Castlevania II: Simon's Quest by developer and publisher Konami—Nintendo Entertainment System Retro Reflections by Nick.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Showing posts with label castlevania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label castlevania. Show all posts
What have I been posting at Otaku Gaming?
Lots and lots of things. First off - thanks for all the looks and comments during E3. I decided to go with a more ddigest-form or it this year as opposed to last year where I was tossing out some high Twitter traffic and doing just a couple of roundup pages. I know I got a couple of comments that I managed to highlight a few games that others missed - was my E3 posting of use/interest then by and large or not?
Well, aside from E3 and a lot of the big name announcements, I was surprised at how many other games and companies that were a bit lesser-known were also putting out tons of announcements, and I tried to track a lot of that over on Otaku Gaming. It wound up being a pretty active week and change on that site for me as well, so here's the breakdown for those who are interested.
We can kick things off with the announcement that Dark Souls will be releasing DLC for consoles to include that extra content coming out for the Prepare to Die PC version.
Well, aside from E3 and a lot of the big name announcements, I was surprised at how many other games and companies that were a bit lesser-known were also putting out tons of announcements, and I tried to track a lot of that over on Otaku Gaming. It wound up being a pretty active week and change on that site for me as well, so here's the breakdown for those who are interested.
We can kick things off with the announcement that Dark Souls will be releasing DLC for consoles to include that extra content coming out for the Prepare to Die PC version.
Gaming Deals on 5/2/12
Just a quick post listing out a handful of the gaming deals out there as of the middle of this week. I'll lead off with the somewhat disappointing showing by Xbox Live Gold - they have the Battlefield 3 expansion discounted. Not a bad deal I guess in and of itself, but seeing as I have the game for PS 3 and haven't seen a Gold deal I've liked in over a month, I'm a bit disappointed by this one too.
Steam has Bastion for 60% off on its Midweek Madness, placing it at a pretty solid $5.99. Their daily deal still has about 4 1/2 hours left on it as of writing this, called Crazy Machines Complete Pack - half off, so $24.99. It's also worth noting that I have been hearing good things about the Warlock: Master of the Arcane demo, and that my site's been seeing a fair number of hits off from people looking that one up. One blog I follow said it was like Civ meeting fantasy/Dungeons & Dragons. Not a bad combination to aspire for in my opinion. At $20, I may be looking at that one when it comes out May 8th.
Steam has Bastion for 60% off on its Midweek Madness, placing it at a pretty solid $5.99. Their daily deal still has about 4 1/2 hours left on it as of writing this, called Crazy Machines Complete Pack - half off, so $24.99. It's also worth noting that I have been hearing good things about the Warlock: Master of the Arcane demo, and that my site's been seeing a fair number of hits off from people looking that one up. One blog I follow said it was like Civ meeting fantasy/Dungeons & Dragons. Not a bad combination to aspire for in my opinion. At $20, I may be looking at that one when it comes out May 8th.
Castlevania - Retro Reflections
So a couple of my most recent posts were in regard to Castlevania. Simon's Quest was really my first foray into the series, having gotten that with arguably the creepiest Nintendo Power magazine ever (Belmont holding Dracula's decapitated head was pretty crazy) - but I did rent and go back to play Castlevania one weekend. The game pushed me to my limits at the time. 2 night rental, and I beat it about an hour before my dad needed to take it back on Sunday night. Playing it now, obviously the controls are a bit tight and there is a lack of special 'moves', but the gameplay is still simple and effective. The music holds up well also. Probably the biggest complaint other than some brutal platforming (lots of cheap falls to your death) - is that the graphics flickered like crazy when there were three or more enemies moving on the same plane as you. Still, it was a fun replay.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Xbox 360 Review
I've got a long standing relationship with the Castlevania series. I actually played Simon's Quest before playing and beating the first. I must have beaten Simon's quest four or five times. I loved Castlevania 3. The series then sometimes had some great releases and some pretty poor ones along the way over the years. In a way, Lords of Shadow feels like that - plenty of really good high points and some really low and lousy points.
