Priority DoS and CoD thread

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

That's Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. They're coming out within a month or so of each other, so I figured one thread could cover both.


It's not coming out until the 25th in Japan, September in Europe, and October in North America, but Famitsu just reviewed DoS.

PSP Breath of Fire 3 7/7/8/7
PSP Twelve 8/7/8/6
NDS Jump Super Stars 8/8/9/7
NDS Tiger Woods TGA 8/5/6/6
NDS Dinosaur Grand Prix 6/6/6/5
NDS Dracula (Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow) 9/8/8/8
NDS Survival Kids (Lost in Blue) 8/8/7/8
NDS Puzzle Bobble (Bust A Move) 7/6/6/6
NDS Lunar: Dragon Song 6/9/6/6
PS2 Tales of Legendia 8/8/8/8
PS2 Naruto Uzumaki Ninden 8/8/8/7
PS2 Gundam Seed Destiny GCE 8/7/6/7

Rather good. It beat out Lost in Blue, Lunar, Tales of Legendia, and Jump Super Stars.

Here (http://game10.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/handygame/1123098621/202) are the specific comments of each reviewer, and here (http://babel.altavista.com/) is Babel Fish. You can make out that they were impressed by its challenge, the complexity of its story, the depth of the weapon synthesis system, and how far you have to go to complete everything.

Therefore you will get excited with me about this.

[Chris]

Any idea if they're releasing Castlevania: The New Generation too?

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Just the usual rumors of CVIII or Rondo being an unlockable, but officially, no.

Edit: Good job completely changing your question, Chris. No, there's no word on VK/BL/TNG, either, and considering it's not nearly as revered and demanded as the aforementioned two, I wouldn't count on it being ported any time soon at all.

[XxSephirothxX]

If I ever get a DS (which I want to do someday) this may well be the first Castlevania game I genuinely get into. Missing out on one of the greatest series ever is sucky. :(

[Yamaneko]

Right now the priority is DoS over CoD because the RPG-style 2D Castlevanias have proven themselves to be worth $35, while I can wait for people to say thumbs up or thumbs down on the 3D Castlevania.

[Chris]

Sorry Kishi. :upsidedow
I'm holding out for The New Generation, that's my baby. :love:

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

You're holding out for a game that was released eleven years ago. Brilliant.

[Yamaneko]

Wasn't The New Generation, Bloodlines / Vampire Killer in Europe?

EDIT: Haha, Kishi.

[Chris]

It's my baby, you wouldn't understand. :mad2:

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Japan
http://norbert-x.com/rock/userfiles/Kishi/vk-j.gif

America
http://norbert-x.com/rock/userfiles/Kishi/vk-a.gif

Europe
http://norbert-x.com/rock/userfiles/Kishi/vk-e.gif

[Chris]

As always, the European Edition is the coolest.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Yes, with the icky blood removed and the Star Trek-sounding subtitle. I'm so jealous.

[Chris]

You need to be less evil and more informative. Get to work.

[Yamaneko]

The Japanese one is slightly bloodier.

Anyway, back to what's important here, collecting souls.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

This (http://www.angelfire.com/music5/legacyofdarkness/DoS/DoSMonsterList.html) guy has compiled an illustrated list of all the sixty or so enemies that have been spotted in screenshots and trailers for DoS. I helped him out with it a little. It's cool.

[Chris]

The "Puppet Master" looks neat.

[Yamaneko]

We haven't seen the Sniper of Goth and the Malachi since SotN, if I recall correctly.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

That's right.
The "Puppet Master" looks neat. Man, tell me about it. Watch the trailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=1461) if you haven't already.

[Spammerman]

are the castlevania games good? Ive only played a castlevania that was for n64.

[omnitarian]

I love Babelfish. It is truly mankind's greatest achievment.


it is green cross Part17 of month < ｷ ｬ ｯ ｽ ﾙ ヴ ｧ ﾆ ｱ >

There is no surprise without regrettable the leprosy.

