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Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia preview (with screens and vids)
- Thread starter Creamium
- Start date
Portrait of Ruin is probably the weakest Metroidvania since Harmony of Dissonance. Though still leagues better than that swill. However, PoR probably has the best Castlevania soundtrack to date. It's worth playing, IMHO, it just doesn't compare to AoS/DoS.
Bringing the new tittie---I mean, assets, to the new page...
Bringing the new tittie---I mean, assets, to the new page...
cw_sasuke said:New Pics and Artworks
WILF
grandjedi6
Master of the Google Search
AFreak said:
Do yourself a favor and pick up Portrait of Ruin
Finally got around to playing Portrait of Ruin, and I have to say that the idea of an overworld map separated into smaller areas somewhat bothers me. That was my biggest issue with PoR, that the castle served basically as a hub and the smaller levels weren't nearly as interesting to explore. And in this game, it looks like they're going a step further and removing the hub world altogether and just going with a map screen.
I'm sure it'll still be good, just as PoR was, but I prefer exploring one big map.
I'm sure it'll still be good, just as PoR was, but I prefer exploring one big map.
BravoSuperStar
Member
Oh wow this is looking very nice. I have high hopes for this since the 3rd GBA CV was the best out of those releases, imo. They seem to do well on the first, stumble a bit with the 2nd, then bring what worked between them all with the 3rd. Or at least Aria of Sorrow felt like that.
Any word on what the pre-order swag might be?
Any word on what the pre-order swag might be?
Christopher
Member
I've played recently SotN on PSN as well as the two DS games....and while they are enjoyable games, I can't help to think that the Castlevania games are "missing" something that just keeps them from being satisifing...I don't know what it is.
Saint Gregory
Member
Zoramon089 said:
REAL TIME SHADOWS IN A 2D GAME?!
This is seriously beautful
Also the best artwork in the serious. A very nice mix of the old goth and the...anime style, but it works well
That is beautiful but I'm pretty sure it was done before in one of the earlier 'Vanias (SOTN I think) where you're walking in a cavern full of magma and the lava casts shadows of yourself and the enemies on the background. It looks much better done in that screenshot though.
Mejilan said:
That was an unfortunate choice but I really didn't mind two of the rehashed worlds. I felt they changed enough with new enemies and color schemes to seem different from the originals but the other two rehashed worlds did suck. I still don't think PoR should be compared to HoD though, PoR was much, much better.
Really? I'd put HoD and PoR about even, and in the middle of the pack. Not as good as the best of the series (Aria and Symphony), but better than the worst (Dawn and Circle).Saint Gregory said:
And of course I'm talking about Metroidvanias, not the Castlevania series as a whole.
cartman414
Member
KevinCow said:
Objection!
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
I still find Dawn of Sorrow to be incredibly dull. *shrug*
The game is maybe a couple hours long but I still can't bring myself to beat it.
The game is maybe a couple hours long but I still can't bring myself to beat it.
I could understand why someone would consider DoS superfluous from a story perspective. I agree, to a certain extent, and that's a shame because AoS had one of the best stories in CV-dom, IMHO.
But I loved the refined gameplay, and of course, DoS' J-Mode is still the best CV extra in the history of the franchise.
Hell, in some respects, I consider J-Mode to be superior. It's probably the first time a CV game had a full-blown alternate mode that felt like a full game instead of just a throwaway speed-run/mapped boss rush mode...
If you haven't experienced DoS' J-Mode yet, you really owe it to yourself. It's an awesome reward for beating the game.
But I loved the refined gameplay, and of course, DoS' J-Mode is still the best CV extra in the history of the franchise.
Hell, in some respects, I consider J-Mode to be superior. It's probably the first time a CV game had a full-blown alternate mode that felt like a full game instead of just a throwaway speed-run/mapped boss rush mode...
If you haven't experienced DoS' J-Mode yet, you really owe it to yourself. It's an awesome reward for beating the game.
Oldschoolgamer
The physical form of blasphemy
Mejilan said:
It is. J-mode was so much fun. You didn't need to worry about souls and stuff, it was beat ass and continue walking in style. The low-level run we did here continues to be one of my highlights in gaming.
If you have DoS, try and beat the game so you can test out J-mode.Death_Born
Banned
Oldschoolgamer said:It is. J-mode was so much fun. You didn't need to worry about souls and stuff, it was beat ass and continue walking in style. The low-level run we did here continues to be one of my highlights in gaming.
