Remember that patent from the weekend about how Sony’s using nifty technology to remaster through emulation? We always suspected that Castlevania Requiem would be one such title taking advantage of the tech, and it turns out we were correct: the Konami classics are coming to the PlayStation 4 courtesy of the console’s PlayStation Portable emulator.
This is where it gets complicated: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles launched on the PSP in 2007, and was effectively a remake of Rondo of Blood. But the UMD included copies of the original PC Engine title as well as PSone smash Symphony of the Night. Our understanding is that Sony’s using the PSP emulator on the PS4 to bring back the two aforementioned titles in 4K.
Why does this matter? Well, the PSP versions altered the script and added new voice actors, in an attempt to improve on the schlocky originals. Of course, purists prefer the classics, and thus this has all caused a bit of a ruckus on social media – as you’d expect. The games are, pretty much, still the same – but they’re not the originals. The question is: do you care?
Comments 37
No
A bit off topic , to all the fans of Castlevania is this collection a good starting point to newcomers ? I pre-ordered this and I never played a game in the series before 😂
It was the PSP remake of Rondo of Blood that I wanted 😃 . I’m not fussed about SOTN.
The Question is: do you care?
the answer is: NO
it's Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night, 2 of the best in the series so i'm just happy to be able to play them again
Don't get me wrong, these are great games, but I have Dracula X Chronicles on my Vita already, so I can't be bothered.
I'll take any excuse to replay Symphony of the Night. Does anyone care enough to not buy them? Symphony is one of the best games ever made and it wasn't because of the naff script.
So there really is no reason to get this when I have Dracula X Chronicles already!
@Ralizah yup, seems so.
Do I care? It depends on how well.the voice acting is. I never played the PSP ports so I don't know if it's worst or better. I know the PS One Original had some cheesy lines in it but some have become iconic like the "What is a Man?" So I will miss that for sure. However with Rondo I don't think it will matter because was this game ever translated to English before the PSP version? The only version of Rondo I played was the Turbo Grafx version on the Wii U VC and that was all Japanese.
ooh so that's what they meant when they said sony helped a lot with the port.
@oatmealwarrior92 Sure they are a great point to start these two are considered two of the best Castlevania games around. I know that alot of people consider Rondo as one of the best Classicvania styles of Castlevania (along with Super Castlevania IV, and III but those you can't get on PS) and Symphony as one of the best Metroidvania Castlevanias around.
Already have the ps1 version on vita, I have no problem with this as long as I can play the game on ps4. Of course it's better if konami gave us the option to choose the original voice in the game.
Also I think I already got the psp version on vita too.
Well that's pretty dumb. (and probably lazy)
And lazy - and probably putting off a good chunk of your potential sales before the thing is even out.
I think many of us expected this already, it's a shame but not that big a deal considering how little of the game involves voice acting anyway. Add to this that were getting 2 fantastic games and there is very little to complain about
@oatmealwarrior92 Consider playing Super Castlevania for SNES
NES Castlevania 1 & 3 are good too, but alittle bit sadistic
I'm going to do my first play through of the game on the PS3 for the original acting just so I get the original experience. After that, I don't care. I still need to play that game, but I'm waiting for Rondo of Blood first since SoTN is basically a sequel.
@oatmealwarrior92 tbh Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is accessible even if it ain’t a Castlevania game otherwise
Try the CV games on the NES Classic or SCV4 on the SNES Classic assuming you have those
The suspend points or the rewind feature really helps
I don't really care.
@RadoGoji Pretty much the same, and I have a PlayStation tv, so could play them on the TV also.
@oatmealwarrior92 As stated, of the more modern (non NES games) SoTN is much more like Metroid with experience points, rather than working through a series of increasingly challenging levels. You get abilities to progress and explore a lot within an open environment.
Personally, I prefer the 'old' style of Super Castlevania 4, Bloodlines and Rondo of Blood myself - the SNES game is probably my favorite of all of them. Really may depends on the type of gameplay you enjoy most.
As a dual pack, probably a good start.
As to the question of the article, as long at the game is 60Hz (which should be if porting from PSP), that's probably better than playing the original PAL PS1 version where you do notice the slower gameplay.
I have Symphony of the Night as a PS1 classic on my Vita. That’ll do me just fine... until I crack and buy Requiem within a day or two of its PS4 release!
@KALofKRYPTON Unless a WHOLE lot of consumers buy this digitally, they are already hurting their sales factor by releasing this ON THE SAME DAY AS RDR2.
Maybe it’s my vita but the PSP one given away with psplus ages ago. Doesn’t ever seem to play. I’ve uninstalled it and downloaded it again numerous time, but it’s so jumpy and not a frame rate issue, it’s literally like you had a disc in there that’s being shaken
I guess that explains why this is exclusive to the PS4 then.
@Slasher To be fair - you either already know you want this or you don't I reckon, regardless of release date.
Not being the OG voices will turn plenty of people off.
I'm just glad the PS4 is finally getting a Castlevania game. After the 2 for PS3, I thought I read somewhere that they were done making them, and I never wanted that...I was even one of the ones that somewhat enjoyed the N64 titles. My favorites are still part 2 and 3 on the NES and (what I would call) fantastic Castlevania Bloodlines on Genesis and Super Castlevania IV on super nes. There are two other ones that I wish they would re-release in 4K for PS4...the 2 for PS3 in one nice collection! That'll probably happen when Dante's Inferno gets another chance (another great title that has nothing to do with anything mentioned above).
@Tasuki Rondo was released on SNES in English under a different name, it's also available on Wii U Virtual Console.
I only care because they could have presumably released on vita too with trophy support
@KALofKRYPTON will it really though? I personally don’t think so especially since the original voice acting is freaking terrible regardless of “nostalgia”
I've never played these games so I'm kinda excited. I just played my first Castlevania the other day (Aria of Sorrow) and loved it to death.
And just like that, there went most of my interest. Sorry, but I already own the PSP version, If I want to play that, I can. I was really hoping Konami would put in more effort than simply porting over the PSP versions, but I was a bit suspicious of this already. This doesn't impact Chi no Rondo too much, but it kinda ruins SOTN for me as I prefer the original voices in all their cheesiness. With this already being a loaded month as it is, I'll pass for now.
@dark_knightmare2 Well, I was planning on getting it and won't now. Part of the cheesy charm of the game is in it's B-movie presentation.
It isn't as if the the replaced voice work is even demonstrably better either. It's dry, and pretty boring and genuinely makes the whole experience less fun.
They did it literally to try and make the game more 'serious'.
It would be silly not to include both versions, but just the updated one feels lazy.
@TowaHerschel7 That's not the same game. Turbo Grafx had an exclusive deal with Konami for Rondo of Blood. The SNES got a game called Dracula X which used the same sprites and such but the levels are different and the music was switched around. The story is similar but it's not the same game
@KALofKRYPTON there’s like two minutes total of voice acting in symphony it’s not a deal breaker of any kind imo
@oatmealwarrior92 Yes. Also, the DS and GBA Castlevanias are amazing as well.
The fact Nintendo Life are now saying it's not worth getting is absolutely pathetic.
@IBeAGamer Nintendo life is full of fanboys, i stopped going there
on topic i wonder if this is the reason it's a PS4 exclusive?
I'm not bothered by this since I never played the originals.
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