Honestly, "Wha Happun" has made me develop quite the sympathy for the people developing games out there (not the companies though, only the employees). As fans, we are very passionate about some games and are quick to hate when they come out in a lackluster way, but we often forget that game development is a job like any other, with deadlines, pressures and all that stuff. Even when some games suck I'm pretty sure the developers tried their best to make a somewhat quality experience with their resources while trying to deal with sales projections, company and market demands, fans and marketing and these series show this a lot. It must definitely be heartbreaking to see a game you worked your ass off fail because something just didn't work out during the production.
I just feel like game publishers and people making big decisions are so far removed from their product. Guys at EA publishing or activision just don't play video games and it shows in the lack of quality of life updates. Just inconvenient shit never getting fixed usually adds up to me dropping games eventually. Like call of duty not cleaning up there updates to not make a pretty basic shooter not take up 200+ gigs. Can't convince me anyone who owns the game and is constantly having to deal with it has anything to do with that decision. Or the battlefront 2 shitshow. If they asked and listened to a single consumer of the product what they thought, they would have got told how bad it would play out. Anthem too. Forced a studio to make something they didn't know how to make, didnt want to make, and no one wanted to play. All they could see was the destiny money. Basically put one of their most beloved studios (bioware) on life support out of sheer greed. Just the amount of anxiety that goes into buying games you want to enjoy sucks. I want to support shit that looks cool but have just been made to feel ripped off too many times to ever pre order shit again.
"Wha happun" and Larry Bundy Jr.'s channel has kinda redpilled me on just how hard game dev is, and that when a game ends up being lame, it's probably because the development team had a real bad time. Granted, some games just suck, but a lot of those suck for a reason.
Well, for what it's worth, I have very fond memories of Castlevania 64 and at a time when 3D gaming was new for me, I didn't have much to pick at and there wasn't much to compare it to. At the time, the game and it's gameplay was amazing, and I also liked the storylines.
It shocked me too I saw it on the app store and absolutely loved it I kept hearing good things and loved the anime so I got it and it was great though I bet itd be better with a controller
Yeah, at the time, mainstream 3d was new and fresh, and 2d felt old, despite the huge advancements it made to the game. Honestly, Castlevania 64 isn't nearly as much a failure as the 2 PS2 3d games, which had no excuse for being that bad. Lords of Shadow showed what a real 3d Castlevania could be.
@@mattm7798 I've got a soft spot for Lament of Innocence. I probably wouldn't have liked it as well if I'd played DMC before it but it's a decent brawler with admittedly bleh level design but it's got a god-tier soundtrack.
Me: Vampires versus Werewolves? I wonder what clip Matt will use, Underworld or something? (Shows "What We Do In The Shadows" ) Me: A man of taste and culture.
I never knew that SotN sold so poorly! Also, in retrospect it is quite funny that every company was pushing for their games to be polygonal 3D games as the majority of 2D games from the 32bit era have held up beautifully, whereas the 3D games... erm, not so much.
Vagrant story is probably one of the only early 3d games that I would say still looks good today, and that's almost entirely because of it's stylization.
I remember back then we were all enamored with 3D and got turned off by anything 2D. We wanted to move forward and were over 2D. I was a dumb kid back then but you're right - early 3D is ugly but 2D of this era still holds up.
@@walmorcarvalho2512 "being stuck with an early and ugly version of "THE FUTURE" that nobody asked for." Nobody asked for? Huh. 3D was *all the rage* back then, and we as kids loved it. We only seem to fetishize 2D nowadays because of blind nostalgia. It's similar with vinyl records: it's not like LPs were dearly beloved when CDs came around; it's just the best people had back then, and when digital audio came around, a lot of people couldn't wait to throw their LP collection away and replace them with CDs. Also, if early 3D games looked ugly, what do you say about most 8-bit games? The NES library is chock full of hideous things.
@@FernieCanto until like 2015 vinyl was the best audio fidelity you could get. There was very good reason why a lot of people still prefered vinyl over CDs. And most early 3d is ass, but yes there's also a lot of early 2d games on the nes and atari that also looked like ass, but most snes games still look good today, same with games that got around their 2d limitations in creative ways like Donkey country making 2d sprites out rendering 3d models.
@mr freakout sometimes it's the problem of the photographer rather then the subject I know my passport photo looks like mugshot, granted it didn't help that I couldn't wear my glasses.
@@YukaTakeuchiFan It's strange how some people who look great in person still look meh in (most) pictures and some people look great in pictures but kind of average in person.
Man, Sonia Belmont can’t catch a break. Her game ends up being noncanon, and her supposed breakout title, Resurrection, ended up being cancelled. Wishful thinking, but I wish they do her justice in the future.
@@kingbash6466 Legends was pretty weak as a game and didn't contribute anything meaningful as an origin story, so I can understand that they wanted to do a proper one. Naturally, they could've done this only by tossing Legends out of the canon. Shame about Resurrection though, and I doubt that there is future for Castlevania with modern Konami.
Honestly Castlevania 64 is dripping with atmosphere, has a really good soundtrack and a VERY memorable opening level. I knew even when I was a kid that the game had glaring faults but I enjoy It for the same reason I love Gauntlet: Dark Legacy and Legends. Aesthetics yo
Here's hoping that Konami will eventually need to sell all their ip's and someone other then ea or Activision gets them. Imagine from software gets the Castlevania ip or kojima studios gets silent hill and metal gear. I know it's unlikely but a guy can dream tho
I'm happy to see the 64-era Castlevania games getting some exposure. Despite their shortcomings, they still hold as pretty good games for their time. It's also got some surprisingly good cutscene direction, which you wouldn't expect in a game like this. I still recall being genuinely jump scared by the cutscene after you defeat the first vampire boss. And when you meet the spider-women.
I remember renting C64 back in the day. I was too young to really grasp it though, but I'd give it another shot if I could. "Do I want to get an emulator," is my deal.
@@Maniacman2030 Definitely play it on an emulator with a gamepad. It improves the experience so much. The biggest problems those games have are their controls and camera. You can mostly fix both of those by using a gamepad and mapping the camera button to something easy to access.
I own this game and beat it many times. I played it a few years back and despite its flaws (similar flaws to other early 3D games) it was still a solid play through. It just became cool to hate on since the 64 was the "kiddie" console and everyone was so in love with SOTN. I enjoyed Lament of Innocence and Lords of Shadow as well. I hope castlevania ain't done but Konami seems to not care about it right now
I used to sneak out at night and try to play Castlevania 64. I couldn’t get far since I was only 5 years old and I eventually would get to scared and go back to bed. That opening atmosphere with the music, the undead skeletons coming from the ground and then coming to the giant Medieval Gate always gave me such a feeling of horror, knowing what was on the other side was going to start chasing me.
Ah, the late 90s, the era where every series had to go from 2D to 3D, with many, MANY of those jumps left them falling flat onto their faces, leaving a stain in their legacy. Some of them were able to fix that, like Mortal Kombat, Castlevania, Dragon Ball. But then we get to the Bubsy 3Ds, oof.
I will include Sonic in those that fell flat on their faces, yeah I know people like the Sonic Adventure series but I absolutely hated it, I played the first Sonic Adventure but I hated the controls and the Dreamcast controller is the worst designed controller Sega ever made.
Castlevania 64 was actually the first Castlevania game I played, and is actually my favorite. No Castlevania game has ever captured me like that game, I beat it multiple times, and even recorded all the cut scenes on VHS. I know I’m weird.
