I've just finished playing Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for the Nintendo DS, which is a feat all by itself (try it, and you'll know why. Sorry, non-veteran players! Don't lose it, now). By all means, it is the Castlevania game that could trump all other Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night, and by my count, it would be more than 10 years now since the game was released.
And this brings me to a point what I've thought of as the greatest irony is Castlevania, and in the history of gaming for that matter.
The Castlevania series has always been associated to the Belmont clan, those who wield whips to slay demons and keep the Dark Lord, Dracula, at bay. It is a point to consider that the Belmonts and Dracula are mortal enemies whose rivalry has spanned for many, many generations. So on paper, the Belmont clan should have been the true heroes if you want to put it on a typical protagonist perspective.
In 1997, a surprising entry to the Castlevania franchise came about for the Sony PlayStation, known as Symphony of the Night. The story surrounded on, and unheard of during that time, the son of Dracula, Alucard. It is, undoubtedly, the very definition of how 2D side-scrolling RPG's/games should be. It went on to become a success financially and overall, eventually marking this game as the benchmark, or the standard-bearer if you will, of side-scrolling gaming.
It's really funny, because the most successful game in the Castlevania franchise, a title which is supposedly Belmont country, is headlined by the son of the very creature the clan has been trying to kill to begin with!
Since then, the games that have adapted the SotN system have become regarded as successful games in their own right, most of which are not headlined by a Belmont. Notice that these games (Aria and Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, Order of Ecclesia, etc) are exclusive to portable systems. Smart, successful, amazing. They should REALLY consider the SotN system to the console games in the future. Seriously.
Castlevania: Judgment is a fighting game title I cannot wait to see personally. It's the first of its kind under the franchise, which is a total risk to say the least. But you know, anything can happen.
Until then, by popular demand...
Run for Japan
13 years ago
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2 comments:
Lol, honestly, the Belmont's are lame. What gave SotN such a great following was not Alucard, rather, what can be done with Alucard. Playing as the Belmont's, your stuck with the vampire killer whip, a sub weapon, and a kind of overcharge. On the other hand, Alucard had a customizable wardrobe (especially the cape), tons of weapons, ingenious spells (SOUL STEAL) and shape shifting abilities. Furthermore Vampires are TeH C00ls.
You may have forgotten the likes of Soma Cruz from the Sorrow series, and the partners from Portrait of Ruin. They aren't Belmont, but they're definitely cool.
Oh, and Judgment, you get to use Dracula and Death. Tadaa! XD
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