The making which growth process confutes pleasantly thoroughly.

Anyway... yeah. DoS. It shall be awesome.

[Lord Chainsaw]

Bloodlines isn't even that good. It's one of my least favorite Castlevanias. Continues? WTF? I do like the way they put exploration back into the game by having you travel all over Europe instead of just Dracula's castle, but even then I think Castlevania II did that better.

Anyways, I am very hyped about these two games. DoS will be the reason I pick up a DS. I'm willing to shell out however much that handheld costs just to get my hands on a new 2D Castlevania. Curse of Darkness looks really good too. The level design is supposed to be better than Lament, which is a very good thing. When I look into level design, I look for a level built around an area, not an area built around a level. The Villa from CV64 is a beautiful example of a level built around an area, and the entirety of Lament is a horrid example of the the latter.

I also hope they keep the awesome legacy of Castlevania music alive. Although I really, really do enjoy Vampire Killer, Simon's Theme, Wicked Child, and Bloody Tears, I want to see some new tracks that are worthy. Lament's tracks were very good, far better than most out this generation, but they weren't memorable. I can go through Wicked Child in my head. Ask me about the Antisoul Mystery Lab. I'll tell you it kicks ass, but I don't remember how it goes.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

All NES music was, by necessity, very simple in composition, leading to some very catchy tunes. But just because I can't hum the entirety of "Dracula's Castle," "Dance of Gold," or "Lament of Innocence" in my head doesn't mean they're not incredible songs.

Here's a pretty good criticism of LoI's level design from around the time it came out: 1 (http://norbert-x.com/rock/userfiles/Kishi/loicompare1.gif) 2 (http://norbert-x.com/rock/userfiles/Kishi/loicompare2.gif)

[Aphelion]

I'm not getting a DS, so my only hope is that CoD ends up being just as good as LoI. Sorry if you didn't like it, but I simply loved it. :D

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I just went crazy. That's unlike me. It takes something pretty huge to have that effect, you know? But this is pretty huge. It's kind of a strain to even type this calmly and not fly into "AAAAH HOLY CRAP!!!!" mode.

Okay, here it is. Look at this page (http://uk.geocities.com/nec43xkq3/da.html). It has on display some brand new Japanese magazine scans for Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Look at all the pictures, particularly the close-up at the bottom.

Done? Gravy. I'm going to use a spoiler tag here--not because there's any validity to the concept of "spoilers" before a game has even been released (that's dumb), but because I want you to see the pictures for yourself before you read what's up. Okay.

In Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, once you had completed the game as Alucard, you were allowed to input "RICHTER" at the name entry screen to play as Richter Belmont, one of the game's supporting cast. Richter had an almost completely different set of moves from Alucard, and he couldn't level up, use items, or equip...equipment. It was a radically different experience from the main quest, and it added a ton to the game's replay value.

The first official successor to SotN, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, reprised this concept by again providing a second quest using a supporting character and unique gameplay--this time "MAXIM" for Maxim Kischine. In the games that followed, it was solidified as a lasting tradition. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow did it with Julius Belmont, and then Castlevania: Lament of Innocence did it with Joachim Armster.

In addition to the second quest with Joachim, LoI went so far as to provide a third quest starring Pumpkin, an obscure comedic character that didn't even appear in the main quest. Pumpkin's quest was particularly significant in that it presented the potential for these games to now have more than one hidden character. A week or two ago, when it was revealed that Double Jump was making the strategy guide for DoS, their message board was pounded by questions from fans, and being the swell, down-to-earth guys that they are, some Double Jump employees answered back. One question was, since DoS is a direct sequel to AoS, whether Julius Belmont would be returning as an extra character. The Double Jump guy replied that, yes, Julius is back, and he's bringing company.

