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[Mar]

My butt kinda hurt afterwards for sitting 45 minutes in the shitter.

I hate when that happens. It's worse when you stand up and realise your legs are numb.

 

[EGM92]

I hate when that happens. It's worse when you stand up and realise your legs are numb.

It's sad that I know and have felt what both of you talking about...


Anyways, I have a question about the game. If you've unlocked 30% of the game is that % just for the Rondo remix or is that for the game as a total, Rondo Classic, Remix, SOTN?

 

[duckroll]

Unlocked SotN and played a solid 30 mins of it. Oh it's been so long, but oh it's still so good. Yes, I see the poor blending in dark scenes that results in the very noticable greyish vertical lines. No I do not care because the framerate is great, the resolution is perfect, and I have options to play it in Japanese with English text.

So far this package is really one helluva winner. Good remake (aside from falling into the floor), great ports (aside from poor dark color blending), and FUCKING AWESOME MUSIC.

 

[Mar]

I'm thinking of picking up SotN for XBLA to rev myself up for this game. I've already got Chronicles ordered from Play-Asia, but it's going to take a while to arrive. I never did finish SotN which is one of the only Castlevania games I've never finished.

Now if only it wasn't storming and I could feel safe turning on my 360.

 

[manzo]

Unlocked SotN and played a solid 30 mins of it. Oh it's been so long, but oh it's still so good. Yes, I see the poor blending in dark scenes that results in the very noticable greyish vertical lines. No I do not care because the framerate is great, the resolution is perfect, and I have options to play it in Japanese with English text.

So far this package is really one helluva winner. Good remake (aside from falling into the floor), great ports (aside from poor dark color blending), and FUCKING AWESOME MUSIC.

So duck, did IGA win? I'm leaning to YES myself.

I hate when that happens. It's worse when you stand up and realise your legs are numb.

I should quit reading GAF/playing games on the shitter, I'm starting to get piles. DO YOU HEAR ME GAF, I GET PILES BECAUSE I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT YOU.

 

[duckroll]

So duck, did IGA win? I'm leaning to YES myself.

Iga didn't win, he just failed to lose! :lol

Iga will WIN when he sits down and realizes why some of us LOVE Rondo and SotN, and are lukewarm about his GBA/DS Igavanias. This is a good chance for him to re-evaluate what makes a good game and put all that into the next DS CV. There's hope yet!

 

[manzo]

Iga didn't win, he just failed to lose! :lol

Iga will WIN when he sits down and realizes why some of us LOVE Rondo and SotN, and are lukewarm about his GBA/DS Igavanias. This is a good chance for him to re-evaluate what makes a good game and put all that into the next DS CV. There's hope yet!

C'mon, it's IGA. He's getting his revenge of doing something right with the upcoming DS Igavania.

Man can always dream for a new game with at least these production values, can he?

 

[Magicpaint]

Iga didn't win, he just failed to lose! :lol

Iga will WIN when he sits down and realizes why some of us LOVE Rondo and SotN, and are lukewarm about his GBA/DS Igavanias. This is a good chance for him to re-evaluate what makes a good game and put all that into the next DS CV. There's hope yet!

What exactly did SoTN do right that was wrong in the GBA/DS ones? I know it has better music, and arguably better level design. But overall, they're all still of the same mold.

I even prefer some of them to SoTN.

 

[manzo]

What exactly did SoTN do right that was wrong in the GBA/DS ones? I know it has better music, and arguably better level design. But overall, they're all still of the same mold.

I even prefer some of them to SoTN.

The GBA versions' level and area designs aren't as good as in Hagihara's SOTN.

The atmosphere and overall design of SOTN is just too good for IGA to handle alone. He's getting close, but not quite there yet.

 

[psy18]

I just unlocked original Rondo. Is it wrong to say I still like this one better than the remake?
The remake just feels too slow to me...

 

[manzo]

I just unlocked original Rondo. Is it wrong to say I still like this one better than the remake?
The remake just feels too slow to me...

You just proved your sanity my friend.

 

[Lyte Edge]

The GBA versions' level and area designs aren't as good as in Hagihara's SOTN.

The atmosphere and overall design of SOTN is just too good for IGA to handle alone. He's getting close, but not quite there yet.

