Retro Arena: The Castlevania series

[Leon Retro]

Castlevania - Famicom/NES - 1986
Vampire Killer - MSX2 - 1986
Simon's Quest - Famicom/NES - 1987
Haunted Castle - Coin-op - 1988
Castlevania: The Adventure - Game Boy - 1989
Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse - Famicom/NES - 1989
Belmont's Revenge - Game Boy - 1991
Super Castlevania IV - Super Famicom/SNES - 1991
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood - PC Engine - 1993
Castlevania: Bloodlines - Mega Drive - 1994
Dracula X - Super Famicom/SNES - 1995
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - PlayStation - 1997
Castlevania Legends - Game Boy - 1997
Castlevania 64 - N64 - 1999
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness - N64 - 1999
Castlevania Chronicles - PlayStation - 2001

Here we have the Castlevania series of games. Choose 3 that you like the most.

[Zaki]

Easy!

1. Super Castlevania IV
2. Belmont's Revenge
3. Castlevania: Bloodlines

I suspect most will choose Rondo and Symphony though

[Asura]

Somewhat ashamed to say that I haven't played much of any of these.

The only Castlevania title I've finished is Dawn of Sorrow. I even own SotN on PS3 (for PS1) and I've never really gotten into it.

[chopemon]

Even though I've never finished it, Rondo of Blood is one of the few games I'll accept as the answer to "what is a perfect vdeo game?". Incredible game with incredible music.

I didn't play Symphony on release, I played it on Vita a few years ago and loved it until I hit the upside down castle and the difficulty spike. I put it down but I'm going to restart it soon after falling head over heels in love with Bloodstained.

I haven't played a lot of it but my other favourite from the list is Bloodlines.

Those are my three favourites from the list but my real favourite is Order of Ecclesia. Bought it on a whim for £15 at a Center Parcs and loved it.

[samanosuke]

1. Rondo
2. Rondo
3. Rondo

Gaming perfection as someone else mentioned before. Better than IV in my opinion and I prefer the linear style over the Metroid copycats. Don’t get me wrong, I love Super Metroid, I just prefer CV games as out-and-out hack ‘n’ slashes.

The thing that gets me with Rondo is the presentation, from the animated intro through to the opening scenes with the amazing rain effects. The graphics ooze class with the sort of high colour count only a PCE can do, and then the beautifully upbeat and at times haunting musical score adds to the atmosphere further. That not enough for you? Throw in branching level design that adds a load of replay value and you’ve got the pinnacle of the series.

[Leon Retro]

Easy!

1. Super Castlevania IV
2. Belmont's Revenge
3. Castlevania: Bloodlines

All great games. CV4 is my pick of the bunch, but I'm happy to play any of them.

I suspect most will choose Rondo and Symphony though

That's what I was thinking as I made the topic. CV4 will probably receive a few votes as well.

Somewhat ashamed to say that I haven't played much of any of these.

Shame on you! Ten lashes of the whip.

I haven't played a lot of it but my other favourite from the list is Bloodlines.

Bloodlines is not only a great Mega Drive game, but also a top quality entry in the series. I'll be playing it again when I get an MD Mini.

1. Rondo
2. Rondo
3. Rondo

Gaming perfection

Yeah, it's easily one of the best games ever made. I can easily appreciate why someone would say it's the highlight of the series.

[Dogg Thang]

I know it divides old school Castlevania fans but, for me, my pick is Symphony of the Night by a huge margin. Turning Castlevania into Metroidvania is the best thing that ever happened to the series in my opinion and, on top of that, SotN is one of the absolute pinnacle of the genre and the love that went into that game really shows. It is beautifully paced with so many nice touches. And the art and music is superb.

Yep, it feels very different to older Castlevanias and changes the nature of the game but, before that game, Castlevania is one of those game series that I find not completely fit for purpose and that always frustrated me, especially given that I loved the feel and the music. In many NES-era games, the challenge comes from the controls and the move set not quite being designed to work with the enemies. You can argue that it's by design (as Megaman fans will) but, for me, the limited moves and dodgy jumping annoyed me even back in the day. So falling down a bottomless pit because I was hit by a Medusa head coming at me mid-jump even though that pit just had a floor underneath just annoyed me.

And it still does. The older Castlevanias are games I often go back to, mostly due to the music, but then I remember 'oh yeah... this'.

And yet, in spite of all that, it has to be said that the music and feel carries a lot of weight. I still think of those games fondly and they are definitely among my favourite game soundtracks. I remember paying quite a bundle of cash years ago for the Dracula Battle CDs. Some amazing music.

[vanpeebles]

What about the x68000 version?

[QualityChimp]

Somewhat ashamed to say that I haven't played much of any of these.