Some people said that they did not think this game had anything to do with the Castlevania series other than its name. I can understand that, but I don't know that I agree with the statement. This actually felt to me like a pretty natural evolution in the series, but it was definitely not without flaws.
Graphics - 9:
There are times the score feels a bit lower. There are framerate issues that pop up pretty regularly and many of the cut scenes look a bit roughly animated. Maria never looks as good as Gabriel for example. That said, there is a lot going on in this game too. The environments are varied, ranging from villages to forests to swamps to castles, mountains, deserts and more. In addition to just the variety found here, there is a ton of animation going on, whether there are hints of fog in the distance, cool lighting effects, well-animated characters - and there can be a lot of them on screen at once. Also, this game does an excellent job visually with some of its 'wow' moments. A particular favorite of mine was about 2/3 of the way through the game when you are traversing a giant chain and there is an amazing backdrop involving a huge castle. Still, it can't be a ten given some of the stiffer animations and framerate issues that pop up more often than I cared for.
Sound & Music - 8:
The sound effects are good, if somewhat lacking in variety. You use the same basic weapon for 90% of the game, and there's only so much you can do with that from an audio standpoint. The music was mostly excellent I thought, fitting the scenes and visually impressive backdrops. There are some very good voice actors in this game as well - and they do a good job of delivering their lines the majority of the time.
Gameplay - 7:
This game's combat does a better job of mimicking the God of War formula than most. The whip has weight, and it is easy to get around the menu. There are several elements baked into this game, much like God of War - which is the obvious inspiration for this blend of combat and puzzle-solving. The puzzles however, never feel as organic as the majority of the God of War ones. Also, there is a large reliance on quicktime events. I realize that a lot of people enjoy these - but I'd prefer not to have them there. I feel like it takes away from my ability to take in and enjoy the actual action while not really adding a lot to the game itself.
The camera angles drove me nuts at times. As good as the visuals are, the fixed camera drives me nuts in places. It can be hard to see where you are going, and they use these fixed angles to hide items and it feels a bit cheap - especially when it leads to death.
The platforming elements are not too bad. They actually verge on easy most of the time, reminding me somewhat of Prince of Persia in that you are not really punished for trying crazy jumps and grapples. To be honest, I liked that personally. I know some people felt that the platforming was too easy, but I don't really like super-difficult platforming, so it suited me just fine.
Intangibles - 8:
The game is long. It actually feels a bit too padded at times, and the above fixed camera gave me my share of fits. Some of the puzzles were underwhelming. So why an 8? Because the game is large - 2 discs, 12 chapters and probably twice the playtime of a lot of similar games. The combination of puzzles, combat, platforming, character progression and hidden items give you a good deal of variety.
You can go back to beaten stages in an effort to beat the 'trial' of each page, and to try and pick up anything you might have missed. You also gain experience you can put toward unlocking various skills. There is also unlockable artwork, and like many games some of the sketches are pretty 'meh', but some of what is there is quite excellent. My oldest daughter doesn't game much, but she really enjoyed looking at the artwork with me.
Overall - 8:
There is a lot of action here, and that is a good thing. Some of the boss fights are better than others, but the three 'titan' ones are impressively huge. It feels like a summer blockbuster movie - lots of great visuals and audio make it a fun journey and the ending was something I did not expect at all - and definitely got me excited about some of the downloadable content and the sequel that was announced. The camera angles and some of the puzzles might be enough to turn you off to the game, but I was able to get past those and lose a good chunk of time in this overall excellent game.
Some people said that they did not think this game had anything to do with the Castlevania series other than its name. I can understand that, but I don't know that I agree with the statement. This actually felt to me like a pretty natural evolution in the series, but it was definitely not without flaws.
