Castlevania Anthologies petition on Change.org

[JoshuaKadmon]

A new petition to KONAMI requesting a pair of anthologies (one focused on 2D classics and the other on 3D titles) has been created on Change.org. If you're a fan of Castlevania or classic gaming in general, please help support the cause!

www.change.org/petitions/castlevania-anthologies

The petition reads as follows:

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Castlevania is a 26-year-old multimedia franchise and one of the most respected names in video gaming history, but in the last few years, its aging fanbase has been fragmented by Konami's inconsistent development decisions. With its hardcore fans divided and new players unwilling (or even unable) to catch up on such a long-running game series, Castlevania is in need of a revival. Its current Lords of Shadow sub-series will also end after the third installment's release, supposedly later this year, leaving Konami with the critical decision of where to take the series next.

It's time for Konami to reunite its fans while offering a consolidated method for new players to enjoy the Castlevania legacy. To this end, we are proposing a pair of anthologies, the first focusing on the 2D classics in the series and the second including all 3D titles. Because these collections would largely recycle pre-existing content, they would serve as a cost-effective way for Konami to invigorate the franchise, ignite nostalgia for Castlevania, consolidate dozens of rare games into a playable format, and generate anticipation for future releases.

Ideally, retail hardcopies of these two anthologies would be developed for PS3 and XBox360, with digital distribution made available on Steam, PSN, and XBL platforms to bolster overall profitability. Alternatively, we would not be opposed to handheld versions for 3DS and Vita, if data management allowed for it, but available digital copies would still be recommended for the sake of mainstream consumption on consoles and PC. While the retail hardcopies could be limited to a shorter production run (and may be necessary to entice long-time Castlevania collectors), digital copies would be slightly less expensive to incentivize high-profit downloads.

Here is a list of the requested content of each collection:

CASTLEVANIA ANTHOLOGY I (2D CLASSICS)

GAMES
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse [1476] NES
Castlevania: The Adventure [1576] GB
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth [1576] WII
Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge [1591] GB
Castlevania: Order of Shadows [1600s] MOB
Castlevania [1691] NES
Vampire Killer [1691] MSX2
Haunted Castle [1691] ARC
Super Castlevania IV [1691] SNES
Castlevania Chronicles [1691] PSX
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest [1698] NES
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance [1748] GBA
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood [1792] PCE
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night [1797] PSX
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia [1800s] DS
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon [1830] GBA
Castlevania: Bloodlines [1917] GEN
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin [1944] DS
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow [2035] GBA
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow [2036] DS

UNLOCKABLES
Akumajo Special: Boku Dracula-kun [11797] FC
Kid Dracula [11797] GB
Akumajyo Dracula Peke [XXXX] PCE
Castlevania: Legends [1450 alt.] GB
Castlevania: The Bloodletting [CANCELLED] *production materials*
Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night [XXXX] *mini-game*
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair [XXXX] *video montage*

EXTRAS
Art Gallery
Sound Test
Music Player
Complete Beastiary
Development History
Interactive Timeline

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CASTLEVANIA ANTHOLOGY II (3D CLASSICS)

GAMES
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence [1094] PS2
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness [1479] PS2
Castlevania: Dracula X ~Chronicles Version~ [1792] PSP
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness [1844] N64
Castlevania [1852] N64
Castlevania: Judgment [11th Millennium] WII

UNLOCKABLES
Nocturne in the Moonlight [1798] *subtitled radio drama*
Dracula: Castlevania Edition [1897] *visual novel*
The Demon Castle Wars [1997~1999] *visual novel*
Ricordanza of the God Abyss [2037] *visual novel*
Pachislot Akumajo Dracula [1476] *mini-game*
Pachislot Akumajo Dracula II [1476] *mini-game*
Pachislot Akumajo Dracula III [1476] *mini-game*
Castlevania: The Medal [1792] *mini-game*
Castlevania: Resurrection [CANCELLED] *production materials*
Castlevania: The Arcade [1800s] *video montage*
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow [1047 alt.] *video montage*
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow ~Mirror of Fate~ [TBA] *trailers*
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 [TBA] *trailers*

EXTRAS
Art Gallery
Sound Test
Music Player
Franchise Trivia
Developer Interviews
Character Models

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As long-time fans of Castlevania, we truly believe that these anthologies would be an intelligent and profitable venture for Konami, and they would pave the way for stronger franchise support. With a relatively low production cost and short development turn, this should be a no-brainer for the experts at Konami.

 

[Richard B]

I've always liked this series. I signed it.

