[Blackheart]

It's another sleepless night for me so I thought I would start up a discussion on this new Castlevania game I'm really looking forward to playing if it comes out on PC.

I started up a discussion on this title in another thread and to save myself time I'm going to copy and paste what I've already stated about it. "This is not the Castlevania you know from your childhood, it's a complete rebirth of the series reinventing everything from the gameplay mechanics to the adult oriented plot to the graphics from the ground up. It's a bit controversial of whether or not there will be a PC port of this title. Most websites list this as a console exclusive title, but I have found two websites which list a PC rendition for this game. The first is Play.com where you can also preorder a PC copy of this game. Now, play.com has been known to spread bad information before and if I were to assess whether or not there will be a PC rendition based solely on the information from play.com then I would say no. However, I found reference to a PC port of this CV title on Voodoo Extreme 3D (ve3d.com) which is owned, operated by, and affiliated with the IGN network. IGN is a very respectable gamer's site when it comes to information and the lowdown on games so it's the second site more so than the first which has me hopeful for a PC port. I really hope there will be a PC port because I really, really want to play this, this game looks like it's going to be incredible."

I what to know what the community thinks, do you all think there will be a PC port? Tell me your wants and expectations for this title if you're a CV fan or just a fan of these style of games and if anyone else has found or can find information on a possible PC version for this game from a credible website please supply it because I would like to know. Let me know what you think.

If you're unfamiliar or just unaware of Konami's latest project in associate with Mercurysteam and Kojima productions you can check out the official E3 '09 teaser trailer which has CV fans creaming in their pants here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y8F0dQM1DI

Feel free to talk about anything you like relevant to this title including your thoughts on plot, opinions on choice for voice talents, what you would like to see in this game, etc.

[DustyShinigami]

Well, I'm really looking forward to this title. But, no matter how good it may be, Symphony of the Night will always be my favourite.

The graphics to this new one look amazing and the boss fights look like they're going to be huge and epic. I just hope they're a challenge. No mention on whether Dracula will be in this game (or any vampire for that matter) but there had better be. It won't really be a Castlevania game without a vampire or a huge castle to explore.

And, theoretically, the voice acting should be top-notch, what with Robert Carlyle, Patrick Stewart and Jason Isaacs lending their voices.

[Blackheart]

Never got a chance to finish Symphony of the Night although I always wanted to, but I lost the play disc

The thing about the bosses is I really do hope they're challenging unlike Batman: Arkham Asylum which was a bit of a disappointment for me. Sure the boss fights were on a big scale and while they were fun and interesting they were just too easy. Any person who plays these types of games should breeze through the bosses in Arkham Asylum on their first attempt. I did. Not to mention the game gives you hints on what to do.

Don't get me started on the boss fights in the new Wolfestein...EPIC FAIL. They didn't even feel like a fight, the bosses were all just some cheap gimmick to take them down. An example would be in the hospital when B.J. has to *ahem* "fight" this big monster while trying to take down this occultic portal to what is called the black sun dimension, this is one of the first boss encounters the player comes across in the game.The portal is suspended on a platform with four structural beams holding the contraption up. Nazis charge into the room during the alleged fight as well so it sounds like it would be difficult right? Not at all. First, the Nazis are so focused on the monster they don't even concern themselves with B.J. so you can run right past them without getting a second glance from them. As for the creature and the portal itself...so how do you beat them you may ask? The deformed nazi monster does charge attacks, you simply entice him to charge you and stand behind a support beam to get him to smash right into it. Two of his charges will destroy one of the portal's support beams and once he takes out the four beams the fight is over. You can get through the whole thing without firing a SINGLE bullet. I'm not kidding.