No gonna lie, I actually enjoyed the hell out of Castlevania 64 when I was a kid. The whole idea of not seeing the actual final boss based on how quickly you completed the game I thought was a really cool concept. Yeah, the part where you carry the nitro was kinda gimmicky, but I felt it raise the tension a bit because if you got hit, you exploded. And yes, even back then, the camera was difficult to manage at times. Despite all that, I feel nothing but fond nostalgia whenever I hear about this game.
Castlevania 64 is an excellent game with some flaws. I know that it’s sort of a meme at this point, but the game itself really is something special if you come at it with an open mind. I encourage anyone to give it a try before dismissing. Castlevania 64 really is an incredible game.
It's really not. I came at it with an open mind and only saw a really poor excuse for a Castlevania game. From its terrible controls, bad camera, awful level design, really bad platforming, mediocre and repetitive combat and overall low difficulty. There's a reason these games got critically trashed at release and sold poorly because they are at best mediocre games.
@@okagron as someone who has never played any other castlevania game this game is awesome. The levels are so memorable and atmosphere is perfect, some of the best music I’ve ever heard in a game too
@@JD-ib9zd atmosphere and music is something all the Castlevania games do really well. If you wanna combine that with some really solid gameplay, check out the 2D games in the series! I highly recommend Symphony of the Night on PS1 and any of the GBA or DS games!
@@okagron I had a blast with it. one of my favorites. Symphony sales were poor but should we judge it as a bad game? The platforming was easy, most games then had bad controls/camera. I played resident evil fine, others thought the tank controls were horrid.For an n64 game, at least it wasnt another collectathon. It was a bit or RE and zelda for me. Compared to other AAA games it was sub par as well, even so....i fucking love it. Especially since it was unique at the time. Castlevania is primarily about whipping stuff, its compat isnt sott but it wasnt much different than other classic castlevanias or 3d games at the time. But yea repititive combat, lots of castlevanias are like that arent they? whipping alot?
@@JD-ib9zd I agree it was my first deeply played castlevania. But your saying its your only one? Alot of fans may think your no castlevania authority. But I agree its an awsome game. I think if someone hasnt tried it they should. At the same time you should check out other entries. They are hard. in fact, i never beat any other one but occasionally revisit. Watching playthroughs of these games are fun. Anyhow, I got a list of the ones i think are best i want to beat: symphony of the night, bloodlines, rhondo of blood(turbogrfx 16 version is better than snes version-dracula x), super castlvania 4, chronicles. I know there are good handheld ones like on gba but im going to attempt them after the console games.
Man, I played Castlevania 64 to death as a kid, managing to make it to the end with both characters through pure determination. Like most people, I never heard of the "Legacy of Darkness" version until many years later. Now I must go on a quest to find a copy without destroying my wallet.
Was the opposite for me, Legacy of Darkness was the only version I owned as a kid. My parents initially rented Castlevania 64 for me from the local Blockbuster and I didn't make it far before we had to return it. After that, I kept asking my parents for Castlevania 64 for Christmas, and when Christmas finally came I unwrapped my new copy of... wait, what's Legacy of Darkness? I remember being a little disappointed at first because it wasn't the same game that I played from Blockbuster, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and played it through to the end. Hearing about the history of the development of the games after all these years has been interesting.
Carrie is a Belnades, who is around since Dracula's Curse. Werewolfs were ennemies, and Terminator si completely wtf. So the choice is logical. Even if we'd all love to play them !
I actually really Like Castlevania 64 , I think that it has a Really distint atmosfear and the Game was Really entertaning. I Didn't have problems with the puzzles and thinks like that , but the camera sucks i give you That. The soundtrack was really good as well and some concepts in the game are interesting and cool , I Think that the Hate towars the title Has something to do With AVGN Review. That's it because The People tends to take the opinion of some of They favorite RUclipsrs and Don't experience The game in first hand to the beggining At the end, At least Legacy of Darkness Fix up some of the problems that it has and mantening the same Atmosfear that I love some much. PD: Sorry for the Broken English , Great video
Well said. Sadly that still happens all over RUclips. They don´t even played the Game or even know anything about it. If you would ask them why they hate it, they would say "oh, because RUclipsr XYZ hates it too". That doesn´t only count on Videogames. It´s on any media that is out there. I even don´t understand the Hate for the Dialog in Symphony of the Night (also heard here in the beginning of the video). I mean, there are much, much worse out there like this. I think it´s just cool to hate something.
The camera actually isn't so bad if you understand when to switch between the three different camera modes. Of course, I could never figure it out back in the day, but I finally got it when I played through the game again earlier this year, and it's functional if not intuitive.
I love the N64 Castlevania games and really wish there had been more like them. I don't think people give them anywhere near enough credit in retrospect.
There’s actually a channel that covered that whole fiasco in super extensive detail: a 40 minute video! The channel is Waiting in the Wings, and it was part of their own series called “What Went Wrong”. I definitely recommend checking it out :D
Yep as @BroadwayBrittany said, someone already made a video on it and it's really entertaining and extensive. Just check that one instead, no need for Matt to make one too.
Same here. I had only ever played Super Castlevania on a friends SNES until circle of the moon, and despite how difficult it was, and made harder by only being able to play it in direct sunlight due to the dark graphics (ironic, huh?), it still managed to become one of my fave handheld games ever. Seriously, I'd rank it above SotN any day.
Hey, nice to see so many people that also started with CotM. So many good memories. Tons of nice secrets. Interesting Bosses. Nice Music. The og Battle Arena...
@@kaimcdragonfist4803 Agreed. Videos like this don't help. I would have liked him to focus more on how much legacy improved the issues that the original had. They should have delayed the game and just released legacy.
Castlevania 64 is an underrated game with some great ideas very good graphics, excellent music and presentation, fantastic atmosphere and much better than many praised titles on the other consoles. Yes it had its flaws like the problems with camera and platforming sections, but it was the first 3d Castlevania for Konami and the first 3D game ever realized for its developers so as they said in the interviews, they were testing and learning at the same time how to make a 3d game and the limits of the implementation of their ideas in a 3d environment. "Then Legacy of Darkness", (the directors cut) fixes lots of things and adds the content they had in mind with Castlevania 64, so even better.
I loved Castlevania 64. It was hard as hell (mainly because of the camera impacting the platforming aspects), but playing the series evolution into 3D felt down right state of the art at the time. Beloved memories!
This was surprisingly even-handed given the game’s, I think, undeserved bad reputation. Legacy of Darkness in particular is one of my favorite Castlevania games as, aside from the transition to 3D, I feel the game has more in common with the original games in the series than the subsequent Metroidvania and Devil May Cry style entries did. One thing that I’m sure didn’t help the game’s reputation that was only briefly touched upon in the video was that Igarashi, after taking the reigns of the Castlevania series, not only wrote out Circle of the Moon but also Castlevania 64/Legacy of Darkness, and Castlevania Legend, basically all the games post SotN that he didn’t produce or direct. I thought that was a dick move.
Mhm. The games that Iga 'disowned', in a sense, have often likewise been disowned by fans of the series as well. I do consider this a flaw in my personality, but I can be a little reluctant to play any of the games that don't fall within Iga's canon, myself... Aside from the games that contradict the lore of others, eg, Legends, I personally like the added stories of these gaidens. They sorta flesh out the Castlevania world a little bit more, and it's fun to have a few vampire killers who aren't strictly Belmonts. There aren't many Castlevanias I find unplayable. In fact, there are none. Games like Legacy of Darkness and CV 64 lend us a somewhat fresh, new take on the world of vampires and vampire killers that we otherwise might not have. I agree, it's a bit of a dick move on Igarashi's part. People worked incredibly hard on all these games, they should at least be acknowledged as official Castlevania.