 

[gooche77]

The N64 iteration was AWFUL! Gotta love the 1st installment for sure. I've never actually seen anyone beat it. The Grim Reaper was the farthest I made it......once.

 

[Kolchak357]

I signed it too. I remember playing this back in college. Didn't know the series had grown that large.

I've only played the 2D versions.

 

[Sinistar]

Oh you'd like the new one on PS3 or Xbox, if you watch this trailer , you'll figure out the newest Belmont has a nifty secret.

 

[Sumez]

I'm a huge Castlevania fan, and have no interest in this collection. I think bundling so many games together ruins their unique appeal, and devalues the games.
I own almost every game listed as the original release, and I think most fans of the games already have the games they like the best, as well. You won't get any new fans into Castlevania 3 by including it with the newer games.

It would make more sense to release smaller bundles, such as the CV1-2-3, Aria/Dawn, and Rondo/Symphony bundles that already exist.

 

[Kolchak357]

Trailer looked better than a lot of movies I have seen. Certainly many steps forward from the side scrolling version I recall.

 

[Sinistar]

Trailer looked better than a lot of movies I have seen. Certainly many steps forward from the side scrolling version I recall.

Lord of Shadows mixes God of War with Shadow of Collosus , it's epic , and a very nice update , many Castlevania fans reject it though, for being too unique

 

[Sumez]

Certainly many steps forward from the side scrolling version I recall.

Well, a lot of steps yeah, but I'm not sure I'd call them forward. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the first CV, and CV2 had its flaws, but from CV2 there have been so many amazing games in the series, and the last side scrolling one (Order of Ecclesia, which is only a few years old), is one of the very best of the seriest.
Honestly, the 3D games in the series tend to stink, and I've never heard of anyone daring to call them "classics" before. The new one isn't all that bad, but it's certainly not anything special either. My favourites in the series would probably be Symphony of the Night, Rondo of Blood, and Circle of the Moon, but there are really a lot of good ones. Order of Shadow sure _looks_ good, but it's just not up to par.

Lord of Shadows mixes God of War with Shadow of Collosus , it's epic , and a very nice update , many Castlevania fans reject it though, for being too unique

"Unique" is definitely not what it is. If you gotta make a God of War clone, and mix some elements in from other genres, it can be done way better, or at least with a working camera that doesn't constantly obscure what you're fighting. For a neat example, look at the Darksiders series. Very underrated, IMHO.

 

[JoshuaKadmon]

Well, a lot of steps yeah, but I'm not sure I'd call them forward. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the first CV, and CV2 had its flaws, but from CV2 there have been so many amazing games in the series, and the last side scrolling one (Order of Ecclesia, which is only a few years old), is one of the very best of the seriest.
Honestly, the 3D games in the series tend to stink, and I've never heard of anyone daring to call them "classics" before. The new one isn't all that bad, but it's certainly not anything special either. My favourites in the series would probably be Symphony of the Night, Rondo of Blood, and Circle of the Moon, but there are really a lot of good ones. Order of Shadow sure _looks_ good, but it's just not up to par.


"Unique" is definitely not what it is. If you gotta make a God of War clone, and mix some elements in from other genres, it can be done way better, or at least with a working camera that doesn't constantly obscure what you're fighting. For a neat example, look at the Darksiders series. Very underrated, IMHO.

I own every game in the anthologies list, including imports and multiple versions of several. I am as serious as Castlevania collectors come, and if you visit the petition page, the photo at the top is a snapshot of a small fraction of my personal collection. Sure, I use the term "classic" loosely when applied to the 3D games, but we're shooting for completion in the anthologies, not personal tastes. Even the worst Castlevania is better than a majority of its competition, so I refuse to call any of them bad or unworthy. Also, it pains me to hear Castlevania "fans" dispute the value or validity of this game or that game... While I understand the arguments for and against Lords of Shadow, it is a very good game regardless of how it connects (or doesn't) with the classic series, and any talk of it being a straight-up God of War clone or the lame argument about it being "too LotR" wreaks of elitism and purist bias. Castlevania has long suffered from plot holes and inconsistent details in its timeline, many of which have been muddled, retconned, or altered by Koji Igarashi. Debating the consistency of Lords of Shadow is pointless when you take that into account. It's a "what if", a Star-Trek-esque alternate timeline, a study of what would've changed had the Belmont bloodline been tainted from the beginning, and perhaps most notable to its naysayers, a sub-series that will only run three games long and forever be organically segregated from the classics because of its shift to Western development. It does nothing to damage the Castlevania series, and face it, some real CV fans actually like it.