I hope the new Castlevania avoid these cheapened type of boss encounters. As for Dracula and some huge castle, I couldn't agree more, but that remains to be seen. Not much information is floating around on the net yet about what the plot is going to be, other than the main character, Gabriel, is taking on the evil which plagues the land in search for a revered relic called the "mask" which is believed to be able to resurrect the dead. It's easy to deduce he wants the mask to bring back his murdered wife, they pretty much tell you that in the trailer at the end. From what I gather this going to be another prequel, kind of like Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness, so Dracula may or may not be in it, but I'm not sure if Gabriel is even a Bellmont. If he's not then the chances of Dracula making a debut are significantly lower since only the exiled Bellmonts have the dreaded power the Church fears to be able to confront the count himself (it is believed that Sonja Bellmont, the first known Bellmont who is mother to Trevor Bellmont and ancestor to Simon Bellmont, had her son, Trevor, with Alucard, Dracula's son, hence the Bellmonts' superior strength and power. This is why it is thought the Church renounced the Bellmonts as heretics banishing the clan from their homeland in Wallachia). Ever noticed in the few CV titles where the main protagonist isn't a Bellmont that Dracula is nowhere to be found? There's a reason for it.

I do think there will be a huge castle for two reasons: (1) In the trailer when Gabriel is standing on the mountain in the background there's a huge castle in the background with a dark sky looming over it (2) There's the scene when Gabriel is diving through the cathedral window doing that swan dive flip in the air. That's how I believe he breaks into the aforementioned previously seen castle.

I have high hopes for this because Kojima is involved with this once again. For those of you who don't know Hideo Kojima, the creator of Metal Gear Solid, is also the creator of the original two Castlevanias. After part two though he didn't have any direct ties with the subsequent sequels usually licensing the rights out to a third party game studio and production company. That's not to say the sequels weren't good in their own right, I felt they just failed to recapture the magic of the first two, but he's back with direct affiliation to the latest entry. That's right, the man who started it all is rehelming the creative lead to this next CV title which means it's almost guaranteed to please the true fans of the series. Saying Kojima wouldn't do a good job is pretty much saying the same thing as if James Cameron took over the next slated Terminator movie and wouldn't do it justice fixing the series where that crap director, "McG", and Halycon studios went so wrong with Salvation.

That's about it lol. Oh, I almost forgot until I looked back up at the title bar . There are a lot of CV fans who are PC owners and don't have access to or don't own consoles. Statistically speaking, while there are a lot of people who have a PC and a console, there are generally more PC owners than console owners worldwide. We CV fans who have PCs and not consoles want to make our voices heard to Konami. With the exception of a rereleasement of the first Castlevania there hasn't been another CV title on the PC and we're tired of being ignored. Konami is only hindering their profit margin by denying their CV fans whom are PC owners accessibility to the CV games. As a result there is an online petition to have the latest CV entry ported to PC should the rumors of a PC version be false and Konami decides to go against it. Personally, I would like to see Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness ported to the PC as well, but I'm pretty sure that will never happen.

I'm asking all fellow CV fans whom would want to see Lords of Shadow on the PC to sign the Petition. I've already signed it myself. All that is required is a name and an email address which has an option to be kept private. You don't have to use your real name if you don't want to, but it would make more of an impression if you did, I signed my real full name personally. If you don't want to put in your full name you can put in only your first name and as I said your email won't be publicly disclosed. Last time I checked there were currently only 234 signatures, but I don't feel it's enough to impress upon Konami our intent. If we had a couple of thousand sigs that would make much more of an impact and can't be so easily ignored.

If you are one of those CV fans who has a PC and a console then I'm asking nicely help those of us without a console out by signing the petition anyway if you would be so kind . The link to the petition is: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_pe...ned.cgi?CLOSPC

Thanks for reading.

[DustyShinigami]

It's a shame this game is being overlooked here. It looks and sounds like a very promising action/adventure.

Here's 11 minutes worth of gameplay footage.

And already, before its release, it's been getting praise.

[Monolith]

Another Symphony of the Night fan here. If you have an Xbox, you can get the game over Marketplace. Great game. Especially since I was a fan of the metroid series. lol

This game looks and plays amazing. When I was at E3, the demo played like a dream. It was a seen at a village where you battle your first? werewolf. Intense battle.