For better or for worse Iga had total control over the series and dcided what ot include and what not in the canon. I don't want to think he had bad intentions with no real proof but i enjoyed Circle of the Moon a lot, and it bums me out it was dissowned by him. It's not like he was perfect either, i had fun with Harmony of Dissonance for example but that game has lots of issues. And i'm still not sure how to feel about Julius Belmont kinda looking like Iga and being the one that gets the glory of defeating Dracula for good.
@@GloriousGandalf rather than it being spite or an insult to those games and their developers, they probably just didn’t fit Iga’s vision for the series and it’s overall storyline that he crafted. Having one cohesive timeline is hard to do when the entries were made decades apart and by different teams of people. Basically what I’m tryna say is it was probably more due to story and aesthetic reasons than anything else. They were only cut out of the current canon, meaning existing overall storyline, not invalidated altogether as entries in the series or as games in general.
@@MerkhVisionyeah he crafted his storyline based off the games released before Symphony, then there was another team who made stuff that didn’t fit his initial vision. It makes a lot of sense.
I still have a lot of "love" for both Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness, even if they are not all that great ( well, Legacy of Darkness was a LOT better in my opinion )
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person that liked these games. It's probably because they are some of the only ones I had as a kid, so I just had to get used to the shit controls. Do yourselves a favor and play these again on an emulator with a gamepad. This improves the experience greatly!
@@CRSH3000 I played through Legacy of darkness a few years ago on PC at 1080p with a high definition texture pack and an xbox controller. Great experience.
I actually enjoyed Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness when they were released. One of my favorite renditions of Dracula in any of the Castlevania games.
@@rastas_4221 I'm sure word of mouth helped. It did good enough to get a greatest hits version after all. I'll bet it was just initial sales that were not good and it worked out over the life of the system. I know for sure seeing reviews of 64 saying "Play SOTN instead"
@@bargaintuesday812 I will say that Nightmare Creatures actually did look pretty good, and wasn't a terrible playing game, especially for the time (competency!). At least on PC, I don't know how the PSX version was.
I remember watching my cousin play this and we were both super confused on how to proceed. I think it was the part where you needed some kind of explosive but you couldn't jump or get hurt otherwise it would explode. He made it all the way to the boss arena but we didn't know how to blow up the wall... Eventually, he figured it out and was promptly killed by the huge undead beast that came alive. Memories...
I played this as a kid and it terrified me. I couldn't get passed the scary dogs in the hedge maze. But seeing the clips here now, 21 years later, and I wonder how the hell did any of that look scary.
Great work as always. I'd love to hear more about the unreleased Dreamcast Castlevania too. I remember seeing previews for it in magazines for years before it just disappeared, never to be seen again. Probably an interesting story there!
The 64 games were not bad, just unpolished. If they would have delayed those games to the 6th generation of consoles, they would have been much better. It's a shame, the 64 games had more of the Castlevania series in its roots (combat, exploration and platforming) than most other future games in the series. If Konami was the reboot the series into 3D, they should look into the 64 titles.
Or maybe Curse of Darkness. Idk why that game is so damn overlooked. It was a straight up good 3D Metroidvania style entry. I want to blame a lack of marketing. Then again, pershaps it's better we not give Konami anymore ideas. They can't touch anything now without ruining it.
Castlevania 64 is a true hidden gem in retro 3D gaming - a highly innovative 3D survival platform adventure that isn't given the credit it deserves. Highly recommended. I actually enjoy the starting area - it's clear the area was designed to allow players to learn the controls and game mechanics. I also appreciate the visuals in this area too.
God that intro made subscribe faster than ever, I love it. Great video man, I was always curious by this game back in the day because I was fascinated and obsessed at that time with Castlevania, but never got to play it. Great videos, I'm definitely keep watching! Cheers!
The Castlevania games in the N64 are the best translation of the classic style of the saga, and maybe even the most castlevany of the 3D games. They do have issues (akin to those in many 3d debuts), but underneath, it also has the best atmosphere, narrative and character development in the series. I encourage anyone who only knows these games from the fame the internet made for it, to actually try them past the bits that are nitpicked all over youtube and you may find quite the, dare l say it, hidden gems on the N64.
It's a wonderful game but alot judge it based on symphony which isnt even fair as cv64 clearly took most of its gameplay and design from the first game with alittle bit of 3 here and there while its expansion legacy definitely took from rondo
I really like Castlevania 64 back in the day. Part of it was the gameplay and atmosphere for its time. I loved it. Plus, it was one of the few games from that generation I could play.
@@Maniacman2030 Divine Comedy leads to purgatory so the title would either be Dante's redemption or Dante's purgatory. The designers said they were planning a sequel where Dante fights angels and other demons and also meets Lucifer's son
@@porassrivastava8242 From the ending I got, it implied he went to Heaven with his wife. Was there a specifically True Ending though? I know how the original goes, but I'm confused by how things went in game versus the original versus where a sequel was supposed to come in.
I loved CV64 when I was younger and still do, and I remember thinking Demon's Souls was up my alley because of how much it reminded me of a more put together version of CV64's gameplay, barring the jump button.
I just want to point out real quick that every single song Matt used to make this video is an absolute banger. CV has literally some of the best music in the industry.
I think I'm playing Circle of the Moon again, this video had good bgm choices. CV64 was always such a strange one. It's incredible to know how much better it could have been given how LoD looks and feels.
Fantastic video! I'm not the biggest fan of 64, but I still think the game showed great potential for a more "atmospheric-oriented" adventure. Legacy of Darkness did that even better in my eyes, and I'd love to see this formula again.
@@nickcurrent3111 Simple answer to that. Square Enix games keep getting delayed because they are perfectionists. KH3 took seven years for that very reason, just like FF15, DQ11 and FF7R.
@@Klonoahedgehog SquareEnix are not perfectionists. FF15 was in trapped in Development Hell during those 7 years because Nomura (who was put to work on it when it was Versus13) kept changing the story until SE executives got fed up with his shit and replaced him with Tabata. As a result, the game we were SUPPOSED to get was VERY different from what we actually got since more than half its original narrative was either re-written or CUT entirely in order to meet its release date. Only to be re-packaged as "episodic" DLC and sold instead of included with the story (which they eventually did with the Royal Edition). Most of that DLC would be canceled after Adryn, because FF7R was suddenly more important and SE learned that "episodic content" could be lucrative. So, no. Square Enix are not perfectionists. They fuck up occasionally. FF15 is definitely one of their (bigger) fuck ups. And I say all this with love, because I did enjoy 15 despite its problems. ETA: SE FIRED TABATA, despite his efforts to save the game (it was STILL INCOMPLETE) and the game's sales. So no. Not perfectionists. They let their long time veteran ruin a mainline installment then screwed over the person who saved it by the skin of his teeth. That's shit management/leadership.
Bummer...I must be the one person who has fond memories of playing Castlevania 64. I have only fired it up a couple of times in the last 20 years but I think it still holds up somewhat...sort of. I like the music!
Man N64 is not gonna lie pretty fun for me[especially Legacy of Darkness]but imo Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness is the better 3Dvania with DMC-esque gameplay,and Matt how about what happened with DMC2[i'm still curious who's the real director before Itsuno came in]or the Simont Castlevania reboot/remake that Kojima and Mercury steam reworked it into Lord of Shadow.
I remember seeing those 3d model screenshots and getting super excited. I also remember finally renting it and being super confused by the wonky camera and let down overall.