Yes, the awesomest mode ever.
Eh. I thought it felt like Aria with crappy level design, a horrendous art style, some really shitty power-ups (the one where you throw the doll specifically comes to mind; it had absolutely no use outside of letting you through arbitrary holes in walls), and tacked-on touch screen controls.cartman414 said:
I only played it once though, back when it came out. Maybe I'd like it better if I played it again.
Saint Gregory
Member
KevinCow said:
Well that's where are disconnect is then because HoD was my least favorite of the Metroidvanias and Dawn and Circle are actually two of my favorites. The card system from CotM is still the best battle system of the 'Vanias IMO and as Mejilan pointed out DoS's gameplay improvements over AoS makes it hard not to rank it near the top of my list.
What was so bad about Harmony? I thought it was great. I really liked the subweapon/book thing, and using the shoulder buttons to dash in either direction instead of only backwards. It also had a bunch of unique and memorable bits, like swinging a giant hammer to send an armor flying back to destroy a wall, that made me laugh my ass off. Its level design was a bit weaker than Aria and Symphony, but I thought it was still some of the best in the series. Plus the whip focus differentiated it from most of the rest of the series, and I thought it felt far better than in Circle;.
It was slow, the jumping felt off, the art was largely garish, and the music was absolutely awful. Basically NES/GB quality at times. It felt like a severely stripped down SotN clone, when such was basically impossible on a GBA. Later Metroidvanias (starting with the GBA's own AoS) successfully pulled off their own gimmicks and unique mechanics in a better fashion, IMHO.
That said, it wasn't a terrible CV game by any measure. I do consider it to be the crappiest Metroidvania of the bunch, and probably the crappiest 2D CV, franchise-wide.
That said, it wasn't a terrible CV game by any measure. I do consider it to be the crappiest Metroidvania of the bunch, and probably the crappiest 2D CV, franchise-wide.
flintstryker
Banned
yes what the fuck @ dawn being one of the worst?cartman414 said:
I agree that Aria is the best (screw symphony of the night)
flintstryker
Banned
I haven't beaten Dawn Of sorrow yet (currently playing it.)Mejilan said:
But is the J-Mode the same as how you can use Julius in Aria of Sorrow?
flintstryker said:
Not even close. You use a party of 3, which includes Julius, Yoko, and fucking Alucard. They each have their own uses and abilities. You can swap them in and out and switch at whim. They all level up as well. No equipment or souls though. It's magnificent.
flintstryker
Banned
Fuck that sounds awesomeMejilan said:
I am gonna have to finish this soon then.
Hcoregamer00
The 'H' stands for hentai.
I am buying this game day 1, it looks absolutely amazing.
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
Reading through this discussion a few things occur to me.
1. CotM doesn't get the credit it deserves. Besides some janky character animation and palette swapping on the sprites it's actually a very good game. The castle layout and platforming elements are actually stronger than any of the Metroidvanias that followed, and the difficulty is the most balanced of the handheld games. It could also be argued that the DSS system had more depth than the souls of AoS and DoS. I also think this is the last game that felt like a true blue Castlevania, which is more difficult to quantify, but I suppose comes down to theme and structure of individual areas. Wasn't it also the last 2D Castlevania developed by KOEI? With each sequel Iga's hand became increasingly apparent in some of the more redundant aspects of the gameplay.
2. For all the talk about HoD being a SotN "clone" the much touted AoS isn't any better in this regard. If HoD used half the areas from SotN, then AoS is basically the other half. HoD was actually a good game, but it had two major shortcomings. The first was the bosses, which were completely uninspired compared to the other handheld titles. The other major flaw was that the warp points only allowed travel between the same spot in each of the two castles. This made backtracking a chore if you stumbled off the beaten path in a search for hidden items. That being said, the game had some great backgrounds, much better than the mind-numbingly pastel locals seen in AoS. It also featured a handful of great environmental puzzles or events that I think people forget about or neglect to mention when they cull over the weaker parts of the game.
3. Portrait of Ruin is probably tied with HoD as weakest Metroidvania in my eyes, although I don't consider either of them bad by any stretch of the imagination. My reasons for placing them so low on the totem are virtually opposite though. While HoD had strong exploration elements (barring the warp issue) and weak bosses, PoR has the weakest exploration bar none, but amazing bosses. How much you like PoR basically depends on what you're looking from in a Castlevania game. If you're a fan of boss rush modes, then it's the game for you, because PoR basically is a boss rush with some pointless fodder thrown in-between. That's great if slaying crazy segmented monsters in your main thing, but if you like the series for exploration or platforming you're better off with other titles. As far as clever level design there's nothing to see here.
