Castlevania for newbies?

[Vengeance]

I just played the Lords of Shadow demo. I thought it would be only OK, but I ended up really liking it. I'll probably get it when the price drops. But I figured that it would be worth playing some of the other Castlevanias because I've never done so before. I understand LoS isn't a traditional Castlevania and the older ones are more akin to Metroid, which is cool. What's the best place to start?

I have a PS2, PS3, 360, DS, and Wii.

[Eggboy'13]

I just played the Lords of Shadow demo. I thought it would be only OK, but I ended up really liking it. I'll probably get it when the price drops. But I figured that it would be worth playing some of the other Castlevanias because I've never done so before. I understand LoS isn't a traditional Castlevania and the older ones are more akin to Metroid, which is cool. What's the best place to start?

I have a PS2, PS3, 360, DS, and Wii.

Yeah, I'm in the exact same place buddy. I think I'm going to pick up 1 or 2 of the nes games at a shop I know near by.. Deffinately getting Lord of the shadow when I can get it a bit cheaper..
The series as a whole intrigues me, I think I might just be able to get into it the same way I go into Zelda..

[Vengeance]

From what I've been told the best picks are:

Dracula X Chronicles for PSP (remake of Rondo of Blood - also includes a port of Symphony of the Night)
the DS titles (Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, Order of Ecclesia)
Curse of Darkness for PS2

I'm kinda answering my own question but I'd like some input from actual fans.

[Ladykiller]

Play Symphony of the Night now.

Dawn of Sorrow is great as well. I also have Dracula X Chronicles for PSP and I think you have to unlock SotN on that. Rondo of Blood is pretty challenging too compared to SotN since it's more like the classic Castlevania games.

[Vengeance]

How do you unlock SOTN on DXC? Just complete the game?

What other platforms are SOTN available on?

[Ladykiller]

You have to find an item in stage 3 or 4 in DXC I believe.

You could download SotN on PSN and play it on your PS3/PSP. Much easier than trying to find an original PS1 copy.

[TheSlyder]

I'm the same way. I think the Castlevania series as a whole is pretty cool, and I WANT to like it. I promise I do. But I've played every post-SotN game I can get my hands on, and they're all just really mundane and unappealing. The gameplay is boring, and worst of all are the storylines. Just stupid, horrendous storylines. Shonen Jump has more intricate and fascinating stories than the Castlevania games I've played.

[Pan]

If you are just starting out, SotN is probably your best choice, after that any of the GBA and DS games are excellent. Also in case you don't know, all the Castlevania games before SotN play in a linear stage to stage style, while all games after and including SotN play like Super Metroid. Forget about Curse of Darkness, just wait for Lords of Shadows to price drop if you want a good 3D Castlevania game.

I preferred SotN on Xbox live arcade over Dracula X collection. They "fixed" the bad voice acting in the PSP version by rerecording it, but I honestly think all the characters sound much more awful in that game. The Xbox version is exactly like the PS1 version, except with achievements.

[tleeart]

Like Al said, play Symphony of the Night NOW. PSN is your best bet. I own the Greatest Hits disc of the game, by chance many years ago, I found it for $13. I'm thinking of giving it another playthrough beginning today, actually.

EDIT: They rerecorded the dialogue for SotN in Dracula X Chronicles? No wonder it sells so damn cheap these days.

"What is a man? Just a miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk, have at you!"

Okay, so admittedly, the voice acting in SotN was really cheesy, prepare to chuckle, but that was part of the charm for me lol.

[Ladykiller]

^haha, that's my favorite part in the game.



Well... until I got the Crissaegrim.

[Eggboy'13]

This kinda made me lol.
Only would make sense if you've actually seen Van Helsing.

[TheSlyder]

If you are just starting out, SotN is probably your best choice, after that any of the GBA and DS games are excellent. Also in case you don't know, all the Castlevania games before SotN play in a linear stage to stage style, while all games after and including SotN play like Super Metroid.

Except the Metroid series does it well. Castlevania does not. I think I'm more likely to prefer the first Castlevania format, but then again, I enjoy action platformers.

Then again, again, I enjoy Metroid style exploration and free-roaming atmospheres, but Castlevania just doesn't pull it off very well. While Metroid succeeds at all kinds of hidden passages, Castlevania just has huge areas that will have a special door that you can't open, or a ledge you can't reach. While Metroid has these things as well, it also has passages you can find, sometimes on accident, sometimes through exploration. It has ceilings you can break away, floors you can dig through. There's no sense of exploration with Castlevania. It's just "Keep going until you get the jump boots, then come back." You don't find anything. It's all out in the open, screaming at you.