Naturally, this gave new fuel for the existing rumors that DoS would allow us to play as not only Soma Cruz and Julius, but also Alucard, who is present in AoS and DoS as a supporting character, and/or Yoko Fernandez, a descendant of Sypha Fernandez, who was playable in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse for the NES. Many people, including myself, brushed these off readily, having learned not to have too great expectations for these games.

But then...this. Holy god, this. Damn, son.

If you've seen the pictures and, for whatever lack of context, still don't know quite what they mean, I'll say it. The rumors and speculation were, for once, right on. Not only is Julius playable once more, but so are Alucard and Yoko. And not only that, but evidently, instead of playing through the game with each of them one at a time, you'll be able to switch amongst the three of them on the fly, just like in CVIII! AAAAH HOLY CRAP!!!!

[Doomie]

I just hope it's better than Lament of Innocence.

EDIT: Well, it has to be. It features Alucard. <3

[Dreddz]

Why does this thread deseve to be important ??
Just Castlevania, which are terrible games IMO....

[Del Murder]

This game looks like it will be the best since SotN. A landmark in the series. I must get DS.

[fire_of_avalon]

Why does this thread deseve to be important ??
Just Castlevania, which are terrible games IMO....

Because Kishi decided it was. You really want to question that?

Before the pictures and the Alucard, I wasn't sold mostly because I can't afford a DS. But I can eat later.

[Dreddz]

Why does this thread deseve to be important ??
Just Castlevania, which are terrible games IMO....

Because Kishi decided it was. You really want to question that?

I think thats not fair.......

[Sepho]

I think thats not fair.......

It's the man holding you down. Fight the system, buddy. Rock on.



are the castlevania games good? Ive only played a castlevania that was for n64.

Okay, before developing your thoughts on the Castlevania franchise, do play any game in the series that wasn't released for the N64. No really, that's my recommendation.

Finally:


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ALUCAAAAAAAAAAARDD!!!!!!!!!! :<3: :<3: :<3:

[Markus. D]

When will the sequal to aria of sorrow come out.

(its the only castlevania ive played)

[fire_of_avalon]

Why does this thread deseve to be important ??
Just Castlevania, which are terrible games IMO....

Because Kishi decided it was. You really want to question that?

I think thats not fair.......

It's probably not. This is all Kishi's fault! Let's... not get too close to him.

:love:

[Yamaneko]

I'm assuming the on-the-fly character switching will be a gameplay feature, ie. Alucard can only get to certain places, and maybe even depending on who partakes in the story sequences, we'll see a different story unfold. Can't wait!

[Rase]

Okay, times like this make me sad that I lack a DS or the money to get one. :(

Hopefully I'll be able to get one within a year from now, as I just finished Aria of Sorrow and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Man, this game looks to be oh so sweet.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

It's another big day!


Curse of Darkness
Thirteen new screenshots, three new gameplay movies, and a brand new trailer (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/castlevaniacurseofdarkness/index.html).

Dawn of Sorrow
Twelve new screenshots, four new gameplay movies, and another new trailer (http://www.gamespot.com/ds/action/castlevania/index.html).


It's not "Oh here's Hector from a different angle, fighting a different enemy" stuff, either: the new content is all very revealing. At the very least, watch the trailers--CoD's for its curious new characters, dramatic cut scenes, and stunning operatic music; and DoS's for the absolutely incredibly insane boss battles.

The DoS screenshots also show some more of the Julius/Alucard/Yoko quest, as well as a glimpse at the map screen at a much higher rate of completion than we've seen previously. It was hard to say before, but now it definitely looks like DoS's map will be even larger than SotN's. (That's not counting the inverted castle, but we'll see.)

I can't get enough of how, every time I think I know what the deal is with these games, they go and reveal some new content that makes them twice as impressive as before. Check it out.

[Lord Chainsaw]

Damn, after seeing that Curse of Darkness Trailer, I now want it more than DoS. Hell, it has just moved up right there with Phantasy Star Universe as my most wanted game. Period.

