Wow.

This column actually got the biggest turnout of most any of the mailbag letters received thus far. Pretty cool. However, due to the amount of responses, I had to cut what I posted down (I usually post everything), just to cut down on redundancy and make it a bit shorter (though it's still plenty long.) I apologize. Anyway, the question was: If you could make the perfect Castlevania, what would it be like?

Now this is what I've been waiting for! My own Castlevania. I've actually juggled this thought around for a while. Does anybody remember how great Konami was at making those "Streets of Rage"-esque games like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "The Simpsons"? Personally, I love those kind of games and unfortunately the genre practically died with the Super Nintendo. Well, anyway, most of those games catered to four players and Konami is remaking various Castlevanias. Now how many characters were featured in Castlevania 3? It sounds like a perfect fit. Each player picks one of the fantastic four to play as from the start and fights hordes of monsters. If you think about it, the overall feel of Castlevania will still be there, just with more room to move and more than one player. Besides, we need a new multiplayer game that isn't a fighting game. They used to be common. Tony T. Tiger

Sadly, the beat-em-up genre seems to have died with the 16-bit era. Any of the games that have come out recently that compare (The Bouncer, State of Emergency, Fighting Force) haven't exactly been the cream of the crop. Personally, they were good mindless fun, but not anything worth playing for more than fifteen minutes. The best examples of the genre hail back to River City Ransom and the more recent Guardian Heroes for the Saturn. A multiplayer Castlevania would be nice though.

Kurt! Everything looks good, must say that you have your hands full in putting up this marvelous websites for us Castle-geeks out there. Keep up the good work my friend, you might even get Konami to pay your way off for the rest of your life... that is if Konami cared about Americans... New Castlevania style. Hmmm, you know, I was just thinking about that flipping through the books for Warcraft III and Neverwinter Nights. No, not computer style, only because my computer wouldn't even BEGIN to take that type of software, but I am thinking along the lines of these newer games, making your own character and forging ahead through a storyline. A kind of make-your-own-Belmont, so to speak. Why, when I was younger I always thought of what it would be like as a Belmont, having that great chain whip, killing zombies, wearing the fur-lined skirt... er, I mean.... I understand that we expect to have this kind of follow a storyline, but who better to fill in gaps than the fans? Each one a Belmont created out of care and love and can only make those people who ARE fans even more devoted AND open up some doors for the people who AREN'T fans or those fair-weather fans to get into the series. Am I saying that this should be a PSO deal? No, no, no... Sega blew things with Resurrection, not gonna trust that type of style with this series. Heck, it doesn't even have to be in the distant past, but more in teh recent past. What was so bad about the CONCEPT of Resurrection? Introducing the Castlevania vision to 19th century London, Paris, or Debuque... sorry, Denmark would be a great refresher. Heck, we can even do what they did with Bloodlines and have the game go through some of the major cities of the WORLD in the 19th century. Or stay with the Ressurection idea and have it not only travel the world, but time as well. Why not have a spot where you play a 19th century vampire hunter to switch to Sonia or Trevor shedding light on some of the more secretive things in their past.... I don't know, maybe I am just pulling things out of my rear-end, but I know I could lose 100+ hours to this game, if it ever happened.... Or if not, then the standard cookie-cutter 2.5D with amazing backgrounds, annoying bosses (STOOPID GIANT SLIME!!!) and another charcter in the long line of Belmonts that we have to accept because, well... he might be slow, but he is a part of the family. Anyway, time to go find that fur-lined skirt and go relive old memories... er, I mean... time to go... fight... the.... STOOPID... SLIME! -Matt "Dr. Van Helsig? This is Sonia Belmont... from the past. She knows how to save Lucy." (sorry to those who HAVEN'T read the Bram Stoker's book that started this whole thing, don't mean to confuse you)

I think if Konami ever started paying me for this website, then I'd just quit school, cut off all contact with everyone and work endlessly on this site (and any others) as a livelyhood. While this would benefit you all in having incredible websites to look it, it would also end up in me becoming a crazy, computer obsessed, overweight hermit who would probably die of a coronary within a few months. Which, of course, would be bad for me. So maybe it's better I just keep at as a hobby at this point.

The "Belmonts through time" idea sounds curiously like Eternal Darkness - and it's a great one, at that.

And I think a more modern Castlevania would be a great idea too. Not like 1980s, Belmont-in-leather-jacket-and-ripped-jeans style, but maybe early 20th century, like Bloodlines.

