the Nintendo channels to flaunt this Retrospective.  Beside the fact that Castlevania was birthed on the NES, is there no other worthwhile news on the DS/Wii front?  It's certainly a worthy "top story" for IGNCube, but not too much traffic over there anymore these days I'm sure.

EDIT: Quick poll (inspired by Jodo) -  CASTLEVANIA or METROVANIA?

My vote ---->  CASTLEVANIA (Because Super Castlevania IV is still my all-time favorite game in the series).

Castlevania.  I like me some Metroivania, no doubt, but I still want to see a brand-new, 2.5D Castlevania done up nice and pretty, pretty and nice.  Super CV4 is my favorite as well, followed by the arrange version of MSX Castlevania found on the Castlevania Chronicles disc.  For the record, my favorite Metroivania is Dawn of Sorrow.

If Konami must beat Metroivania to death, then the least it can do is spare us the awful Saturday morning art, terrible dialog, and idiotic stories.  Part of the reason the early Metroid games were so good is because you figured the story out for yourself from the context of exploration.  There needs to be more creepy exploration and puzzle solving, less dungeon-hacking, and WAY less stat management/rare item nonsense.

Castlevania...I have little interest in any follow-up Metrovanias past SOTN and COTM, just because the play mechanics seem to have worn out (I played about an hour into Harmony and Aria and haven't bought Dawn or this new one). Hack-Slash-Save Point. Hack-Slash-Save Point. See a place you can't get to yet? Don't worry...It'll come eventually when you eventually snag the right item.

CV3 will always be the standard for the series for me.

I don't mind the Metrovanias (SoTN was probably the best of them... mostly because it was the first and because of the music) but they're getting very old. It's just rehash at this point and while they're always entertaining, I'd like something new.

Of course, whenever they try (like with the PS2 games), the games stink.

Castlevania III is tops for me and Super Castlevania IV has my favorite soundtrack of the series.  Castlevania is my pick.  Metrovania ultimately feels like a jack of all trades and master of none sort of affair in the end.  Not that I didn't enjoy SOTN and COTM considerably.  Enough that I'd like to pick up the two-pack at some point to try HOD and AOS.

I agree.  I wouldn't put Metroid Prime in the same camp as Echoes and *apparently* Fusion though.

Metrovania.

They need to:

1) Make a Metrovania remake of Castlevania II
2)  Make the Castlevania that takes place in 1999.
3)  Make a game based on Bram Stoker's Dracula--that will tie it together with Quincy Morris and John Harker and Mina.  Konami should put a new twist on this older story.

Castlevania, though I love all 2D CV games and no matter how many Metrovanias they make, I will continue to enjoy them, they just don't have the replay value of the original games.  It's sad that the only original-style gameplay we get now is in the form of bonuses like Boss Rush Modes.  Anyways, for me Rondo and Super CV4 will always be #1.  As a side not, to all the people apathetic about all the Metrovanias and poor 3D installments need to get the PS2 port of Haunted Castle, awesome game with a healthy challenge.

Well I'm not going to call them Metrovanias as that just falls into the same category as 'Ninty' and 'Shigsy' for me but I prefer the style of the more Metroid-influenced games with one big BUT. And here's the but - I reckon SotN is the only really good one.

Yes, the others are enjoyable but I never felt like Konami put any effort into the GBA games or even now with the DS ones. Replaying CV4 and SotN recently really brought that home - they ooze quality and, importantly, effort. Konami seems to treat those games like they did Legends on the GB - just a handheld CV game they can knock out.

So, while I prefer the Metroid style in general, I actually think there are far more great classic style Castlevanias than Metroid style ones.

That's a tough one... but I'm going to have to say that I prefer the classic Castlevania style of gameplay to the Castleroid style (heh, sounds like something you get on your ass after using a dirty public restroom). Don't get me wrong; I'm a big fan of SOTN/AOS/DOS/POR, but it's to the point where everything happens in the same order. Every. Single. Time.

Oh, there's a ledge I can't reach. Let's see... I've been playing for 15 minutes, and I'm sure I'll beat a boss that'll give me some high jump relic within the next half hour or so.

Oh, there's a little space I can't get through. I'm sure I'll get some sort of morph spell that'll let me get in there.

Oh, look. 120 enemies. 60% are reused sprites, and all of them have rare item drops.

Oh, look. I've done this six times already.

Granted, the "style" of classic Castlevanias are similar as well, but they're not so carbon copied as the IGA-run installments. Now that I'm thinking about it I am absolutely CRAVING some CV3 action. Come on, Nintendo! Use that Virtual Console!

