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Castlevania + DS = NO TIME
18 years ago
So, got me some Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for the NintendoDS this Christmas. Also got a nice set of 007 films, but they'll be watched later to-day.
Anyhow, back to good ol' Castlevania. I love Castlevania. I even love the bad ones, like Curse of Darkness. The portable Castlevanias, though - that's where it's at, for now. The basic formula (big castle, explore, level up) is getting VERY worn out, but the fact that with each entry they come up with fresh little additions makes the formula last.
The nice thing about the DS versions is that they now have the horsepower to render 3D objects in a 2D enviroment. I've been saying they should do this in Castlevania for YEARS. They started to do it a bit with 3D backrounds in Dawn of Sorrow, but they really use the effect in Portrait of Ruin. Now, if only they would go ahead and do a full-blown sidescrolling 3D Castlevania, a' la' New Super Mario Brothers...
So yes, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is a fantastic DS game, and a fine entry in the Castlevania series. I don't agree with some 'Vania fans that it is the best portable entry to date - I think I still prefer Dawn of Sorrow. The game is still solid though, and if you own a DS and have ever enjoyed any of the post-Symphony of the Night 2D Castlevanias, I'd totally recommend this game to you.
Now, here's the kicker: I need to beat this and Final Fantasy III before March, because that is when Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass comes out on the DS. While I despise the Wind Waker art style that they're using (God, Harmonica of Time and Twilight Princess look gorgeous), the portable Zelda entries have never let me down. Link's Awakening is still one of my favorite games ever.
Anyhow, back to good ol' Castlevania. I love Castlevania. I even love the bad ones, like Curse of Darkness. The portable Castlevanias, though - that's where it's at, for now. The basic formula (big castle, explore, level up) is getting VERY worn out, but the fact that with each entry they come up with fresh little additions makes the formula last.
The nice thing about the DS versions is that they now have the horsepower to render 3D objects in a 2D enviroment. I've been saying they should do this in Castlevania for YEARS. They started to do it a bit with 3D backrounds in Dawn of Sorrow, but they really use the effect in Portrait of Ruin. Now, if only they would go ahead and do a full-blown sidescrolling 3D Castlevania, a' la' New Super Mario Brothers...
So yes, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is a fantastic DS game, and a fine entry in the Castlevania series. I don't agree with some 'Vania fans that it is the best portable entry to date - I think I still prefer Dawn of Sorrow. The game is still solid though, and if you own a DS and have ever enjoyed any of the post-Symphony of the Night 2D Castlevanias, I'd totally recommend this game to you.
Now, here's the kicker: I need to beat this and Final Fantasy III before March, because that is when Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass comes out on the DS. While I despise the Wind Waker art style that they're using (God, Harmonica of Time and Twilight Princess look gorgeous), the portable Zelda entries have never let me down. Link's Awakening is still one of my favorite games ever.
I don't mind the 2D ones, but in a Post-Devil May Cry world, my expectancies from battle systems are a lot higher. CoD may not've been in DMC's league, but it was a giant step up from the same old one-move-no-combos stuff.
I wouldn't want to see a 2D or a 2 and a half-D Castlevania on a console, but I don't want to see another 3D one until they get a good 3D team behind it. As it stands, Lament is my favorite 3D entry simply because of the awesome atmosphere.
The atmosphere, yeah, I'll agree with. The courtyard under the clock tower where you fight a certain someone was pretty, and that full moon on the broken staircase leading up to the final boss was awesome, but you're right, it didn't compare to say the Gardens of Lament of Innocence. That and Legion had NOTHING on the optional boss of Lament, forget his name. Best optional boss EVER. But nonetheless, I enjoyed the game.
There's nothing wrong with CoD's team, they just need some practice... I think. That and to take more inspiration out of DMC's engine, simply because of how awesome and versatile it is for any kind of third-person action game.
There's quite a lot of 2D Castlevanias on the PS2, so you're going to be let down there, heheh. Either way, Lament was good, but I still liked Curse of Darkness, too. :3
I liked Legion as a choice for a hidden boss, but yeah; The Forgotten One was ten times more awesome.
In the end, Curse was okay, but it wasn't any better than Lament (also liked Lament's soundtrack WAY more) - and that was a sin in and of itself, considering that they didn't learn from their previous mistakes.
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