My biggest complaint, though, is the regenerating enemies from Castlevania, which are fine in action sidescrollers like Megaman, but horrible for so-called "exploration" games like Castlevania or Metroid. It's eternally frustrating to have to backtrack, which you do a LOT, and have to kill a thousand enemies both ways, only for them to regenerate if you so much as walk five feet away from them. Metroid pulled it off. Regenerating enemies based on area, so you can clear an area and freely explore without constantly getting knocked around by regenerating enemies.

I'm not even going to touch on those medusa heads.

[LoveKuja]

I'm just gonna mention that SotN is not available on the Euro PSN, but is on Live Marketplace. Yes, it's silly for a PS1 game. Other games I could recommend are Super Castlevania 4 for SNES, Aria of Sorrow for GBA (I did not like Dawn of Sorrow as much) and Order of Ecclesia. I myself should play Portrait of Ruin one of these days.

[tleeart]

I pretty much completely disagree with Slyder on this. The elements of hidden passages are there, it's usually tough to find them unless you read a guide or attack all the walls, although certain items will help you find these secret items in the games.

As for the regenerating enemies, many don't come back until you leave the room, with exceptions like the above-mentioned Medusa heads. In certain areas, those can be the death of you. But that's nothing exclusive to the Metroidvania style Castlevania games.

Besides, there is such a wealth of enemies to be able to gain levels. That's one thing you don't have to worry about in Metroid.

The stories of the games are mostly predictable, and largely cliche, but that's also been a hallmark of the series. I personally play them for the great gameplay and interesting gothic locales presented in an old-school sidescrolling fashion.

I do understand and respect his issues with those games, but I guess it all comes down to a matter of preference.

[Pan]

Except the Metroid series does it well. Castlevania does not. I think I'm more likely to prefer the first Castlevania format, but then again, I enjoy action platformers.

I find Super Metroid much more boring and tedious than any SOTN style Castlevania, different people just have different tastes.

[Vengeance]

I'm just gonna mention that SotN is not available on the Euro PSN

*bites lip*





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[tleeart]

*bites lip*





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I guess Dracula X Chronicles it is.

Sorry, didn't realize that the Euro PSN didn't have it. That blows.

[TheSlyder]

I pretty much completely disagree with Slyder on this. The elements of hidden passages are there, it's usually tough to find them unless you read a guide or attack all the walls, although certain items will help you find these secret items in the games.

I never came across any secret walls or passages that weren't obvious the second you entered the area. I didn't play the game to completion, so maybe later on in the game they become more subtle. I still consider this a negative trait, though.

As for the regenerating enemies, many don't come back until you leave the room, with exceptions like the above-mentioned Medusa heads. In certain areas, those can be the death of you. But that's nothing exclusive to the Metroidvania style Castlevania games.

I played all of the GBA games. Granted, I didn't finish them, but I gave them all a good hour or two of gameplay (And one I'm probably half-way through.) I don't recall any instances where an enemy didn't regenerate after leaving the screen, with the exception of the really big ones, and most of the time even they would regenerate.

Besides, there is such a wealth of enemies to be able to gain levels. That's one thing you don't have to worry about in Metroid.

Inexcusable. In no game, even one with levels, should you ever have to grind in order to make the game playable. The fact that you have to grind in this game is just another one of the many things I loathe about it.

The stories of the games are mostly predictable, and largely cliche, but that's also been a hallmark of the series.

I WISH they were predictable and cliche. I'd like it a lot more if you were a vampire hunter that was going into Dracula's castle to kill him.

Instead, what I got was a bishounen high school student taking his girlfriend on a date, so the moon sucks them up and they're in Dracula's castle. Now the girl's missing and high-schooler-that-looks-like-an-anime-bounty-hunter has to save her, and what a surprise, he's got underlying powers.

Jesus, I almost threw up from cringing so much while playing. Some of the others I've played were marginally better, but still pretty damn horrible.

I'll say this, though. The DS game has some AMAZING artwork.

[tleeart]

So in other words, I don't think those games are for you lol. Everything you say you hate about the games are what I love about them. I think I might have misunderstood a couple of your points before. But now it's clear.

All of the story stuff that you don't find cliche, I do, because I watch a ton of anime. All that stuff is anime cliche.

Level grinding is another Japanese concept/tradition they usually can't go without including.

Nothing wrong with you not liking those games. I'm mainly just stating reasons that many who play the games and love them actually love about them, from the people that I've talked to anyway.

Even within the fans of the series, there are people who can't stand the linear arcade styled Castlevanias and love the Metroidvania games, and vice-versa.

As always, it's a matter of preference, and if we all liked or disliked the same things, life would be boring.