1. CotM doesn't get the credit it deserves. Besides some janky character animation and palette swapping on the sprites it's actually a very good game. The castle layout and platforming elements are actually stronger than any of the Metroidvanias that followed, and the difficulty is the most balanced of the handheld games. It could also be argued that the DSS system had more depth than the souls of AoS and DoS. I also think this is the last game that felt like a true blue Castlevania, which is more difficult to quantify, but I suppose comes down to theme and structure of individual areas. Wasn't it also the last 2D Castlevania developed by KOEI? With each sequel Iga's hand became increasingly apparent in some of the more redundant aspects of the gameplay.
2. For all the talk about HoD being a SotN "clone" the much touted AoS isn't any better in this regard. If HoD used half the areas from SotN, then AoS is basically the other half. HoD was actually a good game, but it had two major shortcomings. The first was the bosses, which were completely uninspired compared to the other handheld titles. The other major flaw was that the warp points only allowed travel between the same spot in each of the two castles. This made backtracking a chore if you stumbled off the beaten path in a search for hidden items. That being said, the game had some great backgrounds, much better than the mind-numbingly pastel locals seen in AoS. It also featured a handful of great environmental puzzles or events that I think people forget about or neglect to mention when they cull over the weaker parts of the game.
3. Portrait of Ruin is probably tied with HoD as weakest Metroidvania in my eyes, although I don't consider either of them bad by any stretch of the imagination. My reasons for placing them so low on the totem are virtually opposite though. While HoD had strong exploration elements (barring the warp issue) and weak bosses, PoR has the weakest exploration bar none, but amazing bosses. How much you like PoR basically depends on what you're looking from in a Castlevania game. If you're a fan of boss rush modes, then it's the game for you, because PoR basically is a boss rush with some pointless fodder thrown in-between. That's great if slaying crazy segmented monsters in your main thing, but if you like the series for exploration or platforming you're better off with other titles. As far as clever level design there's nothing to see here.
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
I think the very first warp point does that, and there may be another odd one out like that, maybe two. None of them cycle between all warp points to give you full freedom to move around the castle though.stalker said:
Saint Gregory
Member
stalker said:
It's been forever since I played HoD but I'm almost sure that there were two kinds of warp points too. It's true though that I may remember disliking HoD so much because it followed so closely behind CotM (which I loved) and the music sucked so badly. I still have it somewhere so maybe I'll give it another run through before OoE comes out.
I think that I play the 'Vanias mostly for the music which would explain why I rank them the way that I do.
Oh, and I remember HoD being really short compared to the others. Is that acurate?
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
I'm hyped.
DAY 2!
DAY 2!
Oh! My Car!
Member
Yet another imitation of SOTN? You know, this might be to Judgment's benefit, because it's not the same game we've been playing since 1997.
That's not to say repetition is bad thing, but a dozen games is fucking pushing it.
That's not to say repetition is bad thing, but a dozen games is fucking pushing it.
:Motorbass
Member
Yes they do, you have to press "down" (instead of "up") to warp to a different one. Still, the connectivity is really bad in HoD until the very end.GrotesqueBeauty said:
Saint Gregory
Member
Oh! My Car! said:
I'd agree but I don't really want Konami trying to change the fomula unless they're really serious about it this time. They seem to throw less than nothing in terms of resources at the 3D games and untill they're ready to give it the A team treatment I say "if it aint't broke.." you know the rest.
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
You're right. I stand corrected.:Motorbass said:
Fighting Penis demon with level 4 Alucard > all other boss battles.Oldschoolgamer said:It is. J-mode was so much fun. You didn't need to worry about souls and stuff, it was beat ass and continue walking in style. The low-level run we did here continues to be one of my highlights in gaming.
KevinCow said:
And I dunno about you, but Puppet Master soul (ie, throw and warp) is one of the best skills in the entire series, including all the skills in SotN. Jump in the air, throw it across the room, skip a shitload of enemies; the reach goes farther with Skeleton Ape soul. If anyone was to do a low level Soma run in Dawn of Sorrow, Skeleton Ape + Puppet Master combination will clear house. Combine this with Black Panther, you'd hardly do any actual fighting.