I agree that Ecclesia is among the very best CV games, and I have been playing them since the original hit the US in 1987. But I am not a fair-weather fan. I find something to appreciate in every installment, and even though I spent a lot of time and money collecting them, I will not take an elitist stance by saying that a complete anthology would "devalue" them in some way. In my opinion, any chance to unite the fanbase and consolidate all CV titles on a playable format is of great value, and it trumps any personal hang-ups that individual Castlevania fans may have.

Be a fan all the time, or don't be one at all.

Oh, and for the record, my favorite game in the series is still Super Castlevania IV, though SotN, Ecclesia, and AoS all rank pretty high in my book.

 

[Richard B]

Gotta love the 1st installment for sure. I've never actually seen anyone beat it. The Grim Reaper was the farthest I made it......once.

I used to do pretty well at it, and usually made it to Dracula, but I only beat him once. I remember getting excited when I whittled his life bar to nothing, only to have him reveal his second form as some sort of a pig demon. It took me several hours to finally sent that oinker to the slaughterhouse. Doubt if I'd have that kind of patience now.

 

[DarkAkatosh]

This collection will happen when humanity colonizes Neptune.

 

[Sumez]

Also, it pains me to hear Castlevania "fans" dispute the value or validity of this game or that game...

(...)

(Be a fan all the time, or don't be one at all.)

So, according to you, a fan should blindly accept and adore everything released in a particular series? Even when development is being outsourced to some European developer with no previous involvement in the series? As a Castlevania fan, I defend my right to criticize the series, when they are taking it in a direction that I am not fond of.

To be fair, I think Lament of Innocence was a fairly decent game, and the soundtrack was absolutely amazing, but it did have some really obvious flaws. Likewise, I personally quite liked the N64 games, but that doesn't keep them from being poor game, objectively.
And I never said Lords of Shadow was bad. I was personally entertained by it, it's just not what I want in a Castlevania game. As a fan. Period.

It does nothing to damage the Castlevania series, and face it, some real CV fans actually like it.

Well, considering the next handheld 2D Castlevania game is being developed by MercurySteam, instead of Igarashi's team, who have made some of the best games in the series ever, I think this development is actually damaging the series.
Of course, I won't judge Mirror of Fate until I have actually played it. MercurySteam are competent developers, and if they want to make a classic sidescrolling CV, I commend them for trying, and hope they do good at it.
But at the same time, I really adored the direction the previous team was headed with Ecclesia, and I'm really sad to see it end there! I want more IGA games!

 

[JoshuaKadmon]

So, according to you, a fan should blindly accept and adore everything released in a particular series? Even when development is being outsourced to some European developer with no previous involvement in the series? As a Castlevania fan, I defend my right to criticize the series, when they are taking it in a direction that I am not fond of.

To be fair, I think Lament of Innocence was a fairly decent game, and the soundtrack was absolutely amazing, but it did have some really obvious flaws. Likewise, I personally quite liked the N64 games, but that doesn't keep them from being poor game, objectively.
And I never said Lords of Shadow was bad. I was personally entertained by it, it's just not what I want in a Castlevania game. As a fan. Period.


Well, considering the next handheld 2D Castlevania game is being developed by MercurySteam, instead of Igarashi's team, who have made some of the best games in the series ever, I think this development is actually damaging the series.
Of course, I won't judge Mirror of Fate until I have actually played it. MercurySteam are competent developers, and if they want to make a classic sidescrolling CV, I commend them for trying, and hope they do good at it.
But at the same time, I really adored the direction the previous team was headed with Ecclesia, and I'm really sad to see it end there! I want more IGA games!

I'm not saying that fans can't criticize an entry of their favorite series, but there is a distinct difference between criticism and bashing. You toned your last post down to a more objective, substantiated perspective, and I can totally appreciate that. I have my own qualms with certain aspects of Lords of Shadow. But even with a few flaws, it pleasantly surprised me because it almost feels like a next-gen evolution of Super Castlevania IV, which is my favorite among the classics.

While this may not apply to you, almost everyone I've met who has a blatant hatred for LoS falls into one of two camps: 1) They haven't actually played the game and despise it purely on principle, or 2) They went into it determined to find flaws that would legitimize their preconceived negativity. I'll admit that I was one of the latter at first, but I maintained just enough objectivity that it managed to grow on me. It's not my favorite installment, but it is good.