I was actually confused for a minute, because I thought Legacy of Darkness was the only N64 castlevania game, and that one was great. I had a lot of fun playing as werewolf boy
I know right? Such a funny man. He easily could have made it fit but he took it out. I remember seeing it on the timeline as a side event though. Do not know how accurate that is seeing as IGA is doing his own thing now.
This may be controversial, but I'm not a big fan of Circle of the Moon, though to be fair, I was introduced to Aria of Sorrow first, so I understand that I'm biased. My main problems with Circle is that the enemy variety is laughable, taken up almost entirely by variant of armors, and the card system is inferior to Aria's Soul system in almost every way.
Nah, i dont think is controversial. Sure is a good game, but not without faults. Harmony of dissonance and specially, Aria of sorrow, where better in general.
Ah man, this was a nostalgic episode for me. I *LOVED* these games when I was a kid, warts and all. I still look back on them fondly tbh, they had a lot of really cool ideas that I wish had stuck around (like actual vampire enemies, including the vamp status). They were rough, sure, but there was some great stuff there. I remember also liking it because one of the heroes was a kid in like a horror setting, since I was a kid myself and always thought it was lame that we rarely got to do that lol. She was such a little badass, too.
“Search action?” Ehhhhh. I know a lot of people dislike the term metroidvania but I dont know that search action is going to stick. Time will tell I guess.
I've played just Legacy of Darkness as a kid, I thought it was pretty fun then though it also helped to develop my nerves due to the platforming sections. Playing as Henry was my favorite.
I don't want to be a dick, but you gave credit to everyone at the end, except AVGN. Not sure if there was a reason or you just missed it. Either way, great video!
I think this is one of those cases were a bad game should be given a remake; a second chance. Legacy of Darkness has the right ideas, as far as being transfer the NES games into 3d, but was limited by the technology. Meanwhile the other 3d Castlevaina games are most just DMC/GoW clones.
It would be interesting if Konami took the lessons learned from the 64 games and tried to improve upon it in a brand new 3D Castlevania game rather than just a remake or trying to ape off DMC/GoW. Unfortunately, given what Konami's like in present day,I have no faith that'll happen anytime soon if ever.
This game is a guilty pleasure. Especially blowing yourself up with nitro. Honestly CV should be only 2D. Some things are just better 2D with 3D elements.
This OoT and Donkey Kong 64 were my first video games when I was 4. Castlevania terrified me as a kid. I remember the first giant skeleton boss scared me so much I cried.
Oh konami messing up one of their franchises? Still better than spending years making pachinko machines What is this game? But a miserable little like of poorly conceived ideas and graphics that look like they were made 5 years before this game out?
i love the fog over the "dusty tome" that covers up the Shrek logo
Good catch!
Honestly, "Wha Happun" has made me develop quite the sympathy for the people developing games out there (not the companies though, only the employees). As fans, we are very passionate about some games and are quick to hate when they come out in a lackluster way, but we often forget that game development is a job like any other, with deadlines, pressures and all that stuff. Even when some games suck I'm pretty sure the developers tried their best to make a somewhat quality experience with their resources while trying to deal with sales projections, company and market demands, fans and marketing and these series show this a lot. It must definitely be heartbreaking to see a game you worked your ass off fail because something just didn't work out during the production.
Loved your comment dude
I just feel like game publishers and people making big decisions are so far removed from their product. Guys at EA publishing or activision just don't play video games and it shows in the lack of quality of life updates. Just inconvenient shit never getting fixed usually adds up to me dropping games eventually.
Like call of duty not cleaning up there updates to not make a pretty basic shooter not take up 200+ gigs. Can't convince me anyone who owns the game and is constantly having to deal with it has anything to do with that decision. Or the battlefront 2 shitshow. If they asked and listened to a single consumer of the product what they thought, they would have got told how bad it would play out. Anthem too. Forced a studio to make something they didn't know how to make, didnt want to make, and no one wanted to play. All they could see was the destiny money. Basically put one of their most beloved studios (bioware) on life support out of sheer greed.
Just the amount of anxiety that goes into buying games you want to enjoy sucks. I want to support shit that looks cool but have just been made to feel ripped off too many times to ever pre order shit again.
Couldn't agree more 👍
"Wha happun" and Larry Bundy Jr.'s channel has kinda redpilled me on just how hard game dev is, and that when a game ends up being lame, it's probably because the development team had a real bad time. Granted, some games just suck, but a lot of those suck for a reason.
Well, for what it's worth, I have very fond memories of Castlevania 64 and at a time when 3D gaming was new for me, I didn't have much to pick at and there wasn't much to compare it to. At the time, the game and it's gameplay was amazing, and I also liked the storylines.
Konami: *Considers Symphony of the Night a failure*
"We must reincarnate it to the third dimension!"
@Rick Koontz yeah I didn't know that was the case either the more you know I guess.
It shocked me too I saw it on the app store and absolutely loved it
I kept hearing good things and loved the anime so I got it and it was great though I bet itd be better with a controller
Yeah, at the time, mainstream 3d was new and fresh, and 2d felt old, despite the huge advancements it made to the game. Honestly, Castlevania 64 isn't nearly as much a failure as the 2 PS2 3d games, which had no excuse for being that bad. Lords of Shadow showed what a real 3d Castlevania could be.
@@mattm7798 I've got a soft spot for Lament of Innocence. I probably wouldn't have liked it as well if I'd played DMC before it but it's a decent brawler with admittedly bleh level design but it's got a god-tier soundtrack.
@Rick Koontz Damn
Normalise no fall damage
No fall damage kind of ruined the fun of web swinging in Spider-Man PS4 though
@@Wol1427 but Spider-man casually leaps off tall buildings all the time. Fall damage will just be weird
@@awesomeguy2009 all the games you mentioned never had fall damage
@@awesomeguy2009 yeah but yhey haven't have fall damage for a very long time
@@awesomeguy2009 my bad
Me: Vampires versus Werewolves? I wonder what clip Matt will use, Underworld or something?
(Shows "What We Do In The Shadows" )
Me: A man of taste and culture.
What we do in the shadows is so good, I feel like not enough people watched it.
Indeed
Thank goodness he didn't use Twilight !
Underworld was a decent movie.
and yet he used the Limp Bizkit version of Behind Blue Eyes... tsk tsk!
I never knew that SotN sold so poorly!
Also, in retrospect it is quite funny that every company was pushing for their games to be polygonal 3D games as the majority of 2D games from the 32bit era have held up beautifully, whereas the 3D games... erm, not so much.
Vagrant story is probably one of the only early 3d games that I would say still looks good today, and that's almost entirely because of it's stylization.
@@Igorcastrochucre I'm curious to what is this referring to.
I remember back then we were all enamored with 3D and got turned off by anything 2D. We wanted to move forward and were over 2D. I was a dumb kid back then but you're right - early 3D is ugly but 2D of this era still holds up.
@@walmorcarvalho2512 "being stuck with an early and ugly version of "THE FUTURE" that nobody asked for."
Nobody asked for? Huh. 3D was *all the rage* back then, and we as kids loved it. We only seem to fetishize 2D nowadays because of blind nostalgia. It's similar with vinyl records: it's not like LPs were dearly beloved when CDs came around; it's just the best people had back then, and when digital audio came around, a lot of people couldn't wait to throw their LP collection away and replace them with CDs.
Also, if early 3D games looked ugly, what do you say about most 8-bit games? The NES library is chock full of hideous things.
@@FernieCanto until like 2015 vinyl was the best audio fidelity you could get. There was very good reason why a lot of people still prefered vinyl over CDs.
And most early 3d is ass, but yes there's also a lot of early 2d games on the nes and atari that also looked like ass, but most snes games still look good today, same with games that got around their 2d limitations in creative ways like Donkey country making 2d sprites out rendering 3d models.
