Image - all about Image - Game news at Chat Place

Wednesday, 27 November 2024

15 Castlevania Games You Should Be Playing

Added: 16.05.2015 0:50 | 9 views | 0 comments

1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Symphony of the Night remains the undisputed king of the Castlevania series, responsible for shaping an entire genre of exploration-based action games. Its continued popularity two decades later fueled an enormously successful new Kickstarter game from its legendary designer, Koji Igarashi.

2. Castlevania

The very first title in the Castlevania series also hit stores during the first year of the Nintendo Entertainment System's US release. Castlevania's precise action and gothic atmosphere stood head and shoulders above its contemporaries. Facing creepy bosses and a wielding a versatile arsenal, Simon Belmont knocked down the doors of Dracula's castle with aplomb.

3. Castlevania: Bloodlines

Bloodlines has never been one of Castlevania's most beloved games, but the amount of unbridled ingenuity on display in the game's haunted hallways makes it one of the best. If you value experimental ideas, prepare to fall under its spell.

4. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

For years, Rondo of Blood was spoken about in hushed tones by importers and collectors as the best Castlevania that never left Japan. We finally received English ports of the Turbo Grafx game recently, and the game's branching paths, secret rooms, and superb action lived up to the hype.

5. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Castlevania had a rocky history on the Game Boy, but Igarashi nailed the format with his trilogy of Game Boy Advance games that nearly match his revered Symphony of the Night. Aria of Sorrow is widely considered the best of the bunch.

6. Super Castlevania IV

Like its 8-bit predecessors, Super Castlevania IV was one of the early stars of the Super Nintendo. The game took wonderful advantage of the 16-bit system's graphic innovations like translucency and Mode 7-enabled background rotation. Plus, the supernatural soundtrack was absolutely killer.

7. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

After the success of the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games, the Nintendo DS received its own trio of demon-slaying "Igavanias." Each DS game has its fanbase, but with clever rune-drawing mechanics and classical castle exploration, Dawn of Sorrow may go down in history as the last of the grand style, capital-C Castlevanias.

8. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

The last Castlevania game to arrive on the NES was also the most ambitious. With multiple endings, alternate paths, and a cast of assistant characters, Castlevania III combined the non-linear direction of more experimental Castlevania games with polished action and a sense of purpose. It's also ridiculously difficult in all the right ways.

9. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

We didn't know it at the time, but Order of Ecclesia was Koji Igarashi's swan song in the official Castlevania franchise. With his final game, he revamped the art style, added an enormous difficulty spike over previous DS titles, and let the player explore far beyond the boundaries of Dracula's castle.

10. Akumajou Special – Boku Dracula-kun

Akumajou Special, also known as "I'm Kid Dracula," is a colorful Konami spinoff title that features many of the Castlevania touchstones twisted into campy and cute parodies. It's also an intense action platformer that plays like it received a healthy infusion of Mega Man DNA.

11. Vampire Killer

Vampire Killer is a forgotten offshoot of the Castlevania series, but it still had a powerful impact on several future titles. This MSX 2 game came out the same year as the original NES Castlevania, but it featured drastically different gameplay with open-ended, Metroid-style exploration. It's a theme Castlevania would return to later in more successful iterations.

12. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Depending on how you look at, Lords of Shadow either saved or ruined the Castlevania franchise. With a gigantic budget and hack-and-slash gameplay reminiscent of God of War, it certainly forged a bold new direction for the series. Taken on its own merits, it's an admirably ambitious game, even if didn't quite capture that ephemeral Castlevania feel.

13. Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth

It was a small adventure on the Wii's digital game service, but it did deliver a proper 2D side-scrolling Castlevania title on a console. The Adventure ReBirth revives the story of Christopher Belmont from a dormant Game Boy game, but this time, the action snaps like a whip. It's a Castlevania back alley well worth exploring.

14. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

Although it's often maligned for its confusing translation and esoteric puzzles, Simon's Quest implemented plenty of interesting concepts. Between a day-and-night cycle that strengthened enemies and its fresh RPG leveling elements, Simon's Quest was an awkward, yet important, step for the series.