"If you were in total command of the next Castlevania game, how would you do it? Return the series to 3D?" It's probably a pretty obvious comparison, but the similarity between the Castlevania series (especially SotN) & Devil May Cry made me yearn for a true CV with that kind of control, pace & cool factor. Especially since DMC lacked a lot of things common to the CV series that would have really helped it. If they ever want to "re-invent" Castlevania in 3D for a next gen console again, I hope they take a cue from Konami. If it were up to me, though, we'd see another "Metroid-esque" Alucard quest, pobably with the "Guilty Gear X" style hi-res sprites you mentioned, so long as it's hand drawn. It would also be nice if they would make a version for both PS2 & GCN with each version taking special advantage of each system's benefits. the Reverend Steven J. Minar; minister at large

The inherent problem of sticking a game across multiple platforms is that it can never fully take advantage of each system's capabilities. Companies would have to create a game that works on the lowest possible denominator (technologically speaking, I think that's the PS2) and work up from there. Companies rarely upgrade a game when porting it - Blood Omen 2 barely looks any better on the X-Box than the PS2, because companies don't really need to expand the additional time/effort to adapt a game for a specific console.

I've actually given a great deal of thought to what my ideal concept of a NextGen Castlevania title would play, look, and sound like. Sorry if this is kind of long, but I think I have a lot to say. Some of my ideas are quite specific actually. Let's get right down to it. First off, the core concept of the game: an overarching plot, involving multiple playable characters, and spanning the whole Transylvanian countryside as opposed to a single castle. I love the way that CV2 takes you to mansion after mansion and gives you lots to do in between each one. Now imagine that each dungeon is a fully realized mini-Castlevania, and each one has its own unique theme and denizens. Just like in Symphony, certain areas of the dungeons would be inaccessible when you first encounter them. However, instead of a single character having to gather the appropriate items in order to enter those areas, it would be required to recruit the correct character AND have that character locate the correct ability-granting item. The player would not entirely finish a mansion on the first visit. Only by returning later with new characters or new abilities would all of the areas be exploreable. It's still basically the SotN formula, but on a much grander scale. Each character would have a different mix of abilities, both attack-wise and movement-wise, and would control differently. One character might have the famous item crash and the ability to backflip, while another might be able to slide and double jump. Still another might be a spellcaster with a variety of magics at his/her disposal. Ultimately each individual character wouldn't have quite as many techniques as Alucard got, but put together the whole group would far exceed him. Most or all of the characters would use different weapons as well, one with the obligatory (and multidirectional!) whip, others with anything from swords, to spears, to maybe a bow of some kind. Availability of subweapons would also change based on the character. Ideally most of this would be utilized with a minimum of subscreen opening. The player should just be able to set his desired settings, and get on with the game without having to go back and forth between the action and the menu surfing. Most areas of the game would be accessible by multiple characters using their special skills to gain access in different ways, but there would also be some areas restricted to just one particular character or two. Some of these characters (I wager that about five would be a good number) may be encountered within the dungeons themselves, others in towns or outdoor locations. The player would be able to switch between characters at save points, or perhaps only at designated character swap points. Each character would have his or her own agenda, and beating the game with a different character gets you a different ending. Some characters might even have completely different goals altogether, taking you into different last areas, and battling a variety of different final bosses. (Don't forget that not all of the playable characters may even be working for the side of good. Unlikely alliances always make for interesting plot development.) The dungeons themselves would, as always, be teeming with a mixture of amusing and bone-chilling mythological creatures. More emphasis would be put on traps and interactive backgrounds than present in the current list of adventure-style CVs. Traps would also be more dangerous, more along the lines of some of the action-style CVs. Some rooms might be configured to unnerve the player with distracting visuals, or mess with the player's equilibrium, like many of the areas in Super CV and Bloodlines. I really like those parts in the last stage of Bloodlines, for instance, where the room is upside down, and the one that splits into multiple pieces. Puzzles would also be present, but not tired old gaming conventions like stacking blocks on top of each other. My Castlevania game is definitely 2D. The sprites would be slightly on the larger side, a la Super CV, and drawn with insane detail. The fluidity of the action would be of utmost importance as well. The animations should make Alucard look a little bit clunky by comparison. Character portraits can look nice, but I think they'd be unnecessary. During important story scenes, or perhaps whenever anyone is talking, the camera would shift to an up-close view of the characters, on the same background, as if one was simply zooming in. Overall the game would be similar in look to Symphony, but a little more unified graphically, with more detail, and of course with a lot more cool fantasy effects. The soundtrack would simply have to be mammoth. Probably the game would need more than one composer actually. Each area in the game would have different music, as has become customary--and though individual areas might be fairly large in comparison to previous games, having so many different locations means there would still be more than ever before. Adding to this, the style and arrangement of the tune would change depending on which character you are currently using. One character might get to groove to a funky techno version of Vampire Killer, while another hears a classical rendition. As an added feature, whenever the player enters a new region, not only is the name of the area displayed elegantly across the screen, but the title of the audio track is shown as well. CV is famous for its strong emphasis on music, so why not play it up even more? As for the song list, there would be at least a couple good tracks from every existing Castlevania game, plus a variety of new tracks as well. Voices would definitely be a nice touch. In the last generation of consoles it was usually better not to open up that Pandora's box, but as games have started to mature, we've seen that good voiceover work is certainly possible and can really add to a game's overall effect. And what is Castlevania about anyway, if not overall effect? And that's it I guess. No specific story ideas, but that can be somebody else's job. I know I wrote quite a bit, but hopefully there's enough substance in there to make it all worth reading. So what do you think? Should Iga hire me, or am I only suited to running my mouth off at the Castlevania Dungeon? Christopher Lundgren

Very descriptive - personally, this is pretty close to my own personal idea for an ultimate Castlevania: something like Castlevania 2, where there's a fair amount of adventure and exploration present, but each mansion explored would be like a level in an old school Castlevania game - where you would still have three lives and unlimited continues to pass it. To me, that seems the best blend between the exploration/action schools of Castlevania.

