Castlevania 4

[Thomas Ennis]

How many people here played this classic? What did you think of it? I loved how they returned the classic feel of the series, while adding new features. The ability to whip in multiple directions added depth to the game. While not as difficult as the other Castlevania games, 4 is a timeless gem.

 

[BanjoKazooie]

I loved it as well! I enjoyed all the 2D castlevania games! The new ones are terrible IMO though. I always enjoyed the difficulty of them. It could be absolutely brutal at times!

 

[Thomas Ennis]

You have a good point here. The N64 Castlevania games were terrible in almost every aspect. What I did find interesting, is when the Castlevania games went to other systems, they made some good ones. Symphony of the Night for the PS1 is a classic, and the first Castlevania on the PS2(can't remember the name) was also very good.

 

[Professor E. Gadd]

It was a very exciting time when all the NES classics started coming to the SNES with "Super" in their title. Mario, Megaman, Castlevania... I was in 16-bit heaven. But not all publishers transitioned to 16-bit successfully on their first try, and I thought Konami didn't quite get it right with Super Castlevania IV. The soundtrack was lacking, and while the graphics were more complex compared to the 8-bit games, they weren't necessarily more beautiful. Maybe it was just hard for Konami to live up to such epic games as Castlevania III or the TurboGrafx game.

They more than made up for it with Symphony of the Night on PSX, although I did miss playing as Simon Belmont. The weird feminine dudes from the recent Castlevania games just don't make for very impressive vampire killers.

 

[Thomas Ennis]

I never thought of that point actually. The soundtrack in Castlevania 4 was rather sterile. I agree it fell short of Castlevania 3 (which was an amazing game and very hard). Symphony of the Night did lack that Belmont feel. For the sake of variety, I did like Alucard and his many abilities, but I did sometimes miss the old whip action.

 

[Donkey Punch]

The GBA and DS Castlevania games were also all very good, despite the shitty sound on the GBA. By the last two DS games it definitely felt like Konami was beating a dead horse, but I still played all of them. Castleroids are good times.

 

[Thomas Ennis]

I think they were probably beating a dead horse after the 3rd game on the NES. However, Castlevania did branch into a few games that were more adventure oriented, like Simon's Quest and Symphony of the Night. The standard, whip them and collect hearts formula was exhausted rather quickly, but somehow these games stayed fun for a long time, and still are when I'm in the mood.

 

[BanjoKazooie]

I haven't played Symphony of the Night. Is it on PSN? I read a couple reviews and they all say it is pretty good. I never owned a PSX so I never got to play it.

 

[Thomas Ennis]

I was originally on the PSX, but it is available to download on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. It's worth tracking down if you have either system, or you can get your hands on the hard copy. Symphony of the Night is one of, if not the best Castlevania game. If you get the right items however, it can be a tad lacking in difficulty.

 

[BanjoKazooie]

Hmm, I will have to see if I can pick this up in the PlayStation Store

 

[Thomas Ennis]

You should do that for sure. Symphony of the Night will not disappoint. If you are used to playing the old Castlevania games however, don't expect that level of difficulty from SOTN. Speaking of Castlevania 4, I played the game earlier today. I must have been a much better gamer when I was younger, because 4 is harder then I remember.

 

[BanjoKazooie]

I started playing the fourth one today again! I have been playing them all in chronological order, so I'm not too shabby at it Although I remember the game being a lot easier as well... Hmmmmm..

 

[Thomas Ennis]

Maybe we're both old then! To be honest, I think our perceptions were based on the previous Castlevania games we played. Both the first and the third Castlevania are harder then 4 by quite a margain. Nevertheless, I find myself struggling with this game more then I did when I was younger.

 

[James Beck]

It was the last great linear path Castlevania. I never played symphony of the night though.

 

[Damien Lee]

Super Castlevania IV is one of my favorite SNES games. I also loved the ability to whip in all directions but it did make the game a bit easier than past iterations. A few of the Mode 7 effects were also very impressive and made some of the set pieces quite memorable. The only thing that I didn't like about the game were that some of the background art was very uneven at places. There just seems to be a lack of consistency and just doesn't look as good as Castlevania X: Rondo of Blood on the PC-Engine, which is a less capable system than the SNES.

 

[Diablo925]

You have a good point here. The N64 Castlevania games were terrible in almost every aspect. What I did find interesting, is when the Castlevania games went to other systems, they made some good ones. Symphony of the Night for the PS1 is a classic, and the first Castlevania on the PS2(can't remember the name) was also very good.

SOTN is my favorite. Castlevania is awesome even with the few crappy games. PS2 games were Lambent of Innocence and Curse of Darkness. Both great games.