If Aria Of Sorrow had SOTN-quality music, it would be the better game. I like the way it plays better, quite frankly, but due to the overall package, SOTN is still better.

You guys act like everything IGA makes is shit, but that's just those 3D games. The 2D games that come from his team are always good if not great.

 

[rollingstart]

The cool people hate metroidvania because it's user-friendly and fun.
The mainstream people love it because it's user-friendly and fun.

I actually like the metroidvania games on GBA/DS, with the exception of HoD. I still think Aria of Sorrow was awesome and added lots of good ideas to the formula, but while DoS and PoR were also fun, both those games played almost exactly the same as AoS and something new would be nice.

In general I think the best attempt was of blending the styles of the games was CotM, yet there wasnt a game to follow it up in the same style. I think I enjoyed AoS more than CotM, but if the group behind CotM was given another chance then I think it would have turned out amazing.

 

[dark10x]

I'm still shocked at how poorly programmed the 3D engine is in this case...

It doesn't look bad, but prior to release, I assumed that the low level of detail was being used to allow for 60 fps. 30 doesn't really kill the game (as it's slow paced), but it does remove a layer of polish. There are plenty of vastly superior looking 60 fps titles on the PSP. Other 2.5D stuff like the two Megaman games and EXIT look so much better than this, run at 60 fps, and were released in 2005 (or early 06). Ultimate G&G at 30 was disappointing, but it was very detailed and tossed so much around the screen that one could understand.

At this point, IGA even had the chance to officially support 333 MHz yet the game is still 30. If there is one genre where 30 fps bothers me the most, it's 2D platforming/action games.

 

[manzo]

If Aria Of Sorrow had SOTN-quality music, it would be the better game. I like the way it plays better, quite frankly, but due to the overall package, SOTN is still better.

You guys act like everything IGA makes is shit, but that's just those 3D games. The 2D games that come from his team are always good if not great.

Like I said, He's getting CLOSE, but not quite there yet.

What IGA has been doing with his Castlevanias has been more or less trying to copy and recreate the game that Hagihara made. Kinda feels like the student trying to surpass his master.

Iga needs to ditch the Igavania/Metroidvania theme and try something else, he could propably create something even more awesome than Sotn/Rondo/CV4 whatever.

 

[dark10x]

What IGA has been doing with his Castlevanias has been more or less trying to copy and recreate the game that Hagihara made. Kinda feels like the student trying to surpass his master.

You got it.

All of his handheld games have been good yet the series feels more and more tired with each installment. He needs to stop and go back to the drawing board WITH the help of someone else. To continue making the same game over and over again is not a great idea. If I had played none of the GBA games, for instance, the first DS installment would have blown me away...but by the time I played it, everything felt old and used.

This is why SotN is so special. It was the game that changed up the series and it did so flawlessly. To continue copying it and failing to exceed it simply reflects badly on the series.

 

[Y2Kev]

To Parish-- nobody was thinking you hated anything or were teh bias. People just were really excited to finally get Rondo and they were a little disappointed.

But I totally believe you when you say Konami shat this game out onto your lap. So nobody is angry or anything.

All of us Castlevania, 2.5d, 2d, side scrolling, action platformer, Retronauting retro gamers appreciate and love you.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Played what little I could last night (just opened a new hospital and im pulling 12 hour shifts all week) and it's excellent. I like the look of the remake, and the music is superb. I unlocked maria and SotN. I love the menu's and backgrounds. I'm using "normal" screen mode, I think it looks fine, havent run into any slowdown or framerate issues. Also changed the voices to japanese.

 

[ethelred]

What exactly did SoTN do right that was wrong in the GBA/DS ones? I know it has better music, and arguably better level design. But overall, they're all still of the same mold.

I even prefer some of them to SoTN.

I prefer Dawn of Sorrow to Symphony of the Night. I think, music aside, it's a better game. Hell, if you could put Portrait of Ruin's music (which was as far as I'm concerned at or just slightly below the level of SOTN's) in Dawn of Sorrow, it would've been perfect. Loved Aria, too.