Ok here are some of my ideas for a new Castlevania A storyline - self-explanatory. It would have to be very different then the usually Drac is back lets kill him story. And it should have cutscenes. There should also be apart that explains the whole Castlevania timeline until the time of this game and it should destroy all loopholes and this game itself should have no loopholes. The levels - In the beginning you'd be kind of far from the castle so there would be some levels before the castle and these are all linear. Put when you actually reach the castle it would kinda play like SotN, CotM, and HoD. The game would also have some RPG like elements like different weapons to use and upgrade. You should also be able to combine weapons if you find a blacksmith, kind of like Final Fantasy IX. 3D sidescroller - Make the characters, enemies, and environments polygons but keep it sidescrolling. I personally love the N64 games but the only problem I had was the camera angles so a 3D sidescroller is the best thing for a Castlevania game. There would be doors in the background and if you go into it the whole screen turns to have this new room be sidescrolling, that way the environments aren't just straight paths that can go only up, down, left or right. The castle could actually be like a real castle. And you could have the option to turn the screen so you would be looking at any of the walls of the room you want. With the 3D sidescrolling environments the cutscenes could have camera angles because the backrounds would not be flat. Or how about cellshading sidescroller, with anime design for the characters. More than one playable character - You should be able to choose a character to start with like the N64 games but you don't have to stay with them throughout the whole game. You should be able to change your character in a certain point in the story but you wouldn't have to. Your actions will change not only the ending but the whole story too. An example is let's say in the game two of the characters are Alucard and Cornell (my two favorites^_^). You decide to start with Alucard and you get to one boss that is a normal human but given magic powers by Drac, after defeating him you can kill him, let him live and take away his magic, or let him live and let him keep his magic. If you kill him you just go to the next stage or part of the castle. If you let him live and take away his power Cornell comes and attacks the man but Alucard stops Cornell and tells him that the man is no longer a threat, and later in the game the man would help you by giving you an important item or info, also after the cut scene of Alucard and Cornell you can switch to Cornell if you wish. If you let him live and keep his power Cornell will come and kill the man because after you turn your back to the man attempts to kill you. Cornell then tells Alucard that he is a fool for sparing a power hungry bastard like that man and then Alucard walks off, which means you are now playing Cornell. No matter which decision you make you can still beat the game it will just change how the story and game progress and it might effect the ending. A setup like this could mean countless stories for the game which will boost the replay value of the game immensely. And the more characters would mean more story change. There could also be secret characters to get which means you would have to play through the game again to get a story involving them. Other Castlevania game ideas - A new Boku Dracula-kun (Kid Dracula) game. Yes there should be another one. Why? Because Drac-kun is just plain cool. A modern Castlevania. You know according to the timeline Drac should have awoke during the 90's. A game where you play as Alucard and try to pick up as many women as you can. Just kidding. Well those are all of my ideas. Thanks for actually wanting to here the fans' ideas, Kurt. I know that the game companies really don't wanna listen to our ideas they just blow you off. And one last thing, Your site rocks!

I've always loved the idea of branching paths in games, especially since you see it so rarely, but the problem is that it might end up spreading itself a bit thin. Which would you rather have - one long big grandiose storyline (hardly anything we've seen in a CV game, but it could happen) or lots of small alternating paths? I'm not saying it can't be done, of course - it'd just be difficult from the design point of view.

And that Alucard dating sim idea sounds fantastic. Tokimeki Memorial Starring Alucard the Pimp.

I think I've found an idea for my senior programming project. Mind if I steal that idea?

