Nintendo Wii Fanboy

I've never had a chance to fully enjoy a DS-style Castlevania. I played it on someone else's DS for a few hours and was blown away -- it was like Castlevania meets Metroid. There's still a TON of room for innovation in 2D gaming.

And hey... there could still be some waggle (for swinging on hooks) or point-and-click (for special obstacles or weapons). Or online multiplayer?!

There's HUGE potential here. No big budget required. Just some old fashioned creativity.

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Retro graphics I have no problem with, just so long as they're the RIGHT kind of retro graphics.
Going back to 8-bit works for Mega Man 9 because when you think of Mega Man, you think of the NES Mega Man (most people do, at least). It has the most nostalgia value attached to it...in part because Mega Man 2 is widely considered the best in the series.

But going back to 8-bit for, say, Zelda WOULDN'T work, because I suspect that to most people, the 16-bit Link to the Past is *THE* 2D Zelda.
Ditto something like NES Metroid vs Super Metroid. If they're going to make a retro Metroid (lol pun), I bet more people want a Super Metroid sequel.
People would obviously flip if they made a new 16-bit Sonic (although they COULD make an 8-bit Sonic).
...and I have no idea how people would react to a new 8-bit Mario. Personally, if Nintendo ever made a Super Mario Bros 2 II, I would flip out since that's my favorite (old school) Mario game.
As for Castlevania, I don't think that would work all that well with retro graphics. The series has become known for it's beautiful 2D-ness and none of the NES or SNES games are held up with the same retro regard the way Mega Man 2 is.


So yeah. I love 2D, so I think this potential trend is a good thing, just so long as if they decide to go retro, they go the RIGHT kind of retro.

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Growing up on 8-bit games I think that it is fantastic! A game that is more about a story than just graphics sounds, like you said, a step in the right direction!

I am not sure what the younger crowd will think though...time will tell.

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On certain games I think this would be cool, but then I shudder @ the thought of more shovelware in 8-bit form.

There were a couple of levels of Mario Galaxy that were redone versions of the original Super Mario Bros. Why not more stuff like that? 3-D versions of the classic side-scrollers?

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Castlevania is the biggest reason I bought a DS. The GBA games were simply fantastic. Actually, the GBA is just a great console in general because of the number of quality 2D platformers on it. One of the reasons I dislike modern gaming is that people tend to forget how great 2D games can be. I'm looking forward to Mega Man 9 and Koji Igarashi's comments only excite me more. The possibility of more Castlevania 2D platforming is always, always good news to me. Here's hoping this spurs on a new golden age for the genre.

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Well said, samfish. Ever since Nintendo and Sega became best friends, I've been imagining a 16 bit platformer featuring Mario and Sonic.

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I'd rather have 2D games, at least more attention was paid to game play. Most modern games are all show no go - I'd love to see a retro revival.

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Pros: Potential revival for plenty of series, boosts interest in old games and the way they where played, higher games output due to less development time, games more or less MUST have solid gameplay as graphics can't be used to lure consumers in.

Cons: Download only, borrowing games to freinds becomes impossible, speeds up the process of entirely removing physical copies for the next generation, breaking your console a few years after it was discontinued means never being able to play most games again (unless you buy another used console and beg the previous owner downloaded all the games you want).

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I still get Megaman tunes stuck in my head on a regular basis (not X). For the soundtracks alone, the retro revival would be worth it. Power-ballads/Hair-Metal through an 8-bit sequencer with a minimal sample set. That's pure gold!

As someone who has recently revisited and played through the entire Mario-Allstars cart, I must say that the cleaned up 16-bit versions of the NES mario games were a lot easier on the eyes, while still maintaining the same feel/play as the originals.

I'd be happy if they went the same way as the Street Fighter camp (SF4) and fully remastered classic games with the same play style as the originals, while fully utilizing the power of the new Hardware.

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In that Destructoid video interview, Iga said he was very interested in doing 2D Castlevania on a home console. Personally, I hope such a game would have more in common with Odin Shpere than Mega Man 8, at least from a visual standpoint.

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I love 8-bit graphics, but in my mind I'd much prefer a trend of graphics similar to those of Four Swords - retro, but with modern flair. I'll take this over nothing, though.

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If they make a 2.5D Castlevania game, that would be awesome.


None of this Judgment crap.

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It'd be good in moderation. I'm excited about Mega Man 9, and a new 8-bit Castlevania, Mario, or 16-bit Sonic would be fantastic. But once the nostalgia factor wears off, I'd get sick of it.

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I think like Streetfighter IV, mixing the best of the old (good games with replay value and great soundtracks) with the best of the new (graphics and new controls) is definitely the way to go in this new retro-revival movement; except for the case of Mega Man, which should be 8-bit, and Castlevania should have the hand drawn sprites like the gameboy/ds games, just make them cleaner like Warioland Shake (which is quickly becoming a first day purchase for me just because I want to support this new progression) Even something very innovative like Lost Winds, but with more difficulty would be welcomed. As fun as Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid P3C have been, 3d platforming has never lived up to the challenge of its predecessors.

