Castlevania Appreciation Thread

[Bloo]

I have yet to see any love for the Castlevania series on here so I figured I'd jump it off. It's one of the longest running franchises for Konami and in the gaming industry altogether. I was introduced to the series by the first installment on the NES back when I played in in '89 and have been hooked ever since.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/24/Castlevania_NES_box_art.jpg
Pure gaming classic


I'm sure some of you younger cats first got introduced to the series through Symphony of the Night.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Castlevania_SOTN_PAL.jpg
I think this game is equally deserving of the Castlevania branding. I like how it took it back to the roots while introducing new gameplay. Maybe not as good as some of the others IMO, but it has built up a cult following like that of Final Fantasy VII. I also read on the Wiki page for this game that they will be releasing this for the Xbox360 Live Arcade for those who missed it the first time.

As it stands the latest rendition is the Portrait of Ruin for the DS
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/PortraitofRuin.jpg
Haven't had a chance to fuck with this one yet but if it's anything like Dawn of Sorrow it'll be more than worth copping.

My personal Favorites:
1. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse - 1990 (NES)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Cv3_na_box.jpg

2. Super Castlevania IV - 1991 (SNES) 2006 (Wii VC)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9a/Super_Castlevania_IV.jpg

3. Castlevania - 1999 (N64)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/B-cv64.jpg

4. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence - 2003 (PS2)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/Castlevania_-_Lament_of_Innocense_%28Gamecover%29.jpg

5. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/255767.jpg

Dope games, and definately worth checking out if you haven't yet.

[Wu-Tality]

I've got Dawn of Sorrow, but I only half understand this game hehe.

[Bloo]

I've played through the game like 5 times. What is it you need help on?

[TAURO]

I love the Castlevania games, I too have been playing them since the days of the NES, this and Contra were my favourates from Konami, the only Castlevania game I still own is Symphony of the Night.

[Bloo]

word :) I was thinking I would be the only one reppign the original on here. I even remember the first time I got it. There was this annoying kid that used to like to hang around me and he told me he borrowed it from a friend. I wanted to use it for the day but he wouldn't let me and I threatened to tell his parents he had it if he didn't let me borrow it. They were like devout christians and shit so he would've gotten into trouble. I was so mean as a kid :lmao:

As for me I own
- Symphony of the Night
- Lament of Innocence
- Dawn of Sorrow
- Aria of Sorrow
- Harmony of Dissonance
- Super Castlevania IV (bought it on the Virtual Console)

All dopeness, especially Dawn of Sorrow

[TAURO]

I wasn't sure about getting Lament of Innocence, when I heard it was coming to PS2 I got very excited but then it started getting so so reviews so then I didn't bother in the end.

[Frontal Lobotomy]

I remember playing the first on my NES while I was a kid, great game. Symphony of The Night was class too

[pneumatic]

I have all for the GBA and DS. I will be getting SotN again when it comes to xbox live arcade. I can't say that I enjoyed the 64 one though :(

[Bloo]

I wasn't sure about getting Lament of Innocence, when I heard it was coming to PS2 I got very excited but then it started getting so so reviews so then I didn't bother in the end.

It's actually not that bad. It kinda plays like a low budget God of War but it definately has the castlevania feel. At times it plays kinda like the old NES Zelda with all the room switching you do but it doesn't take away too much.

I remember playing the first on my NES while I was a kid, great game. Symphony of The Night was class too

Hell yeah, I've been going back though the catalog and checking them all out again. Figured I would after fucking with part 4 on the Wii.

I have all for the GBA and DS. I will be getting SotN again when it comes to xbox live arcade. I can't say that I enjoyed the 64 one though :(
Castlevania 64 really was pretty good though. Alot of my hype for it just came with it being for the 64. I had this boycott against Sony back in the day and refused to own a Playstation so the fact that I got a Castlevania game made me happy. More than anything though, the soundtrack and audio for that game were perfect. Really set the mood.

[Bloo]

And now, to pay respects to the Castlevania that never was...

Castlevania Resurrection
http://dcmedia.ign.com/media/previews/image/castlevania/bg52.jpg

http://dcmedia.ign.com/media/previews/image/castlevania/bg53.jpg


http://dcmedia.ign.com/media/previews/image/castlevania/bg30.jpg

http://dcmedia.ign.com/media/previews/image/castlevania/bg31.jpg

http://dcmedia.ign.com/media/previews/image/castlevania/bg32.jpg

http://dcmedia.ign.com/media/previews/image/castlevania/bg33.jpg

http://dcmedia.ign.com/media/previews/image/castlevania/bg34.jpg

This was the Castlevania that was being developed for the Dreamcast. It would also be the first Castlevania to be developed by Konami's U.S. department. No real reason as to why it was canceled outside of maybe disagreements between Konami's Japan and American offices. Oh well, maybe it was for the better...

[pneumatic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4we8iFk-fY

[INF]

all I got right now is the one for tha 64. I used to have the first one for the gameboy. When there was them play action machines back in the day I would always play castlevania. The shit is classic and i cant believe that its made it this long.

[MsRzaRecTaH]

Man this shit is old school.... CASTLEVANIA IS MY FAVORITE GAME OF ALL TIME!
I had the books.. (yeah I cheated once in a while)
and stayed up til 5 am playing these games..

[sakechamp]

YEa the firSt one was classic. i remember playin it strickly on arcade before it dropped on NES. It was crack. The music fit the game right and the control of the game was fair. Contra was hands down the best action and most violent game for NES back in the day. Metroid was ill too. JUSTIN BAILEY was the code to reveal her ta tas lol.

[Bloo]

Also an honourable mention, and I think its the only Castl;evania game I actually beat, was the one for Game Boy "Belmonts Revenge"....its weird cus its labelled Castlevania 2, but in the NES version you're Simon Belmont, whereas in the Game Boy one you're Christopher Belmont......oh well w/e, lol.
http://www.megalong.com/games/ig/1362.jpg
This is probably one of the only Castlevania games I haven't played yet. I'll see if I can't find the ROM or something and play it on an emulator