Kurt, wow, I didn't think my letter would actually work. Now my dream comes true, my own Castlevania. Well, here goes... My castlevania would still be in 2D, like COTM and other recent titles, but would use the power a next generation console to give it a long, beautiful gaming experience. Accompanied by many of the older castlevania songs, like Vampire Killer, Wicked child, Heart of Fire (yeah, i like the original Castlevania music) and Aquarius. Title: Castlevania: Demon's Eclipse Story: Ten years after COTM, Hugh Baldwin and Nathan Graves still reside near Castlevania in case Dracula should rise again. Late one night, Nathan discovers Hugh has disappeared, along with a village girl, Cynthia Felle. When tracks are found leading to the ruins of Castlevania, Nathan takes up his whip and heads off, to find Castlevania once again standing tall. He encounters Renon (demon salesman, who will be around to sell the player useful items) and learns that the spirit of Dracula has possessed Hugh to make the way for his resurrection. This will be performed by Cynthia Felle, possessed by Camilla. The game would have another factor to it, though, a race against time (don't know how long) because within 24 hours, the planets will magically align, and the sun will be blotted out for 48 hours, giving Dracula the time he needs to leave Castlevania with his demons and begin his advance upon the world. This would also allow for some neat levels outside the castle, like in forests, nearby villages, etc. The magic system will be based on DSS again, but will be more limited. Players can summon creatures and alter their stats, but little else. To compensate, the magic skills will be more powerful and last longer. New weapons (a large selection, hopefully) ranging from whips to swords and projectiles can be found or bought. And Alucard would also make an appearance as a playable character. Okay, you can be honest, it may be awful, I think it probably would look better written then as a game. Guess I'll start it as a fan fic, if anyone's interested. Scooby, who wants to fight vampires outside Castlevania.

I wouldn't mind if Konami actually started reusing characters in sequels. I mean, all of us would love to wear the cape of Alucard once again. It wouldn't hurt to flesh out the characters a bit more, since most of them controls the same anyway.

One of the series' strengths has always been the diversity of the games. We have the traditional videogames on the NES, the gothic designs of Castlevania 4, the mangalike designs for Dracula X and the somewhat victorian style of SotN. The problem is that Konami has used that last style for three games now, and it will not do. If they were truly inspired by Metroid, they should put som atmosphere into the game. Metroid used it's music and it's dark backgrounds to add an atmosphere to the game that is rare among 2D games of that era. Anyway, why not do both 2D and 3D? Konami doesn't have to settle for one type of game. However, I'd really love to see a Devil May Cry- type Castlevania, but I also love ambiance, like the one you find in Resident Evil or (at times) Castlevania 64. Why not combine them? I personally prefer action games to exploration games, but there doesn't have to be exploration in a game to make it scary, although it helps (you don't want to go through that door, because you know there's something scary inside, but you have to, otherwise you won't get the key). I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I'd really love to see a Castlevania based on the game engine used in Mystical Ninja 2 for N64. It could work, I'm telling you, just look att the huge backgrounds in the final Castle, or the final battle with Dochuki. Dracula, anyone? I'd also like to revive an element found in some old NES games like Simon's Quest and most Mega Man games. Remember what it was like being at the very last section of the last level. You just knew you were there because a silent anticipation was starting to build up.In Mega Man, the entire last level would sometimes consist of only a long corridor and some cool music, and you'd just know that "This is it, this is the final battle". The same thing was in Simon's Quest. The final village was completely abandoned save one person, and the last forest, the last bridge, no enemies what so ever, as if the evil of the count even frightened them. And finally, the empty ruins of Castlevania, and the music. It was creepy. So what if Dracula was easy, the final level made it worth it. And the ending were always cool, despite the inferior graphics. Everyone seems to agree that the series should evolve, but what should change and what should remain? That's the hard one. Quite frankly, I think the fans will settle as long as it's a good game, and as long as it differs from the previous games in the series.

Castlevania may have switched back and forth between various art styles, but there comes a point where there's nothing to change to. I think its found itself a nice little groove. But yeah, as I mentioned last column, maybe the developers should work on atmosphere even more to make the game generally spooky and scary. That might be hard if you stick to standard 2D (even if you're using polygons), since there's so much distance between the player and his/her onscreen persona.