15. Sexy Parodius

It's not an official Castlevania game, but Sexy Parodius is still an essential experience for fans of the franchise. An entire level in this wacky-shoot-'em up plays out as an extended Castlevania homage, complete with an enormous Medusa-head boss. It's one of the rare times you can see these classic elements in a humorous context. (Image via Shadowserg)

Tags: Sees, Nintendo, Games, Gain, Easy, Arts, Daly, Kong, With, Live, Image, Bolt, Castlevania, Lords, Shadow, Quest, After, Kickstarter, Mega, Mega Man, Birds, English, Bloom, Most, Grade, Killed, Adventure, Night, Order, Konami

From: www.gamespot.com

15 Amazing Photos of Sold-Out eSports Tournaments

Added: 16.05.2015 0:47 | 17 views | 0 comments

1. Natus Vincere Takes on the Alliance

The International Dota 2 Championship has grown to become the highest-paying eSports tournament in the world. Above, fans have filled Benaroya Hall to capacity while they watch Natus Vincere take on The Alliance.

2. In the Heart of the Storm

This giant crowd assembled for a StarCraft II: Heart of the Storm DreamHack tournament that took place in in Tours, France. (Image by Adela Sznajder)

3. Absolutely Stoked for Blizzcon

The crowd goes wild during the opening ceremonies of BlizzCon 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The famous StarCraft II Invitational took place at this event, with Genius of Team ZeNEX taking home the 1st place prize of $25,000.

4. Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm caused quite a stir recently when ESPN2 decided to broadcast the championship round of Blizzard's collegiate tournament for the game. Love it or hate it, eSports like Heroes of the Storm are taking the world by ... well, you know.

5. DreamHack Winter 2014

The opening festivities at DreamHack Winter 2014 were suitably lavish, considering it's the biggest computer festival in the world. Tournaments were held for a number of games, such as Counter-Strike: GO, Hearthstone, and League of Legends. (Image by Jennika Ojala)

6. League of Legends

Fans give a standing cheer for pro League of Legends players gathered in Athens, Greece. The Gazi Music Hall reached its full capacity with champions, junglers, feeders and more.

7. Raising Hell With World of Tanks

The Hellraisers team wins the final game of the World of Tanks Grand Finals 2015. This April event was held in Warsaw, Poland, as part of the Wargaming.net League.

8. MVP vs. Nestea

BlizzCon continues to be an astoundingly popular destination for eSports fans, with 2011's Starcraft II matchup between MVP and Nestea amassing a giant crowd of spectators. After a hard-fought tournament, MVP trounced the opposition and took home $50,000.

9. Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice

Top players from around the world gathered in Poland to compete in League of Legends and StarCraft II for the Intel Extreme Masters tournament in 2013.

10. A Battle to the Death in the City of Goodwill

You can feel the tension in this awesome shot of The Alliance versus Natus Vincere battle during The International Dota 2 Championship in Seattle, Washington.

11. Team Newbee Competes Like Pros

Don't let their name fool you: Team Newbee once won $5 million in The International Dota 2 Grand Finals. Above, they're pictured competing in another Dota 2 match during ChinaJoy 2014, held in Shanghai.

12. Moving Up In the World!

Schuyler Wireman can't contain his excitement when The Alliance wins first place during The International Dota 2 Championship in 2013.

13. The Coming of the Storm

It just came out in 2014, but the multiplayer online battle arena game SMITE has already skyrocketed to worldwide popularity. Team Titan coach Job Hilbers watches from the wings as his crew battles OMG from China at the SMITE World Championship in Atlanta.

14. Australian Fnatics vs. Swedish Ninjas

With the release of Global Offensive, Counter-Strike entered a new era of popularity with pro FPS gamers. The finals of the CS:GO ESL One tournament play out on giant screens as the Australians and the Swedes battle for the title of world champs.

