Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Castlevania spiritual successor)

[Jumpman]

My problem with the KS game scene is that a lot of it looks like the pop singers from the 80s making a comeback to make some easy bucks.

"Hey, we are the makers of Megaman" -> Mighty N9

"Hey, we are the makers of Castlevania" -> this thing

"Hey, we are the makers of Wing Commander" -> Star Citizen

and so on...

Some of them will be good, but I expect most of them to be below average vs expectations, because most of these people have NOT made games in years (or if they have, they haven't made good ones in years) and they are just asking to be trusted on their reputation back when they were good. 

But hey, people age, and they often "lose it" - we see it a lot among most art forms (musicians, film makers getting lazy and less provocative and therefore less interesting) - I'm not interested in backing the old guys who think they can make a come-back. They had their time of glory and now it's gone. I'd rather have new, original ideas instead of rehashing the same thing over and over again because of everlasting nostalgia.

This is rare, but I actually agree with every point you made ekianjo^

I was at the Classic Gamers Expo here in Vegas a few years back, and I was talking to the DKII Intellivision creator, and someone asked why he didn't do KS to fund his projects? Now he was very old school(obviously), but he thought KS was not the way to do things, as he figured "create" something first, and if it's good, others will buy it. He thought taking money first was just "wrong". Now while I agree with his ideology for what he is doing, I can't really expect a game on a HUGE level to follow that business plan.

He is one man, making one game, so "build it, and they will come" works for his uses. So I can see both sides of the arguments, but sometimes "you need money, to make money". As I have stated in the past, KS is just a glorified "investment" tool, and as such, anyone who want's to take part, is making an "investment" and it should be considered as such, and treated as such. Your "return" is getting a product of some sort that you would normally never get the chance to obtain through standard means.

So it all comes down to what someone sees value in, and what others may not.

Chris

 

[fusion_power]

Hm, not a single ingame screen, only concept art, no prototype or anything. Not very convincing at the moment. Before you start an KS campaign you should have at least something to show.

Mighty N9 used the same trick : all renders, no actual in-game graphics. In the end the game does not really look like the renders at all either... KS is just a blank check to devs, they don't feel any obligation to deliver on what they promise. 

I stumbled over Mighty N9, not my kind of game but I usualy take a look at everything that sounds "retro".  It seems there is already a big community there, they included community designed mobs etc. Meag Man seems to still have it's fans. However, the game uses a modern 3D engine insead of classic pixel look which is the same route that this Castlevania game will go.   Mighty N9 also had very beautiful 2D (fan) artwork at first, that fit perfect imho. But yes, it turned out different at the end.  The Artwork of Bloodstained looks good, let's hope this look will stay.

Well, it still can become a good game, we have to wait for reviews. But I personaly prefer more something like "Axiom Verge":

http://store.steampowered.com/app/332200/

Maybe because I like Metroid style games more than Castlevania games, even if both are often called "Metroidvania". ^^"

 

[Exophase]

But I personaly prefer more something like "Axiom Verge":

Oh hey, I was waiting for this to be out on Steam, had no idea it was. Thanks for the heads up.

But personally, I like Castlevania more than Metroid. I prefer the more in-depth RPG elements and I find the soundtracks more memorable.

 

[Jumpman]

But I personaly prefer more something like "Axiom Verge":

Oh hey, I was waiting for this to be out on Steam, had no idea it was. Thanks for the heads up.


But personally, I like Castlevania more than Metroid. I prefer the more in-depth RPG elements and I find the soundtracks more memorable.

I'm waiting on Axiom Verge as well, but I'm waiting on the Vita version. But sadly, it has no current release date.

I'm the opposite, I actually prefer the straight forward style of Metroid, than the RPG elements of Castlevania.

Chris

 

[Exophase]

I'm the opposite, I actually prefer the straight forward style of Metroid, than the RPG elements of Castlevania.