I normally don't take part in mailbag type things (I rarely have anything worthwhile to say), but this question has hit something I've been thinking about anyway, so I thought I would share my thoughts.. As you said, the Castlevania Series needs to evolve. To what? Well ... 3D. Hey! Down! Put down the torches, and please refrain from lynching me until I finish what I have to say! Ahem.. . 3D. On a 2D plane. 2.5D I believe it's referred to. An excellent example of this is Super Smash Brothers Melee, for the Nintendo GameCube, where the characters and environments are all (beautifully rendered) 3D, but the characters move on a two dimensional plane. This, I believe, would be the the way to go for Castlevania. It shuts up the naysayers who get annoyed because you aren't taking advantage of the console's power, while keeping the people who enjoy the 2D gameplay happy. The only ones who lose on this are the true 2D lovers, the kind who simply enjoy well-drawn sprites above all else. Can't please everybody, I'm afraid. There's always the GBA. (Or unlockable 2D characters? Alucard! Old-school Simon!) . Cutscenes, for story delivery (which I'll discuss later), are a must. Pre-Rendered, Anime, Real-Time, it doesn't particularly matter, but they definitely should be included. And, as somebody in the previous column mentioned, creditable voice actors. Konami can do it, Konami has done it, Konami should do it again. Nuff said, there. Well, maybe not ... Even more variety for the music, and a greater variety of sound effects, would be great, but even if they kept those the same, it would please most people.. Now that the Aesthetics are out of the way, the most important part of the game must be considered. Gameplay. The current style is just fine. Metroid/SotN style, whichever you prefer to call it. It's the way it should be. Give us a big castle, with a good number of optional areas, at least one optional uber-boss, and perhaps an area to test you skills (similar to the Battle Arena from CotM), to add length to the game. Also, and I think many will agree with me on this, Palette/Texture swapping must STOP! Less different-colored versions of the same enemies, more unique enemies. Even if they're the same enemy with an upgrade (ex: plain skeleton to lightly armored skeleton, to heavily armored skeleton soldier). . Tougher bosses that retain the awesome style shown in the current games have would add volumes to the game, as would humanoid bosses ... that could be unlocked as playable characters in alternate modes (i.e. the boss fight mode in HoD, the various altered-character modes in CotM, Richter Mode in SotN. Who wouldn't have loved to play as Hugh Baldwin?), complete with their own style of play, and mini-story (or full-fledge story, although it's doubtful).. Speaking of stories ... (can I segue topics or what?), a good story would draw a lot of new gamers, and please a lot of old gamers. New plot twists, more plot, period. More developed characters, perhaps even a few who don't have their stories fully explained ... until you play with them, and learn their full or mini-story. It raises replay value, and fun in general.. Merchants. I never realized just how much I liked the Master Librarian in SotN until I played CotM. Merchants should remain, for the sake of everybody's nerves.. And ... I am finally done.. Wait, no I'm not! :p. Does anybody else think that a completely remade Castlevania III, following the above ideas, would be awesome? We could finally find out for SURE whether Trevor is Alucard's son or not ... and update Alucard's look to match his SotN style. Or we could see Sypha and Trevor growing together, or, best of all ... play Grant DaNasty!! In a 3D clocktower of dooooom!. NOW I'm finished.. -Azhrei Vep, who also still loves the Mega Man series, just as much as Castlevania..

Good ideas, all and all. I'm still not sure about the whole 2.5D thing though - it's something a majority of people mentioned, and it works well in cartoony games like Klonoa and Goemon's Great Adventure, but seeing it in something darker like Castlevania doesn't sit well with me. Still, Konami's taking this route with Contra: Shattered Soldiers, and hopefully it'll work out better than The Contra Adventure, which tried a few 2.5D levels and failed miserably.

Ideas for the next Castlevania game? Here's a thought: How does a bossfest sound? Perhaps it could be modeled after that old Treasure game Alien Soldier in that it would have lots of levels, but their purpose would be to act as refilling stations (smack a skeleton here, grab a heart here...), and each level'd have its own unique boss. Adjustable difficulty would affect how simple/complex each bosses' strategies would be, and everyone, newbie or vet, would walk away happy. At the very least it'd give us a break from all the Metroid hybrids. The other question is, 2-D or 3-D? Everywhere I see this question posed, people shout "2-D!" almost instinctively, without realising that, in the right dev. teams' hands, a 3-D Castlevania could work masterfully. I can see, given the track record of the two N64 incarnations that people would not want to see *that* legacy continued, but still. It could work. I'd still go for a medium ground (call it 2.5-D and I'll scratch your eyes out): pure 2-D gameplay, but with (painstakingly detailed) polygonal graphics. But that's just me. -Red Baron, the pizza man.

One big long boss run? It's been awhile since Castlevania seen any truly nifty bosses - even the incredible beasties of Symphony of the Night were fairly simple to beat.

~First of all, I have to respond to the previous column. Specifically, some of the statements made by Munchy. I don't recognise your right to either your "complaints" or feelings of being "cheated" after playing a ROM young sir. If anything Konami should feel cheated that after making a solid and fun game to play, that someone can play and beat the game without giving the company something in return. Perhaps I'm being too hasty, but I personally plan to buy Harmony of Dissonance when it ships on September 10th because I want my money to go to Konami to continue making good and great Castlevania games. Konami Collectors Series Castlevania & Contra is coming to PC because of this kind of demand. Thank you. ~Second and I know that this is still off topic but, Munchy also mentioned something about keeping HoD "on PS2". As I understand it Harmony was never intended to be on Playstation 2, but I have heard arguements to the extent of the next-gen console Castlevania game being cancelled in favor of Harmony. How can this be when only a couple months ago EGM interviewed IGA about HoD and he relayed his excitement being greater about the next game following Harmony, (in which he mentions at the time that they had not decided the "dimension" nor the platform that the game was going toward). I'm sure that someone has read something to the contrary even more recently to think otherwise right? ~Well, on to the show. I have to say that I hope that a future Castlevania will play like a combination of Simon's Quest, (in that you are not restricted to merely exploring Dracula's Castle, having upgradable weapons, attacks and spells that do not break thank-you, very important is being allowed to keep your sub-weapons once found as well as giving them practical purposes like garlic in the graveyard, and that you can talk to anyone that you wish... perhaps even monsters) Symphony of the Night, (deep storytelling and tons of hidden secrets, multidirectional attacks, earning experience points and levelling up by fighting monsters and task accomplishment, finding/buying new weapons, attacks, spells and familiars who also level up and help out) and if you weren't expecting it... Phantasy Star Online, (full and fast online play, full character customization, fighting alongside of or against other hunters, having a "lobby" in which to meet, trade with, and talk to other people from all over the world). Sounds crazy huh? Wait, I have more in store for the sequel! Building your own town that other people can visit as their own characters online!!! Of course it as to be in 3-D, I think for 2-D to survive it will have to change drastically just to keep people's attention. I mean the rumors still stand at Street Fighter 4 being 3-D so why not? Well Ninja Gaiden Xbox might not be the best example, but look at the new Shinobi screenshots!