And I don't think the level design in some of them is that bad at all. Circle of the Moon had excellent (and brutal) level design -- and while that may've been Kobe's game and not Iga's, it still seems to get lumped in with all the rest when people talk about the bland GBA/DS games. Aria and Dawn had nice level design, too. It is, as you say, arguable that SOTN is this massive step ahead of them in level design. Meanwhile they've made drastic improvements in the ability systems, added a lot more variety, etc.

I just don't really get the hate. I don't sit down and play them and say "Wow SOTN was so great but these are all just rehashes!" I liked the gameplay in SOTN and so I like that they've made sequels to it -- some of which have been worse, some of which have been better, some of which have been good enough on their own merits. But like you said, they're still all the same sort of game.

All of his handheld games have been good yet the series feels more and more tired with each installment. ... This is why SotN is so special. It was the game that changed up the series and it did so flawlessly. To continue copying it and failing to exceed it simply reflects badly on the series.

So SOTN is special because it changed the series, but the other games are bad because they reflect the series change brought about by SOTN? Er...

 

[FrozenCell]

castlevania doesnt need to be fucking DMC, that's a terrible idea.

yeah i would rather see it being GoW

 

[Kintaro]

I'm beginning to think that this IGA cat just can't win on this forum.

 

[dark10x]

So SOTN is special because it changed the series, but the other games are bad because they reflect the series change brought about by SOTN? Er...

Of course not.

SotN is special because it's a well designed game that does just about everything right. None of the handheld games get EVERYTHING right and each installment feels more tired than the last (which isn't necessarily the fault of the game, mind you).

 

[Conrad Link]

Dawn of Sorrow ftw.

Still better than what came before and after it.

 

[AgentOtaku]

finally ripped it to my memstick last night

only played for a few minutes to just check it out

...yeah, its a bummer that its only 30fps, but its a very smooth 30fps. Everything else looked solid


....on a side note, is it wrong that I haven't gone back to finish Dawn of Sorrow because i'm finding it boring (even though I loved Aria)....seriously, I'm think i'm fucking done with the metriodvania formula....should I even bother with Portrait?

 

[ethelred]

Of course not.

SotN is special because it's a well designed game that does just about everything right. None of the handheld games get EVERYTHING right and each installment feels more tired than the last (which isn't necessarily the fault of the game, mind you).

But it didn't get everything right. I really think this mantle of absolute perfection being bestowed upon it is just a little bit silly. Its magic system was crap, it had hardly any attack variety, it emphasized lots and lots of backtracking through long corridors WAY more than some of the subsequent games, and it had its fair share of not-that-hot bosses.

it's still a fantastic game -- it is one of my favorites on the PSX. But it had its own flaws, even if they aren't exactly the same flaws as its successors (which made significant improvements over SOTN in many ways).

 

[A Link to the Past]

So was Parish just Parishing? Is the emulation of DX fine?

 

[Splash Wave]

Okay, I can't stand the remake and I just wanna play Rondo in its original form. I only see a save file with SotN unlocked on gamefaqs. Can someone help a brother out?

Well, you could probably stomach the first 4 levels to unlock it. It's pretty easy to get.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

finally ripped it to my memstick last night

only played for a few minutes to just check it out

...yeah, its a bummer that its only 30fps, but its a very smooth 30fps. Everything else looked solid


....on a side note, is it wrong that I haven't gone back to finish Dawn of Sorrow because i'm finding it boring (even though I loved Aria)....seriously, I'm think i'm fucking done with the metriodvania formula....should I even bother with Portrait?

I wouldn't. If the formula is starting to wear on you, Portrait is only going to hammer it home, especially with its repeated palette-swapped levels.

 

[Skilletor]

I couldn't finish PoR...I just realized I never beat it. It's the only Metroidvania I haven't completed.

 

[Y2Kev]

I've beaten them all, and they are definitely good games, but I'm glad they took this year off.

And playing Rondo reminds me just how freaking sweet old-style castlevania is. Time for a new one, Team Iga StepChild.

 

[radios shipping overview]

So was Parish just Parishing? Is the emulation of DX fine?

It's got a wart or two, but it's better than how he described it. Sounds like maybe Konami saddled him with beta code for a reviewable.