6:21 legit thought this was a mugshot
Looks a bit like it. It's from an IGN interview. Only picture we could find of the guy.
@mr freakout I'm terrible at being photogenic on request. I get it.
@mr freakout sometimes it's the problem of the photographer rather then the subject I know my passport photo looks like mugshot, granted it didn't help that I couldn't wear my glasses.
@mr freakout The camera loves some people. The camera hates others to the point of declaring blood vendettas.
@@YukaTakeuchiFan It's strange how some people who look great in person still look meh in (most) pictures and some people look great in pictures but kind of average in person.
I'm surprised Castlevania: Resurrection, the cancelled Dreamcast game wasn't mentioned, but I'd guess that'd be the subject of another Wha Happun.
I was super bummed when that got canceled.
The soundtrack demos for this game were pretty dope.
I certainly hope so!
Man, Sonia Belmont can’t catch a break. Her game ends up being noncanon, and her supposed breakout title, Resurrection, ended up being cancelled. Wishful thinking, but I wish they do her justice in the future.
@@kingbash6466 Legends was pretty weak as a game and didn't contribute anything meaningful as an origin story, so I can understand that they wanted to do a proper one. Naturally, they could've done this only by tossing Legends out of the canon. Shame about Resurrection though, and I doubt that there is future for Castlevania with modern Konami.
Fun fact: this game is very popular here in Mexico among N64 collectors. I have yet to meet a person who thinks this game is bad.
Meet more people.
@@MattMcMuscles I meant in Mexico ;)
Fun fact: the game is good
@@fulgore5431 It's not.
@@MattMcMuscles look up “castlevania 64 games are better than you thought” his review is spot on
Honestly Castlevania 64 is dripping with atmosphere, has a really good soundtrack and a VERY memorable opening level.
I knew even when I was a kid that the game had glaring faults but I enjoy It for the same reason I love Gauntlet: Dark Legacy and Legends.
Aesthetics yo
Dark Legacy is such a fun game.
I was thinking, this game needs a remake, there's lot of potential here, but then I remember, Konami
What do you mean?! Konami's great! Look at Metal Gear Surv...I see your point. 😶
@@TheEDFLegacy Contra Rogue Corps didn't fair any better either to be quite honest.
@@TokusatsuGamingfan oh shit, I forgot about that... thing
Castlevania 64: The Pachinko Machine
Cute Meiko pfp, who's the artist? :3
Here's hoping that Konami will eventually need to sell all their ip's and someone other then ea or Activision gets them. Imagine from software gets the Castlevania ip or kojima studios gets silent hill and metal gear. I know it's unlikely but a guy can dream tho
I'm happy to see the 64-era Castlevania games getting some exposure. Despite their shortcomings, they still hold as pretty good games for their time.
It's also got some surprisingly good cutscene direction, which you wouldn't expect in a game like this. I still recall being genuinely jump scared by the cutscene after you defeat the first vampire boss. And when you meet the spider-women.
I honestly enjoy them Castlevania 64 than I enjoyed Majora's Mask. People are too down em', to me, it's probably my favorite game on the N64.
I remember renting C64 back in the day. I was too young to really grasp it though, but I'd give it another shot if I could. "Do I want to get an emulator," is my deal.
@@Maniacman2030 Definitely play it on an emulator with a gamepad. It improves the experience so much. The biggest problems those games have are their controls and camera. You can mostly fix both of those by using a gamepad and mapping the camera button to something easy to access.
It's cool to see some other people who actually liked this game. I felt like I was the only one.
I own this game and beat it many times. I played it a few years back and despite its flaws (similar flaws to other early 3D games) it was still a solid play through.
It just became cool to hate on since the 64 was the "kiddie" console and everyone was so in love with SOTN. I enjoyed Lament of Innocence and Lords of Shadow as well. I hope castlevania ain't done but Konami seems to not care about it right now
What is a bad game? But a miserable pile of broken code and assets!
But enough talk! Have at you!
Man kind ill needs a reboot such as you!
I was called here by humans, who wished to pay full-price for me!
@@a.rheser8181 full-price? You steal gamer's money and make them your slaves!
@@IDHLEB (EA?)
I used to sneak out at night and try to play Castlevania 64. I couldn’t get far since I was only 5 years old and I eventually would get to scared and go back to bed. That opening atmosphere with the music, the undead skeletons coming from the ground and then coming to the giant Medieval Gate always gave me such a feeling of horror, knowing what was on the other side was going to start chasing me.
The last time I remember being this early to a Wha Happun, Konami made more than just pachinko and Pro Evolution Soccer.
So never?
@@mbookus3054 Possibly
@@juarezamorim they still do. They're gonna invest alot in a next Gen engine
@@frostthron8009 They also fight with EA’s FIFA over licenses which is where the stuff with Juventus and AS Roma are heated up.
@@BigEOT3 It's always nice to see English-speaking people talk about Italian teams lmao
Ah, the late 90s, the era where every series had to go from 2D to 3D, with many, MANY of those jumps left them falling flat onto their faces, leaving a stain in their legacy. Some of them were able to fix that, like Mortal Kombat, Castlevania, Dragon Ball. But then we get to the Bubsy 3Ds, oof.
I will include Sonic in those that fell flat on their faces, yeah I know people like the Sonic Adventure series but I absolutely hated it, I played the first Sonic Adventure but I hated the controls and the Dreamcast controller is the worst designed controller Sega ever made.
The chainsaw checked out unlike the "skele-bike"
Motorcycles existed around that time as well.
@@brpadington Well, live and learn I guess
@bodd boward lol, I even I knew firearms were already available at the time. I just not too sure about when the rifled barrel were added though
I called them 'bad to the bones' lol I always thought a pair of skeletons on a bike were some of the silliest enemies on the game.
Castlevania 64 was actually the first Castlevania game I played, and is actually my favorite. No Castlevania game has ever captured me like that game, I beat it multiple times, and even recorded all the cut scenes on VHS. I know I’m weird.
No gonna lie, I actually enjoyed the hell out of Castlevania 64 when I was a kid. The whole idea of not seeing the actual final boss based on how quickly you completed the game I thought was a really cool concept. Yeah, the part where you carry the nitro was kinda gimmicky, but I felt it raise the tension a bit because if you got hit, you exploded. And yes, even back then, the camera was difficult to manage at times. Despite all that, I feel nothing but fond nostalgia whenever I hear about this game.
Castlevania 64 is an excellent game with some flaws. I know that it’s sort of a meme at this point, but the game itself really is something special if you come at it with an open mind. I encourage anyone to give it a try before dismissing. Castlevania 64 really is an incredible game.
It's really not. I came at it with an open mind and only saw a really poor excuse for a Castlevania game. From its terrible controls, bad camera, awful level design, really bad platforming, mediocre and repetitive combat and overall low difficulty. There's a reason these games got critically trashed at release and sold poorly because they are at best mediocre games.
@@okagron as someone who has never played any other castlevania game this game is awesome. The levels are so memorable and atmosphere is perfect, some of the best music I’ve ever heard in a game too
@@JD-ib9zd atmosphere and music is something all the Castlevania games do really well. If you wanna combine that with some really solid gameplay, check out the 2D games in the series! I highly recommend Symphony of the Night on PS1 and any of the GBA or DS games!