I've always thought that Harmony was initially conceived for the PS2, but scaled down during the design process into a GBA game. I could be wrong though.

A few people mentioned an online game - apparently enough people are interested, but online games really aren't my bag, personally.

Well Castlevania needs to evolve, but how? You have a game that is based around the soul effort of kicking Dracula's ass. Not like you can really improve the story. The story is pretty easy, you are a descendant of the greatest clan of vampire hunters and its time to put Uncle Vlad (WoD Joke) back into his coffin. Its your standard game, smite the evil and save the girl (if any). Then came Gekka no Nocturne. You had to explore every crevice of this castle and kick evil butt. Plus carry everything you need in your cloak of holding. It also made Castlevania a RPG. You went from a hack and slash to a hack and slash with XP. Its a gothic D&D game. What i would do is ask the fans what they want and see what platform the fans owned. Before even giving the fans what they want, if i know the platfrom that most fans owned i can get started. Metal Gear Solid 2 came out on the PS2 cause most Metal Gear fans were Playstation owners. You need to see where your fan base so you can build a game for them and not force them to buy a platform (Sega telling all U.S. Shenmue fans to blow and buy a X-box so they can play the second installment after promising it would come out on Dreamcast). After knowing the platform most used, next is to see what fans want. This is terror, you need to give the fans something they want and have it make sense and be good at the same time. This is rarely done, take a look at the new Star Wars movies. Now which block of fans to listen to Japan or American or both? As it stands we seem to be fairely divided on role-play and exploration and just lay the smack done on evil. So we have to devise with a fair amount of exploration and plenaty of enemies to make sure players stay awake. So we need excellent backgrounds, well rendered sprites and all sorts of enemies, usually those of forgotten dreams and legends. Now do we dare try to break into 3-D again? That would be up to the fans. With a 3-D environment some of the backgrounds would be lost. Let's face it we will never see the background detail in Gekka no Nocturne in any 3-D game. The programmers would go on strike first. However with 3-D you can have a realstic feel to the game you are moving through the castle like a regular person would, you would see how the light shines through the stainglass windows, feel the errie silence as you trot down a hallway. Actually see Dracula looking down at you. Be enough for you to go to bed with the light on. Its giving me chills thinking about it. We might stay 2-D. Well we would have the nmake finely detailed backgrounds. The way dust moves in the light of the full moon as it floats in the darkness illluminating th stainglass. The way a hallway can extend on forever. The way Dracula just looks as he towers over your chara. Next on our list is of course the music, you need dark gothic music. But some needs to be a little light or the players will start to feel depressed. You need music that will invoke emotions into the players. You may also may want to look for new composers for new material. Composers like Yoko Kanno or Kenji Kawai. Talk about some serious scary stuff with Kenji Kawai, he's done Vampoire Princess Miyu. You want some music he's the man. Of course Konami has put out some good music, some of the best for a video game, not to mention the best titles. How often do you hear of music for a video game with names like, Sons of Satan, Cross a Fear, The Tragic Prince, or Requiem for the Nameless Victims? Now on the last piece art, you need a chara designer who will deliver kick ass art time and again. We need art that is not anything special like anime or cartoonish. This is a dark goth game, we need something that is interesting. So we get a artist who does kinda shoujo art. It seems to have worked so far, why not keep going in that direction. Well that is kinda answer for this discussion, it gives you a insight into how a game is put toghether. This is almost what they go through everytime they do a game minus the talking to fans, they don't do this all the time. Still this how Castlevania will probably evolve, by seeing what the fans want and going form there. Cruel Angel's Thesis

This brings up an interesting point that one of my college...ermm...colleagues had - he couldn't stand TV series or comic books that pandered too much to fans. While giving the fans what they want may make the most number of people happy, it also undermines the artistic integrity of the people who design the game in the first place. This can be both a good or bad thing - most people wanted MGS2 to simply be more of the same, and Kojima went his own route. Ditto Masato Kato and his Chrono Cross. They certainly didn't take the path that everyone expected, in either case, and while undoubtedly opinions are split on how well their succeeded, I'd say they both did pretty damn well.

Good suggestions on the musicians though - I've never heard of Kenji Kawai, but you've made me that much more interested in watching Vampire Princess Miyu.

