Castlevania games old and new

[maniacalpha1-1]

So I happened upon the Netflix Castlevania series...pretty awesome I think, and it's got me thinking about Castlevania games.

First, how are the new PC games, Lords of Shadow and newer?

Second, if someone wanted to play the old classics, what are the options? I notice that the NES Classic only has Castlevania 1 and the SNES Classic only has Castlevania 4, but there are many others. I have access to a Wii but I see that Wii Virtual Console is shutting down, is there a way to access the rest of the games on Switch or WiiU? Or is the only way to get some of them to actually get a NES/SNES that can play the old cartridges?

 

[Stg-Flame]

If you're on PC, just use an emulator to play the older games. Hell, I was playing through the older Castlevania games on my phone while at work because they work offline and I'm usually on a location with no cell service.

As for the newer PC games, they are actually pretty fun so long as you don't try to count them into the lore (as convoluted as the lore current is). If you just see them as fun "Castlevania-type games", you won't be disappointed. Don't pay full price for them as I honestly don't believe they are worth the price tag. They are a solid $20 title and often go on sale. I think I grabbed both of them on PC plus all the DLC for under $10 a few years back during a Christmas sale.

As for the PS2 adaptations, they are really fun as well. If you loved Symphony of the Night (which lets be honest, there's no Castlevania fan who doesn't love that game) then you should definitely look into Curse of Darkness as it features a very similar familiar and drop system but also features a crafting system. Enemies will drop materials that you need to craft better equipment and just like SoTN, enemies have a normal drop and a rare drop (and a stealable item). Lament of Innocence is another fun game but your weapons are limited to sub-weapons and whips. You can get different upgrades during the play-through but you'll always be using a whip.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

I haven't played Symphony of the Night but I'd like to, the question is how to get it? Wikipedia says there is a PS4 version but I don't see one on amazon, is it accessible through playstation's online store?

I am not entirely sure I even played any beyond the very first one, way back in the late 80s. I might have played number 2 or 3, but can't remember at all -

 

[ImpulsE69]

Count me as one of the few Castlevania people who never got into SoTN - or any of the similar games after. Castlevania III and Super were my favorites. Everything after just wasn't the same. Never understood the love for it other than the 'twist' 2nd half. Beyond the gameplay (which was completely different) the graphics were a downgrade from before.

 

[Stg-Flame]

I haven't played Symphony of the Night but I'd like to, the question is how to get it?

Locate the console it's available on. If you own the console, buy the game on Amazon or similar retail site. If you don't own the console, either emulate a PSX and the ROM (very easy with Google) or buy the console and the game. At this point, PS2s are dirt cheap and you can probably find a used copy of SoTN anywhere (though the popularity does keep the price fairly high). So far, it's available on the PS1 (which can also be played on the PS2 and very few backwards compatible PS3s), PSP through the Dracula X Chronicles, PS3 via the Playstation Network, Xbox 360 online market (for some reason, the Sword Lord is missing from this version), and now the PS4 in some sort of extremely expensive combo pack with Rondo of Blood. I haven't tried the PS4 version yet due to my lack of a PS4, but I have played every other version available and they all play the same. There is also a Sega Saturn version, but I'm pretty sure that's the original Japanese version.

Count me as one of the few Castlevania people who never got into SoTN - or any of the similar games after. Castlevania III and Super were my favorites. Everything after just wasn't the same. Never understood the love for it other than the 'twist' 2nd half. Beyond the gameplay (which was completely different) the graphics were a downgrade from before.

It took my family (entire family plays video games) a while to get into it, but if you give it a chance and realize you're not playing from a Belmont perspective any longer, but that of Alucard - Dracula's half-human son, it gets so much better. Besides, if you really want to play as a Belmont, you can use a code after you've finished the game to play as Richter. But I do agree it was vastly different from the previous games, though the weapon variety, secrets, collectibles, and sheer amount of game available definitely makes SoTN one of the most memorable PS1 titles.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Yea I should correct what I said, because what they did was turn Castlevania into Metroid - which of course spawned an entire genre. I think at that point I just wasn't into that type of game. I've played and enjoyed many others since.

 

[zinfamous]

Honestly, SoTN was as different from previous Castlevania games as Simon's Quest was, and that was only the 2nd one in the series. All of them see to have some very different game mechanics and design from one to the next, so I think the departures with SotN shouldn't have been that surprising.

SotN definitely felt very strange to me when it came out, but I honestly never really thought of it as the same game, or series really. Like Stg-Flame said, just consider it a story about Alucard and take it for the game it is, and you'd probably enjoy it a lot more. ....it's like a spin-off game! And even so, Alucard was already introduced as a playable protagonist several years earlier, so it really seemed to fit into the lore as it was, but I didn't really pay much attention to all that anyway. I just played the turds out of it because it was one of the best games of that time period.

 

[Stuka87]

My two favorite ones are Castlevania IV, and Symphony of the Night. None of the Castlevania games really have the same gameplay. Each time a new one came out, something new was introduced. I really liked the mechanics that were in SotN. And it was most definately not a downgrade in graphics over the SNES. They were vastly superior. The art style is obviously up to user preference, but the graphics and the visual effects were amazing for the time, and still hold up well today.

 

[shortylickens]

I haven't played Symphony of the Night but I'd like to, the question is how to get it? Wikipedia says there is a PS4 version but I don't see one on amazon, is it accessible through playstation's online store?

I am not entirely sure I even played any beyond the very first one, way back in the late 80s. I might have played number 2 or 3, but can't remember at all -

A long time ago I actually bought the disc from some fool on Amazon. Cost me 20 bucks.
That game tends to go for 70 used and 100+ new.

But I am pretty sure it was re-released on PSN for a reasonable price.