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Castlevania Coming to Xbox

eToyChest is reporting that there are two new Castlevania titles coming to the current generation of consoles. Castlevania: Curse of Darkness will be released on the Xbox and the PS2, while Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow will see the dual lights of the DS. From the article: "While past Castlevania games have focused on the struggle between Dracula and the Belmont clan, Curse of Darkness introduces players to an entirely new storyline and main character - Hector, a Devil Forgemaster, and former Lieutenant of Dracula. Told in true Castlevania style by award winning producer Koji Igarashi, this action-packed tale of betrayal and revenge takes players on a journey through an expansive world filled with formidable foes and beautifully rendered environments to the ruins of Dracula's castle."

30 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. i've missed castlevania by castlec · · Score: 1

    i haven't had a gaming system in years from lack of time, money, etc. it may almost be worth buying a ps2 to give it a go.

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    When I tell an object to delete this, am I killing it or telling it to kill me?
    1. Re:i've missed castlevania by zr-rifle · · Score: 1

      Be sure to pick up Castlevania Symphony of the Night then, widely regarded as the best in the series.

      Sure, it's a 2D platform, but you won't be disappointed by the beautiful bitmap graphics, the impressive soundtrack by Akira "Silent Hill" Yamaoka and the unbeatable playability (only Super Metroid comes close).

      --
      Hack your mind out of its sandbox.
    2. Re:i've missed castlevania by castlec · · Score: 1

      you know, i used to have a 'backup' of that but never got around to playing it. my roommates and i were too busy tweaking our cars in some racing game that i can't remember the name of right now. i may see if my now former roommate still has it and is willing to mail it. i can always load up ps1 emulator for that. thanks for the suggestion :o)

      --
      When I tell an object to delete this, am I killing it or telling it to kill me?
    3. Re:i've missed castlevania by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Or aim for a DS because that has the three GBA Castlevanias and soon will get the DS Castlevania. Plus it can play those old NES rereleases of Castlevania.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    4. Re:i've missed castlevania by incom · · Score: 1

      I'd heavily recommend either a GBASP or DS and the 3 GBA castlevania games, I just bought all three yesturday and it's been some of the most fun I've had on my DS yet.

      --
      True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
    5. Re:i've missed castlevania by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

      You beat me to it. Symphony of the Night is the best 2D platformer there is.... still to this day.

  2. three! three new castlevania versions! ahh-ahh-ahh by evilmousse · · Score: 1


    i hope the music is still great. i'm actually willing to bet ahead of time this'll be good, seeing as i can personally vouch for the series having had good games on NES, orig gameboy, saturn & dreamcast, and i know consoles i've not had got well-received versions as well.

    when will it jump the shark? has it?

  3. AI Bots = Bad Gameplay by dmaduram · · Score: 1

    IMO, the new addition of AI-controlled bots in the upcoming Castlevania title seems like an rather poor decision:

    Armed with the unique new abilities of Devil Forgery, gamers will be able to call upon trusty allies - "Innocent Devils" - who will help defeat a variety of powerful enemies. More than 30 evolving allies will develop unique abilities ranging from those that can open heavy doors, to those that can help Hector fly.

    The mere idea of having one AI-controlled henchman/ally/bot annoys me to no end (i.e. Farah in Prince of Persia), but it seems horrendous to have *30* different bots that one *must* learn to use in order to complete game-critical tasks (i.e. opening heavy doors) -- I can't count how many times that 'helpful' bots have gotten stuck around corners, forcing a console reboot.

    1. Re:AI Bots = Bad Gameplay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I can't count how many times that 'helpful' bots have gotten stuck around corners, forcing a console reboot.

      Unsummon, resummon. If they even get stuck. Or did you think all 30 would be permanently following you?

    2. Re:AI Bots = Bad Gameplay by discordja · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I assume they'll be in the same vein as they were in 'Symphony of the Night' which is arguably the best Castlevania title ever.

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      I stole this .sig
    3. Re:AI Bots = Bad Gameplay by -kertrats- · · Score: 1

      I've never had Farah get stuck around corners or anything like that...Prince of Persia was the perfect example of how to do AI bots right. Did you have problems I somehow avoided?

      --
      The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
    4. Re:AI Bots = Bad Gameplay by WarPresident · · Score: 1

      I can't count how many times that 'helpful' bots have gotten stuck around corners, forcing a console reboot.

      Still having those Daikatana flashbacks, eh?

      --
      Here come da fudge!
  4. Re:three! three new castlevania versions! ahh-ahh- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Like evilmousse pointed out, it's plain amazing to see how many titles the Castlevania title has spawned -- Gamespot just had a great article on the history of Castlevania, and it references the following titles:

    Vampire Killer, Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Super Castlevania IV, Dracula X: The Rondo of Blood, Akumajo Dracula X68000, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Castlevania: Dracula X, Castlevania: Symphony of The Night, Castlevania 64, Castlevania 64: Legacy of Darkness, Akumajo Dracula: Circle of the Moon. Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, Castlevania Legends, Haunted Castle, Vs. Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, , Castlevania: Resurrection

    If that's not a killer franchise, I don't know what is :)

    - dmaduram

  5. 2D is Castlevania by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    I'm really looking forward to the DS version. Hopefully, by the time it's out, an emulator will be available, or some kind of TV output device for the DS itself so I can play it on a big screen.

    The problem with the 3D Castlevania games is not that they are particularly bad (some were not), but that they just don't capture the essence of what the genera is all about.

