The Gamer's Quarter

GSL · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:55 pm Post subject: Konami hates Castlevania fans

Well, I suppose it depends on your position. If you're a PSP owner, then it's obvious that Konami loves you enough to not only give you a port of Symphony of the Night, but both the original and a 3D-enhanced remake of the most legendary Castlevania title evar.

For the rest of the people who have supported Konami's handheld efforts on the GBA and DS, this seems like a nice, 'fuck you'.

I don't care too much about SotN and the gameplay video of the Dracula X remake looks a bit wonky--I don't like the remixed music and Richter's walk looks more like some odd strut--but it's a bit frustrating to see the one installment of the series that American fans have been clamoring for since--well, almost since its release--going to a platform other than one supported by the current Castlevania fanbase. It's especially annoying when you look back on the video interview on the Playstation Castlevania Chronicles and see that even that long ago they were considering giving the game some sort of US release. Then again, I suppose it makes sense considering Konami's recent history of classic collections on the PSP, but it still bugs me. Certainly gives me one more reason to look into getting the device, though.

SuperWes · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:16 pm Post subject:

Request topic title change. I'm personally glad that I'll finally be able to play it legitimately without having to spend a shitload on a Turboduo + $100 disc.

Yeah, it sucks that it's on the PSP, but it's better suited to that game than the DS would have been.

-Wes
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Lasa · . Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 128

How well are PSP games selling these days anyway?

SuperWes · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:35 pm Post subject:

The PSP is a bad system primarily because there aren't that many games worth playing on it. I don't see how that makes bringing a potentially good game out on it a bad move.

Anyways, if anything Konami hated us yesterday when they weren't bringing it out at all. Logically, the fact that they're releasing it at all means they don't hate us any more.

But if you disagree with this logic, that must mean that when Konami announced Bloodlines for the Genesis they hated us, and when they announced Symphony of the Night for the Playstation they also hated us. I don't get it.

-Wes
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Lestrade · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:36 pm Post subject:

I really just want all classic re-releases to be on XBLA or Virtual Console, period. I want all my stuff in one place! Let the PSP die and give me downloadable games, please!

SuperWes · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:38 pm Post subject:

ALSO

If Castlevania wasn't enough reason for you to buy a PSP, Konami's also releasing this:

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

dhex · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:05 pm Post subject:

GSL · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:40 pm Post subject:

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

Anyone who likes anything deserves to be punished, right?
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

SuperWes · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject:

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

friedchicken · . Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 496 Location: Port Land, OR

Sigh, sigh. I was hoping to never again buy anything for the PSP. I guess I'll have to give in, since I'm not willing to drop the cash on the original. I'm pretty sure PSP+Dracula X will be significantly cheaper than just Dracula X on the PCE.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

Buying the PC Engine version will give money back to collectors, though, and that ain't cool!

Also, you didn't facotr in shipping costs! You can just buy the PSP stuff from the store.
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dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

There must be a 1:1 ratio for CDr copies of Rondo and Duos located geographically outside of Japan.
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GSL · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:09 pm Post subject:

friedchicken · . Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 496 Location: Port Land, OR

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

dessgeega · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:28 pm Post subject:

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

The PCE version is all in Japanese though, while the PSP version will be translated and such.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

helicopterp · . Joined: 13 May 2006 Posts: 1435 Location: Philadelphia

I don't know what it says about me as a person or as a gamer, but I had more fun checking Shaper's math than actually reading anything about this game.

One thing's for sure, though. Shaper, you added correctly.
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Like you thought you'd seen copter perverts before. They were nothing compared to this one.

B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

Rondo run pretty well on my soft modded xbox!

I would absolutely pick up this package if I still had my PSP, or if Sony ever gets around to releasing a revised version of the console. After all, I still have the copy of SOTN Dess sent me (hey, it's not a rare game or anything).

I liked the PSP platform pretty well! but after my first one bricked itself I find that I just can't swallow the cost of another until Sony makes a better version of the hardware.

SuperWes · Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:33 am Post subject:

Matt and I talked on the phone about this tonight. I see why people would theoretically want it for the DS, but really the PSP (or PS2) is really the only technically feasible place to put it. The TurboDuo runs at a resolution of 256×224. The DS runs at a resolution of 256x192, which means you'd be missing 28 pixels vertically unless you wanted to push those pixels to the other screen. The PSP on the other hand runs at a resolution of 480 x 272, this means that the game could run fine without having any pixels cut off, or could even be stretched and aliased so it's no longer windowed (For your reference, SOTN on the Playstation runs at 320x240, which is also not possible on the DS).

Beyond the screen size, there's the aforementioned issue of sound. The DS just isn't capable of running a game at full speed while it's pumping out anything near CD quality sound. I could be wrong here, but my understanding of how Nintendo's handhelds work is that they don't have anything even close to resembling a dedicated sound processor, and therefore sound quality is directly proportional to game speed.

So basically in order to bring the game to the DS they would not have been able to do anything even close to resembling a faithful port. As for the reason it's not on the PS2, I'm guessing it has to do with how badly Chronicles bombed. It's a bit disappointing, but Despite what Sony says, new games don't tend to do as well when their system's successors are released. It probably would have had to have been a budget title to make money at all, and that's probably not worth their time or money.

So in conclusion, I'm glad it's coming out on the PSP instead of the DS. I'm disappointed that it's not coming out on the PS2. No matter what you do, don't buy a $200 PSP just for this game. You've been waiting 15 years. You can wait for the system to drop in price.

-Wes
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chompers po pable · . Joined: 10 Nov 2005 Posts: 142

showka · . Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 70

Mister Toups · Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:57 am Post subject:

B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:40 pm Post subject:

So, what's the state of PSP emulation these days?
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Pijaibros · Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:00 pm Post subject:

More importantly, has their been any announcement of an upgraded PSP system or (even better) a PSP Player?

I see demo PSP units that display on an LCD (at retail stores) and have always wanted a device to allow me that pleasure for personal use.

dmauro · . Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 303 Location: Brooklyn

dongle · . Joined: 25 Nov 2006 Posts: 290

Mednafen does just fine as well.