[Vyk]

Indeed. I actually loved Lament of Innocense. Plot was a bit quirky, but gameplay, graphics, music, and everything... for some reason I couldn't put it down. And SotN I don't even have to talk about. People that didn't like that game have issues. I need to put a DS on lay-a-way...

[GooeyToast]

yes, SoTN is damn near perfect.

as for these 2, I'm looking forward to both and DoS might play a key role in my DS purchase.

CoD looks good so far, but I'm still concerned as to the "repeated rooms".

of course, as long as its better than LoI, it must be good.

[Destai]

Looking at trailers through the whole series, I think I'll go spend alot of money on those games. Good job Kishi.

[Del Murder]

Does Square-Enix know that Kishi is moonlighting for Konami?

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewed DoS in their November issue.

SHANE: In many ways, Dawn of Sorrow actually trumps Konami's quintessential "Metroid-vania" that started it all--Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for PS1. Here, girly-man hero Soma Cruz amasses more varied equipment (everything from swords to rocket launchers), masters more powers, and weaves his way through a perfectly paced, respectably difficult side-scrolling adventure. Everything fits into place: vibrant graphics (peppered with stylish 3D backgrounds), tight controls, inventive boss encounters (expect very few repeat performances by classic series villains), and a haunting musical score combine to form a remarkable gameplay experience.

And if you're a slightly addictive personality...say, a recovering crackhead or fresh-out-of-rehab Pokemaniac, Dawn's soul-collection aspect will make your head explode. Sucking up enemy souls grants Soma such startlingly cool abilities (which can be upgraded by gathering additional copies of said souls) that you can really get caught up in catching 'em all. Factor in a treasure trove of unlockable modes and multiple reasons for replay and you're bound to be in a hazy, twitchy Castlevania stupor for a good month.

For my money, Dawn of Sorrow is the DS's second must-buy title after Meteos. Unlike most of the oddball DS software it shares shelf space with, Dawn isn't some think-outside-the-box experiment with synergistic touch-panel technology (in fact, its tacked-on touch-screen bits feel pretty weak), but hell, who's complaining? Quality lasts; gimmicks fade from memory. Sure, it's an awful lot like its Game Boy Advance forerunners, but don't listen to the critics--that's a very good thing.

---

MARK: As reliable as Dracula's castle reappearing every 100 years, Dawn of Sorrow is everything we've come to expect from the excellent handheld Castlevanias: responsive controls; beautiful, crisp 2D graphics; and old-fashioned gameplay that'll keep you up way past your bedtime. It's a formula that's changed little in almost a decade (since Symphony of the Night), but the many refinements here do make a difference, especially the ability to collect multiple monster souls to increase powers and upgrade your weapons. It keeps you gladly swatting at enemies as you crisscross the castle and, along with awesome new playable characters and plenty of secrets, makes it impossibleto put down Dawn of Sorrow until long after the first time you see the credits roll.

---

SHOE: Musty hallways. Skeletons, bats, and flying Medusa heads. The slick weapon that's just out of reach because I haven't scored the double-jump boots yet. Wait...haven't I visited this castle many times before? Yes, Dawn of Sorrow walks down the same design path as its GBA predecessors, but that's just fine because it has the same excellent pacing that makes exploration, combat, and leveling up so compelling.

If you don't have that urge to collect stuff, you won't get the best mileage out of this game. I didn't spend hours beating up on the same monsters over and over just to get a new soul like Shane "Mr. Yawn of Sorrow" over there, so my end experience wasn't as deep as his. But still, I'd recommend this game just for its dedicated map on the upper DS screen. Castlevania veterans understand why...

---

Multiplayer 'Vania?
Dawn's sole multiplayer mode (a series first) isn't exactly the tag-team vampire-whipping party you might have hoped for. Instead, you and a pal each fill a pre-designed level with enemies from your soul collection and then race to see who can complete the other's stage first. It's a fun diversion at best.

