Super Castlevania Iv VS Castlevania Bloodlines
...heres what i think, i love both games. They can only be compared in the sense that theyre both castlevania games but are very different. Right now i like super castlevania a lil more then bloodlines. But a couple months ago i liked and played bloodlines more. But overall, which game is more fun, looks better, game mechanics, and more difficult (in a good/fun way)... but i gotta say im not a nes or sega fanboy at all. I like both systems, even though snes was a little more superior and games that came out for both systems were better on snes. Not all but most. Im new to nintendo age and this is my first post. Figure id start off with on of my all time favorite video game series, CASTLEVANIA!
Comments
I vote bloodlines, iv is just an inferior version of the original
I respect your preference, but I strongly disagree. As a huge fan of the first game, I find IV to be much more enjoyable most of the time. Simon controls MUCH better which lends itself to the difficult platforming that Castlevania games expect of you. Whipping in multiple directions should have been a feature from the beginning because it gives the player more ways to kill an enemy without making the game too easy. The whip rings, while underdeveloped I will admit, add some depth to the platforming and utilize the new capabilities of Simon's whip. The level design is superior in SCIV because most of the obstacles are challenging, but not overly. The difficulty in the first Castlevania game is largely due to Simon's stiff controls, which make the player feel like deaths are not their fault. In SCIV, most deaths are due to honest mistakes and can be corrected by more patience and pattern memorization.
In terms of presentation, Castlevania I has its own charm, but is easily surpassed by SCIV. The visuals and audio of SCIV do a much better job of achieving the intended atmosphere of the game. Castlevania I is nice on the eyes with its bright colors but SCIV creates a darker tone. SCIV's soundtrack is even more impressive, as I feel it allows the game to become a truly immersive experience, despite its age. Castlevania I's music is very catchy, but does not create atmosphere to the degree that SCIV's music does. Each orchestral song enhances the unique and diverse locales of Dracula's Castle and give the player inspiration to persist through their difficult journey. Stage 1 begins with Simon's theme, an uplifting song to start the player on their quest. Stages 2-8 progressively get darker in tone with the pinnacle being Stage 8. At the beginning of this stage Simon is dropped into Dracula's dungeon, and the music accompanying the stage contributes to the player's feelings of hopelessness and loneliness. Stages 9 and A reward the player for their ability to beat the hardest stage in the game with some of the game's most uplifting music. Of course, as is Castlevania tradition, a masterful rendition (and my personal favorite!) of Bloody Tears is used to let the player know that they are closing in on Dracula. The best use of music, however, is in the final boss battle (spoilers I guess). The first half of the battle uses wicked music to make the player truly fear Dracula. Then, Simon's Theme, the uplifting tune from the very first stage, kicks in, and the game concludes with the player triumphing over Dracula. The credits theme, might I add, is quite relaxing to hear after persevering through the game.
(Also, Simon can moonwalk up stairs lol)
I wish I could compare SCIV to Bloodlines, but unforunately Bloodlines is one of the few Castlevania games I have not had the pleasure of playing
You can chose between 2 characters, enhancing the replay value.
Upbeat music that pushes the genesis,
You can't whip in all 8 directions but still able to whip in 5 directions, plus swing wherever there's a ceiling that you can reach.
If your in it for the deep depths of some dark atmospheric game, go with SCIV but I prefer overall Bloodlines as it's just fun to get into right away.
I vote bloodlines, iv is just an inferior version of the original
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Castlevania 4 is a fine game, sure. But it takes everything that makes the original great, and craps all over it.
The whipping in 8 directions makes the sub weapons and consequently, the hearts, useless. Why waste your time finding an axe when you can just whip up anyway? This means there is no reason they should still be included, it no longer makes sense for the game. Which is a shame because the sub weapons are a big part of what makes the origninal fun. In the Grim Reaper level (Castlevania 1) You can insta-kill the last boss and the last hallway becomes easy if you have the holy water. But the holy water is only available in the first room of the level. This means you have to one shot the whole thing to end up at the end retaining the item, and are then rewarded with destroying the boss like its nothing. Figuring out this kind of stuff is fun. It rewards experimentation and skilled play, it gives you more options.
The controls on Castlevania 1 one are said to be a little stiff.. but thats the point. In its day it was meant to be a scary game, which is tough to do with the limitations of 8-Bit graphics. The way the controls are set up, you have to pay attention to what you're doing and whats coming up ahead. Be cautious. Thats why it doesn't control like a Contra for example, you aren't meant to feel like a badass, you're meant to feel helpless like in any other horror game that has come since. Castlevania 4 takes all that away by giving you the extra control (not to mention the game becomes way easier as a result)
Bloodlines does a better job of using what the original did well and building on it. Castlevania 4 would've benefited from changing the game up a little more, and focusing on the new mechanics rather than recycling the old ones that no longer make sense for its design.
I did put up a poll but how do you vote.. i cant see it. Im new here if ya couldnt tell
Click Edit on the first post. Click "Add Poll". Then enter your question for the poll and hit Add. You will see it makes its own line for the question. Then to add lines to the poll click the two little speech bubbles to the right of your question. It should bring up an Answer window. Just type whatever your answer is into the Answer line and hit Add. You can do this pretty much as many times as you want to add as many responses to your question as you want. If you need to edit anything, hit the little gears. If you want to move any of the answers just hit the up and down arrows to the right. To finish you simply hit "Back" on the Answer screen then "Close" on the Question screen.
A 16-bit Castlevania thread and no mention of Dracula X? For shame!
I like Drac X better than IV
*shrugs
A 16-bit Castlevania thread and no mention of Dracula X? For shame!
Dracula X: Rondo of Blood for TurboGrafx CD for the win. Not even close.
A 16-bit Castlevania thread and no mention of Dracula X? For shame!
Dracula X: Rondo of Blood for TurboGrafx CD for the win. Not even close.
NO, no were not doing this again! Everytime someone brings up Dracula X, someone always tends to respond that Rondo of Blood is better, which is 100% true but this is only SCIV vs Bloodlines, no extra contenders.
I actually recently played through both games in the past 2 months, so they're pretty fresh in my mind. I think its great that Konami chose to make two different 16-bit Castlevania games, rather than just porting the same game to both platforms. Gives gamers more variety. Both games have their strengths over the other, but I don't think one is superior to the other. So I guess if you have to pick one as a favorite it comes down to personal preference of the differences.
One thing I will say though, I much prefer the boss battles in Bloodlines, especially the boss rush leading up to the final battle. That's a huge score for Bloodlines. But yeah, both great games and highly recommended. Definitely grab Bloodlines soon if you don't have it, price continues to climb.
Symphony of the Night ftw.
This ^^