Yeah, same here.
I borrowed the Game Boy version, which I enjoyed, but found the movement a bit weird, jumping and whipping, compared to something like Shinobi, but it was fun.
Until Bloodlines in '93, there were no Mega Drive Castlevanias and I didn't have a Nintendo apart from the GB, whilst growing up, which is part of the reason I've not played many. By the time the PS1 came out, games like Tomb Raider made 2D sprite games a little "last gen".

I wanted a Castlevania for my Vita and was torn between Dracula X Chronicles and Symphony of the Night.
Ultimately, DXC is a 2.5D remake of the PS1 SotN game, but although it has both SotN and Rondo of Blood, you have to find and activate it, it's not a menu option and there's something about pixelart I find more pleasing to the eye. Which is ironically the reason I didn't play it in the first place!

Dracula X Chronicles


Symphony of the Night


Thanks to [MENTION=3144]Dogg Thang[/MENTION] who tweeted a pic of SotN and helped made my decision.

A couple of things, though.
Firstly, Hardcore Gaming 101 do a great retrospective on the series:

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-castlevania/

Secondly, I've always loved the artwork to the Castlevania series, gazing at the adverts in the back of gaming magazines or instruction booklets.

The first game's cover is particularly great, the way it frames your hero and the quest ahead, and the spectre of the foe he must vanquish:


It's based upon Frank Frazetta's "The Norseman", which sold for $454,100 in 2016.

https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/frazettas-norseman-sails-to-record-setting-454100/

I'm not sure who the Konami artist is, but it was revealed that the artwork was lost during the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake when somebody offered $100,000 for the original Contra art:

http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?StartRow=1&catid=5&threadid=179770

Article about his collection:

https://kotaku.com/collector-offers-to-pay-100-000-for-original-contra-bo-1822674117

Side note, it has a similar framing to the original Gradius, which also draws you into the action:


In summary: I need to play more Castlevania.

[Neon Ignition]

Ultimate sin... none of them. I always liked Castlevania as a series but less so the games themselves. The only one I ever played and enjoyed throughout is one of the ones not on this list: Lords of Shadow

I've often struggled to have the interest in Metroid's structure so anything that mirrors that but isn't Metroid has no chance. The simpler games always felt too rigid and dated to play so my interest dropped off despite the many times I've tried the series.

[Dogg Thang]

Thanks to [MENTION=3144]Dogg Thang[/MENTION] who tweeted a pic of SotN and helped made my decision.
.

I did? Did I do a recent play through? I think I might have.

[Leon Retro]

Castlevania is one of those game series that I find not completely fit for purpose and that always frustrated me, especially given that I loved the feel and the music..

Yeah, all the games have quite a wooden feel to how they control, but once you get used to that aspect, it all clicks together and you no longer feel so frustrated playing them. So you can learn to enjoy the games beyond what initially feels like very frustrating design.

The well designed graphics and catchy music help to inspire dedication.

What about the x68000 version?

Castlevania Chronicles is a port of the X68000 version with a few improvements. So I decided that it could cover both bases -- those that like the X68000 version and those that only discovered it via Chronicles.

Firstly, Hardcore Gaming 101 do a great retrospective on the series:

I bought a copy of that a while back, it's definitely worth owning for fans and people simply interested in the series.

In summary: I need to play more Castlevania.

I also need to go back to lots of the games, as I mainly play CV4 and Rondo when I want some Castlevania action. I've been meaning to go through Chronicles again, as it's been quite a while.

Ultimate sin... none of them.

20 lashes of the whip!

[samanosuke]

Castlevania - Famicom/NES - 1986
Vampire Killer - MSX2 - 1986
Simon's Quest - Famicom/NES - 1987
Haunted Castle - Coin-op - 1988
Castlevania: The Adventure - Game Boy - 1989
Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse - Famicom/NES - 1989
Belmont's Revenge - Game Boy - 1991
Super Castlevania IV - Super Famicom/SNES - 1991
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood - PC Engine - 1993
Castlevania: Bloodlines - Mega Drive - 1994
Dracula X - Super Famicom/SNES - 1995
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - PlayStation - 1997
Castlevania Legends - Game Boy - 1997
Castlevania 64 - N64 - 1999
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness - N64 - 1999
Castlevania Chronicles - PlayStation - 2001

Here we have the Castlevania series of games. Choose 3 that you like the most.

Castlevania: Spectral Interlude - ZX Spectrum - 2015

Added for you

[vanpeebles]

So Leon disrespects the x68000 and the speccy!!

[Leon Retro]

Castlevania: Spectral Interlude - ZX Spectrum - 2015

Added for you

I would have added it.... but it's a bloody 2015 game. Imagine if it had come out in the '80s.

So Leon disrespects the x68000 and the speccy!!

My topic, my rules!

Chronicles is a great way to play the X68000 Castlevania.