---

Alucard and Pals
After glimpsing the first of Dawn's multiple endings, you'll unlock Julius Mode, in which you tackle the game as a trio of vampire hunters--Julius Belmont, sultry shopkeeper Yoko Belnades, and Drac's legendary son (and Symphony of the Night star) Alucard. You can switch between the three unique protagonists on the fly, and each character sports his or her own special powers. Kudos to Konami for including this stellar unlockable bonus.

---

Good: As addictive, challenging, and engaging as a console game
Bad: More evolutionary than revolutionary
Coolest Weapon: Throwing giant platters of beef curry

---

THE VERDICTS
SHANE: 9.5
MARK: 9.0
SHOE: 8.5

GAME OF THE MONTHTuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday.

[Yamaneko]

I have thirteen hours of work / school Tuesday. :( Wednesday, Wednesday!

[Strider]

I got DoS yesterday. So far, it's pretty awesome. :D

Someone said it was a sequel, though, right? What did the original come out on?

[Yamaneko]

GBA - Aria of Sorrow

I'm getting it tomorrow. I was too lazy yesterday.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I got it yesterday and stayed up all night with it. Twelve hours or so. It's still sinking in.

[Sephex]

I got it yesterday and stayed up all night with it. Twelve hours or so. It's still sinking in.


I played it when I got it on Wedsnesday, and I beat it Friday night while I was in St. Louis for my cousin's wedding (which is why my website isn't updated too). I am going through Julius mode now. Great game!

[Del Murder]

This game has been out for a couple weeks already? Man I'm out of touch. Now I need to get a DS.

[Strider]

You beat it in two days? Holy crap. :o

I've explored about 2/3 of the castle, but I have no idea where to go now. Do you know how to open those doors that look like they're screwed shut?

[omnitarian]

Don't worry about them. The doors are basically short-cuts that you can open up. There's a switch on the other side of each door that unlocks them, but you won't reach any of the switches until later in the game anyway.

[Carmilla]

I beat the game yesterday after about 12 hours of play time.
And i just finished collecting every soul, forging every weapon, and uncovering every secret which put my game time up to 16+ hours.

Now i have to max out every upgradable soul, play hard mode, and play Julius mode. Wowzers!! :mog:

[Rase]

Well, for the other half of the thread, I'll just say that, after a hands-on demo of Curse of Darkness, I'm very pleased with it. The combat felt well balanced and is simple, with your basic combos thrown in and a variety of weapons. IN the demo you could use a Broad Sword, Battle Axe, Spear, and Unarmed Combat each with thier own pros and cons, as well and moves. The Innocent Devil's are a nice touch, as you use the much like the souls AoS and DoS. Some specialize in attack moves, others in support (such as healing) and there are those with moves for getting past puzzles (gliding over a gap, stopping time to make it up disappearing stairs, etc.) The reviews I've read have been less happy with it than me (average 8/10), but it still is a game I'll definitely be looking into.

[Del Murder]

I just bought a DS solely to play this game (and also that Mario & Luigi game looks great too). I hope I'm not disappointed. I respect the gaming opinion of kishi and Fresno so I don't think I will be.

[Shoeberto]

De-stickied 'cause Kishi can't stop me.

[Doomie]

I just picked up Curse of Darkness. I have yet to play it though. :(:(:(:(

[Mythra]

I bought a DS just to play this game and I was very satisified :). Next to Symphony of the Night, this is my favorite of all of the Castlevania's. Now if only they'll bring SotN to the psp.....

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I just want to say that DoS is a stellar game on par with SotN, CoD is great and miles ahead of LoI, and everything went as planned. This thread is happy end.

[yuffielover]

I remember Castlevania Bloodlines on the Sega Genesis. That was a good classic Castlevania game. I could sometimes get over 500000 pts. on that game. I'm hoping that Konami will end up releasing all of the old Castlevania games on one disc sometime. That would be awesome. I just bought Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness and beat it in under 15 hours. I'm now doing a game with Trevor Belmont, and I'm right now up to the battle with Saint Germain.