I totally agree with everything you've posted Zane but I'd throw that criticism to the quality of the games themselves rather than the game system. As you say, the style of the classics is very similar but, unlike the Metroid-style outings, each game has a unique feel and each brings something new to the series.

Having said that, until they deliver some better Metroid-style Castlevania, I guess criticising the style or the individual games amounts to the same thing.

I love CV3! Definitely one of the best Castlevania games! I would say that it's even better than Super Castlevania (which is also great, and available on the Virtual Console). However, SOTN is the pinnacle of the Castlevania games, and one of my all time favorites. I do agree, that Konami could do something to spice up the series. I actually think a good start would be to release an updated Rondo of Blood, which I REALLY WANT!!!!

cheers,

-avatar!

Yes, but the problem is how Igarashi sees the series...He thinks the Metrovania additions are adding "value" to the classic formula, which is somewhat true, in the sense they have "more" of everything, save for challenge, pitfalls and linear gameplay (which CAN be a good thing). Newer and less-masochistic players are more likely to get into the Metrovanias, but he fails to understand that the "old" CV and "new" CV are completely different games and that there is a legitimate market for the "old" CV games and even fans of the "new" CV games are forced to admit the gameplay is stale at this point.

My mind boggles at the possibilities: branching paths, outside environments and multiple characters of CV3, play mechanics of CV4 (multi-directional whipping, stairs "help"), DS (or even current-gen) graphics, moving platforms with actual deaths if you screw up, multiple lives, no save points (okay, maybe not...especially in this day and age).

And instead of that, we get Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness instead to supplement the Metrovanias...Brilliant move!

I'd love to see something OTHER than Dracula's castle, to be honest. How many times can the same areas be explored? Circle of the Moon was at least a good challenge. The other Metrovanias (including Symphony) have been a cakewalk.

For the record, GameFront recently reported a rumor that Rondo might be headed to PSP.  Personally, I'm really surprised that Konami hasn't announced SOTN for PSP yet, but who knows.

Well, there aren't too many reasons to pick up a PSP at the moment, so that would certainly be a good one!

cheers,

-avatar!

It certainly would be.  It'd also be nice if they had an original and arrange mode, much like Castlevania Chronicles.

Looks like Konami did just that. Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles will feature an updated, 2.5D version Rondo of Blood, the original Rondo of Blood, and SotN:
http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3156904

I'm a bit disappointed with the news, since EGM had previously implied in their rumors section that there would be a true follow-up to SotN. I wouldn't have guessed that it would be another port. Although, the new localization could be interesting.

Personally, what I really want to see out of Castlevania is the reintroduction of a female Belmont. I thought Legends was a decent handheld game, and the idea that the first Belmont was female was an intriguing twist (the Alucard connection, not so much).

Here's some more videos and info...

One word, two syllables...SPEECHLESS

http://pspupdates.qj.net/tags/konami/782

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/8896

Blech... so they've remade a game that had some of the most gorgeous 2D graphics at the time into really bad 3D ones for today.  I'm also not a fan of the retconned Kojima artwork they've applied (I actually don't mind her on the whole, but I rather liked the anime style the original Rondo of Blood had... it was part of its uniqueness).  Oh well... at least the original is included.  I just wish this were coming out as a collection for a console... A lot of my friends would love to get their hands on Rondo, but ironically I'm the only one with a PSP and have no real reason to pick this up as I also am the only one with a Turbo Duo and the original game.  :\

You're not the only one with a turbo duo and the original...True it's a 're-arrange' (reminds me of the remake that showed up on the PS1), and as you can hear there are new music arrangements, and another take at arguably the most treasured import game of its time.

Plus, who's to say a future compilation won't see the light of day on some system..

Personally, I HATE having to play games on a portable system...When are Nintendo and Sony going to make their games playable on TVs?!?!  Still, I'll buy this when it comes out..

Hmmm... I wonder if Konami will release a Castlevania Chronicles-esque OST to the game? Imagine that shit... Rondo, Rondo remixed and SOTN all in one neat 2-disc package. O_o

Despite owning Rondo, I was as disappointed as anyone that we're only getting a PSP port.  With all that's include this could have easily been a PS2 compilation, but at the end of the day, the console port was never going to happen since it hadn't happened and this will prove to be better than nothing.  It won't make the prices of the original go down though, probably the opposite, since a portable can't do this game justice.

Well, I for one am delighted.  I'm basically getting exactly what I asked for.  I have long wanted to see a 2.5D true Castlevania game, and I have long wanted to play Rondo of Blood, and this compilation has both.  It's curious that it doesn't have Dracula XX, but I'd guess that they'll put that on VC sooner or later anyway (no need to bash, I already know I'm the only one who likes it), but it would have been nice to have three versions of Dracula X all on the same disc for comparison purposes.  I couldn't care less about yet another port of SOTN, but this collection is now near the top of my most wanted list.  Sure, I would prefer if it was on PS2 instead of PSP, but I'll survive.