That's expected. My tastes in gaming are pretty contrary to popular opinion. Super Metroid isn't my favorite Metroid game either, nor is Symphony of the Night my favorite Castlevania game. And if you really want to see how bad it gets, ask me which NES Megaman game I like the most.

 

[ekianjo]

NES Megaman game I like the most.

None of them have aged particularly well... 

Symphony of the Night my favorite Castlevania game

Super Castlevania then ? (the first one on SNES) ?

I hope it's not Rondo of Blood...  

Mighty N9 also had very beautiful 2D (fan) artwork at first, that fit perfect imho.

Yes, there are very few 2D games done in HD resolution. Most designers these days go for 3D and think it can look as good as 2D, but it does not. Hand drawn graphics require a whole set of different skills, but if you do it right, it looks fantastic (KOF is a great example of that). 

 

[Jumpman]

I'm the opposite, I actually prefer the straight forward style of Metroid, than the RPG elements of Castlevania.

That's expected. My tastes in gaming are pretty contrary to popular opinion. Super Metroid isn't my favorite Metroid game either, nor is Symphony of the Night my favorite Castlevania game. And if you really want to see how bad it gets, ask me which NES Megaman game I like the most.

While I enjoyed Super Metroid at release, I never understood why it was a top so many top games of all time list. Prime is probably my favorite Metroid title, it was just the best elements of what made Metroid great and the graphics where to die for. 

I've actually finished very few Castlevania titles, but of the ones I have completed, Castlevania IV on the SNES would have to be my favorite. SotN I did finish, and enjoyed, but it's like Super Metroid for me, it was good, but not life changing.

As for Mega Man, I only finished 1-3 of the NES games, and of those three, I would say 2 was my favorite. I played that game front and back, and back to front so many times I would speed run for fun. 

Chris

 

[Exophase]

Super Castlevania then ? (the first one on SNES) ?

I hope it's not Rondo of Blood...

No, I think Super Castlevania IV is kind of overrated. And while I'd choose Rondo of Blood over it, I wouldn't choose it over SotN (actually it's kind of hard to compare the retro CV games with the Metroid-style ones anyway). But I would choose both Aria and Dawn of Sorrow over it, at the very least.

 

[ekianjo]

But I would choose both Aria and Dawn of Sorrow over it, at the very least.

I played Aria and found it be to be quite weak (I did not try Dawn of Sorrow) - what did you prefer in Aria vs SoTN ?  

 

[TrashyMG]

While I enjoyed Super Metroid at release, I never understood why it was a top so many top games of all time list. Prime is probably my favorite Metroid title, it was just the best elements of what made Metroid great and the graphics where to die for. 

While I loved Prime greatly, Super Metroid is what made me love the franchise. There was something grand about the game I can't really elaborate without my morning coffee... To me Super Metroid is a classic and it aged pretty well. 

 

[Jumpman]

While I enjoyed Super Metroid at release, I never understood why it was a top so many top games of all time list. Prime is probably my favorite Metroid title, it was just the best elements of what made Metroid great and the graphics where to die for. 

While I loved Prime greatly, Super Metroid is what made me love the franchise. There was something grand about the game I can't really elaborate without my morning coffee... To me Super Metroid is a classic and it aged pretty well. 

I've actually been playing Metroid since the original NES game, and have completed every game except the 3rd Wii game. Super did make great improvements over the NES and Gameboy titles, and it is a very good game, I just didn't find it revolutionary. 

Prime for me, is revolutionary, no question. The longer a series runs, there is always that one game that "changed/improved" what makes a series great, and those titles stand above the rest. In some series, I'm still waiting on that "one" title, but for Metroid, Prime is it for me.

Another game changing title for me, was RE4 on the Gamecube. While I have enjoyed several RE titles over the years, part 4 is everything that was great about the series, and all the "new" elements brought together to make a "revolutionary" game(IMO).

I guess if Super Metroid would have been my first title, I'm sure I would hold it in higher regard(it's still a great game), but since it was my 3rd game played, it just wasn't as great as I found prime to be.

Chris