[aderack]

[aderack]

Dess, someone needed to do that. You should write an article analyzing the level structure and enemy placement of the early Castlevania games, and the psychology behind it. Compare it to contemporary level design, and then send it to Simon Carless for maybe publishing on GamaSutra. I think there'd be a lot of interest in it.

Premise: Castlevania is the R-Type of action-platformers.

[aderack]

yup.

[aderack]

They're sort of decent sidescrolling Diablo, is what they are.

[aderack]

By the way, we should be talking about a "Dracula X" trilogy rather than a "Rondo" trilogy.

[aderack]

I guess, yeah, it could be about Alucard's post-Dracula life. Maybe on the way back to his crypt he keeps getting caught up in demonic things that he feels an obligation to clear up. Or maybe the game will star Maria, in search of Alucard. It could be sort of like Simon's Quest -- go around, talking to people, following up on clues, mopping up the leftovers from his adventures, until eventually you catch up to him in the middle of something too big for Alucard to handle alone.

It's like, uh, Buffy in search of an elusive Angel. Hm.

Maybe it could deal a bit with the fall of the Belmonts? As Dracula falls, so does the Belmont line -- so maybe Alucard feels he's all that's left to take care of remaining demonic threats? Perhaps Maria convinces him that the Human race can take care of itself, and he can always just pass the torch (and the whip) on to some other custodian -- like the Morris clan.

I bet Igarashi would like that!

[aderack]

Yeah. So I was right about Rondo; just not about the platform. This is sort of interesting. There's a recent interview where Igarashi plays it cagey about a potential PSP-based 2.5D iteration of the series. I guess this is why!

The PSP is turning into the platform for 2.5D game designs. That's swell; it's a nice little niche to claim for itself. If anything, it's the first and only platform that seems perfectly suited to the things. So, well. Great. Might as well focus on its strengths.

[aderack]

Well, yeah. It would be great if the system weren't so ill-conceived to start with. Still, I think this focus makes the best of what's there.

I must say I'm not thrilled, seeing the game in motion! The animation is kind of very stilted, and I'm not sure about the collision. Oh well. It's nice that they're taking the effort, anyway.

[aderack]

More like it's the Igarashi way of doing 3D. The 2D sprites were always more fluid than this. Look at how abruptly everything moves. Look at how floaty and weightless all the objects feel. The only thing giving a sense of solidity is the sound design. (While we're here, how did they screw up one of the most awesome bits of background music in the series?)

Man, don't Japanese companies have central tech R&D divisions anymore? Teams to develop engines and techniques to distribute to all of the design teams, so they can just plug in their ideas and run with them, rather than wasting time programming then dealing with a shitty engine? I mean, it used to be common practice...

[aderack]

Somehow it didn't hit me until a short while ago that this is the exact same thing as the earlier Castlevania Chronicles: original game, plus souped-up remake. Thus, the name: Dracula X Chronicles. It's just, more is being remade here.

And in turn it hit me that this is the same project that Igarashi wanted to release five or six years ago for PlayStation. I guess it's the 3D remake, and a viable outlet (in the form of the PSP), that makes this release possible.

I mean. I guess this all is pretty obvious. I just didn't click.

So. Huh.

[aderack]

I wasn't even talking about the protagonist.

I mean, seriously. Check out those barrels.

[aderack]