For the next castlevania, they can keep doing it metroid style, but PLEASE, take it OUT of the castle now. Make it like Castlevania 2 where you went through forests and lakes and towns. And it wouldn't hurt to have different characters in the MAIN game (and not after you beat it) . Maybe they can do it in a way that you can play with certain character one part of the game and another character in another part. Of course, a normal castlevania wouldn't hurt either, but it would be nice if they add an inventory so you can keep stuff through out the adventure.

Yes - the castle exploration is a bit tiresome. The only remotely new area we say in Harmony was the Den of Skeletons.

Sup, Kurt, long time reader, first time writer. What does CV need? Hmm, a question to plague the masses. Well, many thought 3-D. But most haven't been satisfied with that (perhaps if Legacy of Darkness had just COME OUT FIRST KONAMI AND NINTENDO(!!!) we'd be more receptive to the idea). Well, actually, 3-D, when done right, may just be the ticket to the greatest CV game ever. Now I know Kurt said "no" to detailed plans and designs for a new game, but bear with me, I will be as brief as I can be. A 3-D CV should be a thousand times more than what the N64 attempts were, as they were rushed, thrown together, if you will. The game should have many playable characters. Each would have their own origin stories, each have distinguishable personalities (how 'bout an aetheist Belmont who becomes a believer, for example), and each fight with distinct weapons, something which varies the gameplay from character to character, something CV REALLY could use. Each character could also have their own boss: the Belmont would fight Dracula, someone else would confront Death, maybe an Alucard vs.Shaft rematch, etc. Of course, THAT means that each character has different goals, levels, and storylines. Again, that's VARIATION my friends, and variation is your friend. Perhaps the characters could cross paths during the game, but each really has their own distinct course. It would also be nice to see Drac get a nice storyline: ever notice how there are times when he seems to repent for what he does, then he's suddenly evil again? Maybe he's not always acting on his own free will...In short, its time for Konami to actually sit down, come up with a deep, immersive story, and actually execute it well (example: Legacy of Darkness has a pretty disturbing story when you think about it...but it REALLY wasn't executed well). Technically, the game should follow the still exemplary cameras seen in games like Ocarina of Time; none of this crazy crap Konami pulled in CV64. Weapons should also be more varied; each character gets their standard issue weapons, like the whip, a subweapon, and then should be allowed to, I dunno, have a menu screen for extra weapons/spells, something like that. Again...V-A-R-I-A-T-I-O-N! Level building should stay, as should equipping armor. Its just cool. Have levels for power, magic, and such, and go from there. Add in an orchestrated score, moody, terrifying levels, and adreneline pumping sequences, and we're all set. Now, classic CV should NOT die. There is most definately a place for it, as it kicks major ass. But Konami seems to be confused by something. Just because fans haven't responded positively to most of their efforts to branch out the series doesn't mean they should give up. They knew the Nocturne formula worked, but now they're overkilling it in White Night/Harmony. They have to try more to vary CV's gameplay, atmosphere, and such, while continuing to release classic style games to assure hardcore fans that they haven't lost sight of what made CV what it is. Just my two...oh, wait, I guess this seems more like five cents (hands Kurt a nickel). -XCalibur, currently resting quite snuggly in a stone.

Five cents richer! YES.

And here's than fan service thing again. If Konami keeps giving the fans what they want, they'll have a diehard faction that'll follow it anywhere, but games that essentially the same. Once again, look at Mega Man (which seems to be brought up every other column nowadays. I apologize.)

And just because Konami may have had a few missteps in the past with 3D Castlevanias, doesn't mean they can't fix them in the future.

Kurt, In the last column you asked for ideas about where Castlevania should head. First of all, I'd *really* like to see it on the PS2. Preferably in 2d or 2.5d (maybe like the Contra game is supposed to be), and preferably with a classical score as in SotN. I haven't gotten tired of the Metroid style yet, myself. I would actually like to see it expanded to something similar to what was in Simon's Quest, with parts outdoors and parts indoors. If they decided to do away with the exploration-style, then I'd like something along the lines of Super Castlevania (though I've never played Rondo of Blood or I might be asking for another game like that). I'm a little tired of Belmont vampire hunters though. My favorite character (and I think a lot of folks' favorite character) was Alucard. Not only does he look cool, but he has a kind of mystique about him - a feeling of power mingled with tragedy - that you don't get with the Belmont characters. Maybe it would be cool to bring him back. But I think it might be even cooler if they focused a little more on Dracula's story. In most Castlevania games he's just this pure evil villain that keeps on coming back in to wreak destruction for it's own sake. But in SotN you get a hint that there's something more to the character, that he has some kind of motivation other than just "pure evil". I think he would make an interesting protagonist, and that you could potentially do more with him than with Alucard. What was he like before his transformation? Maybe the game could start out with him as a mere mortal (perhaps of the whip-carrying variety) but then succumbing to the curse and gaining all those cool vampiric abilities. But then it would basically be a medieval game rather than an 18th - 19th century game, and I rather like the designs and costumes that go with those periods. They could take a hint from the Soul Reaver/Legacy of Kain series and get some half-decent voice actors. Actually I think western writers might be able to help as well, but that's probably just a pipe dream (do any Japanese made games have non-japanese scriptwriters?) But realistically, the next game will probably be on the GBA, and it will be about how Juste Belmont's nephew's son takes up the vampire killing whip and has to go into Dracula's castle to stop an evil somebody from reviving him yet again. And we all know how it will end.