 

[DjangoReinhardt]

And I don't think the level design in some of them is that bad at all. Circle of the Moon had excellent (and brutal) level design -- and while that may've been Kobe's game and not Iga's, it still seems to get lumped in with all the rest when people talk about the bland GBA/DS games. Aria and Dawn had nice level design, too. It is, as you say, arguable that SOTN is this massive step ahead of them in level design. Meanwhile they've made drastic improvements in the ability systems, added a lot more variety, etc.

I just don't really get the hate. I don't sit down and play them and say "Wow SOTN was so great but these are all just rehashes!" I liked the gameplay in SOTN and so I like that they've made sequels to it -- some of which have been worse, some of which have been better, some of which have been good enough on their own merits. But like you said, they're still all the same sort of game.

I don't see what makes IGA's sequels much different from Tom Clancy Squad Shooter #34245B or Madden. He takes the same base and fiddles with the window dressing. Some years are better than others, but it's an unambitious series. Sure, there's a nice formula there that will result in x-amount of enjoyment - it's just not work that deserves praise. IGA is a fan fiction guy who was unfortunately put in charge of the games themselves. One of the great things about Castlevania up through SOTN was that each one was different, often in positive ways.

 

[izakq]

Quick question. How do you get around those red "bone walls" that you hit with your whip once and they collapse only to rise up again?

 

[radios shipping overview]

Quick question. How do you get around those red "bone walls" that you hit with your whip once and they collapse only to rise up again?

I was wondering about this, too. Here we go:

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=938141&topic=39104014

Spoiler

Save Tera. She's in Alternate Stage 3. She gives you her necklace which gives you the power to do so. (You'll also need it to save Annette.)

How to unlock Tera:
First you need to get to Alternate Stage 3:
When the bull chases you in Stage 2 (if you go this route), drop down into the first hole. Simply beat the rest of the stage, you'll be taken to the graveyard. Now, when you get to the end of the first part (past fighting a large skull with three eyes) you'll see a door and a small section right underneath said door. Go under the door and hit the wall (from the top to the bottom). Go into the next section, take the stairs down, and there's Tera.

Just in Case:

How to save Iris (who unlocks the ice blocking paths):
In alternate stage 4 (You can get to it by breaking the second swinging spike ball in alternate stage 3 (use a sub weapon)), jump over the part where you can go down the waterfall on a raft. Go across the bridges until you see a blue frog. Do NOT kill it. Let it stay close and follow you until you get to the end with the rows of frog statues. He'll jump on the empty one and unlock the path (a plateform with drop down when you go back toward the beginning of that part of the stage). Go through the small part with the merman and save Iris.

 

[Bebpo]

What are these alternate stages people talk about?

 

[radios shipping overview]

What are these alternate stages people talk about?

For each of the stages 2-6 or so, there's an alternate stage, and you can get to these by finding branch points in certain stages. You can take all of the normal stages or all of the alternate stages at once, or you can hop back and forth between them. Like in stage 1, after you come down the right side of the town stairs and before you go through the door that leads to the golems, whip the rock wall to the left, and you'll find the way to stage 2'.

 

[Bebpo]

Ok, so to unlock Rondo and SoTN I need to be in 3' & 4'?

How do I get myself to those stages?

 

[LegatoB]

Ok, so to unlock Rondo and SoTN I need to be in 3' & 4'?

How do I get myself to those stages?

To get to stage 3':

Spoiler

drop down one of the gaps when you're being chased by the huge beast in stage 2, then proceed through the sewers

.

 

[radios shipping overview]

Ok, so to unlock Rondo and SoTN I need to be in 3' & 4'?

How do I get myself to those stages?

Rondo is in the normal stage 4. SotN is in 3'.

Spoiler

To get to 4, just proceed normally, and don't go anywhere that feels like it might be a side path - until on stage 4, you'll see a big wall that you can whip to reveal a bomb. Whipping the bomb will blow up the wall and open the way to where Rondo is.

To get to 3', I think it might be best to play as Maria. Go to 2' and keep an eye out for a spot under a staircase that she can slide under. Get the music CD there and keep going right. Beat the boss on that path, and it should get you to 3'.

To get to stage 3':

Spoiler

drop down one of the gaps when you're being chased by the huge beast in stage 2, then proceed through the sewers

.

Huh, I didn't know about that. Cool!