15. The Sweet Taste of Victory

Kelly Ong Xiao Wei and Alex Garfield react with stunned disbelief when their team, The Alliance, won first place during The International Dota 2 Championship in 2013.

Tags: City, Hack, World, Gain, Heroes, Battle, With, Live, Image, Coming, Fate, Test, StarCraft, Heart, After, Stone, Help, Deals, Down, League, Sports, Lots, Also, Championship, April, Global, Legends, Music, Winter, Grade, Starcraft, The Game, Titan, China, Crabs, Strike

From: www.gamespot.com

15 Amazing Photos of Sold-Out eSports Tournaments

Added: 16.05.2015 0:47 | 31 views | 0 comments

1. Natus Vincere Takes on the Alliance

The International Dota 2 Championship has grown to become the highest-paying eSports tournament in the world. Above, fans have filled Benaroya Hall to capacity while they watch Natus Vincere take on The Alliance.

2. In the Heart of the Storm

This giant crowd assembled for a StarCraft II: Heart of the Storm DreamHack tournament that took place in in Tours, France. (Image by Adela Sznajder)

3. Absolutely Stoked for Blizzcon

The crowd goes wild during the opening ceremonies of BlizzCon 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The famous StarCraft II Invitational took place at this event, with Genius of Team ZeNEX taking home the 1st place prize of $25,000.

4. Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm caused quite a stir recently when ESPN2 decided to broadcast the championship round of Blizzard's collegiate tournament for the game. Love it or hate it, eSports like Heroes of the Storm are taking the world by ... well, you know.

5. DreamHack Winter 2014

The opening festivities at DreamHack Winter 2014 were suitably lavish, considering it's the biggest computer festival in the world. Tournaments were held for a number of games, such as Counter-Strike: GO, Hearthstone, and League of Legends. (Image by Jennika Ojala)

6. League of Legends

Fans give a standing cheer for pro League of Legends players gathered in Athens, Greece. The Gazi Music Hall reached its full capacity with champions, junglers, feeders and more.

7. Raising Hell With World of Tanks

The Hellraisers team wins the final game of the World of Tanks Grand Finals 2015. This April event was held in Warsaw, Poland, as part of the Wargaming.net League.

8. MVP vs. Nestea

BlizzCon continues to be an astoundingly popular destination for eSports fans, with 2011's Starcraft II matchup between MVP and Nestea amassing a giant crowd of spectators. After a hard-fought tournament, MVP trounced the opposition and took home $50,000.

9. Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice

Top players from around the world gathered in Poland to compete in League of Legends and StarCraft II for the Intel Extreme Masters tournament in 2013.

10. A Battle to the Death in the City of Goodwill

You can feel the tension in this awesome shot of The Alliance versus Natus Vincere battle during The International Dota 2 Championship in Seattle, Washington.

11. Team Newbee Competes Like Pros

Don't let their name fool you: Team Newbee once won $5 million in The International Dota 2 Grand Finals. Above, they're pictured competing in another Dota 2 match during ChinaJoy 2014, held in Shanghai.

12. Moving Up In the World!

Schuyler Wireman can't contain his excitement when The Alliance wins first place during The International Dota 2 Championship in 2013.

13. The Coming of the Storm

It just came out in 2014, but the multiplayer online battle arena game SMITE has already skyrocketed to worldwide popularity. Team Titan coach Job Hilbers watches from the wings as his crew battles OMG from China at the SMITE World Championship in Atlanta.

14. Australian Fnatics vs. Swedish Ninjas

With the release of Global Offensive, Counter-Strike entered a new era of popularity with pro FPS gamers. The finals of the CS:GO ESL One tournament play out on giant screens as the Australians and the Swedes battle for the title of world champs.

15. The Sweet Taste of Victory

Kelly Ong Xiao Wei and Alex Garfield react with stunned disbelief when their team, The Alliance, won first place during The International Dota 2 Championship in 2013.

From: www.gamespot.com

« Newer articles Older articles »

advertising