IV has tons of enemies that CANNOT HIT YOU. Unless you actually choose to run into their line of fire, they CANNOT HIT YOU. Bloodlines isn't perfect, but at least it knows that enemy's should have a purpose besides walking back and forth until you decide to push UP+Whip a few times. How the hell can you ignore the absolute horrid design of IV and then complain that Bloodlines isn't perfect? SNERD hypocrisy at it's finest.
Ah, I see, you're focusing mostly on your dislike for SCIV because you think it's too easy than anything else. Well, I disagree, it's an outstanding game regardless. And are you talking about just the first time through the game, or also the second?
Konami chose to ditch the 8-way whip because it does not work with traditional castlevania stage design. Hence, the X68000 game uses a 5-way whip giving you amazing precision but still a solid challenge.
I have the Castlevania Chronicles version of that game... it's good, but so, so hard! At least in Chronicles you can save after every level, though, which avoids the worst of Bloodlines' saving problems. Also I don't think the levels are quite as long. Really hard game, though.
For the record, my favorite Castlevania is the X68000 game.
RoB has FAR better boss design than IV, and probably the best in the series. It also nails traditional Castlevania gameplay and has better difficulty. If gameplay trumps all, RoB wins.
But to me, a big part of what makes the Castlevania experience is the atmosphere, and when it comes to this aspect, IV is the peak of the series. It's got a haunting loneliness to it that's downright sophisticated. It's practically a spiritual journey.
RoB, with its bright palette and its bouncy music and its cartoony cutscenes, feels to Castlevania like Parodius feels to R-Type. Don't get me wrong, some parts of it are amazing to look at, but it doesn't hit me in the same place the other games do.
It is true that RoB has a more anime-styled tone, but it's got serious parts as well as silly ones. Its mix of serious and silly is somewhat unique in the series, but I think it works. Sure, if you're looking for consistency SCIV is probably better, but RoB isn't far behind -- I think it melds the two elements together well.
On another note, the N64 Castlevania games have some of the best atmospheres of any games in the franchise... they really do a great job setting the scene, with the environments, creepy stuff, adventure elements, etc.
Also, and though I would be totally open to the idea of a female main character, I do think that Castlevania should be a strictly "no bitches" affair. Simon is going after Dracula because Dracula's got to go. Richter, on the other hand, is just trying to get laid.
I'm not sure what you mean by this, but if you're saying anything about not liking the various female characters in Castlevania games, yeah, you're completely wrong. As for Simon v. Richter, though, Simon has almost no discernible character, really... what is there to say about him? That his character design is probably cooler looking than Richter's? That is probably true. As for motivations, "rescue the girl" vs. "beat the villain"... I do prefer the latter, because "rescue the girl" is a old, should-be-gone sexist storyline, but neither one is all that original. It's the gameplay that matters the most... and that's where SCIV Simon, with his awesome whip controls, far outpaces more NESlike Richter. At least there's also Maria with her nice arc-attack birds. which also hit enemies more than the whip but do the same amount of damage per hit, in RoB anyway, too. With that I like to use the red-birds secondary weapon the best, for coverage against enemies coming from above.
You've not played III? You've not played III?
?? People we now have concrete proof that SNERD = n00b. This explains the creation of this entire topic.
III isn't nearly as common as the first game, for sure... or even IV on SNES, either. And Bloodlines is cheaper, I think. So I can see that, even though III is a great game.