Graphics - 9:
There are times the score feels a bit lower. There are framerate issues that pop up pretty regularly and many of the cut scenes look a bit roughly animated. Maria never looks as good as Gabriel for example. That said, there is a lot going on in this game too. The environments are varied, ranging from villages to forests to swamps to castles, mountains, deserts and more. In addition to just the variety found here, there is a ton of animation going on, whether there are hints of fog in the distance, cool lighting effects, well-animated characters - and there can be a lot of them on screen at once. Also, this game does an excellent job visually with some of its 'wow' moments. A particular favorite of mine was about 2/3 of the way through the game when you are traversing a giant chain and there is an amazing backdrop involving a huge castle. Still, it can't be a ten given some of the stiffer animations and framerate issues that pop up more often than I cared for.
Sound & Music - 8:
The sound effects are good, if somewhat lacking in variety. You use the same basic weapon for 90% of the game, and there's only so much you can do with that from an audio standpoint. The music was mostly excellent I thought, fitting the scenes and visually impressive backdrops. There are some very good voice actors in this game as well - and they do a good job of delivering their lines the majority of the time.
Gameplay - 7:
This game's combat does a better job of mimicking the God of War formula than most. The whip has weight, and it is easy to get around the menu. There are several elements baked into this game, much like God of War - which is the obvious inspiration for this blend of combat and puzzle-solving. The puzzles however, never feel as organic as the majority of the God of War ones. Also, there is a large reliance on quicktime events. I realize that a lot of people enjoy these - but I'd prefer not to have them there. I feel like it takes away from my ability to take in and enjoy the actual action while not really adding a lot to the game itself.
The camera angles drove me nuts at times. As good as the visuals are, the fixed camera drives me nuts in places. It can be hard to see where you are going, and they use these fixed angles to hide items and it feels a bit cheap - especially when it leads to death.
The platforming elements are not too bad. They actually verge on easy most of the time, reminding me somewhat of Prince of Persia in that you are not really punished for trying crazy jumps and grapples. To be honest, I liked that personally. I know some people felt that the platforming was too easy, but I don't really like super-difficult platforming, so it suited me just fine.
Intangibles - 8:
The game is long. It actually feels a bit too padded at times, and the above fixed camera gave me my share of fits. Some of the puzzles were underwhelming. So why an 8? Because the game is large - 2 discs, 12 chapters and probably twice the playtime of a lot of similar games. The combination of puzzles, combat, platforming, character progression and hidden items give you a good deal of variety.
You can go back to beaten stages in an effort to beat the 'trial' of each page, and to try and pick up anything you might have missed. You also gain experience you can put toward unlocking various skills. There is also unlockable artwork, and like many games some of the sketches are pretty 'meh', but some of what is there is quite excellent. My oldest daughter doesn't game much, but she really enjoyed looking at the artwork with me.
Overall - 8:
There is a lot of action here, and that is a good thing. Some of the boss fights are better than others, but the three 'titan' ones are impressively huge. It feels like a summer blockbuster movie - lots of great visuals and audio make it a fun journey and the ending was something I did not expect at all - and definitely got me excited about some of the downloadable content and the sequel that was announced. The camera angles and some of the puzzles might be enough to turn you off to the game, but I was able to get past those and lose a good chunk of time in this overall excellent game.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Xbox Live REview
I recently reviewed Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and one of the complaints some people had was that the game was more God of War than Castlevania. Another Castlevania game I only recently got the chance to play was Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - and this title is very much a throwback to the older Castlevania games, but with a unique twist. It has some RPG elements in the equipment you can find/buy that increases your stats. The most noticeable change however was the inclusion of multiplayer - in fact, the game feels like it was built with multiplayer in mind. It was a risky new direction to take, but did it pay off?
Graphics - 7:
There is an old-school feel to the graphics, and it works well. Animations are nothing spectacular, but the pixelated appearance does a great job of setting the scene. The castles are all quite large, and there are some decent interactions with the backgrounds. The ability to snap to three different view sizes is a huge plus since each level is very labyrinthine.
