Behind the scenes: Castlevania - Symphony of the NightI'm about ten hours into this game and I am really enjoying it. I'll be honest though, there is no way I would be able to play this game without a FAQ.
Now before you give me the same look that the kid on my right here --> did when I told him about my move to use a FAQ, allow me to explain.
I first started playing SOTN without any assistance whatsoever and for about an hour and a half I was doing alright. I was opening doors, collecting items, discovering different parts of the castle. You know, doing what Castlevania players do.
Suddenly, that all ceased. I found myself backtracking, wondering aimlessly through the same spots of the castle and eventually getting no where. Period. Now i'm no stranger to exploration and getting yourself out of situations where the game gives you little or no explanation, but I found myself eventually not having fun, and along with all the hard work, have nothing to show for it.
Moreover, I couldn't keep this type of gameplay up and have a full-time job, read my comics, watch my Daniel Day Lewis movies and spend time with the family. No sir, that wasn't going to happen. I needed a solution so that I may enjoy the awesomeness that was SOTN. I wasn't going to abandon it. Apart from me wondering around in purgatory for hours maintaining the abusive balance of frustration and sadness, the game has plenty of charm and plenty of depth.
It was going to be the death of me if I did not find a solution to fit my needs. I decided to swallow my pride and look online for a FAQ of SOTN. I also made the determination to start the game over as a gesture of good will. Whatever that may be worth Tony's Tombstone One thing, I noticed whilst looking for guides, is that most people that create guides cannot write. Perhaps it's because they assume you know what they are talking about when they say --Go to the bottom door--. While what they really meant was --Go back to the left, the way you came in and then up the stairs where you will hit a crossroad. You will then take the left path and then be face with two doors. One on top and one on bottom. You will take the bottom door.--
Now, you might be questioning my deductive reasoning skills due to the fact that I had to refrerence a FAQ to play SOTN, but I have actually managed to make some progress. It's not easy but at least I know where I am going. Sort of.
I have to say, after making some headway in SOTN using a FAQ, I really enjoy the game and it has definitely sparked my interests to dive into some other games that I have lost patience for, such as Eternal Sonata. I love exploration as much as the next guy but my time is very limited as to how long I can really commit to a game. Having some sort of guide to minimize the frustration of going the wrong way only to turn around and backtrack breathes new life into these once tossed aside games that have managed to only kill the gaming experience, not enhance it.
With that being said, I will still continue to start off playing games without a FAQ or guide but I will also take them into consideration when I find myself completely frustrated spinning my wheels in place with nothing to show for it and no light at the end of a tunnel. That is a better alternative then what I have been doing in the past by placing an unfinished game on my shelf and saying to myself," I'll finish it later."
Poll taken after studies show girls are in fact capable to be as good as guys in video games. Here are some thoughts by the random people on the street.
jakeJake Blackensnotter - Professional Gaming Website Visitor
"Heh. Who would have guessed it? They can cuss and get pissed just as bad as the rest of us. Not surprising. Not one bit."
D. PopperRichard Popper - Meat Packer
"Wonderful. Now my girlfriend is going to be thinking she can press the A button AND the B button with as much dexterity as me. Impossible. This study is a PHAIL."
LickDickle CoupleSatchel LickDickle and wife - Married for 35 years
"We gamed together for years. It made me feel like a man. The news hit me hard because now, on our last stretch of life, she could quite possibly beat me at Call of Duty 4. I should have known something was up when she hit her 13th prestige."
Behind the scenes: Castlevania - Symphony of the NightI'm about ten hours into this game and I am really enjoying it. I'll be honest though, there is no way I would be able to play this game without a FAQ.
Now before you give me the same look that the kid on my right here --> did when I told him about my move to use a FAQ, allow me to explain.
I first started playing SOTN without any assistance whatsoever and for about an hour and a half I was doing alright. I was opening doors, collecting items, discovering different parts of the castle. You know, doing what Castlevania players do.
Suddenly, that all ceased. I found myself backtracking, wondering aimlessly through the same spots of the castle and eventually getting no where. Period. Now i'm no stranger to exploration and getting yourself out of situations where the game gives you little or no explanation, but I found myself eventually not having fun, and along with all the hard work, have nothing to show for it.
Moreover, I couldn't keep this type of gameplay up and have a full-time job, read my comics, watch my Daniel Day Lewis movies and spend time with the family. No sir, that wasn't going to happen. I needed a solution so that I may enjoy the awesomeness that was SOTN. I wasn't going to abandon it. Apart from me wondering around in purgatory for hours maintaining the abusive balance of frustration and sadness, the game has plenty of charm and plenty of depth.