    Take arguably the best Castlevania game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the Playstation. Fantastic graphics with a memorable style of their own, rather than the faily generic looking 3D visuals that try to be realistic. The controls were easy and precise, something that is pretty much impossible to achive when trying to control a character in a 3D world. Bouncing around using your special moves and attacks is fantastic fun in 2D.

    Gods on the Amiga is another example of how a 2D game can still be better than every single 3D platformer ever released. I wish Konami would be brave and release a 2D game on the PS2 and XBox.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    1. Re:2D is Castlevania by tgibbs · · Score: 1

      I agree; the DS version is the one that I'm looking forward to. The attempts at 3D Castlevania never quite seem to come off. And I'm interested to see how the dual screens and touch screen control will be used.

    2. Re:2D is Castlevania by AuMatar · · Score: 1

      I can see some uses for the touch screen. Mainly with the whip. A whip is an amazingly flexible weapon, but its hard to really use via a joystick. Touch screen controls the whip, d pad controls movwement. 360 degree control of the whip while still having full range of motion.

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
    3. Re:2D is Castlevania by bladesjester · · Score: 1

      According to the preview they gave of the DS game, the touch screen will be used to remove some obstacles (such as ice blocks) and to trace specific patterns in order to land the killing blow on bosses.

      In fact, the game is supposed to be played on the lower (touch) screen with the upper screen reserved for the map.

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      Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
    4. Re:2D is Castlevania by AuMatar · · Score: 1

      I think a 3D perspective reduces difficulty and playability (as in the first time) to a huge degree. The addition of another axis of freedom makes any games with fighting way too easy- too easy to avoid bullets, dodge attacks, etc. The only difficulty to be found in these games usually ends up being from poor camera controls. Give me a good old 2D platformer any day.

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
  6. Viewtiful Joe by ReKleSS · · Score: 2

    2D platformer (well, 3D but played in a 2D style), with good reviews. Sounds like it could be what you're looking for, but I've never played it so I can't say. I'd add that the Devil May Cry games (except DMC2) remind me a lot of Castlevania SOTN - my PS2 died just after I got DMC3 (^#@^%#@^@#), so I went back to playing SOTN on PS1 for a while until I could replace it... after a while they do end up feeling fairly similar. Except that Alucard doesn't have a pair of demonic handguns. And Dante can't turn into a bat.
    -ReK

    --
    md5sum -c reality.md5
    reality: FAILED
    md5sum: WARNING: 1 of 1 computed checksum did NOT match
  7. Why no Gamecube? by DavidLeblond · · Score: 1

    They release Castlevania games for the Nintendo portables, why not the Gamecube?

    1. Re:Why no Gamecube? by Txiasaeia · · Score: 1

      Y'know, this is an excellent point. I love all three Castlevania games for the GBA, and would welcome the chance to play them on the Cube and the new one on my GBA as well. Guess they figure they'll sell more copies on the XBox, I suppose.

      --
      Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
    2. Re:Why no Gamecube? by DavidLeblond · · Score: 1

      The closest I have gotten is playing them on my Gamecube via the Gameboy Player.

      But hey, I guess with the Revolution we'll be able to download Castlevania 1-4 + Castlevania 64 (and whatever others I forgot)

    3. Re:Why no Gamecube? by cttforsale · · Score: 1

      Don't they play on the Gameboy player for the cube?

    4. Re:Why no Gamecube? by DavidLeblond · · Score: 1

      Well, yeah... but I was hoping for either a) a nice beefy 2D side scroller that utilized the more advanced Gamecube or b) a port of the games being released for the ps2.

  8. Re:I fondly remember castlevania for the GB by DamienNightbane · · Score: 1

    The Game Boy had four colors.

  9. I need more sleep... by Daetrin · · Score: 1

    or some caffeine or something. I thought "award winning producer Koji Igarashi" said "akward whining producer Koji Igarashi" and it took a second or two to figure out i was reading it wrong. And this isn't some snide commentary about the producer in question, i don't even know who he is.

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    This Space Intentionally Left Blank
  10. Re:I fondly remember castlevania for the GB by evilmousse · · Score: 1


    a truly great game. i have some of the BGM midis as my cellphone tones, and i'm still awaiting the person who can identify them. ^^ my cellphone's ringer sounds just like a gameboy speaker, so it's pretty spot-on.

  11. Re:Nice title... by r_benchley · · Score: 1

    The article was titled "Castlevania come to XBox" for two reasons. First, Curse of Darkness was announced for the PS2 months ago. For PS2 fans, this isn't news. For XBox gamers, this is a pleasant surprise. Second, this is the first Castlevania game to be released on the XBox. It's great for XBox owners that one of the best video game makers (Konami) is bringing one of the longest running and most venerated video game franchises (Castlevania) to their system. I don't own an XBox, and have no intention of purchasing the XBox 360, but it is certainly newsworthy that Konami is testing the waters with what is arguably their top franchise.

  12. Re:three! three new castlevania versions! ahh-ahh- by evilmousse · · Score: 1


    flattering comments aside, you're right about the dreamcast. i'm not sure what i remember now..

    i chose "versions" because "two! two new games, ah ah ah" doesn't get the sesame-street count count joke accross as well, at least i thought.

    i, er, bow to your superior castlevanism.

  13. Re:Hurrah! by apoc06 · · Score: 1

    hey, at least theres one other person that didnt think lament of innocence was that bad. it left a bit wanting and it wasnt the absolute best, but overall it was the first 3d castlevania that at least deserved the title of being called a castlevania game.