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I would want the 2D to be better than 8bit. Megaman is sort of an exception of the "8-bit sucks" argument because Megaman games were always pretty content with how they were. Castelvenia is a game that (IMO) needs to be at least 32-bit to look good.

Just my 2.7 cents.

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God yes! 2d Castlevania and Mega Man are quality titles. If Nintendo has to go back to its roots to start churning out some decent titles, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that at *least* its not more mini-games or shovelware. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

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I will be pretty annoyed if Mega Man 9 marks the beginning of a new trend in game publishing. If I want 8/16-bit graphics and sound for the classic franchises, I can always play the original games. It may be a neat thing to do once, but saying that it's generally okay to sacrifice graphics and/or sound because it will force publishers to perfect gameplay sends the wrong message.

Call me spoiled, but I want it all--solid 2D gameplay with cutting edge graphics and sound. While graphics are no a substitute for good game mechanics, better graphics and sounds do enhance the gaming experience. There is no reason we can't have both as long (as we're willing to pay).

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I'm nonplussed by the new Megaman's style. I love the fact that they're going back to old school 2-D gameplay, but there's little reason for me to get excited about NES graphics. For one, I haven't even had the patience to sit through Megaman 4, 5, or 6!

I like how the DS has brought back 2-D gaming but with a modern polish. Games like any of the Castlevania DS games or New Super Mario Bros strike the perfect balance, if you ask me.

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That would be the coolest thing ever if they launched a whole line of retro games. I would probably cry. I'm EXTREMELY excited about Mega Man 9, but there's one problem. If they try to make them 3D like with Mega Man 64, then they'll suck. If they stick to the 8-bit, that would be awesome.

I'd love to see a brand new 8-bit Mario game, or 8-bit Zelda game. Hell, give us a new Donkey Kong!

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bring it on....it would at least be a change to the monotony of FPS and kid games that are running over the market

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If Castlevania 5 on WiiWare goes 8 Bit... I abandon Nintendo.

Even though I grew up with the NES every generation we bought new systems to move forward and not backwards. If I really want 8 Bit games I can play them on an actual NES or Virtual Console.

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I meant that as I only have Nintendo systems right now since the 360.PS3 and PSP do no interest me.

If it came down to it an iPhone would become my main system.

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Not that 8-bit-looking and -sounding games are bad, but I don't want games to regress to that point unless it has some sort of viable purpose. I mean, Mega Man looks alright in MM9, but the past couple games, on, what, PS1 and/or SNES (not too up on Mega Manliness), he looks pretty damn good. Low-key enough to keep from the necessities of details like on modern or even last-gen consoles, yet advanced enough to have a certain polish, all while retaining a good look, one that not so horribly badass but it doesn't look like anything to scoff at.

I'd like to see games that have a polish to them, in graphics and sound. I don't need seventeen cameras focusing on omni-pixels while seven orchestras belt out in the background, but I don't want a figure that I might have to guess at their shape and sounds where I have to wear protective gear (or turn down the volume) to keep my ears from being pierced (something that I feel MM9 will be culprit to).

Heck, if we really wanna get into my fantasies, I'd like to see remakes of such old-school games using high-quality graphics and sound. Not necessarily 3D, since an optimal level of the type prolly won't be available in real-time until next gen, but think along the lines of the PSP versions of FF and FFII. They retain the same gameplay (well, the gameplay they've had for the past couple incarnations) while spiffing up their graphic to high quality and having very good sound.

Some games mightn't be suited to such extremes of polish, and I wouldn't mind sprites being used, but I'd like something like a no-processing-restrictions'd SNES or somesuch, using the same quality the SNES capped off at while packing more into the game, function- and availabilities-wise, for an optimal-running retro experience.

tl;dr : Don't make ALL games severely retro, but don't try to match current gen in any field. Use the best styles and sounds of retro, optimize their performances (no lag, no unintended flicker, so jitter, etc.), and give us more to do in the game, more than the consoles such games would be found on could. And, if you'd really like to make me squee, spiff up some classic to their respective next-gen's levels.

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I've said it already, I believe, but Sonic the Hedgehog needs to revert back to 2D. I'm not saying it needs to be all-outc16-bit or anything like that, but a freshly-pixeled Sonic would be niiice. Especially if it's a sidescroller. 3D/2.5D Sonic just doesn't work.

It could be Sonic's only chance to survive. I don't think anyones terribly happy with the franchise as it stands--why not go back to a time when people were happy?

I'd like to see it with less lame animal friends, though. Let's stick with four characters total: Sonic, Robotnik, Tails, and Knuckles. Please.

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