@@okagron I had a blast with it. one of my favorites. Symphony sales were poor but should we judge it as a bad game? The platforming was easy, most games then had bad controls/camera. I played resident evil fine, others thought the tank controls were horrid.For an n64 game, at least it wasnt another collectathon. It was a bit or RE and zelda for me. Compared to other AAA games it was sub par as well, even so....i fucking love it. Especially since it was unique at the time. Castlevania is primarily about whipping stuff, its compat isnt sott but it wasnt much different than other classic castlevanias or 3d games at the time. But yea repititive combat, lots of castlevanias are like that arent they? whipping alot?
@@JD-ib9zd I agree it was my first deeply played castlevania. But your saying its your only one? Alot of fans may think your no castlevania authority. But I agree its an awsome game. I think if someone hasnt tried it they should. At the same time you should check out other entries. They are hard. in fact, i never beat any other one but occasionally revisit. Watching playthroughs of these games are fun. Anyhow, I got a list of the ones i think are best i want to beat: symphony of the night, bloodlines, rhondo of blood(turbogrfx 16 version is better than snes version-dracula x), super castlvania 4, chronicles. I know there are good handheld ones like on gba but im going to attempt them after the console games.
Man, I played Castlevania 64 to death as a kid, managing to make it to the end with both characters through pure determination.
Like most people, I never heard of the "Legacy of Darkness" version until many years later. Now I must go on a quest to find a copy without destroying my wallet.
Emulation.
I regret not buying legacy of darkness. Back around 2001 or 2002 gamestop had a bunch on the used n64 shelf for 10 bucks.
Was the opposite for me, Legacy of Darkness was the only version I owned as a kid. My parents initially rented Castlevania 64 for me from the local Blockbuster and I didn't make it far before we had to return it. After that, I kept asking my parents for Castlevania 64 for Christmas, and when Christmas finally came I unwrapped my new copy of... wait, what's Legacy of Darkness?
I remember being a little disappointed at first because it wasn't the same game that I played from Blockbuster, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and played it through to the end. Hearing about the history of the development of the games after all these years has been interesting.
Gets rid of Martial Arts Werewolf and Chainsaw Shotgun Zombie but keeps magic using little girl.
Oh, Japan.
Got damn it, Japan...
This was one of the most depressing things I've ever read
Carrie is a Belnades, who is around since Dracula's Curse. Werewolfs were ennemies, and Terminator si completely wtf. So the choice is logical. Even if we'd all love to play them !
@@Lagbeard says you! Gimme Chainsaw Frankenstein any day of the week!
@@Lagbeard
Aria of Sorrow lets you tote a positron rifle, this is not a rabbit hole you need to dive down.
I actually really Like Castlevania 64 , I think that it has a Really distint atmosfear and the Game was Really entertaning. I Didn't have problems with the puzzles and thinks like that , but the camera sucks i give you That. The soundtrack was really good as well and some concepts in the game are interesting and cool , I Think that the Hate towars the title Has something to do With AVGN Review. That's it because The People tends to take the opinion of some of They favorite RUclipsrs and Don't experience The game in first hand to the beggining At the end, At least Legacy of Darkness Fix up some of the problems that it has and mantening the same Atmosfear that I love some much.
PD: Sorry for the Broken English , Great video
I agree,the game got mostly good reviews when it originally came out and I still think it and its semi prequel are great
Well said.
Sadly that still happens all over RUclips. They don´t even played the Game or even know anything about it. If you would ask them why they hate it, they would say "oh, because RUclipsr XYZ hates it too". That doesn´t only count on Videogames. It´s on any media that is out there.
I even don´t understand the Hate for the Dialog in Symphony of the Night (also heard here in the beginning of the video). I mean, there are much, much worse out there like this.
I think it´s just cool to hate something.
EGM gave it nothing but 9's and 8's in their review, even going as far as calling it "an overall great game."
The camera actually isn't so bad if you understand when to switch between the three different camera modes. Of course, I could never figure it out back in the day, but I finally got it when I played through the game again earlier this year, and it's functional if not intuitive.
I loved it!!!
Trying to replace the word "metroidvania" with "search action" is not a war you can win
but it's a war worth fighting for, roguelikes also need a different name
@@Rislear well that depends on whether the game is actually like rogue
I think I'll stick to MetroidVania.
I rather use that term than Metroidvania.
Lol I have no idea "search action" existed xD nobody uses that term
I love the N64 Castlevania games and really wish there had been more like them. I don't think people give them anywhere near enough credit in retrospect.
The sound effects make the intro like ten times better, and it was already awesome!
Spiderman Turn off the Dark would be a perfect non gaming topic for Matt
There’s actually a channel that covered that whole fiasco in super extensive detail: a 40 minute video! The channel is Waiting in the Wings, and it was part of their own series called “What Went Wrong”. I definitely recommend checking it out :D
Yep as @BroadwayBrittany
said, someone already made a video on it and it's really entertaining and extensive. Just check that one instead, no need for Matt to make one too.
Shame what happened to Circle of the Moon, that was actually the one that got me into the franchise
That's where I got my start in the series. Despite some of the flaws it may have, It is my favorite.
Same here. I had only ever played Super Castlevania on a friends SNES until circle of the moon, and despite how difficult it was, and made harder by only being able to play it in direct sunlight due to the dark graphics (ironic, huh?), it still managed to become one of my fave handheld games ever. Seriously, I'd rank it above SotN any day.
Also same, my first Castlevania title.
I'm stuck on the Goat boss but ooh it's captivating, i still have my original copy all these years later
CotM may have been restored to the timeline since then.
Hey, nice to see so many people that also started with CotM. So many good memories.
Tons of nice secrets. Interesting Bosses. Nice Music. The og Battle Arena...
I bought Legacy of Darkness when it came out. Still one of my favorite games.
I really like Legacy of Darkness too. It’s a shame it got passed over by so many people
@@kaimcdragonfist4803 Agreed. Videos like this don't help. I would have liked him to focus more on how much legacy improved the issues that the original had. They should have delayed the game and just released legacy.
Castlevania 64 is an underrated game with some great ideas very good graphics, excellent music and presentation, fantastic atmosphere and much better than many praised titles on the other consoles. Yes it had its flaws like the problems with camera and platforming sections, but it was the first 3d Castlevania for Konami and the first 3D game ever realized for its developers so as they said in the interviews, they were testing and learning at the same time how to make a 3d game and the limits of the implementation of their ideas in a 3d environment. "Then Legacy of Darkness", (the directors cut) fixes lots of things and adds the content they had in mind with Castlevania 64, so even better.
I loved Castlevania 64. It was hard as hell (mainly because of the camera impacting the platforming aspects), but playing the series evolution into 3D felt down right state of the art at the time. Beloved memories!
Watching speedruns for this game gave me a new appreciation for it.
This was surprisingly even-handed given the game’s, I think, undeserved bad reputation. Legacy of Darkness in particular is one of my favorite Castlevania games as, aside from the transition to 3D, I feel the game has more in common with the original games in the series than the subsequent Metroidvania and Devil May Cry style entries did.
One thing that I’m sure didn’t help the game’s reputation that was only briefly touched upon in the video was that Igarashi, after taking the reigns of the Castlevania series, not only wrote out Circle of the Moon but also Castlevania 64/Legacy of Darkness, and Castlevania Legend, basically all the games post SotN that he didn’t produce or direct. I thought that was a dick move.
Mhm. The games that Iga 'disowned', in a sense, have often likewise been disowned by fans of the series as well. I do consider this a flaw in my personality, but I can be a little reluctant to play any of the games that don't fall within Iga's canon, myself...
Aside from the games that contradict the lore of others, eg, Legends, I personally like the added stories of these gaidens. They sorta flesh out the Castlevania world a little bit more, and it's fun to have a few vampire killers who aren't strictly Belmonts.