Also, for the graphics, it looks much better in motion than in the stills, so if you have the bandwidth, grab the movies.

Finally, I second Zane on the need for another super-spiffy multi-arrange Chronicles OST set.

I'm stoked!  Just seeing a proper whip-slashing Castlevania in outdoor environments is enough to get me excited.  Used to love the towns in Simon's Quest!

I guess grainy WMVs aren't the best thing to judge by but given the lack of 2.5D games to compare to I think it's a bit harsh to say the graphics are crappy for today.  They're better than the original's at least (subjective I know) and better than what you would see for a pure 2D remake given the same amount of man hours put into the production.  I'm a proponent of giving certain old-skool series the 2.5D upgrade so am glad to see them trying it to a further extent in Castlevania.

I hope they improve the cinemas and put something other than 80s hard rock in the soundtrack!  I love my Dracula Battle but a whole game of that would get tiresome.

I did.  And I don't understand why, if Konami owns or at least has a controlling stake (don't remember which) in Hudson, this remake doesn't look at least as good as the budget-priced Adventure Island/Bonk remakes Hudson did for the cube/PS2.

I dunno... I think the thing I like least about it is how IGA the remade version feels.  Dracula X is unique... it is simultaneously the culmination of the best qualities of the previous entries in the series at that point AND quintessentially a PC Engine game.  The anime style and pop-ish score make it stand out from the rest of the series and make it feel perfectly at home with the rest of the type of game that showed up on that system.  It feels like they're trying with the remake to make it fit the mold of the recent ones, which is a darn shame.  All that said, I can't be that bothered, because at least Konami is having the decency to include the original!

Actually, the biggest shame is that from the majority of people I've talked to, this isn't a big enough reason to get a PSP, and if enough people feel that way, this gem is going to continue to be missed out on by the majority of gamers because of Konami porting it exclusively to a relatively poorly selling portable.  I can't fathom why this isn't a PS2 release.

Isn't the game still like seven months away?  Who's to say the final product won't look dramatically different than from what we're seeing today?

After watching gameplay footage of the new Rondo, all I have to say is:

"Face it Richter... YOU'VE GONE MAVERICK!"

I just hope Chronicles won't suffer from the same bouts of slowdown that Hunter X had.  2.5D games look pretty snazzy when running at full speed, but not nearly as much when it ain't.

I'm actually pretty excited about Dracula X Chronicles coming out for the PSP and I think there are enough titles to my liking to buy one sometime soon. There are probably more PSP titles I want than for consoles.

CASTLEVANIA or METROIDVANIA?

I'm pretty split on this subject... Symphony of the Night is the only 2D Castlevania I've played that fits the Metroidvania style and I love it... first time I saw in in action I immediately had to run out and buy it, but it is pretty obvious it is going to get stale at some point if not already... still, I read in an article in a magazine (I can't remember which one, my neighbor has so many) Iga, the director of the series said this style of gameplay *was not* the future of the series, and I think that's what's behind the release of Rondo. Of course, a small update of Symphony is extremely welcome as well!

I like the style of older Castlevania games as well which I backtracked and played after playing Symphony, but I actually like that same engine when Tecmo used it in the older Ninja Gaiden games... oh how I love Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos!

High-Score Mag's currently got their own Castlevania Retrospective thing going on, titled "Castlevania Week."  More importantly, they've got new Rondo of Blood gameplay footage, as well as the opening movie.  So far, the first and second stages are up, with each day this week showcasing the next consecutive stage.  So far, it's looking very promising. The framerate looks compromised due to Google Video's compression, but if it keeps to the native 60fps in the actual game, and the music's faithful rearrangements are consistent throughout, it looks like we'll have a real winner here.

The game is tentatively scheduled for an October 6th domestic release, while the Japanese version is rumored to be set for July.  I'm sorely tempted to import this time, I tell ya.

High-Score "Castlevania Week":
http://high-scoreonline.com/2007/06/06/ … is-coming/

Opening Movie:
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.sw … 2329170140

1st Stage
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid … 0122&hl=en

2nd Stage:
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.sw … 3116824056

Gonna have to get my PSP modded for multiple firmware (to keep homebrew), just to play this game...either that or buy another PSP...anyone have any luck running a PSP through a tv?  This seems like another mod I'll want to get: http://gear.ign.com/articles/666/666034p1.html