The best classic game music and more
from IGN:
"...Rondo Arranged is just one of the games available in Dracula X Chronicles, as both the original Rondo of Blood and its highly-acclaimed sequel, Symphony of the Night are also included. The latter two games are planned as "unlockables" once you've completed the Arranged experience, and as an added bonus, Symphony of the Night will boast some all-new additions as well."
Two Rondos and a Symphony...
Thank you Konami!!
-avatar!
Time to squint. I guess everyone is out and about playing video games. Never seen someone use a PSP in public, but apparently, it's happening somewhere. There has to be some explanation as to why the Castlevania series is no longer taken seriously. These were the best games and now they've been reduced to handhelds, and if a console release does come out, it sucks. Times have changed.
I dunno, the newly released Castlevania games on handheld DO get a lot of good feedback from everyone, haven't played portrait of ruin yet, but everyone says it's great, and God knows Dawn of Sorrow was one of the best games in the series.
I'll grant you that the 3D games suck though, so I wouldn't say the problem is that the series itself isn't taken seriously anymore, I'd say the problem is that Castlevania still works best in 2D (like Megaman, Mario, Sonic etc.) but companies are too afraid to release 2D games on home consoles anymore, which is a crying shame, cos it's not as if they ever reached their visual peak or anything.
but companies are too afraid to release 2D games on home consoles anymore, which is a crying shame, cos it's not as if they ever reached their visual peak or anything.
In a recent interview, Igarashi says that he'll consider releasing another 2D or 2.5D console Castlevania game if Dracula X Chronicles sells well.
Time to squint. I guess everyone is out and about playing video games. Never seen someone use a PSP in public, but apparently, it's happening somewhere. There has to be some explanation as to why the Castlevania series is no longer taken seriously. These were the best games and now they've been reduced to handhelds, and if a console release does come out, it sucks. Times have changed.
It's about money, like it's always been. Games that you can beat in an hour don't fly with the mainstream.
but companies are too afraid to release 2D games on home consoles anymore, which is a crying shame, cos it's not as if they ever reached their visual peak or anything.
Actually, it's more than that. For one, SONY is a longtime hater of all things 2D, they regard 2D as being a huge step back technologically.
The most recent example of this is how they blocked SNK Playmore from releasing any more 2D Neo Geo ports on the PS2 (in the US anyways) and only allowed them to publish KOF Maximum Impact 2, which was titled KOF 2006 here.
Of course, after SONY gave them that ultimatum they also canned the US releases of both KOF 94 Rebout and KOF Neowave for the Xbox; and as far as I know, Microsoft doesn't seem to care if a game is 2D or 3D.
Of course SONY alows all kinds of 2D games to be published on the PS2 in Japan, just like they allow massive amounts of shovelware to come out, and yet the refused to allow Working Designs to release Legend of the Mystical Ninja on the PS2 due to "quality reasons".
I think they just hated WD because it took them forever to get a game out, and frustrated their customers by constantly changing release dates. I should know, I worked for EB when they were releasing stuff for the PS1.
This sort of double standard really makes me mad, and Konami is just as guilty as well. As happy as I am that Rondo is finally getting recognized, I'm still mad at them for denying a US release of Suikod I&II. I don't even remember what their excuse was for not releasing it here, does anybody know? 
(in the US anyways)
This little bracketed bit is one of the most important parts of your post. This is specifically a Sony US problem.
According to stories Sony US have also put some rules in place about new content, which was apparently the reason we got BoF3 over here for PSP and not in the US and why other games (like this) have had to add a new look or new voice track or whatever. I have no idea if that's true (Powerstone Collection and others would imply it's not) but it would explain why Konami couldn't release Suikoden 1 & 2 and why Castlevania needs a 3D remix.
If you read the post on Gamesarefun.com about the new Dracula X game, it's quite interesting to see how the "Sony doesn't like 2D" thing ISN'T in fact really true. "Sony demands new content" IS, though....
-Joshua