It was going to be the death of me if I did not find a solution to fit my needs. I decided to swallow my pride and look online for a FAQ of SOTN. I also made the determination to start the game over as a gesture of good will. Whatever that may be worth Tony's Tombstone One thing, I noticed whilst looking for guides, is that most people that create guides cannot write. Perhaps it's because they assume you know what they are talking about when they say --Go to the bottom door--. While what they really meant was --Go back to the left, the way you came in and then up the stairs where you will hit a crossroad. You will then take the left path and then be face with two doors. One on top and one on bottom. You will take the bottom door.--
Now, you might be questioning my deductive reasoning skills due to the fact that I had to refrerence a FAQ to play SOTN, but I have actually managed to make some progress. It's not easy but at least I know where I am going. Sort of.
I have to say, after making some headway in SOTN using a FAQ, I really enjoy the game and it has definitely sparked my interests to dive into some other games that I have lost patience for, such as Eternal Sonata. I love exploration as much as the next guy but my time is very limited as to how long I can really commit to a game. Having some sort of guide to minimize the frustration of going the wrong way only to turn around and backtrack breathes new life into these once tossed aside games that have managed to only kill the gaming experience, not enhance it.
With that being said, I will still continue to start off playing games without a FAQ or guide but I will also take them into consideration when I find myself completely frustrated spinning my wheels in place with nothing to show for it and no light at the end of a tunnel. That is a better alternative then what I have been doing in the past by placing an unfinished game on my shelf and saying to myself," I'll finish it later."
Poll taken after studies show girls are in fact capable to be as good as guys in video games. Here are some thoughts by the random people on the street.
jakeJake Blackensnotter - Professional Gaming Website Visitor
"Heh. Who would have guessed it? They can cuss and get pissed just as bad as the rest of us. Not surprising. Not one bit."
D. PopperRichard Popper - Meat Packer
"Wonderful. Now my girlfriend is going to be thinking she can press the A button AND the B button with as much dexterity as me. Impossible. This study is a PHAIL."
LickDickle CoupleSatchel LickDickle and wife - Married for 35 years
"We gamed together for years. It made me feel like a man. The news hit me hard because now, on our last stretch of life, she could quite possibly beat me at Call of Duty 4. I should have known something was up when she hit her 13th prestige."
I tend to use guides for RPGs mainly since sometimes they get a bit too bothersome for me and I have to resort to a guide and also would like to see what side-quests are. I printed the map for the castle and inverted castle for SOTN and I believe I had to resort to a guide once or twice to find out where I had to go next etc. Its tend to happen for other games also where I have to get a guide if I am completely stuck but doesn't happen on a regular basis.
Haha love the last part whre you quote a professional gaming site visitor. And don't feel bad about using a faq. There is not a more frustrating feeling then being lost at a game. It makes alot of people quit playing great games.
There is nothing wrong with using faqs from time to time. In certain games, if you want to have a full experience of the game which requires finding all items, secrets, optional quests, characters, etc, it is close to impossible without a faq. Especially RPGS, if you don't check the faqs you will definitely miss out on alot of content which is very very hard to find if you are just playing through on your own.
I admit I use FAQs from time to time, so don't feel bad at all. I completely understand your situation. I myself don't have as much time as I used to, and I don't want to waste it if I really get stuck somewhere or can't figure out where to go next. You may be getting some help, but you still have to play the game and do all the work. There is still a great deal of challenge even with the help of a strategy guide. It may be able to tell you how to beat a boss, for example, but you still have to do it yourself.
For me, I've played SOTN numerous times so I could play the whole thing without using the guide and just going from memory. SOTN is one of my favorite games of all time. I can't remember what number I gave it back when I did a 45 minute long top 20 video blog, but I know it was in the top 5, if not the top 3. Are you playing it on the 360, the PSP or the original on the Playstation?
Here's one tip that will save you a ton of time in the last part of the game. When you get to the library at a little over halfway through the game, keep killing Schmoos until you get a weapon called the Crissaegrim. It will take a while, but it is worth it. Trust me. It is the best weapon in the game and the rest of it will be a complete cakewalk and you can enjoy it without worrying about getting lost or getting your ass kicked left and right. Some people argue that the Crissaegrim takes the fun and challenge out of the game. I disagree. I think it makes the game even more fun since you can just plow through most of the enemies and some of the bosses (some of them are still quite hard and I can't imagine beating them without the Crissaegrim) and enjoy the enviromnments, the graphics and the music.
Dude I have been using FAQ walkthroughs for most of the games I beat this year. For instance, Princess Peach on the DS, some items I needed to get to I simply just did not know how. Once I read the direction in the FAQ, I was well on my way, now I'm at the final boss. I only really use them for parts where I'm stumped as where to go or what to do, and they certainly help.
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