There aren't many Castlevanias I find unplayable. In fact, there are none. Games like Legacy of Darkness and CV 64 lend us a somewhat fresh, new take on the world of vampires and vampire killers that we otherwise might not have.
I agree, it's a bit of a dick move on Igarashi's part. People worked incredibly hard on all these games, they should at least be acknowledged as official Castlevania.
For better or for worse Iga had total control over the series and dcided what ot include and what not in the canon. I don't want to think he had bad intentions with no real proof but i enjoyed Circle of the Moon a lot, and it bums me out it was dissowned by him. It's not like he was perfect either, i had fun with Harmony of Dissonance for example but that game has lots of issues. And i'm still not sure how to feel about Julius Belmont kinda looking like Iga and being the one that gets the glory of defeating Dracula for good.
@@GloriousGandalf rather than it being spite or an insult to those games and their developers, they probably just didn’t fit Iga’s vision for the series and it’s overall storyline that he crafted. Having one cohesive timeline is hard to do when the entries were made decades apart and by different teams of people. Basically what I’m tryna say is it was probably more due to story and aesthetic reasons than anything else. They were only cut out of the current canon, meaning existing overall storyline, not invalidated altogether as entries in the series or as games in general.
@@MerkhVisionyeah he crafted his storyline based off the games released before Symphony, then there was another team who made stuff that didn’t fit his initial vision. It makes a lot of sense.
Honestly I liked Castlevania 64, though I do know alot of stuff happened behind the scenes. Thanks for this video Matt
I don't think I have ever heard the genre called "Search Action" before. I was sure you were going to say Metroidvania.
I still have a lot of "love" for both Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness, even if they are not all that great ( well, Legacy of Darkness was a LOT better in my opinion )
Legacy is great.
To be honest, I would like to see legacy of darkness remade. Even if there are too many remakes & remasters going on.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person that liked these games. It's probably because they are some of the only ones I had as a kid, so I just had to get used to the shit controls. Do yourselves a favor and play these again on an emulator with a gamepad. This improves the experience greatly!
@@CRSH3000 I played through Legacy of darkness a few years ago on PC at 1080p with a high definition texture pack and an xbox controller. Great experience.
@@brpadington Oo I should try the texture pack. That sounds awesome
I actually enjoyed Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness when they were released. One of my favorite renditions of Dracula in any of the Castlevania games.
The unused Battle of the Holy theme. Thank you.
Lack of franchise leadership is what happened. It's amazing that Castlevania was as good as it was up until SOTN.
@@rastas_4221 I'm sure word of mouth helped. It did good enough to get a greatest hits version after all. I'll bet it was just initial sales that were not good and it worked out over the life of the system. I know for sure seeing reviews of 64 saying "Play SOTN instead"
@@Jose-se9pu I mean, SOTN did come out when 3D gaming was starting to take off and be seen as the next big thing, so there may have been a bias.
@@Jose-se9pu honestly the sprites were beautiful and helped make the times it used 3D stand out even more and gave it an otherworldly feel.
@@bargaintuesday812 I will say that Nightmare Creatures actually did look pretty good, and wasn't a terrible playing game, especially for the time (competency!). At least on PC, I don't know how the PSX version was.
The gba trilogy was incredible slso
I remember watching my cousin play this and we were both super confused on how to proceed. I think it was the part where you needed some kind of explosive but you couldn't jump or get hurt otherwise it would explode. He made it all the way to the boss arena but we didn't know how to blow up the wall... Eventually, he figured it out and was promptly killed by the huge undead beast that came alive.
Memories...
I played this as a kid and it terrified me. I couldn't get passed the scary dogs in the hedge maze.
But seeing the clips here now, 21 years later, and I wonder how the hell did any of that look scary.
Great work as always. I'd love to hear more about the unreleased Dreamcast Castlevania too. I remember seeing previews for it in magazines for years before it just disappeared, never to be seen again. Probably an interesting story there!
The 64 games were not bad, just unpolished. If they would have delayed those games to the 6th generation of consoles, they would have been much better. It's a shame, the 64 games had more of the Castlevania series in its roots (combat, exploration and platforming) than most other future games in the series. If Konami was the reboot the series into 3D, they should look into the 64 titles.
Or maybe Curse of Darkness. Idk why that game is so damn overlooked. It was a straight up good 3D Metroidvania style entry. I want to blame a lack of marketing.
Then again, pershaps it's better we not give Konami anymore ideas. They can't touch anything now without ruining it.
Castlevania 64 is a true hidden gem in retro 3D gaming - a highly innovative 3D survival platform adventure that isn't given the credit it deserves. Highly recommended.
I actually enjoy the starting area - it's clear the area was designed to allow players to learn the controls and game mechanics. I also appreciate the visuals in this area too.
The jams picked out for this vid are so choice! Castlevania has such great soundtracks.
God that intro made subscribe faster than ever, I love it. Great video man, I was always curious by this game back in the day because I was fascinated and obsessed at that time with Castlevania, but never got to play it. Great videos, I'm definitely keep watching!
Cheers!
I love the games since childhood and recently the Netflix series
I was hoping season 4 was going to come out this October but here we are they take too long to make a show that I have a watch in 2 days
@@JohnSmith-in9ms I can't wait
@@JohnSmith-in9ms true,hope Hector could become his Curse of Darkness incarnation in Season 4.
Don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to Metroidvainia style as "Search Action" lol
*slap in that expansion pack, yeaaaaaaah*
The Castlevania games in the N64 are the best translation of the classic style of the saga, and maybe even the most castlevany of the 3D games.
They do have issues (akin to those in many 3d debuts), but underneath, it also has the best atmosphere, narrative and character development in the series.
I encourage anyone who only knows these games from the fame the internet made for it, to actually try them past the bits that are nitpicked all over youtube and you may find quite the, dare l say it, hidden gems on the N64.
yeah , it's actually pretty good
It's a wonderful game but alot judge it based on symphony which isnt even fair as cv64 clearly took most of its gameplay and design from the first game with alittle bit of 3 here and there while its expansion legacy definitely took from rondo
Y'know, you should really take a break every now and again. Maybe sleep once in a while! Thanks for all of these phenomenally well made videos
I really like Castlevania 64 back in the day. Part of it was the gameplay and atmosphere for its time. I loved it. Plus, it was one of the few games from that generation I could play.
2:26 Chad move using the Limp Bizkit version xD
Iga never removed the game of the canon. Circle of the Moon was already supposed to be set in a alternative timeline when it started being developed
Dante's inferno sequel what happened
What sequel could you have made from it?
@@Maniacman2030 Divine Comedy leads to purgatory so the title would either be Dante's redemption or Dante's purgatory. The designers said they were planning a sequel where Dante fights angels and other demons and also meets Lucifer's son
@@porassrivastava8242 From the ending I got, it implied he went to Heaven with his wife. Was there a specifically True Ending though? I know how the original goes, but I'm confused by how things went in game versus the original versus where a sequel was supposed to come in.
@@Maniacman2030 the ending was that he removes the tapestry to step into heaven the tapestry turns into Lucifer which means he'll haunt dante further.
I loved CV64 when I was younger and still do, and I remember thinking Demon's Souls was up my alley because of how much it reminded me of a more put together version of CV64's gameplay, barring the jump button.
I would very like to see a remake of Legacy of darkness, I really like the ambiance of the castle in 3d
Legacy is criminally underrated. The environments are so good. Filled with ambiance and environmental story telling.
I just want to point out real quick that every single song Matt used to make this video is an absolute banger. CV has literally some of the best music in the industry.