Maybe we should have a Castlevania game that stars Dracula. Perhaps that might end up a bit too much like Blood Omen, and it's hard to make a likable character of someone we've all thought of as purely evil, but it'd be a neat idea anyway.

First I would like to admit that I have only played Castlevania Legends and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Also I'm waiting for the official release of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. That said, I have a few ideas of what makes a great Castlevania game so great. From what I understand, HoD is a rather easy game that any idiot should be able to play. A great Castlevania game is not an easy game. These games should have middle level difficulty that forces a player to work reasonably hard to reach the end of the game. CotM did this very well. Castlevania is one of those series that could work well in either 2D or 3D and continue along both paths at the same time. I do think that the 3D would be OK if they used a better design. As far as level-esque to Metroid-esque goes, either one would work. Personally I like the exploration in the Metroid-esque as opposed to the linearness of levels though I would include some areas outside and more variety under the castle to make things interesting. I wouldn't mind level-esque if they did a "level tree". A level tree would be, for example, where you get the first two starting levels are the same, then in level three you have to make a choice and get one of two bosses, same with the two level fours and four level fives, then things come together with three level sixes, two level sevens, and one level eight. Based on what path you took, you could end up with four or five different endings. Well that's my two cents. Thanks for being a captive audience.

I'd have to argue that Circle of the Moon didn't quite capture the difficulty of the Castlevania games like it should've. While the boss battles were very well handled, many of the enemies were only difficult because they took so many hits to kill.

Hey Kurt. Whats shakin' man? (Sorry.. just finished beating Solt in Chrono Cross) So, like, if Castlevania were to go on the PS2 or Xbox or Game Cube, you know that the non-castlevania fans are gonna bitch and whine (just like Tony T. Tiger said). There are alot of kids out there today who play games and when they see a 2d game, they automatically label it is.. crap. But when the veterans see a 2d game.. it makes them feel like they were back home as a kid... playing Contra for 3 hours.. and finally quitting over the stupid alien boss that used to toss rocks at you and made you lose all your continues! Sadly, my view on this is that sooner or later.. 2D is gonna croak.. and be forgotten like Pong. ... Castlevania 3D ... ooh boy. Well..it'd be very hard to capture the element, concept, control and character the way that 2D does.. its hard to explain..so..consider this.. If Mario (from Mario 64) looked like a normal human, instead of a fat midgit plumber running around, the game loses its "comical" appearance.. which loses its appeal to kids.. but if its too kiddy-ish.. it loses its appeal to the manly and hardcore gamers. (take a look at FF8 and compare the characters to the other FF's) Personally, I think Castlevania needs to be brought into a new Genre.. Maybe a beat 'em up in the Style of such games as Final Fight, or Streets of Rage? Yeah. That'd be cool. Especially if all the Belmonts were playable and each had their own special abilities (i.e. Richter has item crash, Juste has magic, Simon has 8-way whipping).. and it'd be super ownage if it were a 2 player game. For some the above might seem kinda.. hopeless.. which is why I also think that Castlevania has a GOOD chance at being successful as a kind of Resident Evil game (i.e. walk around.. find clues.. get items.. put items in place.. walk around some more..) Resident Evil was good in the fact that it was fun, but it didn't capture the story correct.. I mean.. people that were infected by a mad scientist's work? Now, take that into Castlevania.. Demons that roam every dark crevice and crack that live only to suck the life out of those living.. I'm gonna end this here.. since WWE Smackdown starts in a half hour. Hey Kurt, what kinda genre do you think CV should enter?

Castlevania should be a role-playing game, definitely. It has the deep background, and it has the atmosphere that I think could work well in that type of game - and it'd be a good change of pace from the usual anime-inspired cookie cutter titles that we've become used too. Of course, Final Fantasy fanboys like myself would be committing massive atrocities for a game like this, but the more action-oriented fans would definitely be left out in the cold. Unless they combined the two, by giving you action-style battle sequences. Then again, that hasn't worked out too well in the past (Tales of Destiny? Star Ocean? Blegh.)

Let's switch gears for a bit now. Konami is releasing a Castlevania and Contra collection for the PC, which, from what I understand, is basically just five NES games emulated, shoved on a disc and sold $20. Naturally, this is a nice legal way to play these games, but given that there aren't really any extras, are you going to bother? What would Konami have to do in order for you to pony up money for games that you probably already own, or could get for free (from this very site, for that matter - this is a bit of moral dilemma for me.) Maybe emulation actually could be harming the current industry? Mail me for buttery enjoyment!

Kurt, throughly enjoying the Zillion theme from Overclocked Remixes