I will also agree that Igarashi's GBA and DS games were some of the best in CV history, and I would like to see him do more after MercurySteam finishes its development run this year. That's assuming that KONAMI doesn't go the way of Metal Gear and hand the Castlevania franchise to Platinum after LoS2. And as far as Mirror of Fate goes, I agree that I would've preferred an IGA 3DS release in keeping with the last two generations, but the chance to play through four time frames as Gabriel, Trevor, Simon, and Alucard (albeit in an alternate reality with established bloodlines turned on their ear) has me a little excited.

And as I said before, the Lords of Shadow sub-series won't be around much longer, so the people who dislike it won't even need to acknowledge it. I suspect that you and I aren't that different in our CV fandom, after all. Have you signed the petition, or are you gonna sit this one out?

 

[Sumez]

I'm not saying that fans can't criticize an entry of their favorite series, but there is a distinct difference between criticism and bashing. You toned your last post down to a more objective, substantiated perspective, and I can totally appreciate that.

Hmm, maybe you're confusing other posts with something I wrote? I'm pretty sure I haven't been bashing anything. Alright, I said the 3D games of the series have a tendency to stink, but almost every CV fan agrees with me there. Like I also said, I really like the N64 titles (quite a lot, in fact), but pushing personal affections aside, I'd still have to admit that those games do in fact stink.
I also admitted, in the same post, that Lords of Shadow (even if I happened to mistype the name), is actually not that bad, but it still has some pretty serious flaws, and is definitely not what I'm looking for in the CV series.

While this may not apply to you, almost everyone I've met who has a blatant hatred for LoS falls into one of two camps: 1) They haven't actually played the game and despise it purely on principle, or 2) They went into it determined to find flaws that would legitimize their preconceived negativity. I'll admit that I was one of the latter at first, but I maintained just enough objectivity that it managed to grow on me. It's not my favorite installment, but it is good.

I was actually really hyped for it. I thought it could be an interesting new take on the series, and the first great 3D game to come out of it. Actually trying it, I just ended up being disappointed. Trust me, I really wanted to like it.

And as I said before, the Lords of Shadow sub-series won't be around much longer, so the people who dislike it won't even need to acknowledge it.

Well, the thing is, Konami made a lot more sales on LoS than any of IGA's games, so from a business perspective, handing development back to his team would be a really bad descision. My biggest hope is that Igarashi himself insists on making more games, and since the previous handheld CV titles have been sort of budget titles, they wouldn't be that much of a gamble.

I suspect that you and I aren't that different in our CV fandom, after all. Have you signed the petition, or are you gonna sit this one out?

I actually owe you an apology for going against the petition in my first post - I might have been harsh because I didn't realise you were the one who started it.
I guess personally I just really don't like compilations.

 

[JoshuaKadmon]

Well, the thing is, Konami made a lot more sales on LoS than any of IGA's games, so from a business perspective, handing development back to his team would be a really bad descision. My biggest hope is that Igarashi himself insists on making more games, and since the previous handheld CV titles have been sort of budget titles, they wouldn't be that much of a gamble.

My educated guess would be that KONAMI hands development of Castlevania 3D titles to Platinum (likely because of the Kojima Productions connection with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and action-centric similarities between Plat and MS) with IGA in a supervisory role. I doubt they would continue the non-canonical alternate reality of LoS, though. They would probably make use of IGA's storycrafting and consistency editing to make something in the classic timeline but with the action-heavy 3D style that was popularized by LoS. KONAMI's not [always] dumb. They know that the gameplay style and graphics presentation are what sold LoS, but they have also heard plenty of fan criticism concerning the timeline and IGA's ousting. If they follow this predicted scenario, it would allow them the best of both -- the marketable flair of a 3D action title and the deep-rooted fan following of Igarashi and his canon stories. Of course, if IGA was only a supervisor or producer, he would probably also be allowed to oversee the creation of "budget" handheld releases for 3DS, since most of the established fanbase still wants them. That would be a best-case scenario, maybe even a bit too good to be true, but it's still quite possible.

I actually owe you an apology for going against the petition in my first post - I might have been harsh because I didn't realise you were the one who started it.
I guess personally I just really don't like compilations.

No harm, no foul. It certainly doesn't hurt my feelings; I was just hoping to snag as much fan support as possible. We already have 36 signatures from 8 countries in 3 1/2 days. That's a drop in the bucket of what we actually need, but it's a fast start for an entertainment petition. Now that it's ranking on Google searches, momentum should pick up considerably. I just want to see Castlevania return to greater relevance, and consolidating the series in a playable format should help in that regard.