I think I'm playing Circle of the Moon again, this video had good bgm choices. CV64 was always such a strange one. It's incredible to know how much better it could have been given how LoD looks and feels.
It's worth it to play Castlevania 64 just to then play Legacy of Darkness. That game is SUCH a good prequal!
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 needs a big What Happun?
Yeah, Lords of Shitto 2 had a train wreck of a development...
The speed and quality of these videos is staggering.
Keep up the good work!
This is the first time i have heard the term "Search Action", ive always heard it called Metroidvania
Thats because its a lame name and the attempt to normalize "search action" is never gonna take off when Metroidvania is so fun to say
Fantastic video! I'm not the biggest fan of 64, but I still think the game showed great potential for a more "atmospheric-oriented" adventure. Legacy of Darkness did that even better in my eyes, and I'd love to see this formula again.
"SONIC HAD A ROCKY START ENTERING INTO 3D"
Castlevania:"HOLD MY WHIP"
The game with the Innocent Devil is like the only Castlevania game I have and I love it to pieces.
I still maintain we need one for Sleeping Dogs and that pseudo-sequel Triad Wars.
Eventually that'll happen.
I still love this Castlevania's atmosphere so much, can't help it. That hedge maze scared the hell out of me as a kid.
I really love the quirky graphics of castlevania 64, time has made it look like one of the best n64 games not made by Nintendo.
Thank you for introducing the phrase “heaving bosoms” into my lexicon
hey matt, could you do a what happened on kingdom hearts three or the n64 dd?
thanks,
nick
What happened with KH3?
@@Klonoahedgehog it took ages to come out so I want to know what was going on
@@nickcurrent3111 Simple answer to that. Square Enix games keep getting delayed because they are perfectionists.
KH3 took seven years for that very reason, just like FF15, DQ11 and FF7R.
@@Klonoahedgehog ok thanks
@@Klonoahedgehog SquareEnix are not perfectionists.
FF15 was in trapped in Development Hell during those 7 years because Nomura (who was put to work on it when it was Versus13) kept changing the story until SE executives got fed up with his shit and replaced him with Tabata. As a result, the game we were SUPPOSED to get was VERY different from what we actually got since more than half its original narrative was either re-written or CUT entirely in order to meet its release date. Only to be re-packaged as "episodic" DLC and sold instead of included with the story (which they eventually did with the Royal Edition). Most of that DLC would be canceled after Adryn, because FF7R was suddenly more important and SE learned that "episodic content" could be lucrative.
So, no. Square Enix are not perfectionists. They fuck up occasionally. FF15 is definitely one of their (bigger) fuck ups. And I say all this with love, because I did enjoy 15 despite its problems.
ETA: SE FIRED TABATA, despite his efforts to save the game (it was STILL INCOMPLETE) and the game's sales. So no. Not perfectionists. They let their long time veteran ruin a mainline installment then screwed over the person who saved it by the skin of his teeth. That's shit management/leadership.
I used to love this game as a kid and believe it or not but it's what got me really into the whole Castlevania series.
say what you will this is probably my favorite castlevania game lol
jesus christ
Bummer...I must be the one person who has fond memories of playing Castlevania 64. I have only fired it up a couple of times in the last 20 years but I think it still holds up somewhat...sort of. I like the music!
Thanks, Matt. Very Cool.
I appreciate the Circle of the Moon music so much. I feel like that game is so underappreciated and it got me into the series
Man N64 is not gonna lie pretty fun for me[especially Legacy of Darkness]but imo Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness is the better 3Dvania with DMC-esque gameplay,and Matt how about what happened with DMC2[i'm still curious who's the real director before Itsuno came in]or the Simont Castlevania reboot/remake that Kojima and Mercury steam reworked it into Lord of Shadow.
I remember seeing those 3d model screenshots and getting super excited. I also remember finally renting it and being super confused by the wonky camera and let down overall.
Search what?.... Oo metroidvania ok now I understand
I was actually confused for a minute, because I thought Legacy of Darkness was the only N64 castlevania game, and that one was great. I had a lot of fun playing as werewolf boy
Koji: I hate the card system in Circle of the Moon!
Also Koji: You ready to collect shards for Bloodstained. Also... Cooking.
I know right? Such a funny man. He easily could have made it fit but he took it out. I remember seeing it on the timeline as a side event though. Do not know how accurate that is seeing as IGA is doing his own thing now.
Sad that Castlevania didn't hammer out the card stuff in future games and merge with that other Konami star franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh!
"Man With Chainsaw" raises eyebrows, but "Motorcycle Skeleton" just gets a pass?
This may be controversial, but I'm not a big fan of Circle of the Moon, though to be fair, I was introduced to Aria of Sorrow first, so I understand that I'm biased. My main problems with Circle is that the enemy variety is laughable, taken up almost entirely by variant of armors, and the card system is inferior to Aria's Soul system in almost every way.
Nah, i dont think is controversial. Sure is a good game, but not without faults. Harmony of dissonance and specially, Aria of sorrow, where better in general.
I agree. I also really disliked the controls.
Ah man, this was a nostalgic episode for me. I *LOVED* these games when I was a kid, warts and all. I still look back on them fondly tbh, they had a lot of really cool ideas that I wish had stuck around (like actual vampire enemies, including the vamp status). They were rough, sure, but there was some great stuff there. I remember also liking it because one of the heroes was a kid in like a horror setting, since I was a kid myself and always thought it was lame that we rarely got to do that lol. She was such a little badass, too.
“Search action?” Ehhhhh. I know a lot of people dislike the term metroidvania but I dont know that search action is going to stick. Time will tell I guess.
I've played just Legacy of Darkness as a kid, I thought it was pretty fun then though it also helped to develop my nerves due to the platforming sections. Playing as Henry was my favorite.
I don't want to be a dick, but you gave credit to everyone at the end, except AVGN. Not sure if there was a reason or you just missed it. Either way, great video!
Search Action is the new official name of the genre! Thanks for solving this naming kerfuffle!
I think this is one of those cases were a bad game should be given a remake; a second chance.
Legacy of Darkness has the right ideas, as far as being transfer the NES games into 3d, but was limited by the technology. Meanwhile the other 3d Castlevaina games are most just DMC/GoW clones.
It would be interesting if Konami took the lessons learned from the 64 games and tried to improve upon it in a brand new 3D Castlevania game rather than just a remake or trying to ape off DMC/GoW. Unfortunately, given what Konami's like in present day,I have no faith that'll happen anytime soon if ever.
Grant as the aptly named "Sir-not-appearing-in-the-Netflix-series"
This game is a guilty pleasure. Especially blowing yourself up with nitro. Honestly CV should be only 2D. Some things are just better 2D with 3D elements.
I feel none of that guilt, I loved it to death
This OoT and Donkey Kong 64 were my first video games when I was 4. Castlevania terrified me as a kid. I remember the first giant skeleton boss scared me so much I cried.
Dracula: The first Bumble Lord
if Dracula was the first Bumble Lord, what does that make Buck Bumble?
Always a pleasure Matt. Thank you.
Now known as "search-action".
By whom?
All of Japan.
@@MattMcMuscles Pretty sure all of Japanese people are not saying "search action" because well they speak Japanese!
I needed something to watch on this Sunday morning; thanks, Matt!
Oh konami messing up one of their franchises?
Still better than spending years making pachinko machines
What is this game? But a miserable little like of poorly conceived ideas and graphics that look like they were made 5 years before this game out?
5:20 thank you for adding Circle of the Moon music
I really don't like "SearchAction"
Thanks for the shout out! I broadcast my hit web series from Dimension 32X!