Really anticipating the release. Its going to be epic!

[Origami]

Another 2D Castlevania fan here.
I am anticipating this game. Looks like big fun.

[Monolith]

I thought the 360 was going to get the demo yesterday. Yet the demo release was only for the PSN. That blows.

[oron]

i'm new to the Castlevania series
and Castlevania Lords of shadow looks promising i enjoyed the demo very much
upon waiting for the game to come out i'm checking other Castlevania games

[DustyShinigami]

You must get Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. IMO, it's the best in the series. Or one of the best.

[Origami]

It's a shame this game is being overlooked here. It looks and sounds like a very promising action/adventure

Why would you think that?
The game isn't even out and I think it has the right attention.

You must get Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

I recommend Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP. It features Castlevania Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night as an unlockable. With revised script(really for the better).

Next to that I recommend the GBA and DS games of Castlevania (3 + 3 = 6 games in total). Really....2D Castlevanias go so well with an handheld on the go.

[DustyShinigami]

Originally Posted by Origami

Why would you think that?
The game isn't even out and I think it has the right attention.

No, I mean here - on these forums. A number of AAA titles get a thread made, quite a bit of a discussion, along with people posting screenshots and trailers etc.

I recommend Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP. It features Castlevania Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night as an unlockable. With revised script(really for the better).

Dracula X Chronicles is good, but hard and sometimes frustrating. He/she's new to the series after all. He/she may not even have a PSP. Because he/she played the demo of Lords of Shadow on PS3, it would make perfect sense to get Symphony of the Night off the PSN store.

[oron]

Thank you Gazzoid and Origami for the wonderful recommendations
both Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Dracula X Chronicles look awesome
lol but i guess that kind of graphics is the real close deal for me
what can i say i like the old graphics quests

[Origami]

it would make perfect sense to get Symphony of the Night off the PSN store.

Assuming he/she lives in the US.

@Oron

You say 'old graphics quests'. I hope you don't expect an adventure game of some sort with a high degree of puzzling. The games are mostly action-based. But there is a big sense of exploration and accomplishment trust me, they're highly addicting. Especially when you get familiar with the some more familiar tunes of the franchise.

[oron]

yes i know what i meant was only graphics wise
i love action-based games they are the next best thing next to quests
i also know that these kind of games are highly addicting
and i'm a he XD unfortunately i don't live in the US

[DustyShinigami]

Originally Posted by Origami

Assuming he/she lives in the US.

Originally Posted by oron

unfortunately i don't live in the US

Ah. Not owning a PS3 myself etc. I didn't know the PSN/PS Store wasn't available to people outside the UK/US. I assumed it was and he could because he enjoyed the demo.

[Origami]

^
The PSN Store is available outside the UK/US. But the content differs per region. For example...I live in The Netherlands and I am still waiting for Wild Arms and Grandia. >=(

[DustyShinigami]

Oh, of course. Yeah, the same thing applies to the 360. D'oh.

Well, in that case, surely Symphony of the Night would be available for him by now. It was released on XBLA and PSN back in 2007.

[Origami]

^
Umm...I have never seen SOTN in the PS Store here in Europe. =(
I am not so sure...

[oron]

hey guys look what i found! i'm so hype right now

http://www.relyonhorror.com/latest-n...es-on-psnxbla/

[DustyShinigami]

Originally Posted by Origami

^
Umm...I have never seen SOTN in the PS Store here in Europe. =(
I am not so sure...

Seriously? That blows.

Originally Posted by oron

hey guys look what i found! i'm so hype right now

http://www.relyonhorror.com/latest-n...es-on-psnxbla/

That's great news. I'd like to play the ones on the DS. However, if you can't bring yourself to wait for these re-releases - or if they don't become available to you at all - then it looks like you'll have to either:

1. Buy the original PS One title off eBay - the most expensive option!
2. Or, buy Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP - if you have a PSP