Posts Tagged ‘igarashi’
Podcast: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Game Club
Fred is joined by Austin and guest John Learned to discuss what most consider to be the best game in the Castlevania franchise. As usual the discussion begins with the development, then onto the main castle, the inverted castle, and final impressions. After the end of the show there are also special announcements involving RetroActive Magazine, live shows, and June on the site.
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Referenced Links:
Double Fine Has Some Awesome Game Dev Videos
I have always been meaning to watch the fantastic Double Fine Adventure! series spanning more than 20 videos at current that gives you the most in depth look behind the creative process I’ve ever seen. Always a likable team with an equally likable and charismatic leader in Tim Schafer, Double Fine nails it in this series about Kickstarted title Broken Age and all of the business and developmental setbacks along the way. I have posted the full run (playlist) below as an in-browser window for your convenience.
What you should also check out is the fantastic Devs Play series that spans 25 videos of development guys playing old games (like The Lion King and Doom) and even how to hack a ROM (they use Legend of Zelda), which I find fascinating. Probably the best episode, and a rightful finale to the first season, is a more than 2 hour video with Koji Igarashi (Iga) on the development of Symphony of the Night to kick off his new project. You can also see that below:
Review: Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (PC-E CD)
Console: PC-Engine CD (Japan)
Released: 1993
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Japanese Title: Akumajo Dracula X: Chi No Rondo – English Translation: Devil’s Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood
Instruction Manual: Not necessary – Link
Difficulty: Hard
Played it as a child? No
Value: $83.00(used) Unknown – this usually indicates none have ever been sold (new) (pricecharting.com)
Price: $90-$120 (used) N/A (new) on eBay
Digital Release? Yes – Virtual Console and remake on Dracula X Chronicles (PSP) – $9.00 (VC), $15.00 (PSP) digitally
Akumajo Dracula X: Chi No Rondo is one of those games that you either know about or you don’t. As a side story to the series, appearing on the PC-Engine CD no less, I don’t think Konami ever intended the game to be popular but what it does for the Castlevania formula is worth noting. Rondo of Blood (as it is known in English) follows Richter Belmont, a descendent of Simon and Trevor, in a side story where he seeks out Dracula to recover his girlfriend Annette. It takes place in Germany, I think (I’ve never played the game in English), and the cutscenes even contain German dialogue with Japanese subtitles. Thanks to the RAM and CD format of this title, it also features amazing sound design and an anime-like style. Oh yeah, and until recently it was never released outside of Japan.
Review: Castlevania (NES)
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Released: 1987
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Famicom? Yes (as Akumajo Dorakyura)
Instruction Manual: Not necessary – Link
Difficulty: Hard
Played it as a child? Yes
Value: $12.87 (used) $55,000.00 (new) (pricecharting.com)
Price (eBay): $15-$20 (used) $1125.00 (new) NOTE: This copy is revision A and thus has a lower value.
Digital Release? Yes – Virtual Console (NES version) – $5.00
What Are You Supposed To Do?
This is a linear action platformer. Many attribute the Castlevania series as an RPG or action RPG, whereas aside from the second title in the series, it has never really been. With no real inventory to maintain and no story elements to speak of, this original title is all about jumping and killing enemies.
Review
Castlevania released early in the NES life cycle and for that time seemed to be the culmination of everything you would want in a video game. Hitting store shelves early summer of 1987, most NES gamers had either just gotten or were hoping to get the console in the near future and word was getting around that this was one of the pivotal titles to play. You control a hero, Simon Belmont, who has vowed to hunt Dracula in his own castle. In the game you encounter all types of horror staples such as bats, zombies, and Medusa heads all while tackling large scale boss battles with famous monsters like Frankenstein, the Mummy, and even Death himself (aka: the Grim Reaper). As a young boy, this sounded like the most amazing game in the world and I was even happier to find out it delivered on all fronts. Castlevania is a difficult and wild ride through a haunted castle of horrors that holds up even today, albeit at the cost of your sanity with the Dracula battle.
Gaming History 101 