Sound & music - 6:
The music does not really 'fit' with how I picture Castlevania in my mind, and the sound effects are very simple and recycled quite a bit. The sound effects get the job done and the weird guitar music used in the background is not necessarily bad, but for me Castlevania games were largely about atmosphere, and that is not really handled well by the music here.
Gameplay - 7:
This is the basic gameplay fans of Castlevania are no doubt most familiar with. Run, jump, attack. It's combat and platforming and the level layouts are actually pretty creative for the most part. Your character does not gain experience, but you gain gold as you play and you can grind to get better and better gear, which raises your stats. There are also several characters you can choose from that helps to add some variety to the proceedings as well.
Unfortunately, the game is built with multiplayer in mind - and I have tried at least two or three dozen times now to find matches online and have not succeeded even once. The lack of local co-op hurts too, because my son and I would love to play together but can't. Some of these levels are just really, really hard on your own, which is no doubt by design, but frustrating as I can't seem to find much of a community out there for it.
Intangibles - 7:
The game only comes with 6 maps, but there have been several more released since then, which is nice. You can't progress through the original six until you beat your current one, though you can thankfully jump ahead to the downloaded ones. I used that to help gear myself up better since later maps are 'higher level' and generally have better drops. It was a good workaround for me since I lacked anyone to actually play the game with. The way you improve upon your characters and the fact that the different characters all actually feel different is a big help.
Overall - 6.75:
I might have enjoyed the game a bit more if I had picked it up when it first came out and there were more people still playing it, but as it stands what was meant to be a social experience has shaped up to be a largely solo one. To that end, some sort of scaling difficulty would have been nice so I did not feel like I was in over my head. I understand the decision not to have local co-op based on the very independent nature of your travels through the castles, but my son and I both agreed we would have preferred split screen to only single-player as well. It was a good idea with some addictive formulas that just aren't quite clicking for me, as much as I wish they were.
Graphics - 7:
There is an old-school feel to the graphics, and it works well. Animations are nothing spectacular, but the pixelated appearance does a great job of setting the scene. The castles are all quite large, and there are some decent interactions with the backgrounds. The ability to snap to three different view sizes is a huge plus since each level is very labyrinthine.
Sound & music - 6:
The music does not really 'fit' with how I picture Castlevania in my mind, and the sound effects are very simple and recycled quite a bit. The sound effects get the job done and the weird guitar music used in the background is not necessarily bad, but for me Castlevania games were largely about atmosphere, and that is not really handled well by the music here.
Gameplay - 7:
This is the basic gameplay fans of Castlevania are no doubt most familiar with. Run, jump, attack. It's combat and platforming and the level layouts are actually pretty creative for the most part. Your character does not gain experience, but you gain gold as you play and you can grind to get better and better gear, which raises your stats. There are also several characters you can choose from that helps to add some variety to the proceedings as well.
Unfortunately, the game is built with multiplayer in mind - and I have tried at least two or three dozen times now to find matches online and have not succeeded even once. The lack of local co-op hurts too, because my son and I would love to play together but can't. Some of these levels are just really, really hard on your own, which is no doubt by design, but frustrating as I can't seem to find much of a community out there for it.
Intangibles - 7:
The game only comes with 6 maps, but there have been several more released since then, which is nice. You can't progress through the original six until you beat your current one, though you can thankfully jump ahead to the downloaded ones. I used that to help gear myself up better since later maps are 'higher level' and generally have better drops. It was a good workaround for me since I lacked anyone to actually play the game with. The way you improve upon your characters and the fact that the different characters all actually feel different is a big help.
Overall - 6.75:
I might have enjoyed the game a bit more if I had picked it up when it first came out and there were more people still playing it, but as it stands what was meant to be a social experience has shaped up to be a largely solo one. To that end, some sort of scaling difficulty would have been nice so I did not feel like I was in over my head. I understand the decision not to have local co-op based on the very independent nature of your travels through the castles, but my son and I both agreed we would have preferred split screen to only single-player as well. It was a good idea with some addictive formulas that just aren't quite clicking for me, as much as I wish they were.