 

[izakq]

I was wondering about this, too. Here we go:

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=938141&topic=39104014

Ah, thank-you very much.

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

OK, now gamefaqs has a save with both games unlocked.

 

[Synless]

Man, it's good to hear SotN with Japanese voice.

SotN runs really well, and it's definitely 60fps (just like the Rondo port), but the sound is a bit screwy. Certain sound effects - not all - sound strange and out of tune compared to how they're supposed to. I think all of the effects that are digital audio samples sound fine, while the synthesized ones - like the level-up chime, the menu chimes, the heart noises - sound weird. The emulation's almost perfect, but it's got that bit of weirdness.

I can't believe this is the only other person who has mentioned the sound effects in SotN. They are off and it just sounds really wierd just like the final fantasy tactics sound emulation problem.

 

[AgentOtaku]

OK, now gamefaqs has a save with both games unlocked.

supercool!

thanks

 

[dark10x]

I can't believe this is the only other person who has mentioned the sound effects in SotN. They are off and it just sounds really wierd just like the final fantasy tactics sound emulation problem.

Hmm, interesting...

Were these problems present in the stand-alone emulated version of the game (released on PSN or taken from disc)?

 

[Skilletor]

It reminds me of the XBLA problem. When you grab a heart or hp up item, it seems to be dropping notes. Also, the sound when you pick up hearts is completely different to me...maybe I'm just remembering wrong. I never really paid attention to the sound effects themselves, but now that they're different it does sound weird.

 

[Synless]

Hmm, interesting...

Were these problems present in the stand-alone emulated version of the game (released on PSN or taken from disc)?

it's the emulated version from the Dracula X chronicles. the sound is off. EX. In the start of the game when you first get Alucard kill some of the giant wolves and when they howl it is the first sign of how off the sound is in the game, various other sound effects are off too.

 

[radios shipping overview]

It reminds me of the XBLA problem. When you grab a heart or hp up item, it seems to be dropping notes. Also, the sound when you pick up hearts is completely different to me...maybe I'm just remembering wrong. I never really paid attention to the sound effects themselves, but now that they're different it does sound weird.

Nah, it's definitely different. Some of the synthesized effects are tuned too low (like the save confirmation chime), and some are too high.

The sampled effects do sound a little different, too, but it's just a matter of how they're processed/handled by the emulator compared to the original system, I think. It's relatively minor.

 

[cartman414]

I prefer Dawn of Sorrow to Symphony of the Night. I think, music aside, it's a better game. Hell, if you could put Portrait of Ruin's music (which was as far as I'm concerned at or just slightly below the level of SOTN's) in Dawn of Sorrow, it would've been perfect. Loved Aria, too.

And I don't think the level design in some of them is that bad at all. Circle of the Moon had excellent (and brutal) level design -- and while that may've been Kobe's game and not Iga's, it still seems to get lumped in with all the rest when people talk about the bland GBA/DS games. Aria and Dawn had nice level design, too. It is, as you say, arguable that SOTN is this massive step ahead of them in level design. Meanwhile they've made drastic improvements in the ability systems, added a lot more variety, etc.

I just don't really get the hate. I don't sit down and play them and say "Wow SOTN was so great but these are all just rehashes!" I liked the gameplay in SOTN and so I like that they've made sequels to it -- some of which have been worse, some of which have been better, some of which have been good enough on their own merits. But like you said, they're still all the same sort of game.



So SOTN is special because it changed the series, but the other games are bad because they reflect the series change brought about by SOTN? Er...

Word. SotN is like the Link to the Past of the series in that regard. If this commonly held idea of better level design is that which entails more backtracking, then count me out.

 

[dark10x]

Word. SotN is like the Link to the Past of the series in that regard. If this commonly held idea of better level design is that which entails more backtracking, then count me out.

Heh, yeah, I guess it is kind of like A Link to the Past. I feel the same way about that particular game next to the rest of the series even.

 

[cartman414]

Heh, yeah, I guess it is kind of like A Link to the Past. I feel the same way about that particular game next to the rest of the series even.

I guess the description fits, but for differing reasons depending on who you are. Of course, I'm part of the persuasion that believes it's been eclipsed by subsequent games in its mold. Such is the case of SotN for me..