A stroll through the castle with Simon Belmont and Dracula

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than 20 years now since the first Castlevania game came out. As I continue to struggle in the final battle of Order of Ecclesia, I think about all the times I’ve faced off against the various supervillains of Castlevania over the years. My collection of games is nearly complete now, and I’ve received word that my review copy of Judgment is on its way at last, so it shouldn’t be too much longer before I’ve got the whole library of North American releases in the Castlevania franchise. Once that happens, will I want to play them all through once again, start to finish? Should I play them in chronological order? There’s an idea.

Let’s have a look at where the franchise has been over the years as I get ready to tear into a game that could provide an excellent retrospective of some of its most important characters.

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Castlevania’s localization is a cesspit of hatred and lies

I’ve mentioned Konami’s localization woes in the past. What makes the issue so tragic is the high level of quality in the games themselves. Perhaps some of the money they spend on Hideo Kojima could go toward localizing their games with something other than a special needs 12 year old fueled by pixy stix. I’m trying to be serious, but it’s just not working, because that just isn’t me.

Most of the localization problems are in the end credits. The titles of those who spent so much time working on the title are often spelled incorrectly. Letters are transposed all over the place. You know, these are all careless errors. If I spotted them reading credits that are generally just a list of Japanese names, anyone at Konami could have.

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